By Air
Located on the east side of the outlying island of Taipa, Macau International Airport (MFM) has convenient transfers between the air and ferry services in the region. Its runway is on a narrow strip of reclaimed land and is connected to Taipa by two bridges.
Flights leaving this airport take passengers directly to most destinations in this region and there are scheduled airlines between it and cities in mainland China including Beijing, Shanghai, Haikou, Xiamen, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Fuzhou and Chengdu and Taibei and Gaoxiong in Taiwan as well as Seoul and Inchon in Korean, Bangkok, Manila, Singapore and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Travelers can also catch connecting flights to other parts of Asia, Europe and America.
The airport is a fifteen-minute drive from the city's Ferry Terminal and a twenty-minute drive from the Barrier Gate. It is quite easy for travelers to either catch a ferry service to Hong Kong or take a land trip by bus to Guangzhou. For travelers who wish to enter Shenzhen, a five minute car drive from the airport via the Lotus Bridge will reach the border of Guangdong Province.
Departure Tax
Passengers aged two years and over are required to pay 90 MOP (about 12 USD) airport departure tax. Those passengers who are passing through on connecting flights for other destinations are charged only 40 MOP (about 5USD).
Airport Transport Express Bus - Two customs, one checkpoint
Express Bus is a new a time saving service which provides a quick Land-to-Air or Air-to-Land transport service between Macau International Airport and the ferry terminal by freeing Express Bus passengers from immigration and custom procedures and luggage handling.
For Air to Ferry Travelers
Passengers on their arrival at the airport should follow the sign board for the Express Bus Service and purchase tickets at the counters where a blue-tag will be provided to label check-in luggage. Then travelers go direct to the Air-to-Land transfer to Macau Ferry Terminal and take ferry service to their final destination thus avoiding immigration and custom procedures. Then it only remains for them to collect their luggage with blue tags at the terminal at their destination city.
For Ferry to Air Travelers
Passengers taking the ferry service from Hong Kong or Shenzhen, on arrival in Macau Ferry Terminal, can follow the signs to the terminal counters in order to buy tickets for the Express Bus Service. A blue-tag will be provided to label check-in luggage. Then travelers can board the Land-to-Air transfer to be taken to Macau International Airport and on to their final destination without any immigration and custom procedures. Then it only remains for them to collect their luggage with blue tags at the terminal at their destination city.
City Bus
Outside the Airport Entry Building, Airport Bus Nos API, 26 and 21 take passengers to the Barrier Gate or the outlying island of Coloane. There are also Cross-Boundary Bus services outside the Arrivals Building. There are tourist buses to take passengers directly to major cities in Guangdong Provinces.
Taxi
Taxis can also be found outside the airport building. A single trip to the city center is about 40 MOP$. For more information on taxi fares, please visit our Getting Around section.
Helicopter
Helicopters run by East Asian Airlines and Hong Kong Helicopter company, ply between helipads on the Macau and Hong Kong ferry terminals. The short trip takes only sixteen minutes and the flights from Macau to Hong Kong operate between 9:00 to 22:30 and those from Hong Kong are available from 9:30 to 10:59 at an interval of 30 minutes.
Moreover, helicopters leave from Macau Ferry terminal to Shenzhen Bao'an Airport at 9:45, 13:15, 14:45, 16:45 and the trip takes around 20 minutes. Helicopter services back from Shenzhen are available at 11:45, 14:15, 15:45, 17:15 and 20:30.
By Ship
There are three ferry terminals providing schedule ferry serivices to Shenzhen (Shekou Port, Fu Yong Ferry Terminal in Shenzhen Airport) and Hong Kong (Tsim Sha Tsui, Sheung Wan, HK Airport).
Macau Marine Ferry terminal, also knwn as Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal, New Macau Ferry Terminal and Terminal Marítimo do Porto Exterior in Portuguese, is located in Porto Exterior, east coast of Macau Peninsula, near the reservoir on Avenida da Amizade. It is the principle ferry terminal of the city. Many hotels have free shuttle buses waiting at the bus terminus outside the ferry terminal. It can be reached by city bus API, 10, 10A, 10B and 12 from Barrer Gare to Gongbei Custom, Macau Airport, Macau Tower and other places in the city.
Macau Inner Harbor Ferry Terminal in the west coast of Macau Peninsula near A Ma Temple, is an old dock area mainy dealing with cargo, fishing and inland waterway shipping. Now it has ferry to Wan Zai Pier of Zhuhai every half a hour from 8:30 - 11:30, 13:30 - 16:30.
Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal, Terminal Marítimo Provisório da Taipa in Portuguese, is currently solely served by Cotai jet, located on the north side of Taipa island, a short distance from the Macau Airport. The Venetain has free shuttle bus to this terminal and it can also be reached from Colpane by city bus 21, 26, Praça de Ferreira do Amaral by MT1 and MT2, from Border Gate of Gongbei by AP1. Most of the buses are available at Macau Ferry Terminal too. Ferry to Shenzhen and Hong Kong are both available here.
Shenzhen - Macau
Shekou to Macau
Shenzhen Shekou Port has ferry services to Macau Ferry Terminal and Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal. It takes about one hour.
From Shekou (Turbo-Jet): 8:15, 8:45, 10:30, 11:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:45, 18:30, 19:30
Back hours 9:45, 10:15, 12:00, 13:15, 15:00, 16::00, 17:00, 18:00, 20:00, 20:45
Tickets (per person): CNY 270 (first class), CNY 170 (tourist class), CNY 100 (first class children), CNY75 (children)
From Shekou to Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal: 9:30, 12:15, 17:30
Back hours: 11:00, 14:00, 19:00
Tickets (per person): CNY170 (tourist class), CNY75 (children)
Fu Yong Ferry Terminal (Shenzhen Airport) - Macau Ferry Terminal (Turbo-Jet)
From Fu Yong: 8:45, 10:30, 12:30, 14:00, 16:30, 17:30
From Macau: 10:45, 12:15, 14:30, 15:45, 18:30, 19:30
Tickets: CNY 296 (first class), CNY196 (tourist class)
Hong Kong - Macau
At present, there are two ferry companies offering ferry services at different terminals.
| Ferry Company | Hotline | Terminal in Hong Kong | Terminal in Macau |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shun Tak-China Travel Ship Management Limited (Turbo-Jet) | 28593333 | HK-Macau Ferry Terminal, Sheung WanSky Pier - Hong Kong Intel. Airport | Marine Ferry Terminal |
| Cotai Chu Kong Shipping Manamement Services Company Limited | 28591588 | HK-Macau Ferry Terminal, Sheung Wan | Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal |
Locations of Hong Kong ferry terminals:
China Ferry Terminal - 33 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
HK-Macau Ferry Terminal - Shun Tak Centre, 200 Connaaight Road, Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Sky Pier - Hong Kong International Airport, Tung Chung, Lantau, Hong Kong
Turbo-Jet
Turbo-Jet Sea Express is a new time saving project initiated to provide tourist quick ferry transport between Hong Kong International Airport, Macau International Airport and Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport. Passengers from Macau and Shenzhen who take flights at Hong Kong International Airport can avoid Hong Kong Immigration and Customs formalities and their luggage will be delivered to their destination ferry terminal.
| Routes | approx Sailing Time | Service Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Macau ↔ Hong Kong | 55 mins | 24 hours/day |
| Hong Kong ↔ Shenzhen | 55 mins | 7:30-20:30 daily |
| Macau ↔ Shenzhen | 1 hour | 10:30-18:45 daily |
Embarkation / Disembarkation Terminals
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal, Sheung Wan |
|---|---|
| Kowloon | China (HK) Ferry Terminal, Tsimshatsui |
| Macau | New Macau Ferry Terminal |
| Shenzhen | Fu Yong Ferry Terminal ( Shenzhen Airport ) |
By Long-distance Bus
There are two gateways to the Guangdong Province from Macau. One is Barrier Gate on the borders on Zhuhai and other is the COTAI Frontier Post at the end of the Lotus Bridge on the island of Taipa.
Barrier Gate, located at the northern end of the Macau is the main entry gate to Zhuhai in Guangdong Province. It is the gate by which travelers enter mainland China. Actually all bus services operating between Macau and Guangzhou pass through this gate. All travelers are required to have the same travel documents (for example your valid passport and Chinese visa ) which are required when entering China via other cities such as Beijing, Shanghai or others. Its operating hours is from 7:00 to 24:00.
Gongbei Border, nine kilometers away from Zhuhai city's government center, is a Chinese border immigration checkpoint. It connects Macau to the south and several hundred meters from its counterpart, the Barrier Gate. The operating hours is from 7:00 to 24:00.
There are air-conditioned buses operating between Macau and Guangzhou, which should pass the Barrier Gate and Gongbei Border. The place to board these buses is the Kee Kwan's Company bus stop, close to Master Hotel in Macau. However, the bus company is not responsible for Chinese tourist visa which travelers have to hold in order to cross the border from Macau to Zhuhai. Make sure to get all your documents well prepared for border crossing. For travelers who have not yet applied for their Chinese visa, the alternative is to firstly exit Macau from the Barrier Gate and take immigration formalities at Gongbei Border, and then catch the buses at Gongbei to Guangzhou.
In addition to the Barrier Gate, COTAI Frontier Post at the end of the Lotus Bridge in Cotai on the causeway between the islands Taipa and Coloane is the second entry to China's mainland. Their working hours is from 9:00 to 20:00.
Public Buses
Public Buses TRANSMAC and TCM are the two bus companies operating all public and mini buses in the city.
Bus lines cover almost all the attractions and hotels on the Macau Peninsular and the main scenic spots on the outlying islands of Taipa and Coloane. The routes operate on a one-way circuit around the city. This means you would not necessarily have the same stops on a return trip. Ask the drivers for details. Most public buses are air-conditioned middle-sized vehicles capable of carrying more than 20 people. There are no conductors so it is necessary for you to have the appropriate change in coins before getting aboard. For the ride within the Peninsular, the fare is 2.5 MOP$. Several bus lines going further to the islands of Taipa and Coloane charge three to five Macanese dollars. The ride to Macau International Airport on the island of Taipa from the Peninsular is six MOP$. The operating hours of most buses are from 6:00 to 24:00.
Bus Nos. 21, 21A, 25, 26 and 26A run between the Macau Peninsular and islands of Taipa and Coloane
Bus Nos. 11, 22, 28A, 33 and 34 run between the Macau Peninsular and island of Taipa.
API is a special line plying between the Macau International Airport on the island of Taipa and the Macau Peninsular
Tip: We suggest visitors try to avoid the peak morning and evening traffic periods when people crowd onto buses to go to work or return home. All bus stop signs have route descriptions in both Chinese and Portuguese. English versions of the local map can be obtained from the counters of the Macau Tourist Bureau on Senado Square in the downtown area of the city.
Taxi
At present, there are over 1,200 taxi cars here and they are a convenient way of transportation in the city. Taxis are in two colors, black and yellow. The black cars have a pale yellow top on each and the services of the yellow cars can be arranged through telephone booking without extra cost. The phone is (853) 519519
The fares for both cars start from 15 MOP$ for the first 1,500 meters (1,640 yards) and 1.5 MOP$ is added for additional every 230 meters (252 yards). 1 MOP$ is charged per minute for waiting. For one piece of luggage carried in the boot, you need to pay 3 MOP$.
A taxi trip from the Macau Peninsular to the outlying islands of Taipa and Coloane costs extra five Pataca, in addition to the meter and for the taxi trip from Taipa to Coloane, two Pataca is surcharged. However, no surcharge is made for any return trips from outlying islands of either Taipa or Coloane to the Peninsular.
A single taxi trip from the Macau Peninsular to Hac Sa Beach in Coloane costs about 80 MOP$.
Local maps with information in Chinese, Portuguese and English are supplied to taxi drivers by the Macau Tourism Administration Bureau so that they can communicate with visitors about the places and routes in the city. As a rule you can get as much information as you need from this 'tour guide'.
Pedicabs
The pedicab, or tricycle rickshaw, is a leisurely and romantic form of transport around the waterfronts of Macau (it is not designed for hill climbing), and offers visitors a chance to see and photograph the sights, while chatting with the drivers. The main locations for hiring a pedicab are outside the Macau Ferry Terminal and opposite the main door of the Lisboa Hotel. They usually charge MOP$150.00 per hour. You should agree on the price before starting your trip.