Air Macau flies to more than a dozen destinations in mainland China and has codeshare flights to South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan. The departure tax is MOP$110, and is added to the ticket fee.
Travel to Macau by helicopter is a viable option and is becoming increasingly popular for residents and visitors alike. Sky Shuttle ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %in Hong Kong 852 2108 9898; www.skyshuttlehk.com) runs a 15-minute helicopter shuttle service between Macau and Hong Kong (HK$4300, tax included) with daily flights leaving every half-hour between 9am and 11pm. Flights arrive and depart in Macau from the roof of the Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal. In Hong Kong, departures are from the helipad atop the ferry pier that is linked to Shun Tak Centre (信德中心 GOOGLE MAP ; 200 Connaught Rd Central, Hong Kong) in Sheung Wan.
Sky Shuttle also has a helicopter shuttle linking Macau with Shēnzhèn six times a day from 10.15am to 7.45pm (11.45am to 8.30pm from Shēnzhèn) for HK$5900. The trip takes about 15 minutes.
HeliportHELIPORT
( GOOGLE MAP ; %853 2872 7288; Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal, Avenida da Amizade; h8.15am-11pm)
Take a copter to Hong Kong for MOP$4450.
Boat
Ferry and catamaran tickets can be booked in advance at the ferry terminals, through travel agencies or online. You can also buy tickets on the spot, though advance booking is recommended if you travel on weekends or public holidays, as tickets are often in high demand. There is a standby queue at the pier for passengers wanting to travel before their ticketed sailing. You need to arrive at the pier at least 15 minutes before departure, but you should allow 30 minutes because of occasional long queues at immigration.
You are limited to 10kg of carry-on luggage in economy class, but oversized or overweight bags can be checked in.
To & From Hong Kong
The vast majority of travellers make their way from Hong Kong to Macau by ferry. The journey takes just an hour and there are frequent departures throughout the day, with reduced service between midnight and 7am.
Most ferries depart from the Hong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal on Hong Kong Island or the China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon, and arrive at the Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal (外港客運碼頭; Terminal Maritimo de Passageiros do Porto Exterior MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Outer Harbour, Macau) in the outer harbour or the Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal ( GOOGLE MAP ; %853 2885 0595).
TurboJet ( GOOGLE MAP ; %852 2859 3333; www.turbojet.com.hk; Shun Tak Centre, 200 Connaught Rd, Sheung Wan) has regular departures from the Hong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal (every 15 minutes) and the China Ferry Terminal (every 30 minutes) to Macau from 7am to midnight, and less frequent service after midnight. Fares are HK$164/326 (economy/superclass), and it costs about 10% more on weekends and 20% more for night service (6.15pm to 6.30am).
CotaiJet ( GOOGLE MAP ; %853 2885 0595; www.cotaijet.com.mo; weekdays to Hong Kong regular/1st class MOP$154/267) has high-speed catamarans connecting the Hong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal and the Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal every half-hour between 7.30am and midnight. Fares are HK$165/270 (Cotai class/Cotai first) and it costs about 10% more on weekends and 20% more for night service (after 6pm). Free shuttles at the ferry terminal in Taipa will take you to destinations along the Cotai Strip.
To & From Mainland China
TurboJet has 11 departures from the Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal daily to the port of Shékǒu in Shēnzhèn between 9.45am and 8.45pm. The journey takes 60 minutes and costs MOP$238/376 (economy/super class). Eleven ferries return from Shékǒu between 8.15am and 7.30pm. TurboJet also has nine departures to Shēnzhèn airport (MOP$235/399, one hour) from 9.40am to 7.30pm and two departures to Nánshā in Guǎngzhōu (MOP$180/280) at 10.45am and 4.15pm.
Yuet Tung Shipping Co (粵通船務有限公司 GOOGLE MAP ; %853 2877 4478, 853 2893 9944; www.ytmacau.com; Point 11A Inner Harbour, Inner Harbour Ferry Terminal) has ferries connecting Macau (Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal) with Shékǒu (MOP$238). The boat departs from Macau at 11am, 2pm, 5.30pm, 6.30pm and 8.30pm and takes 1½ hours. Ferries also leave from the Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal for Wānzǎi in Zhūhǎi (MOP$90). Departures are every half-hour between 8am and 4.15pm, returning half an hour later.
Bus
Macau is an easy gateway by land into mainland China. Simply take bus 3, 5 or 9 to the border gate (關閘; Portas do Cerco; open 7am to midnight) and walk across. A second – and much less busy crossing – is the Cotai Frontier Post (open 9am to 8pm) on the causeway linking Taipa and Coloane, which allows visitors to cross the Lotus Flower Bridge by shuttle bus (MOP$4) to Héngqín in Zhūhǎi. Buses 15, 21 and 26 will drop you off at the crossing.
If you want to travel further afield in China, buses run by Kee Kwan Motor Road Co (歧關車路有限公司 GOOGLE MAP ; %853 2893 3888; underground bus terminal near Border Gate; h7.15am-9pm) leave the bus station at the border gate. Buses for Guǎngzhōu (MOP$77, 2½ hours) depart every 15 minutes or so, and for Zhōngshān (MOP$40, one hour) every 20 minutes between 8am and 6.30pm. There are many buses to Guǎngzhōu (MOP$155) and Dōngguān (MOP$155) from Macau International Airport Bus Terminal ( GOOGLE MAP ; %853 2888 1228).
8Getting Around
To/From the Airport
Take buses 21 and 26 from the airport to Coloane. Bus 21 goes from the airport to A-Ma Temple.
The airport bus AP1 (MOP$4.20) leaves the airport and zips around Taipa before heading to the Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal and the border gate. The bus stops at a number of major hotels en route and departs every five to 12 minutes from 6.30am to midnight.
Other services run to Praça de Ferreira do Amaral (MT1 and MT2).
Macau is linked directly to Hong Kong International Airport by TurboJet, which has eight ferries operating between 10am and 10pm. It costs MOP$254/196/140 per adult/child/infant and takes 70 minutes. However, please note that this ferry service is for transit passengers only. It is not applicable to passengers originating in Hong Kong.
A taxi from the airport to the town centre should cost about MOP$60, plus a surcharge of MOP$5. Large bags cost an extra MOP$3.
Bicycle
Bikes can be rented ( GOOGLE MAP ; 11 Rua dos Negotiantes, Taipa village; per hr MOP$20; h2-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-7pm Sat & Sun) in Taipa Village. You are not allowed to cross the Macau–Taipa bridges on a bicycle.
Car
The streets of Macau Peninsula are a gridlock of cars and mopeds that will cut you off at every turn.
Avis Rent A Car ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %853 2872 6571; www.avis.com.mo; Room 1022, ground fl, Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal; h9am-6pm) Hires out cars from MOP$800 to MOP$1600 per day (10% to 20% more expensive on weekends). Chauffeur-driven services start from MOP$380 per hour. Also has an office at the Grand Lapa Hotel car park (open 8am to 10pm).
Burgeon Rent A Car ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %853 2828 3399; www.burgeonrentacar.com; Avenida do Almirante Magalhaes Correia, 61) Hires Kia cars, with the cheapest model starting at MOP$450 for the first nine hours. The cheapest car with chauffeur costs MOP$1280 for eight hours.
Public Transport
Public buses and minibuses run by TCM (www.tcm.com.mo) and Transmac (%853 2827 1122; www.transmac.com.mo) operate from 6am until shortly after midnight. Fares – MOP$3.20 on the peninsula, MOP$4.20 to Taipa Village, MOP$5 to Coloane Village and MOP$6.40 to Hác Sá beach – are dropped into a box upon entry (exact change needed), or you can pay with a Macau Pass, which can be purchased from various supermarkets and convenience stores. The card costs MOP$130 at first purchase, which includes a refundable deposit of MOP$30. A minimum of MOP$50 is required to add money to the card each time. Expect buses to be very crowded.
The Macau Tourist Map has a full list of bus company routes and it’s worth picking one up from one of the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) outlets. You can also check the routes online. The two most useful buses on the peninsula are buses 3 and 3A, which run between the ferry terminal and the city centre, near the post office. Both continue up to the border crossing with the mainland, as does bus 5, which can
be boarded along Avenida Almeida Ribeiro. Bus 12 runs from the ferry terminal, past the Lisboa Hotel and then up to Lou Lim Ieoc Garden and Kun Iam Temple. The best services to Taipa and Coloane are buses 21A, 25 and 26A. Buses to the airport are AP1, 26, MT1 and MT2.
Free shuttle buses run from the ferry terminals and the border gates to the casinos of Cotai; anyone can ride, not just hotel guests. Public bus 25 goes all the way from the peninsula's northern border gate, through Taipa and Cotai and all the way to Coloane; 26A covers a similar route. There are plenty of taxi queues around the casinos in Cotai, but expect long lines and refusals to take you to far-flung locations (ie Coloane).
Taxi
Flag fall is MOP$17 for the first 1.6km and MOP$2 for each additional 230m. There is a MOP$5 surcharge to go to Coloane, although many taxis will refuse to take you because they're not assured a return fare. Travelling between Taipa and Coloane is MOP$2 extra. For yellow radio taxis, call 853 2851 9519 or 853 2893 9939.
Guǎngdōng
Gungdong Highlights
Gungzhou
Around Gungzhou
Foshan
Kaiping
Yangjiang
Zhaoqing
Around Zhaoqing
Qingyun
Nanlng National Forest Park
Shenzhen
Zhuhi
Chaozhou
Around Chaozhou
Meizhou
Dabu
Chayang Old Town
Baihou Old Town
Shantou
Guǎngdōng
Pop 93 million
Why Go?
Guǎngdōng’s unique culture and natural beauty fly under the radar and have yet to be discovered by many travellers, so you may have a plethora of sublime sights (not to mention great dim sum) all to yourself.
Northern Guǎngdōng (广东) is home to some wild and wondrous landscapes. In the blue pine forests of Nánlǐng, the music of waterfalls and windswept trees boomerangs in your direction. If it’s Unesco-crowned heritage you’re after, Kāipíng’s flamboyant watchtowers and the stylised poses of Cantonese opera will leave you riveted. What's all the fuss about Hakka and Chiuchow cultures? Well, find out in Méizhōu and Cháozhōu.
Historically Guǎngdōng was the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road and the birthplace of revolution. On the scenic byways of the Pearl River delta, you’ll uncover the glory of China’s revolutionary past. While on the surf-beaten beaches of Hǎilíng Island, an ancient shipwreck and its treasures await.
When to Go
AApr–Jun Verdant paddy fields against the built wonders of Kāipíng and Méizhōu.
AJul–Sep Blue pines and stained-glass windows offer respite from summer.
AOct–Dec The typhoons and heat are gone; this is the best time to visit.
Best Places to Eat
A Guăngzhōu Restaurant
A Zhèng’s Private Kitchen
A Qìngyún Vegetarian Restaurant
A Dàbù Handmade Noodles
A Pànxī Restaurant
Best Places to Sleep
A Garden Hotel
A Shēnzhèn Loft Youth Hostel
A Zàiyáng Inn
Guǎngdōng Highlights
1 Kāipíng Climbing dramatic Unesco-crowned watchtowers.
2 Méizhōu Being awed by the crouching dragons and flying saucers of Hakka architecture.
3 Fóshān Visiting the hometown of two martial-arts legends.
4 Guǎngjǐ Bridge Crossing the majestic passageway in Cháozhōu with its 18 boats and 24 piers.
5 Guǎngzhōu Lunching in a garden-restaurant while listening to an operatic aria.
6 Cháyáng Being mesmerised by the labyrinthine streets and storied mansions of the old town.
7 Nánlǐng National Forest Park Falling asleep to the whispered symphony of an ancient forest after a day's hike.
8 Yángjiāng Visiting silken beaches and an 800-year-old shipwreck.
History
Guǎngdōng has had contact with the outside world for nearly two millennia. Among the first outsiders to arrive were the Romans, who appeared in the 2nd century AD. By the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907), a sizeable trade with the Middle East and Southeast Asia had developed.
The first Europeans to settle here were the Portuguese in 1557, followed by the Jesuits who established themselves in Zhàoqìng. The British came along in the 17th century and by 1685 merchant ships from the East India Company were calling at Guǎngzhōu. In 1757 an imperial edict gave the cohong, a local merchants’ guild, a monopoly on China’s trade with foreigners, who were restricted to Shāmiàn Island. Trade remained in China’s favour until 1773, when the British shifted the balance by unloading 1000 chests of Bengal opium in Guǎngzhōu. Addiction spread in China like wildfire, eventually leading to the Opium Wars.
In the 19th century Guǎngdōng was a hotbed of reform and revolt. Among the political elites who sowed revolutionary ideas here was Sun Yatsen, who later became the first president of the Republic of China.
The 20th century saw Guǎngdōng serve as the headquarters of both the Nationalist and Communist Parties, and endure great suffering during the Cultural Revolution. After the implementation of the ‘open door’ policy in 1978, it became the first province to embrace capitalism. The province’s continued economic success has made it a leading export centre for consumer goods.
Language
The vast majority of the people of Guǎngdōng speak Cantonese, a dialect distinct from Mandarin. Though it enjoys a less exalted status than the national dialect, Cantonese is older and better suited than Mandarin for the reading of classical poetry, according to many scholars.
8Getting There & Away
Air
Airports in Zhūhǎi, Méizhōu and Cháozhōu bring every major city within a three-hour flight of the sights.
Báiyún International Airport In Guǎngzhōu, has frequent flights to major cities in China including Guìlín, Shànghǎi and Běijīng; also numerous international destinations.
Shēnzhèn Airport (深圳宝安国际机场; Shēnzhèn Băoān Guójì Jīchǎng %0755 2345 6789; eng.szairport.com) Flights to most major destinations around China, as well as international flights.
Land
Long-distance buses are the transportation with the most frequent departures between major areas in Guǎngdōng.
High-speed rail connects Guǎngdōng to its provincial neighbours Guǎngxī, Húnán, Jiāngxī and Fújiàn.
The fastest trains on the northeast–southwest axis head for Nánchāng (four hours), Wŭhàn (four hours), Xī’ān (nine hours) and Běijīng (10 hours). A well-developed network of convenient, older rail lines and expressways span the entire province. Metro and light rail in Guǎngzhōu, Shēnzhèn, Zhūhǎi and Fóshān are connected to major and high-speed train stations.
Guǎngzhōu 广州
%020 / Pop 12 million
Guǎngzhōu, once better known to Westerners as Canton, is China’s busiest transport and trade hub and the third-largest city in the country. A giant metropolis, Guǎngzhōu is home to both gleaming towers and leafy alleys, and its history as a strategic trade port to the South China Sea has afforded it a colonial background and culturally diverse population that combine to give Guǎngzhōu a cosmopolitan flair. Additionally, the China Import and Export Fair (more commonly known as the Canton Fair) – China's largest trade fair – sees thousands of international visitors flocking to Guǎngzhōu twice a year. And its proximity to Hong Kong means it is one of the most well-connected cities in China.
History
Guǎngzhōu’s history is one dominated by trade and revolution. Since the Tang dynasty, it had been China’s most important southern port and the starting point for the Maritime Silk Road, a trade route to the West. It became a trading post for the Portuguese in the 16th century, and later for the British.
After the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911, the city was a stronghold of the republican forces led by Sun Yatsen and, subsequently, a centre of activ
ity also of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led by Mao Zedong.
During the post-1949 years of China’s self-imposed isolation, the Canton Trade Fair was the only platform on which China did business with the West.
In 2010 Guǎngzhōu held the Asian Games, resulting in major expansion of the city’s transport network.
Guǎngzhōu
1Top Sights
1Chen Clan Ancestral HallB4
2Mausoleum of the Nányuè KingD3
3Shāmiàn IslandG1
1Sights
Ancestral Home of Bruce LeeA6
4Bāhé AcademyA6
5Church of Our Lady of LourdesH1
6DōngshānH5
7Five Rams StatueD3
8Guāngxiào TempleC4
9Guǎngzhōu Art GalleryE3
10Guǎngzhōu Big Buddha TempleE5
11Guǎngzhōu City MuseumD3
12Luányú TángA6
13Qīngpíng Chinese Medicine MarketF1
14Temple of the Six Banyan TreesD4
15Yuèxiù ParkD3
2Activities, Courses & Tours
16Guǎngzhōu Star Cruises CompanyE6
17Shāmiàn Traditional Chinese Medical CentreF1
4Sleeping
187 Days Inn Guangzhou Shimao CenterG4
19Garden HotelG3
20Guǎngdōng Victory HotelG1
21Guǎngzhōu Youth HostelG1
Koala's HomeE5
Lonely Planet China Page 112