Guangzhou to Macao: Train to Zhuhai, Border, Ferries

How do I get from Guangzhou to Macao?

Take the train to Zhuhai, then walk across the border. Our data comes from a China Railway 12306 sample for October 25, 2026. Fares are second class and vary by train.

The train is the route our data can price. Use the coach if a Guangdong coach station is closer to you than Guangzhou South, but check the departure point and times with the operator first. For tickets, see how to buy train tickets in China and Guangzhou South Railway Station.

iPhoto: YikyuenG · CC BY-SA 4.0 Details

We could not verify how to get from Zhuhai station to the border gate, or how long the border crossing takes. Search the route in Amap, or ask station staff.

Is there a ferry from Guangzhou?

Not on the official list. The Macao Government Tourism Office lists ferries to Macao from Shenzhen Shekou, Shenzhen Airport, Zhuhai (Wanzai Pier and Guishan Island) and Zhongshan. It lists none from Guangzhou. Also, its page does not cover train services to Zhuhai or Gongbei.

What happens at the border, step by step?

This is the order of checks, from the tourism office’s description of the land route. The office gives no detail on forms or queues, so treat timings as unknown.

1. Reach the Zhuhai crossing. For the Border Gate (关闸), the Macao tourism office describes a path through the Gongbei checkpoint and then the Border Gate. Hengqin and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) are separate crossings with their own hours, listed below.
2. Leave mainland China. Show your passport at the Chinese exit control. This is the mainland’s exit check.
3. Enter Macao. Show your passport at Macao’s checkpoint. Macao’s tourism office says all visitors need a passport or valid travel document, and a visa unless their nationality is exempt.
4. Know the visa-on-arrival option. Visitors may apply for an entry permit or visa on arrival, except nationals of certain countries who must get a visa in advance. The tourism office lists three entry permit types: individual MOP100 (MOP50 for children under 12), family passport MOP200, and group MOP50 per person for groups of at least 10 with a collective travel document.
5. Go through Macao customs. All visitors must declare dutiable goods above the duty-free quota. Cash or equivalent instruments of MOP120,000 or more must be declared through the Red Channel.

The Macao Public Security Police says nationals of six countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam) must apply for a Macao visa in advance through a Chinese mission and cannot get one on arrival. Check the Macao Public Security Police page for your own nationality before you travel.

Which border crossings are open when?

The Macao tourism office gives these hours for land crossings from mainland China:

Which currency do I need in Macao?

Macao uses the pataca (MOP), and cards and apps are widely accepted, according to the tourism office. The pataca is linked to the Hong Kong dollar at MOP103.20 to HKD100, with an allowed variation of up to 10%. The office says roughly MOP8 equals US$1.

The same page says currency exchange is available at airports, docks and most hotels, and that banks and money changers are easy to find. It lists UnionPay, American Express, JCB, Visa and Mastercard as widely accepted cards, and says merchants take mainland China and Hong Kong versions of WeChat Pay and Alipay. Your card issuer may charge transaction fees. We found no official source on how widely renminbi cash is accepted in shops, so do not rely on spending yuan.

For buses, the tourism office says the fare is MOP6.00, you need exact coins as no change is given, and Macau Pass is an IC card payment system on all public transport. Taxi flag-fall is MOP21.00 for the first 1,600 metres, with a MOP8.00 surcharge for boarding at the Hengqin port taxi station.

What about passports, visas and getting back?

Carry your passport. Macao’s entry rules depend on your nationality; check the entry requirements page above. Coming back into mainland China is a new entry. You need a valid visa or a new visa-free entry, and a 240-hour transit stay ends once you leave for Macao.

Macao’s government says the Hengqin (Zhuhai) and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge ports have been designated for the 240-hour visa-free transit since November 5, 2025. China’s transit covers 57 countries and allows 240 hours. Check your own passport in the visa-free checker. Hold an ordinary passport and an onward ticket with a confirmed date and seat to a third country or region (not back to where you came from; Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan count as eligible onward destinations). Enter through one of the 65 designated ports, stay inside the permitted areas, and leave within 240 hours.

If you plan to return the same day, mind the closing time at your crossing. The Border Gate shuts at 01:00, and the HZMB frontier post for people on foot closes at 22:00. The Hengqin port is the only land crossing on the list open 24 hours without conditions.

The Macao Public Security Police says travellers who are not visa-exempt need a Macao visa, and nationals of six countries must get it in advance from a Chinese mission.

What can I see on a day trip?

Macao’s Historic Centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site, inscribed in 2005. UNESCO describes 22 principal buildings and public spaces that show the structure of the old trading port, with Portuguese and Chinese buildings side by side. The tourism office says October and November are ideal months to visit, with mild temperatures and dry weather. Its typhoon season runs from May to November. If you are travelling in that season, check the tourism office’s typhoon advice for special arrangements when signal No. 8 or above is hoisted.

Macao and Hong Kong are different borders. See Guangzhou to Hong Kong if you plan both.