Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macao Bridge Photo Gallery

A Guide from Hong Kong to Macao by Bus

The Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macao Bridge is the longest bridge and tunnel sea crossing in the world. The idea first surfaced in 1983 from a local businessman. At the time, the bridge was intended to help strengthen Hong Kong port's reach. China's state planner and the Hong Kong government took notice in 2003, studying what transport links are needed in the Pearl River Delta. Construction of the 55km project began in 2009 and it opened on October 24, 2018 with a final price tag of almost USD$7 billion, shared between the Hong Kong, Chinese, and Macau governments.
City -> Hong Kong Port The Hong Kong side of the bridge starts on an artificial island just east of the airport. Several airport bus routes have been extended to the port : Citybus Route Extensions : click here Long Win Route Extensions : click here Passengers can also ride the MTR to either Sunny Bay or Tung Chung stations and transfer to a local bus for the bridge. B5 Sunny Bay MTR - Hong Kong Port : route details B6 Tung Chung MTR - Hong Kong Port : route details
At Sunny Bay, look for the yellow Citybuses parked at the further end of the bus station. Half an hour later, the bus pulls into the immigration building, which has a large canopy to shelter passengers from the elements.
The immigration building is spacious and the counters / kiosks are only a short walk away from the entrance. However, food options are quite sparse and there is very little available here for a proper meal.
Bus tickets for Macau or Zhuhai are available after immigration. If buying with Octopus card or Chinese mobile payment apps, there are kiosks that get the job done quickly. However, credit cards are not accepted. A 1-way ticket costs 65 dollars but they don't offer roundtrip tickets. The bus station is perpendicular to the immigration building with a thin canopy that can barely protect you from the sun, let alone a rainstorm. The left bays are for Zhuhai and the right bays are for Macau. On my visit, there was a huge line for Macau and it was a 20 minute wait to get on a bus. Tickets are not for specific departures so you have to line up and wait patiently.
No standing room is allowed for the 40-minute journey. The first elevated section runs parallel to the airport before entering the wide mouth of the Pearl River. Views on the right side were decent as the cargo area is usually elusive to the public and not so visible from the terminal's windows.
Just after leaving Hong Kong waters, the bridge section ends and a tunnel begins that is over 6km long. Traffic on the bridge was very light on the first few days of opening as vehicle numbers were severely restricted. Many roads leading to the bridge on the Hong Kong and Macau sides were not yet ready, while licensing complications required drivers to have permits from all 3 jurisdictions in order to use the link. Lantau's vast emptiness rises in the background. The entire length of the link follows mainland Chinese road rules with vehicles driving on the right, which is opposite that of Hong Kong and Macau. Notice the road signs use mainland route numbering and simplified characters.
After the major bridge sections, Zhuhai's buildings start appearing closer behind the islands.
We pulled into a massive reclaimed island and looped around for a bit before reaching the giant Macau immigration building.
If you have mobility issues, stick with the ferries. There are long walks and several escalator rides from the bus drop-off to the immigration checkpoint. The building was eeringly empty and I completed my formalities at the kiosk in seconds. Did they need that big a space when the buses were spaced out? For Hong Kong residents, entering Macau is quite easy with ID cards that work in their automated kiosks.
Macau Port -> City Upon exiting, head to the bus stop for the 2 bus routes into the city. Public transport to the checkpoint is a sore point on this side. Unlike the immigration area, this section was crowded as the frequencies could not meet up with demand. Both routes cost MOP/HKD$6. Route 101X : route details with 8-10 minute headway at best Route 102X : route details with 12-15 minute headway at best Unfortunately, this would be an awful and crowded way to end the journey to Macau. As the bus pulled out of the checkpoint, we passed through a reclaimed wasteland on an empty road.
City -> Macau Port The trip back to Hong Kong would be even more problematic. Public transport to the Macau Port is woefully inadequate. The link's "golden" buses seem to run more frequently than the city buses. 101X also takes a long detour around the congested historic part of the city to reach the checkpoint, which is the final stop. Packed to the brim, the 40 minutes standing / being crushed was not pleasant at all. Strange that the casinos don't have any bus routes to the bridge yet, while they run frequent services to the ferries and the land border with Zhuhai. As if the city bus ride was not bad enough, it is another long walk in the gigantic checkpoint building to reach the ticket machines and immigration. You can buy your tickets before immigration either by cash at the counter or Macau smart card / Chinese payment apps at the kiosk. Keep an eye on the signs for the right direction. Most were heading back to Hong Kong tonight. After immigration, there are more kiosks to buy your bus ticket. A long line snaked from the bus stop and it was a 15 minute wait to board. The Hong Kong Port was lit up for our arrival. The crowds spread out across the many immigration kiosks and the whole process was smooth and efficient.
The route to the buses has good signage and there were far more buses to choose from on this side of the bridge.