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HongKong Transportation
Airport 
Hong Kong International Airport (Tel 2181 0000) at Chek Lap Kok, off the northern coast of Lantau, is the result of a HK$160 billion airport core programme that saw an island literally flattened and extended through land reclamation. The airport, which opened in July 1998, is connected to the mainland by several spans, including the 2.2km-long Tsing Ma Bridge, which is one of the world's largest suspension bridges and is capable of supporting both road and rail transport.
New motorways to and from the airport have been constructed, including the 12.5km North Lantau Hwy, and a massive harbour reclamation project made way for the six lane Western Harbour Crossing, connecting the western part of Hong Kong Island with Kowloon for the first time. The Airport Rail-way Tunnel, carrying the 34km-long Airport Express high-speed train from Hong Kong Island to Chek Lap Kok via Kowloon, was laid on the seabed of Victoria Harbour to the east of the crossing.
The airport's two runways and expanded facilities have reduced the time that departing passengers spend checking in and waiting, as well as the time arriving passengers need to clear immigration and customs and claim their baggage. The airport handles up to 47 movements an hour, with some 45 million passengers a year arriving and departing.
The futuristic passenger terminal, designed by the award-winning British architect Sir Norman Foster, consists of eight levels, with check-in on level seven, departures on level six and arrivals on level five. Outlets – including three bank branches, a moneychanger and several ATMs in the arrivals hall - total 150, and there are 27 cafes, restaurants and bars, and almost 300 check-in counters.
If you are booked on a scheduled flight (but not a charter flight) and are taking the Airport Express to Chek Lap Kok, most airlines allow you to check in your bags and receive your boarding pass on the day of your flight at the in-town check in counters at either the Hong Kong Island or Kowloon Airport Express stations. You are required, however, to check yourself in at least 90 minutes before your flight. Some airlines, including Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines and United Airlines, allow check in a full day before your flight.
If you use the porters at the airport, about HK$2 a suitcase is expected. The porters putting your bags on a push cart at Hong Kong Island or Kowloon Airport Express stations, however, do not expect a gratuity. It's all part of the service.
Hong Kong to China
VISA
Everyone except Hong Kong Chinese residents must have a visa to enter China. Holders of Canadian, American, Australian, New Zealand and most European Union passports (but not British ones at the moment) can get a visa on the spot for HK$100 at the Lo Wu border crossing, the last stop on the Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR). This particular visa limits you to a maximum stay of seven days within the confines of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (SEZ) only. The queues for this visa are at most time’s serpentine, and the wait interminable.
Even if you plan to visit just Shenzhen it is highly recommended that you shell out the extra money and get a proper China visa. Who knows? You might like the mainland so much that you'll want to carry on. There is a group visa valid for six days (well, 144 hours to be precise) that allows travel to 10 cities in Guangdong province, but all members of the group (three to 40 people) must enter and leave China at the same time.
If you want to arrange your visa yourself, go to ;the Visa Office of the People's Republic of China (Tel:3413 2300, 3413 2424; 7th floor, Lower Block, China Resources Centre, 26 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai; 9am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri). Visa processed in one/two/three days cost HK$400/300/150. Double/multiple valid 6 months/multiple valid for a year entry visas are HK$220/400/600 (plus HK$150/250 if you require express/urgent service). You must supply two photos, which can be taken at photo booths in the MTR or at the visa office for HK$35. Any photo-processing shop can oblige as well.
Train
Reaching Shenzhen is a breeze. Just board the KCR train at Hung Hom (1st/2nd class HK$66/33) or at any other KCR station along the way (such as Kowloon Tong, ShanTin, Tai Po Market) and ride it to Lo Wu; China is a couple of hundred metres away. The first train to Lo Wu leaves Hung Horn station at 5:30am, the last at 11:05pm.
The most comfortable way to reach Guangzhou by land is via the Kowloon-Guangzhou express train (usually via Dongguan), which covers the 182km route in approximately 90 minutes.
High-speed trains intercity leave Hung Horn station for Guangzhou East train station seven times a day (between 8:25am and 4:45pm). They leave Guangzhou East between 8:38am and 5:20pm. One-way 1st-/2nd-class tickets cost HK$230/190 for adults and HK$115/95 for children under nine. Adults/children are allowed one piece of luggage, weighing up to 20kg/10kg. Additional bags cost HK$3.90 per 5kg.
There are also direct rail links between Hung Horn and Shanghai, and Hung Horn and Belling. Trains to Belling West train station (via Guangzhou East, Changsha, Wuchang and Hankou) leave on alternate days, take 27 hours and one-way adult tickets cost from HK$574/934/1191 for a hard/soft/deluxe-soft sleeper. Prices for children are from HK$366/604/788.
Trains to Shanghai (via Guangzhou East Station and Hangzhou East) leave every other day and take 24 hours. One-way adult fares are from HK$508/825/1039 for a hard/soft/deluxe-soft sleeper; children's fares are from HK$320/527/680.
There is one daily departure to Zhaoqing (adult/child HK$235/117.50) via Guangzhou East Station and Foshan at 2:30pm, arriving at Zhaoqing at 6:30pm.
Immigration formalities are completed before boarding at Hung Horn; you won't get on the train without a visa. Passengers are requested to arrive at the station 45 minutes before the train departs. To get to Hung Hom station from Tsim Sha Tsui by public transport, take bus No. 5C from the Star Ferry pier or the No. 6 or No. 8 green minibus from Hankow Road.
Tickers can be booked up to 60 days in advance at CTS or the KCR station in Hung Hom. If tickets are booked on the phone (Tel 29477888), passengers must collect them at least one hour before the train departs tickets can also be bought at Kowloon Tong and Sha Tin KCR stations and at the Mong Kok MTR station.
If you haven't booked in advance, you could try to buy a ticket at the KCIR ticket window or at the CTS counter at Hung Horn station. However, the queues are miles long at the former, and the latter block-books tickets and will probably refuse to sell you one. Instead, make your way to the counter just before the entrance to the platforms, Tickets are always available here.
A cheaper but less convenient option is to take the KCR train to Lo Wu, cross through immigration into Shenzhen and catch a local train to Guangzhou. There are around 20 trains to and from Guangzhou daily (hard/soft seat RMB42/65, between 2 and 2.5 hours). There is also an express train (RMB80, one and half hours).
Hong Kong to Macau
The vast majority of people make their way to Macau by ferry, but if you're in a small group a flight over by helicopter is a viable alternative and becoming increasingly popular for Hong Kong residents and visitors alike.
AIR
East Asia Airlines (EAA; Tel 2108 9898, in Macau Tel 727 288; helihongkong.com), in conjunction with Helicopter Hong Kong, runs a twin-engine Sikorsky 12-seater helicopter shuttle service between Macau and Hong Kong (Monday to Thursday HK$1400, Friday to Sunday HK$1500, 16 minutes). There are up to 27 flights daily in each direction, from between 9:30am and 11pm from Hong Kong and 9am and 10:30pm from Macau. In Hong Kong departures are from the helipad atop the ferry pier linked to the Shun Tak Centre (Tel 2859 3359; 200 Connaught Rd Central, Sheung Wan). Flights arrive and depart in Macau from the roof of the ferry terminal.
SEA
Although Macau is separated from Hong Kong by 65km of water, the journey can be made in about an hour. Sometimes queues at customs and immigration can add another 30 minutes to the journey. There are frequent departures throughout the day. The schedule is somewhat reduced between midnight and 7am, but boats run virtually 24 hours.
Two ferry companies operate services to and from Macau, one from Hong Kong Island and the other from Tsim Sha Tsui.
Turbojet (information Tel 2859 3333, bookings Tel 2921 6688, in Macau Tel 790 7039; turbojet.com.hk) runs three types of vessels from the Macau ferry pier at the Shun Tak Centre (Tel 2859 3359; 200 Connaught Rd Central, Sheung Wan), and from the Macau Ferry Terminal (Tel 790 7240 on Macau. Jetfoils (single-hull jet-powered hydrofoils) and foil-cats (catamaran-jetfoils) take about 55 minutes to make the crossing while turbocats (jet-powered catamarans) take 65 minutes,
You don't choose the type of vessel you take: just buy your ticket and board the vessel. Economy-/super-class tickets cost HK$130/232 on weekdays, HKS 141/247 at the weekend and on public holidays, and HK$161/260 at night (ie from 5:45pm to 6:30am). They are MOP$1 more when travelling from Macau to Hong Kong.
New World First Ferry (NWFF: Tel 2131 8181, Tel 727 676 in Macau: nwff.com.hk) operates high-speed catamarans (some 435 seats on two decks) from the China ferry terminal (Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui) 25 times a day, with departures on the half-hour from 7am to between 9pm and 10pm They depart Macau every 30 minutes from 7am to 8:30pm. The trip takes between 65 and 75 minutes and tickets cost HK$131/161 Monday to Friday during the day/night (night fares are from 6pm to 9pm or 10pm from Hong Kong and 6:30pm to 8:30pm from Macau), and HK$141/161 at weekends and on public holidays Deluxe class is HK$232/260 during the day/night from Monday to Friday, and HK$247/260 at the weekend and on public holidays.
Tickets can be booked up to 28 days in advance and are available at the ferry terminals, and many travel agents. There is a standby queue before each sailing for passengers wanting to travel before their ticketed sailing. On weekends and public holidays you'd be wise to book you~ return ticket in advance because the boats are often full.
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 the immigration checkpoint, especially on the Hong Kong side.
Luggage space on the jetfoils and turbo cats is limited some boats have small overhead lockers while others have storage space at the bow and stern. You are theoretically limited to 10kg of carry-on luggage in economy class (you can probably get away with more if it's not too bulky), but oversized or overweight bags can be taken on as checked luggage. There is more luggage space on the NWFF catamarans.
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