Hong Kong – Macau Ferry Guide 2023: Operators, Fares, Schedules
A change of scenery, a little breather, a dose of culture and heritage – there are many reasons to visit Macau, especially for Hong Kongers who live just a hop, skip, and jump away.
Macau is known as the Monte Carlo of the Orient and the Las Vegas of the East, so much so that it even has its own "Strip" in the unapologetically glitzy and glamorous Cotai, where you'll find just some of the world's most luxurious mega casinos and palatial, five-star hotels. Cotai connects the island of Taipa with Coloane, hence its name.
If you're in Hong Kong, you can travel to Macau by air, land, or sea, although the latter has become one of the most popular ways thanks to the convenience of the high-speed ferry rides available to and from the region.
At present, there are two ferry operators that offer rides from Hong Kong to Macau and vice versa, namely TurboJet and Cotai Water Jet. Here's what you need to know should you decide to take a ferry ride from either operator when you visit Macau!
TurboJet
TurboJet offers high-speed ferry rides at three locations in Hong Kong that can take you directly to Macau, namely in Sheung Wan (Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal), Kowloon (China Ferry Terminal), and Hong Kong International Airport (SkyPier).
The Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal at Shun Tak Centre offers the most rides as it is accessible via the MTR Sheung Wan Station, bus, minibus, and taxi. It has rides available every hour, if not every thirty minutes; the sailing schedule changes every now and then, so we recommend you check TurboJet's website regularly to be updated. This is the sailing schedule effective from the beginning of May 2023.
For the fares, day sailing (weekdays) tickets are priced at HK$160 each for economy class and HK$225 for super class. For day sailing on weekends and holidays, tickets are priced at HK$175 and HK$360, respectively, whereas night sailing for weekdays, weekends, and holidays costs HK$200 and HK$380 per ticket for economy and super.
For a more luxurious experience, TurboJet also offers a Premier Grand Class under its Premier Jetfoil service, which includes the regular Premier Grand Class and the Premier VIP Cabin (four seats). For day sailing, tickets will cost you HK$450 and HK$2,260 for Premier Grand and Premier VIP, respectively, whereas night sailing is more expensive at HK$525 and HK$3,010 per seat.
Cotai Water Jet
If you choose Cotai Water Jet to get to Macau, the operator offers high-speed ferry rides from two locations, namely Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal and HKIA, which will both bring you to Macau Taipa Ferry Terminal.
There are ferry rides every hour from Sheung Wan, beginning at 7:30 AM-5 PM, for the meantime. There will be rides offered from 6 PM to as late as 11 PM on or before June 8 and on June 9 onwards, respectively.
Cotai Water Jet offers three classes, namely Cotai Class, Cotai First, and Cotai VIP Cabin (eight seats) for weekdays, weekends and holidays, and night sailing.
Tickets for Cotai Class will cost you HK$160, HK$175, and HK$200 for weekdays, weekends and holidays, and night sailing, respectively, whereas Cotai First bumps it up to HK$282, HK$299, and HK$327. The VIP cabin will run you HK$2,256, HK$2,392, and HK2,616, if you want a more comfortable and luxurious experience.
Ferry rides directly from HKIA to Macau are currently temporarily suspended, so we advise you to regularly check Cotai Water Jet's website for updates. Regardless, here are the fares from HKIA to Macau to give you an idea, categorised in Cotai Class, Cotai First, and VIP, for adults and children, separately.
The fares under the Cotai Class are priced at HK$270 and HK$205 for an adult and child, respectively. For Cotai First, a ticket would cost HK$408 for an adult and HK$322 for a child. If you choose to go for a VIP cabin, be prepared to shell out HK$3,264, regardless if the ticket is for an adult or a child.
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