Arrival Hong Kong

Hong Kong retains control of its own immigration. The good side of this is that, unlike mainland China, most Western visitors do not need to obtain visas in advance, but the bad side is that a separate visa is required to enter mainland China from Hong Kong. Detailed visa requirements are available from the Immigration Department. Anyone arriving at Hong Kong International Airport and requiring an onward visa for mainland China, during your stay in Hong Kong, will find a kiosk in the downstairs foyer that issues them. A photograph will be required and the staff will be happy to accommodate you.

By plane

Internationally, there is a major way to get into Hong Kong - through the modern Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA or HKG) which is also known as Chek Lap Kok, the name of the small island it was built over. The architect for the impressive airport terminal was Sir Norman Foster. This modern and efficient building opened in July 1998, and it has since been named the Best Airport worldwide by Skytrax for five years.

There are many direct flights to Hong Kong from every continent in the world. Most major cities in Oceania, Europe and North America are all served with at least one daily flight. Sydney has 6 daily flights, Melbourne 4 (5 from October 2007), London 11(1 to Gatwick), Frankfurt 2, Paris 3, Amsterdam 2, Los Angeles 4, San Francisco 3, Vancouver 3, New York 3, Chicago 2 and Toronto 2.

Flights between Hong Kong and other major Asian cities are extremely frequent: between 10 and 40 flights per day connect Hong Kong with Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, Shanghai, Manila, Seoul, Bangkok and Beijing. Other routes may be cheaper, however. For destinations within China, it is often cheaper to fly from Shenzhen than from Hong Kong. For elsewhere in Asia, consider Macau. The discount airlines land there because it has lower fees than Hong Kong.

Oasis Hong Kong Airlines started its services in October 2006, [2], offering flights to London, Vancouver and soon other destinations in Europe and the US for as low as HK$1000, excluding taxes and fees. Cathay Pacific and its subsidiary airline Dragon Air are also based in Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific is part of the Swire Group which is head quartered in London, England.

Hong Kong International Airport is the third busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic in Asia and the second busiest airport in terms of cargo traffic in the world.

Outside the security area, travellers will find an efficient post office in the airport which provides boxes, wrapping material, scissors and tape. Travellers can reach Central, Hong Kong from the airport in less time than taking a local bus to the village on Chek Lap Kok.

By land

Crossing the border to Mainland China puts you in Shenzhen, a well-developed boomtown. Please note that there are special visa regulations if you plan to visit Shenzhen.

There are 5 land checkpoints between Hong Kong and mainland China, namely Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To, Sha Tau Kok and Shenzhen Bay. Lo Wu is a train and pedestrian crossing; Lok Ma Chau and Sha Tau Kok are road, cross-boundary bus and pedestrian crossings; while Man Kam To and Shenzhen Bay bridge are road and cross-boundary bus crossings.

  • Lo Wu: This control point can only be accessed by MTR East Rail Line and the crossing can only be done on foot (unless you take a through-train from Hung Hom where the train will not stop at all. See "By train" section below). It is often congested with travellers during weekends and holidays, so if you want to avoid for the long queues, please use the other control points on holidays. Visa-on-arrival can be obtained on the Chinese side. Getting there/away: Trains from Tsim Sha Tsui East to Lo Wu run every five to eight minutes. Shenzhen city center lies just beyond the Chinese immigration checkpoint.
  • Lok Ma Chau: This crossing consists of separate facilities for pedestrians which is accessed by train and bus (opened since 15 August 2007), and for road vehicles. Since the opening of the double-decked Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang pedestrian bridge, cross-border shuttle buses no longer operate. Getting there/away: KCR East Rail's Lok Ma Chau spur line brings trains from Tsim Sha Tsui East right up to the border crossing, with trains running every five to eight minutes. The Lok Ma Chau bus interchange, located next to the Lok Ma Chau train station and pedestrian crossing, is served by KMB buses 277, N277, N76, 76K, and 276B. Over in Shenzhen, its Huanggang metro station is just after the immigration checkpoint.
  • Man Kam To: This crossing is mostly used by private vehicles and cross-boundary buses. See "By bus" section below.
  • Sha Tau Kok: Located furthest east, this control point can be accessed by taking the cross-boundary coach. It is quite a distance from the centre of Shenzhen and is relatively quiet. No Chinese visa-on-arrival facilities. See "By bus" section below.
  • Shenzhen Bay Bridge: This control point links Hong Kong directly with Shekou, Shenzhen. It can be used by private vehicles and cross-boundary buses. See "By bus" section below.
Please note that all the crossings, save for Shenzhen Bay Bridge, are located in the Frontier Closed Area and everyone is required to have a permit to be there unless crossing the border. Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau can be easily reached by train, but if you are just there to look around, be ready for some security questioning. It is also not easy to directly access the train departure area from the arrivals area.

By train

MTR runs regular Through Train service between Guangdong Province, Beijing and Shanghai. The through train terminus is Hung Hom Station on the Kowloon side, while the current terminus of the domestic service is East Tsim Sha Tsui station.

The destinations of the Intercity Passenger Service are Guangzhou (East), Dongguan, Foshan and Zhaoqing in Guangdong Province, as well as Beijing and Shanghai.

The online directory of MTR provides information on the timetable and fare information of the Intercity Passenger Service.

Train service between Hong Kong and Mainland China stops before midnight as the border, at Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau, is closed at midnight.

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