Zhuhai

Most visitors to China will require an advance visa, which can be obtained in Hong Kong or Macau. See Visas for details.

If you are only visiting the Zhuhai area, three-day visas upon arrival are available at the border. Upon entering the Gongbei immigration building, after passing all the duty free shops, the visa office is behind a green door on the right hand side of the hall. Follow the stairs and you will find the office on the left. You need to complete a small white form, pay the fee and have your photograph taken with a webcam. The visa is then processed within minutes. This costs ¥160 for most nationalities, but Americans cannot use the service and Brits have to fork out ¥450 December 2008. Hong Kong dollars are not accepted. Currency can be converted at the China Tourist Services office back downstairs in the main immigration hall, but usually at an awful rate. Once the visa has been issued, proceed to the immigration hall to complete the immigration process.

january 2011: I applied for a SEZ visa. The price list did have USA as a nationality, the price being about ¥950

On foot

You can walk across the border from Macau at Gongbei. The border is open from 7am to midnight. It typically takes 20 minutes of walking time, but be prepared for long queues, which can easily add over an hour to your total border crossing time.

An alternative crossing is via the Lotus Bridge in Macau's Cotai area to the island of Hengqin. This border crossing point is open 8AM-8PM. After crossing the Macau side, take a shuttle bus across the bridge to the China side fare ¥3, no change given so carry the exact amount. From the Hengqin side of the border take bus number 14 to Xiangzhou, or catch one of the Kee Kwan air-conditioned minibuses to Wanzai or Gongbei ¥5.

For foreigner entering China, you will need to produce a valid visa. Follow the immigration line that says "Foreigner". Once you clear immigration, you enter the duty free zone. Consider picking up some Western chocolate or liquor, especially if you need gifts for Chinese. Jameson's at HK$70 a bottle is a good buy, as are some of the wines and single malt whiskeys. Do not bother with common brands of whiskey or cognac; those a readily available in China. Cigarettes are generally cheaper in downtown Zhuhai than at the duty-free do not buy cigarettes in duty free, most are fake.

When you exit the Gongbei immigration building, you have reached the Zhuhai border. If you need to purchase a pre-paid cellphone card, please proceed to exit the immigration building, then walk downstair to the underground mall. There are many telephone services stalls here. You may purchase a pre-paid sim-card here for ¥100. It comes with a loaded value of ¥50. You will need a GSM phone to get it to work. Always keep your belongings zipped inside your pocket here as pickpockets are very common at the border check point.

On the return trip from China to Macau, here are the border crossing tips from Zhuhai China to Macau via Gongbei port. The Gongbei immigration building opens at 7:00am. If you arrived at the Zhuhai Gongbei port via Taxi cab, you either arrive in front of the Gongbei immigration building or via the underground tunnel, linked to the underground mall below the Gongbei immigration building. Proceed to queue up at the entrance of building. It is rather cold in the morning so bring enough warm clothing with you if you decided to queue up in the morning before 7:00am.

When the building opens, proceed inside the building. Look for the line that says "Foreigner" usually line# 15. If you are already late for your connecting flight, go to the express line no queuing required and show them your air ticket for immediate attention. Once you clear the Chinese immigration, you enter the duty-free zone. Proceed to the immigration hall. Foreigner is required to fill up a blue-color slip in this hall, declaring your place of stay in Macau and your departure details. Proceed to queue at the line that says "Foreigner". Once you clear the Macau immigration, proceed to exit the building. If you carry any luggage with you, the immigration officer may request that your luggage be scanned by the X-ray machine before you are allowed to exit the immigration building. The whole border crossing process takes about 20-25 minutes, excluding waiting time in the long queues.

You may choose Taxi cab or bus to get to the airport. The ride to the Macau International Airport takes only 15 minutes from Gongbei port. There will be surcharge of Macau$5 to the airport and $6 per item of luggage. It costs about Macau $70 to get to the airport by Taxi cab inclusive of surcharges. Taxi cabs accepts Macau Patacas, Hong Kong Dollars or Chinese RMB for payment. These currencies are treated equally With RMB being the most expensive during payment. You may still use your Chinese pre-paid telephone card up to the mid-span of the Friendship Bridge in Macau. After that, the signal drops off.

By plane

Zhuhai Airport IATA: ZUH (http://www.zhairport.com). This is a moderately sized, modern airport that connects the area with many Chinese cities, but not many international destinations. It is located west of downtown in Doumen District. Budget carrier Spring Airlines (http://tour.china-sss.com/) flies here daily from Shanghai.

The Airport Express Bus departs from the airport to Xiangzhen and Gongbei districts for ¥30 November 2010 per passenger, and follows the schedule of arriving flights. The first bus departs around 11:00 AM and the last bus departs about 21:30. A taxi from the airport to Gongbei or Jiuzhou in downtown Zhuhai is around ¥130 October 2011 when traffic is free flowing. You may also take public bus number 207, which goes right to the Gongbei border crossing, and costs ¥6. However the journey time is between 1 hour 45 mins and 2 hours. Note that this bus does not have a luggage storage area on board.

Zhuhai can also be easily reached by bus from the Guangzhou airport see below.

To reach Zhuhai from outside China, one would usually fly to Hong Kong, Macau or Guangzhou. All three cities have large, modern airports with many international connections and all are within an hour or two of Zhuhai; Macau is closest. Shenzhen is another large modern airport nearby, but it has fewer international connections.

From the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport IATA: CAN (http://www.baiyunairport.com), a frequent express bus service that goes to Zhuhai is available. It costs ¥80 and takes approximately 2.5 hours with one stop in the northern part of Zhuhai before going on to the Gongbei border gate to Macau. There is a check in for the airport at Gongbei bus station, located near the KFC.

From the Macau International Airport IATA: MFM (http://www.macau-airport....), the best way to get to Zhuhai is via the Express Link (http://www.macau-airport....) service, skipping the Macau immigration and customs altogether. Once you deboard the plane, instead of going through immigration, look for the Express Link China sign and follow it. This will lead you past a transit security scan station where you must pick up an Express Link card, and upstairs into the departure hall. Go to the ticket counter at Gate 8, present your card and buy a ticket for the coach that goes to the Gongbei border past Macau, before Zhuhai. The coach fare is ¥52 and the ride takes only 15 minutes. Coach departure times are 11AM, 11:30AM, 12PM, 12:30PM, 1PM, 2:45PM, 5PM, 5:30PM, 6PM and 6PM. If you need to check in any bags for your flight, remember to have them blue tagged during your flight check-in procedure for this Express Link service. The blue tag is not a necessity, merely a convenience. Present your luggage tags at the above-mentioned coach ticket counter and pick up your bags at the bus bay later.

The option to skip the Macau immigration is not available on the return. Allow at least three hours to get from Gongbei to the Macau airport. Immigration formalities can be very time-consuming, particularly on the Chinese side during the weekends. Once out of the Chinese customs before entering Macau, there is a little ticket booth to the left where you can get a shuttle bus ticket to the airport for ¥35. The buses will be waiting on the left once you leave the Macau immigration hall. They run at 10 minutes intervals.

Should you decide to go through the Macau immigration at the airport and use the Taxi service to get to Zhuhai, the ride takes only about 15 minutes. It costs about ¥60-80 for the short ride. But it is reasonable priced for those >2 persons who wish to share the taxi cab fees. The charges are inclusive of surcharge of ¥5 at the airport, ¥5 per piece of luggage. Taxi payment can be in Macau, HongKong or Chinese currencies. They are all treated equally in value. ie. dollar for dollar, even though Macau dollar has the lowest value of the three currencies. Taxi cabs queue at the curve outside of the airport. Beware of fake note at this point. You may switch on your China mobile phone once you reaches the mid span of the Friendship bridge. The reception is rather good from this point onwards.

Crossing into Zhuhai, China through the Gongbei port takes about 20-30 minutes. The Gongbei immigration office open for border crossing starting from 7:00am. For foreigner entering China, you will need to produce a valid visa. Follow the immigration line that say "Foreigner". Once you clear immigration, you are now entering the duty free zone. Chocolate, Western liquor and cigarette are popular gifts to the Chinese. These foreign goods are extremely rare and expensive in mainland China. So they serve as very attractive gifts to the Chinese. As a foreigner, you are also required to fill up an entry form, indicating your place of stay in China and your departure detail. Please ensure you fill up this slip before queuing at the Chinese Immigration line.

When you exit the Gongbei immigration building, you have reached the Zhuhai border. If you need to purchase a pre-paid cellphone card, please proceed to exit the immigration building, then walk downstair to the underground mall. There are many telephone services stalls here. You may purchase a pre-paid sim-card here for ¥100. It comes with a loaded value of ¥50. You will need a GSM phone to get it to work. Always keep your belonging zipped inside your pocket here as pick-pocket is very common at the border check point.

From Hong Kong International Airport IATA: HKG (http://www.hongkongairport.com), one option is to take the Airport Express to Kowloon Station at the cost of HK$90, then hop on the free Airport Express transit bus K2 to the China-Hong Kong Ferry Terminal 中港城码头; Zhōnggǎngchéngmǎtóu to take a ferry to Zhuhai. See below for ferry timetable.

Another option from Hong Kong is to catch a ferry from the HKIA Skypier to Macau and then cross into Zhuhai via the Gongbei border gate. Immigration and custom procedures can be skipped at the Hong Kong end. Full instructions can be found here (http://www.hongkongairpor...). The ferry journey takes about 50 minutes and runs hourly usually.

A third option from HKIA is now available in the form of long-distance buses that go overland to Gongbei. The journey takes 3.5 hours and costs HK$200. Departure times are 7AM, 8AM, 4PM, 5PM and 7PM.

A new ferry service is just introduced twice daily for now that brings travelers directly from HKIA to the Jiuzhou Port in Zhuhai. The ferry leaves at 12:15PM, 2:04PM, 5PM and 8PM. The one from Zhuhai to HKIA leaves at 9:30AM, 12:40PM, 3:30PM and 18:30PM. The trip takes approximately 50 minutes.

By ship

From Hong Kong: There are several ferries per day from Hong Kong International Airport, HK-Macau Ferry Terminal 港澳码头; Gǎngàomǎtóu; Hong Kong/Hong Kong Island, China Ferry Terminal 中港城码头; Zhōng Gǎngchéngmǎ tóu; Kowloon and Shekou Ferry Terminal 蛇口港; Shékǒugǎng; Shekou arriving at the Zhuhai Jiuzhou Ferry Terminal 九洲港; Jiǔzhōugǎng. There is a taxi rank and bus stops directly outside. You can take a free bus ride to GongBei by showing your ferry ticket. Visas can be purchased here for most nationalities not American citizens. Payment is in RMB only and the ATMs are through immigration so plan ahead.

The HKIA-Zhuhai ferry is operated by Chu Kong (http://www.cksp.com.hk/en...), who charge HK$260/¥280 one-way to/from Zhuhai.

Getting to Zhuhai Airport from the Jiuzhou Ferry port that connects Zhuhai with Hong Kong, an Airport bus can be taken for about ¥30 and the last bus departs at 8PM. The journey takes about 2 hours.

From Macau: There is a ferry service operating from Macau's Inner Harbour's Pier 14 澳门粤通码头; Àomén Yuètōngmǎtóu to Wanzai. Daily departures roughly hourly from 8am to 4pm.