The Best Day Trips from Hong Kong 2026: 8 Tested Itineraries
Best day trips from Hong Kong: Macau's Portuguese heritage + Shenzhen (mainland China) shopping + Lantau Island Big Buddha + Lamma Island seafood + Cheung Chau beaches.
Quick Summary
Best day trips from Hong Kong: Macau's Portuguese heritage + Shenzhen (mainland China) shopping + Lantau Island Big Buddha + Lamma Island seafood + Cheung Chau beaches.
Top 8 Day Trips from Hong Kong
1Macau
Distance: 1 hr ferryDuration: Full day
Portuguese colonial heritage + Venetian + Ruins of St. Paul + egg tarts + casinos.
How to get there: TurboJet ferry from Sheung Wan, 55 min, HKD 175 RT. Passport required.
2Lantau Island + Big Buddha
Distance: 40 minDuration: Full day
Tian Tan Buddha (34m bronze) + Po Lin Monastery + Ngong Ping Cable Car + Tai O fishing village.
How to get there: MTR to Tung Chung, then 25-min Ngong Ping Cable Car. HKD 235 cable car.
3Shenzhen (mainland China)
Distance: 45 minDuration: Full day
Cross to mainland China — Window of the World + Splendid China + tech district + cheap massages.
How to get there: MTR East Rail to Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau. Chinese visa required (or 144-hr transit visa).
4Lamma Island
Distance: 25 min ferryDuration: Half day
Quiet car-free island — Sok Kwu Wan seafood village + family-friendly hikes + Yung Shue Wan vibe.
How to get there: Ferry from Central Pier 4, 25 min, HKD 25 RT.
5Cheung Chau Island
Distance: 35 min ferryDuration: Half day
Dumbbell-shaped island + Bun Festival (May) + Cheung Po Tsai cave + beach + seafood.
How to get there: Ferry from Central Pier 5, 35 min, HKD 30 RT.
6Sai Kung + Hong Kong Geopark
Distance: 45 minDuration: Full day
UNESCO Geopark hexagonal columns + Sai Kung seafood + Tai Long Wan beach hikes.
How to get there: MTR to Choi Hung, then bus 92 or minibus 1A.
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
