A trip to the "Pearl of the World Economy" - Hong Kong, is obligatory if you want to see Asia in all its glory.
We live in Shanghai, so let us talk in detail about the optimal route to Hong Kong through China.
There are 2 optimal methods for real travelers:
1. Direct flight from any major city Peace, or China, in Hong Kong.
2. Flight from any major city of China in Shenzhen, and then hiking across the border.
Consider the first option.
It is suitable for those who:
1. is out of China, and who has no Chinese visa
2. limited in time
3. No desire, or opportunities, download your trip with additional events
4. Better overpays for comfort than adventures
5. Does not want to "deal with the Chinese system" without knowledge of Chinese
Direct flight to Hong Kong, naturally, costs more. Price difference on the ticket, on average, may be from 50 to 150 $.
This option is the easiest, does not require any effort, only money, as they say.
We also have a lot of free time, the desire to watch China along and across, the desire to save money and a lot of live energy, so we chose the second option that is full of adventure and new discoveries.
How to plan a journey through Shenzhen?
1. Book a hotel in Shenzhen's hotel, close to the Hong Kong metro station, via Booking.com.
2. Prepare a list of top places that you definitely want to visit Shenzhen on the day of arrival.
3. Place a plan for visiting Hong Kong in time and in order to visit attractions (because extra movement around the city you will be very expensive, and spending time to choose from the sights already in Hong Kong, somehow stupid)
Landing at Shenzhen Airport, on Friday at 11:00, we immediately went to the hotel, booked in advance through booking.com.. When leaving the airport, you must follow the signs, it is necessary to make a choice: take advantage of taxi services, or go on the subway, to which you can get by bus by running every 10-15 minutes. The fare on the bus is 2 yuan. By time, the trip takes about 10 minutes.
To get from the airport to the hotel (located near the border point with Hong Kong), we went about 1.5 hours (bus + metro + walking From the subway to the hotel). But, living near the border with Hong Kong, you will not need to spend precious forces for exhausting trips to the Shenzhen metro. You will be very needed in Hong Kong!)
Most cheap option how to get from Shenzhen to Hong Kong - Metro.
The most optimal border point of transition, in terms of workload, is item Luo Hu (for whale. 罗湖). The Luo Hu point is one of the stations of the Shenzhen metro, so it's not difficult to get to it. The border checkpoint works from 06:40 to 24:00.
More information about the main border points of China can be found.
At the outlet of the subway there are dozens of currency exchange points, which will help you exchange the Chinese yuan to the Hong Kong dollar. In the first exchange point, which has the largest queue from the Chinese, I do not advise you to change money - it is necessary to go through and exchange money without a queue and at a more advantageous course.
All the time move in the direction of the pointers located literally at every step. The next point of your transition is a huge queue from the Chinese - checking documents before exit from the territory of China. Here I want to say a separate thanks to the Chinese government, to the left of the Chinese stage there is a special queue for foreigners, which is several times less than Chinese. So, having passed this item, you have to go through the second passport control, in order to get into the territory of Hong Kong.
We will tell you how to easily get from Shenzhen to Hong Kong.
We note for you the most important thing you need to know by going to Hong Kong.
- During the transition of the border, you do not need to go out somewhere or move to other terminals, the entire process is on the way out and the last station.
- If you are planning to leave China to Hong Kong, and then enter China back, you should make sure that your visa allows you to return. If you have tourist visa For one entry and departure, then back to China you will not be able to get, because you will put the check-out mark on customs.
- You can exchange money on Hong Kong dollars to the border and after without leaving the subway.
Instructions How to get to the border of Hong Kong on the Shenzhen metro station:
To get to the Customs of Hong Kong, you need to sit in the subway and get to the last station in Shenzhen. Station name in Shenzhen - Luohu, name in Hong Kong - Lo Wu. After, you must go to customs passage, there will be pointers that will not let you get lost. 2nd floor for a foreigner , 3rd floor for the Chinese. Before the customs you need to fill out a migration card, only after that can pass customs control. Then you fall into the zone between Hong Kong and China. When you were in this zone, you pass the second customs control, according to the same scheme, foreigners on the 2nd floor , Chinese on the 3rd. Fill out the second migration sheet, after which you give you a visa.
Once you have passed the whole border, you go to the Metro Hong Kong, fare to the center is about 42 Hong Kong dollars. The ticket can be purchased through an electronic terminal or through cash registers. You get a ticket in the form of a card that in no case can not lose Since on the same map you will come out of the subway.
We told you the most important three aspects of a trip to Hong Kong, and also described the instructions to get from point to A to point B.
For the third time I arrive in Hong Kong and the third time - from China and specifically Shenzhen. This time on the CROOMM Council, "it was decided to cross the border not on Luo Hu / Lo Wu (respectively, the Chinese official and Hong Kong name of the point and the CAT), and on Futian / Lok Ma Chau. I must say that the Council turned out to be very delometh, although A month later, I complained one friend in Instagram that there were hourly queues. Thank God, nor in the direction of Hong Kong, no week later, it was not back.
3. Comerate the bridge, then the Hong Kong border control begins. Here you need to fill their migration card. It's funny that in Chinese documents the date must be specified in the sequence "Year - a month - day", and in Hong Kong just like with us. Everywhere hanging announcements about a huge fine and, if not confused, 16 months in prison for the export of dry baby food from Hong Kong. It turns out that in China demand significantly exceeds the proposal, and local products are not particularly high quality. Therefore, many Chinese from the continent, including the peasants, began to go to Hong Kong and buy there, because of which the shelves in Hong Kong became empty. I had to introduce such rigid. And by the way, precisely because of the peasants, the Hong Kongs do not like all Mainlanders, which is not right.
Also everywhere hang declarations about strict prevention of disease. In general, in terms of infections, Hong Kongs are simply crazy. We assign wearing masks, even if you just sneeze, in each shopping center and even in the subway there are dispensers of liquid soap, which necessarily contains alcohol, so still hang a warning about possible skin allergies ...
After passing the boundary in Hong Kong, they do not put a stamp, but give a leaf of the liner, which, if desired, can be attached to the stapler. For Russian citizens in Hong Kong, you can be without a visa within 14 days. Actually, there is more there at once and nothing.
When the first time passed the border, I felt like a "white man" - you just give a passport and that's it. When the United States cancel his idiotic demands, then I will go there.
After passport control, go through the corridors again - from the stream can hide anyone and make it open all the bags and suitcases. Usually they do with peasants.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are going through everything quickly and safely - the entire procedure for passing both passport controls, including the crossing of the river, took 20 minutes, the procedures themselves for 5 minutes.
We go out to the next shopping center, already from the Hong Kong side. I change some money to buy every unlimited meter ticket for two days. Transport in Hong Kong is expensive, and the unlimited can only be used here, in the city there is no way, and it is worth it, I repeat, only on the subway, for two days as much as $ 120. Hong Kong, of course, but still. This is 500 rubles. For two days. We have a ticket for 60 trips worth 1,300 rubles, and a passage for a month - 2350, and it is valid for all types of transport, and not just on the subway. Moreover, in Hong Kong, this is the only favorable offer for driving often. No monthly, weekly travels. Each trip is paid, and depending on the distance. And if we bought a ticket from the border to the island, then one trip would cost 44 dollars or more than 170 rubles. That's what the economy means. As a result - in Hong Kong, a profitable subway, however, the profit still comes from a huge rental and from ownership of a bunch of cafes, shops, kiosks and shopping centersintegrated with the subway.
Another point when I bought mirstyle at the checkout, I demanded a passport.
Finally, we go to the platform, it is above ground and is very high. Stereotypes continue to break. Only the territory of Hong Kong. Almost wild rural idyll. Occasionally somewhere in the distance emitting the car ...
5. It seems already wrote that in Hong Kong I met (for now) the longest subway trains in the world. Yes, this is former railwayBut this branch works primarily as the subway - on the intervals of motion, tact, rolling stock and many other characteristics. Trains have 12 (!!!) wagons, each of which is 23 meters in length and 3 with something in width. Considering the location of the seating and huge place For standing, the taper train will certainly accommodate more passengers than the 12-wagon russian electric train ER-2. And probably two times more than our metropothip in 8 cars.
Another feature is 9 wagons called Quiet Car, people who want silence and tranquility sit in it. This car is forbidden to talk on a mobile phone.
Immediately after the station, the train goes under the mountain and at the huge speed takes about 7 km in order to merge with the main move from Lo Wu. 
6. Jewish. Yes, there are still here on the old British tradition ... the first class cars. There, the seats are located, as usual are located in European metro. In short, it is more comfortable. The ticket is more expensive. 
7. And one more stereotype collapses. From the window of the Hong Kong metropot, you see the territory of Hong Kong, in no way reminiscent of a rude megalopolis, and the left is visible part of the incredible Skilain Shenzhen. Towers in the center have a height of 438 and 384 meters, respectively. 
8. Even without zoom all Skyline (and it is clear that this is not the whole city) does not fit. 
9. Shenzhen will be some kind incredible number Supertolls, and in this indicator he leaves Shanghai far behind. Moreover, it will not be just above 300 meters, and somewhat higher than 500 ... Naturally, the quality of architecture at the highest level. 
I did not remove, because it was uncomfortable, another part of Skyline, from which we left. The border is equipped, as already said, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe focus from the Chinese side. It is there that in Shenzhen is the newest business center, including the highest Ping An Financial Center tower, which will reach a breathtaking 660 meters. And the funny thing is that the tower is somewhere in a kilometer from the border with Hong Kong, as if showing that "and the latter will become first." Of course, while Shenzhen is behind many indicators from Hong Kong, as well as all China, but at least transport infrastructure - I am ready to assert - exceeds. The area of \u200b\u200bthe built-up territory, by the way, already reaches 700 sq. Km. For about 20 years in a clean field (fields) built up 700 sq. Km. Moscow within the Moscow Ring Road has a little over 1000. By the way, all Hong Kong with all the islands and new territories has a built-up area of \u200b\u200beverything in ... 184 sq. Km.
Most often, foreigners living in China are leaving to Hong Kong with the aim of improving customs press, since the maximum period of business and tour of the visas in China is about 1-3 months. This is the so-called "Visa of the Russian Academy of Sciences", that is, departure to update the visa corridor. Usually, a visa is used for the following directions: Macao, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam. But the most popular and convenient still stay out in Hong Kong through Shenzhen.
Shenzhen is a border city with Hong Kong in which there are several points of pass, both land and sea. The bulk of all tourists falls into Hong Kong through this city.
Consider the main points of pass and transitions from China to Hong Kong, their pros and cons.
Border Transitions Shenzhen - Hong Kong
Between Shenzhen and Hong Kong exist 6 border control points:Shenzhenwan / 深圳湾 口岸
The Shenzhen port can purchase a bus ticket, and will go directly to Hong Kong through the car bridge. The bus service connects the port with all the districts of Hong Kong, including the airport and Disneyland.Nearest Metro: Dengliang
Opening hours from 6:30 to 0:00.
Huanggang Port / 皇岗 口岸
The only 24-hour checkpoint from Shenzhen to Hong Kong.The disadvantage of this port is that the port does not have a metro station, and get to the city will have to go on a bus or taxi. Bus service with a port also 24 hours (including Hong Kong Airport.)
Hour of work: 24 hours.
Luohu / 罗湖 口岸
The most popular transition through which the main passenger traffic is held in Hong Kong and back. Is in close proximity to railway Station Shenzhen. In peak hours and in holidays Large queues are possible.Metro Station: Luohu Station, in Hong Kong Transition from - Lowu Station.
Opening hours from 6:30 to 0:00
Shatou Jiao Port / 沙头角 口岸
Located in the eastern part of Shenzhen, 25km from the city center.In Hong Kong, the transition in the area of \u200b\u200bSha Tau Kok.
Clock operation of the transition from 7:00 to 22:00.
Wenjindu Port / 文锦渡 口岸
The most quiet of all transitions, even on holidays is not quite crowded here. There are practically no queues as such. Located in the area of \u200b\u200bLoch.Metro Station in Shzh - Wenjin Station, in Hong Kong Transition in the area - Man Kam To.
Mode of operation from 7:00 to 22:00.
Futian Port / 福田 口岸
The second most popular passenger transition. Is in comparative proximity to the city center.Metro Station in Shenzhen: Futian Port, in Hong Kong Exit to the station- Lok Ma Chau.
Mode of operation: from 7:00 to 22:00.
Other checkpoints
- Shenzhen Baoan Airport - Avia and buses
- Fuyong Port - ferry.
- SHEKOU PORT is a luxury high-speed boat.
- Shenzhen North Station and Futian Railway Station - high-speed train.
