Hong Kong and Macau are like bread and butter – they’re better together. 😄 During my solo trip to Hong Kong, I included a Macau solo trip in my itinerary too. I was actually excited to visit Macau for the first time because of the many nice things I’ve read about it online.
I left my luggage at my second hotel in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong and just brought with me my backpack and a weekender bag to Macau. My original plan was to take the ferry to Macau because I’ve read the trip is shorter and the ports are closer to either Tsim Sha Tsui or Central Hong Kong.
However, I looked for tickets quite late in the day so I couldn’t find any available seats anymore. I figured I could also probably get one at the port, but since it was raining, I couldn’t take the risk of a possible cancelled trip so I decided to take the bus via the newly-built sea bridge.
Coming from Causeway Bay, the journey to Sunny Bay MTR Station where I would board the bus to Macau was quite long. Even though it was raining, my trip went well because of Hong Kong’s super efficient transportation. I can only wish to have the same in the Philippines.
Getting There: Hong Kong to Macau by Bus via Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (HZMB)
- Take the MTR to Sunny Bay Station.
- Board B5 Bus to HZMB Terminal in Lantau Island.
- Go through Hong Kong Immigration, then get a ticket. There are lots of self-service ticket machines there. I just used my Octopus card to purchase one.
- Look for the gold shuttle bus to Macau. There’s ground personnel who will assist, then board the bus.
Traversing the HZMB took about an hour. I was also the only Filipino on board the bus. My seatmate who was a local was very kind in helping me with my luggage. He didn’t speak English but we communicated through eye contact and hand gestures.😅 I was surprised we even understood each other without even speaking a word.
^ Entering HZMB (Sea Bridge) heading to Macau
The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (HZMB) is a 55-kilometre (34 mi) bridge–tunnel system consisting of a series of three cable-stayed bridges, an undersea tunnel, and four artificial islands. It is both the longest sea crossing and the longest open-sea fixed link in the world.
The HZMB spans the Lingding and Jiuzhou channels, connecting Hong Kong and Macau with Zhuhai which is a major city on the Pearl River Delta in China.
Source: Wikipedia
I was also tracking my location from time to time. At some point, I was in South China Sea.
When I arrived at Macau’s HZMB bus terminal, I was amazed with how organized it was. It looked like a small airport with all the technology you need for efficient transport and transfers. Take note that you still need to pass through Macau immigration before heading out. I bought a tourist sim at one of stores inside the terminal then headed out.
Tip #1: Make sure you purchase Macau Pass ahead of time or have exact amount of cash for your bus fare to the city center.
When I was finally out, I realized I only had HKD 100 in cash because I paid for the tourist sim before I went out. In theory, it was still enough for me to reach my hotel. The problem was the buses in Macau would only either accept the Macau Pass or the exact amount. The bus fare was only MOP 6, and as you can imagine, you wouldn’t want to give away MOP 94 just like that. 😬
FYI: From the terminal, you can take the 101X or 102X bus to the city center. Just make sure you look up the nearest stop to your hotel beforehand.
Anyway, I asked around if they have spare change but no one seemed to understand what I was saying. A lot of the locals in Macau don’t speak English which was okay for me but I didn’t realize that even hotel names were not an exception. Obviously, I’m always willing to adjust because I’m the tourist. This brings me to my second tip.
Tip #2: Prepare a photo of your destination if you’re unsure where it’s located. Take a photo of the local translation in advance because this will make your life easier. All you have to do is show it to the driver or a local.
When it was apparent that I couldn’t board the bus to the city center, I opted to line up for a cab instead. When I got in, I told the driver I was going to Macau Masters Hotel. I showed him the address written on my printed booking confirmation from Agoda but he still didn’t understand.
Macau is an autonomous region on the south coast of China. It was a Portuguese territory until 1999 so their official languages include Portuguese and Cantonese (a variety of the Chinese language). It has also been dubbed as a place where ‘east meets west‘.
Looking around, you will see a huge European influence on their architecture or a lot of their buildings not to mention the lovely cobblestone streets in central Macau. Most of the signs are written in Portuguese with some having Cantonese characters. Knowing that you’re just in Asia, it’s pretty cool to be walking around seeing historical architecture and on cobblestone streets no less.
Finally, I arrived at my hotel. I couldn’t remember how much I paid the driver, but one thing’s for sure, there was no taxi meter. Did he just kinda estimate the cost? 😅 Nonetheless, it wasn’t super expensive so I let it slide because I was too tired to ask.
Tip #3: Taxis are not a common mode of transportation in Macau. You can’t just hail one when you’re on the streets; probably a bit easier when you’re at the airport or terminals because there are taxi lanes.
There’s no ride-hailing app like Uber or Grab at the moment, so the best mode of transport is either the bus or your feet. Keep that in mind.
Buses are very convenient though and as long as you know the right bus stop, you’ll be fine. I used the handy-dandy Google Maps to navigate. It will tell you the nearest bus stop to your location.
Check-in was relatively smooth at Macau Masters Hotel. The receptionists could speak and understand a bit of English, and thankfully, we didn’t have a hard time communicating despite the language barrier.
Tip #4: If you need to ask for directions, try asking a younger local first. I found that the younger ones speak English a bit better and are generally more accommodating to foreigners. Don’t get me wrong – I didn’t encounter rude elderly people. It’s just that usually they don’t speak English and would rarely adjust to you at all.
I went up to my room, fixed my stuff, and prepared to head out for dinner. I had already planned on going to Senado Square that night so I used Google Maps to find it. While walking, I snapped some night photos.
I walked for what felt like 10-15 minutes to get to Senado Square and looked for local restaurants but couldn’t find any right away.
Then I saw a McDonald’s but hesitated because I really wanted to try local food.
I was so hungry and tired plus it was already raining so I thought, “I could eat local food tomorrow, but tonight, I just need.. to eat.” So McDonald’s it is. After eating, I went to a mall, saw a Starbucks, bought my Starbucks mug souvenirs, then went back to the hotel to call it a day.
Tip #5: Stay overnight or for 2 days! I know people always just go to Macau for a day trip coming from Hong Kong, but I do feel like there’s so much to see and a lot to explore.
I stayed for 2 nights and I still felt like it wasn’t enough. Granted, it was raining for most of the day and I was also working in the morning so the only time I was able to explore was in the afternoon when it wasn’t raining too hard or at night.
Even though some people say that there’s nothing to do in Macau, I still wanted to go back and explore more. I will one of these days.
