How to Travel From Hong Kong to Guangzhou - 4 Best Routes

Traveling from Hong Kong to Guangzhou is confusing even for local inhabitants of the mainland. Both are great outposts, and it’s easy to get lost if you don’t know the language. We’ve compiled the most accessible ways to travel from Hong Kong to Guangzhou using public transportation. Follow the instructions to avoid getting lost.

Before you begin your travel into mainland China, make sure you are familiar with the routes and have your Chinese visa with you. Unlike traveling in Hong Kong, where you don’t need a visa, going into mainland China requires one. Also, if it’s your first time on the mainland, remember that English is not very common in Guangzhou. You may want to brush up on your Mandarin or get some interpreting help. The Hong Kong to Guangzhou distance is 129 km. Here are the different routes you can take.

Option 1: Take the Shenzhen High-Speed Train to Guangzhou

The high-speed Shenzhen to Guangzhou train is by far the best option, at the top of our list for its efficiency. It’s the cheapest and quickest method to cover the distance without hassle. It’s not recommended if you are carrying large amounts of luggage or traveling with young children. The trip begins in Shenzhen, where you take the MTR to Lo Wu. The travel from Hung Hom takes about forty-five minutes. The Lo Wu MTR station has a China Immigration checkpoint where you present your visa to mark your exit from Hong Kong to the mainland. The process is quick if you follow the signs. After passing through immigration, you’ll be in Shenzhen. To get to the train station, exit immigration and walk straight; you’ll find the Shenzhen railway station in the large building on your left, about a five-minute walk. Locals use their ID card to board, but you’ll buy a train ticket to Guangzhou at one of the counters. You can choose between first and second class.

Prices & Tickets

You can buy tickets for the train from Shenzhen to Guangzhou inside the station or online. Prices range from about 80 RMB to 100 RMB depending on class and availability. Trains depart every 15 to 30 minutes; most of the time you can sit comfortably, but at rush hour you may have to stand. Once you arrive at Guangzhou East, take the MTR or a taxi to your final destination. The pros: low price and speed once you’re aboard. The cons: you must travel light (the trains don’t have luggage accommodations), and it’s not a good way to travel with a large party or family that includes small children.

Option 2: Make the Trip on the New Hong Kong to Guangzhou High-Speed Train

There is a high-speed rail line running directly from Hong Kong to Guangzhou that began operating in September 2018. The train connects Hong Kong’s Kowloon West station with Guangzhou South station in about forty-seven minutes, the fastest direct route between the two cities. The trains run around sixty times a day, and they have now fully replaced the old Kowloon to Guangzhou East intercity service. This train departs from the Kowloon West station, located between the Austin and Kowloon MTR stations. Every train arrives at Guangzhou South station on the outer limits of the city, from where you take the MTR or face the traffic to reach your destination.

Prices & Tickets

You can book tickets online and collect them at Kowloon West station. If you are in Guangzhou, you can buy tickets at any train station on the mainland. Choose between second class and business class for a more comfortable trip. This train has a significant advantage over Option 1: you can carry as much luggage as you need, since the trains are spacious. The only downside is that it is more expensive than other options.

Option 3: Take a Direct Coach from Hong Kong to Guangzhou

The old intercity through train between Hung Hom and Guangzhou East used to sit here. It was suspended in 2020 and formally scrapped in 2024, its passengers handed over to the high-speed line above. The door-to-door option that remains is the direct cross-border coach. It is slower than any train, but it picks you up around Hong Kong (the airport, Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and other Kowloon stops) and sets you down in central Guangzhou with no change of stations. The coach drives you to a border checkpoint, usually Shenzhen Bay, where you clear immigration on foot and reboard on the mainland side. Plan on three to three and a half hours, longer when the border or the traffic is busy.

Prices & Tickets

Fares run about 110 to 250 HKD, cheaper than the high-speed train and in the same bracket as the Shenzhen route. Several operators run coaches through the day, so you rarely wait long for the next one. This is the route to pick when you are carrying heavy luggage or traveling with a family and would rather stay in one seat than haul bags through two train stations, and when landing in the city center matters more to you than saving an hour. Book a seat in advance during busy travel periods, when the popular departures fill up.

Option 4: Ride the Ferry from Hong Kong International Airport to Guangzhou

The last option is a ferry from the SkyPier at Hong Kong International Airport. It makes sense only if you are flying in or out of that airport, since SkyPier handles transit passengers rather than people arriving overland. There are just two or three sailings a day in each direction, and the fare is around 300 HKD, so it is not the cheap choice its slow pace might suggest. The crossing takes roughly one and a half hours. Boats now run to Guangzhou’s Nansha and Pazhou ports; Pazhou sits in the east of the city near the main exhibition complex, while Nansha still leaves you a long taxi ride from the center. Tickets can be bought online or at the terminal. Use this route only if a flight connection makes it convenient; otherwise you will fare better with the other choices.