Best Day Trips from Hong Kong: Islands, Hikes and Macau
The best day trips from Hong Kong, ranked by how many guides name them: Cheung Chau, Lantau, Lamma, Tai O, Sai Kung and Macau, with ferry facts and a pick by trip type.
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The short answer. Most day trips from Hong Kong are by ferry to an island, and you don’t need to leave the territory. Cheung Chau is the one the guides name most, then Lantau for the Big Buddha, Lamma for a seafood lunch and a walk, and Tai O for the stilt houses. Macau is the one trip that crosses a border.
Roam Hong Kong read 14 guides on this question, in English, Traditional Chinese, French and Korean. The trips below follow how many of them name each one. Three more single-island articles were read for detail and aren’t counted. Ferry hours, fares and island facts come from the operators and from government pages, read on 7 November 2026, so check the operator’s page for your date. For what’s on in town the evening you get back, use the map or the events page.
The trips side by side
| Trip | Guides naming it (of 14) | Best for | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheung Chau | 12 | A relaxed half or full day, seafood, a short walk | Ferry from Central (Sun Ferry) |
| Lantau: Big Buddha and Ngong Ping | 10 | Temples, a cable car, views | Ngong Ping 360 cable car or bus |
| Lamma Island | 10 | A hike and a seafood lunch | Ferry from Central (HKKF) |
| Tai O | 8 | Stilt houses and a fishing village | Plan it on HKeMobility |
| Sai Kung and the Geopark | 7 | Beaches, trails, volcanic rock | Plan it on HKeMobility |
| Macau | 7 | A different city, one border | Ferry or bridge bus |
| Peng Chau | 5 | A very small island, a slow lunch | Ferry from Central (HKKF) |
Guangzhou (5 guides) and Shenzhen (4) appear on some lists. Both are in mainland China, which has its own entry rules, and this page doesn’t cover them. Tap Mun and Mui Wo get 3 votes each.
Cheung Chau
Recommended by 12 of 14 guides read.
Cheung Chau is a small dumbbell-shaped island of 2.44 square kilometres southwest of Hong Kong Island, with a fishing-port history that goes back centuries, according to the Home Affairs Department’s Go Hong Kong site. Guides send you to the waterfront seafood street, Tung Wan Beach, the Pak Tai (Yuk Hui) Temple and the pirate-legend Cheung Po Tsai Cave. A few add the Bun Festival.
Sun Ferry runs between Central and Cheung Chau, with fast and ordinary ferries on its route search. It has a timetable and fare calculator for your date.
Lantau: Big Buddha and Ngong Ping
Recommended by 10 of 14 guides read.
Lantau is the biggest island, and it holds the Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, the Wisdom Path and the Ngong Ping 360 cable car. The cable car and Ngong Ping Village generally open 10:00 to 18:00, and 9:00 to 18:30 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. It stops on servicing days while the village stays open, and the page seems to flag a maintenance day in November 2026 without a date (Ngong Ping 360). Check it before you go.
Guides combine Lantau with Tai O (8 guides) in one long day. The official description calls Tai O a fishing village known for huts built on stilts in narrow river channels (Go Hong Kong). One guide advises going on a weekday, and another says to take the boat trip to see the stilt houses. The Transport Department’s HKeMobility plans the route by bus and MTR for your start point.
Lamma Island
Recommended by 10 of 14 guides read.
Lamma Island is the third-largest island in Hong Kong at 13.85 square kilometres, and a 7 km trail links Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan, both known for seafood (Go Hong Kong). That’s the usual day. Walk one way, eat at the other end, take the ferry back.
The Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry sails from Central to Yung Shue Wan. The adult fare from 1 April 2026 is HK$24.90 Monday to Saturday and HK$34.70 on Sundays and public holidays (HKKF). The same page lists the sailings. The page marks the last sailings, so read the timetable before you start the walk.
Sai Kung and the Geopark
Recommended by 7 of 14 guides read.
Sai Kung is the base for beaches, boat trips and trails such as Pak Tam Chung and the MacLehose Trail. Guides mention the volcanic-rock coast, which belongs to the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark. Start early, because it’s a long day out. Guides also name Sharp Island and Yim Tin Tsai, the small islands off the coast, though Yim Tin Tsai has only two votes.
Macau
Recommended by 7 of 14 guides read.
Macau needs a passport and a border crossing, and it has its own page, Macau day trip from Hong Kong. TurboJET’s sailing from Sheung Wan takes about 60 minutes (TurboJET), and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge shuttle takes about 40 minutes between the two ports (HZMB).
Peng Chau and the rest
Peng Chau: 5 of 14 guides read.
Peng Chau is the smallest of the ferry islands on the list, and guides pair it with Lantau or Cheung Chau. The Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry runs Central to Peng Chau (HKKF). Tap Mun, Mui Wo and Po Toi get three or fewer votes and are a second visit.
Verdicts by trip type
First trip, one island only. Cheung Chau, the most named, or Lantau if the Big Buddha is the reason you came.
Hiking. Lamma for an easy 7 km walk, or Sai Kung for longer trails.
Seafood lunch. Lamma or Cheung Chau.
Families. Cheung Chau has a beach and a short ferry. Lantau has the cable car.
A rainy day. Skip the islands, because the best of them are outdoors. See the things to do guide for museums.
No ferry. Lantau by MTR and cable car, or Sai Kung by MTR and bus.
A long day. Macau, with an early boat and the last boat booked.
Seasick travellers. Take the bridge bus to Macau, or Lantau by cable car.
If you’re deciding where to base yourself for a mix of day trips, see where to stay in Hong Kong. Typhoon signals can stop ferries, so read the travel tips page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best day trip from Hong Kong?
Cheung Chau, if you want the one most guides name. Twelve of the 14 guides read recommend it.
Can you do a day trip from Hong Kong without a visa?
The islands are inside Hong Kong, so you don’t need a second entry. Macau and mainland China have their own entry rules.
How do you get to Lamma Island?
By the Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry from Central to Yung Shue Wan. The adult fare is HK$24.90 Monday to Saturday and HK$34.70 on Sundays and public holidays, from 1 April 2026.
Can you see the Big Buddha in half a day?
Yes, if you take the cable car, but the guides that pair it with Tai O plan a full day. The cable car runs 10:00 to 18:00 on most days.
Is Macau a good day trip from Hong Kong?
Seven of 14 guides name it. It’s about an hour by ferry, and the Macau guide has the details.
Sources: 14 guides in English, French, Chinese and Korean, and 10 official pages
Guides in English
- 15 Best Day Trips from Hong KongThe Crazy Tourist
- 7 Unforgettable Day Trips From Hong KongTouropia
- Hong Kong Day TripsHong Kong Traveller
- Best Day Trips from Hong KongTravelling King
- Best Day Trips in Hong Kong: 6 PicksTable Journey
- Island Hopping in Hong KongLUXE City Guides
- 10 Best Hong Kong Day Trips for Your Next Weekend GetawayTatler Asia
- Hong Kong Day Trips To Fill Your Weekends WithSassy Hong Kong
Guides in French
- Les 5 meilleures excursions à la journée depuis Hong KongBouger & Voyager
- Deux jours dans les îles de Lantau et de Cheung ChauYonder
- Visiter Île de LantauRoutard
Guides in Chinese
- 離島好去處2026：15大人氣及隱世離島一日遊推介Bowtie 專欄網誌
- 離島好去處｜10大離島一日遊打卡美食行程推介香港01
Guides in Korean
- 홍콩 마카오 여행 코스 3박4일 효율적 페리 동선 총정리트립스토어 블로그
Official pages
- Go Hong Kong (Home Affairs Department), Lamma Islandgohk.gov.hk
- Go Hong Kong (Home Affairs Department), Cheung Chaugohk.gov.hk
- Go Hong Kong (Home Affairs Department), Tai Ogohk.gov.hk
- Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry, Central to Yung Shue Wan timetable and fareshkkf.com.hk
- Sun Ferry, route and faresunferry.com.hk
- Ngong Ping 360, official sitenp360.com.hk
- Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geoparkgeopark.gov.hk
- HKeMobility, Transport Department journey plannerhkemobility.gov.hk
- TurboJET, Hong Kong to Macau sailing scheduleturbojet.com.hk
- Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Hong Kong sectionhzmb.gov.hk
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