This guide goes with our Hong Kong ferry hub, which lists the Macau, Cheung Chau, Mui Wo and Lamma routes from the Central waterfront. Here we add the Star Ferry harbour crossing, the way from Kai Tak to the water, and the questions worth settling before you leave the ship.
1. Different boats for different jobs
Hong Kong's Transport Department describes two franchised Star Ferry services, Central to Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai to Tsim Sha Tsui, and says licensed operators run the services to the outlying islands and across the harbour. Macau is a different kind of trip. TurboJET sails from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal at 3/F Shun Tak Centre, 200 Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan, and its page says passengers must meet the entry requirements of both Hong Kong and Macau before boarding.
2. Getting from Kai Tak to the water
The Kai Tak Cruise Terminal's own website has a Getting Here page; its footer names no operator, so we cite it as the terminal's website. Read on 29 October 2026, it lists buses and minibuses to nearby MTR stations rather than a rail link, and says service hours, fares and routes may change without notice. Examples as the page lists them:
- Green minibus 86 to Telford Gardens / Kowloon Bay MTR Exit A: service hours 06:40 to 23:00 daily, approximately 8 to 25 minutes between departures.
- Citybus 22S to Airside / Kai Tak MTR Station: daily 06:00 to 23:30, approximately 20 to 30 minutes between departures.
- Citybus 20X to Jordan / Tsim Sha Tsui: daily 06:00 to 23:00, approximately 20 to 30 minutes between departures.
- Fortune Ferry from the North Point and Kwun Tong public piers to the Kai Tak Runway Park Pier next to the terminal. The page says it only operates on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays and gives no times; it refers readers to the Transport Department website, which we did not search for this route.
Taxis use the pick-up and drop-off area in front of the terminal. By road, the page puts the terminal 42 km from Hong Kong International Airport and 5 km from Hung Hom train station. If you are flying in or out, TurboJET's page lists an HKIA to Macau route as "currently for charter service only", so do not plan a Macau connection from the airport around it. Our flights page covers the flying side.
3. The routes, as each operator lists them
| Route | What the operator's page lists (read 29 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Star Ferry: Central to Tsim Sha Tsui | Both directions 06:30 to 23:30 every day, with departures every 6 to 12 minutes depending on the time (from Central on weekdays, every 6 minutes between 07:25 and 09:55). The page gives no journey time. |
| Star Ferry: Wan Chai to Tsim Sha Tsui | From Wan Chai the first departure is 07:30 Monday to Saturday and 07:40 on Sundays and public holidays, the last 23:00. From Tsim Sha Tsui the first is 07:20 Monday to Saturday and 07:30 on Sundays and public holidays, the last 22:50. |
| TurboJET: Sheung Wan to Macau | "Approx. 60 mins" as TurboJET states. For the schedule it says is effective since 16 October 2026: 16 daytime and 4 night departures from Sheung Wan to the Outer Harbour, and 3 daytime and 1 night departure to Taipa. |
| Sun Ferry: Central Pier 5 to Cheung Chau | Ordinary ferry about 55 to 60 minutes, fast ferry about 35 to 40 minutes, which the page calls "for reference only". |
| Sun Ferry: Central Pier 6 to Mui Wo (Lantau) | Fast ferry only, about 35 to 40 minutes. The page names Pier 5 for one listed sailing, so check the pier on your own sailing. |
| Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry: Central Pier 4 to Lamma | The operator says the travelling time between Central Pier 4 and Lamma is 30 minutes. |
On the Star Ferry, the operator's page says you can tap an Octopus card at the gates, pay in Hong Kong dollar notes and coins, or use self-service ticket machines that accept cards and several mobile payments; it says it does not sell Octopus cards. It both says change is provided and asks passengers to prepare exact change, so keep small change handy. Seating is not reserved. Fare tables are on the page without an effective date, so we do not quote them.
4. Tickets, timing and the border
TurboJET's page advises boarding at least 30 minutes before departure so staff can check documents, and limits bookings to 6 sets of return tickets per transaction. Its schedules carry effective dates, so check the date on the page you are reading.
For entry to Macau, the Macao Government Tourism Office's entry requirements page, marked "Updated on: 26/7/2024", says all visitors must hold a passport or valid travel document and that all visitors need a visa except nationals of exempted countries. It adds that visitors may also apply for an entry permit or visa on arrival at the immigration checkpoint, and it lists the Border Control Department of the Public Security Police Force as a contact. The page is dated 2024 and does not tell you the rule for your passport, so confirm with that department before planning a Macau day. We did not read a Hong Kong immigration page, so this guide does not say what you need to return to Hong Kong.
On Sun Ferry's pages, seats are first come, first served, and passengers wait for the next sailing if one is full. A sailing is not a reserved seat.
5. Access, luggage and comfort
- Star Ferry: its fare notes say wheelchair users can board from the lower deck, with a maximum of four on each ferry, and that disabled passengers must present a disability registration card. Its pier page lists "Accessible Access" at Tsim Sha Tsui, Central and Wan Chai without describing the route or any lifts, so ask Star Ferry what the way from street to gangway involves.
- Star Ferry's passenger notice limits items carried on board to no larger than 40 cm long, 40 cm wide and 17.5 cm high, and asks passengers to stay seated until the ferry is securely docked and not to stand on the upper deck or steps.
- Sun Ferry: one bag up to 32 x 23 x 12 inches (width, height, depth) travels free; extra freight is paid for at the freight ticketing office before boarding. Its Cheung Chau page says deluxe cabins and fast ferries are air-conditioned.
- Senior fares: both Star Ferry and Sun Ferry list a category for seniors aged 65 and over. Neither page, as we read it, says whether visitors qualify, so ask at the pier or ticket office.
- TurboJET: the Hong Kong terminal page lists a luggage service counter for luggage check-in, and a service centre with luggage storage and porter service. It says the Taipa terminal provides golf carts for passengers with special needs. It also says that, on Hong Kong authorities' instruction, a passenger tested with a body temperature over 38 degrees Celsius will be declined entry to the terminal area. We found no weight or piece limit on the page.
6. Weather and your return to the ship
Star Ferry's page says actual sailing times may vary with maritime traffic, sea and weather conditions and vessel deployment. Sun Ferry says its journey time is affected by speed restrictions in Victoria Harbour, sea traffic, weather and sea conditions. TurboJET's page has a "Typhoon Sailing Services" link, but we could not read a typhoon rule from it, so we cannot say what happens to a sailing in a typhoon. Ask the operator, and check again on the day.
Work back from your ship's all-aboard time and add your own margin to the 30 minutes TurboJET asks for. Our guides on separate tickets and a buffer and the all-aboard worksheet show how. For the full list of routes, return to the Hong Kong ferry hub.
Checked on 29 October 2026: Star Ferry (home, service, pier, company and accessibility pages), TurboJET's sea ferry page, Sun Ferry's Cheung Chau and Mui Wo timetable pages, Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry's Lamma page, the Transport Department ferry page, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal's Getting Here page and the Macao Government Tourism Office entry requirements page. Fares are not quoted. Timetables and rules change, so confirm with the operator before you go.