Why go
A journey across the Pearl River Delta can involve several immigration checks, even when the places look close on a map. Thinking through each arrival and return helps you choose a workable route and avoids treating a sightseeing excursion as an ordinary local transport journey.
The full story
Begin with your whole itinerary: where you arrive, where you sleep, which side trips you plan and where you depart. A Hong Kong stay combined with Shenzhen or Macau needs more preparation than a trip confined to Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. Record every crossing in its actual order, including any return to an earlier destination. For decisions about admission, documents, permitted activities or length of stay, consult the Hong Kong Immigration Department. Check the relevant mainland Chinese or Macau authority for those parts of the journey. Give the authorities your nationality, travel document and purpose of travel rather than relying on another visitor’s experience. Transport planning follows those checks. Confirm the control point used by your train, coach or ferry and allow time for the formalities associated with that particular journey. A transport ticket should never be your evidence of permission to enter.