Atlas of China
Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou in five days
Victoria Harbour and the Peak, the Portuguese streets and churches of Macau, and Cantonese Guangzhou across the border by train.
- Days
- 54 seeing, 1 travelling
- Stays
- 3Hong Kong · Macau · Guangzhou
- Trains and flights
- about ¥90per person, planner's figures
- Distance
- 173 kmbetween the stays
- Best time
- October to December, dry and warm
The three cities of the Pearl River delta are a few hours apart and very different. Hong Kong has the harbour, the Peak and the islands, and needs two days at least. Macau, an hour away by ferry or across the bridge, keeps its Portuguese old town, a World Heritage site of churches and squares, beside the casinos. Guangzhou, an hour north of Hong Kong by high-speed train, is the mainland’s Cantonese capital, with the Canton Tower on the river and dim sum worth the trip alone. Hong Kong and Macau have their own immigration; the train to Guangzhou crosses into the mainland.
Day by day
Laid out by the atlas's trip planner from the stops below, with the trains and flights in its tables; open it on the map to change the days, the order or the stops.
Day 1 · Hong Kong
Day 2 · Hong Kong
- Victoria Harbour continued
Day 3 · Macau
- By road Hong Kong → Macau, about 1½ hours; about 1½ hours door to door, about ¥40.
- Historic Centre of Macau
Day 4 · Guangzhou
- Historic Centre of Macau continued
- By road Macau → Guangzhou, about 2 hours; about 2 hours door to door, about ¥60.
Day 5 · Guangzhou
Why this order
Hong Kong is the international gateway, Macau a side trip from it, and Guangzhou the step into the mainland, from which trains and flights go anywhere.
When to go
October to December, dry and warm; spring is humid, and typhoons can stop the ferries from July to September.
Good to know
- Mainland visa rules differ from Hong Kong’s and Macau’s; check whether you need a visa or qualify for visa-free entry before taking the train to Guangzhou.
- From Hong Kong, the high-speed train leaves from West Kowloon and arrives at Guangzhou South, which is well outside the centre; allow an hour by metro.
- The Macau ferries run from Sheung Wan and from the airport; the bridge bus is cheaper and about as fast.
Before you go
- Visas and visa-free entry Can I visit China without a visa?
- Paying for things How do I pay for things in China without a Chinese bank account?
- Internet and apps Will Google and my other apps work in China?
- Trains and 12306 How do I book train tickets in China with a foreign passport?
- Book popular sights early Which sights in China need booking in advance, and how?
- When to go When is the best time to visit China?
On the map
The map opens with these 3 stops in a trip; "Plan my days" lays out the same days and lets you move stops, change the days each gets, or choose where you arrive and leave.
Other trips
- Fujian: Xiamen, the tulou roundhouses and the Wuyi Mountains 5 days · Xiamen and Wuyishan
- Guilin, Yangshuo and the Longji terraces in four days 4 days · Guilin
Written for the atlas and last checked October 2026. Days and legs come from the trip planner: the fastest practical way between stays from the 12306 timetable for 2026-10-28 or 2026-11-11 and the airlines' schedules for 2026-10-28, with about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight, and standard-class fares where the timetable has them. Entry rules, tickets and opening arrangements change: confirm with official sources before you travel.