Hong Kong Day Trips Guide 2026: Macau, Lantau & The Outer Islands

Beyond Hong Kong Island and Kowloon lies a network of outlying islands, mountain trails, and the unique former Portuguese colony of Macau — all within 90 minutes.

Hong Kong Day Trips Guide 2026: Macau, Lantau & The Outer Islands

Hong Kong is both a dense megacity and an archipelago of 263 islands. Most visitors see only the urban core — Victoria Harbour, Kowloon, the MTR network. The outlying islands, mountain trails, and Macau across the Pearl River Delta offer completely different experiences within 90 minutes of Central.

Macau

35 minutes by high-speed ferry from Sheung Wan Ferry Terminal ($30 HKD return). Macau is a Special Administrative Region of China (former Portuguese colony, returned in 1999) with an utterly unique character — Portuguese colonial architecture, Chinese temples, Cantonese cuisine, and the world's largest casino concentration by revenue.

Why Macau is worth it:

The Historic Centre of Macau (UNESCO World Heritage) preserves Portuguese colonial buildings better than most of Portugal — the Ruins of St. Paul's (facade of a 17th-century Portuguese cathedral destroyed by fire in 1835), Senado Square (Portuguese tile-paved square surrounded by pastel buildings), and the Fortress (fortress-turned-museum on a hill above the city).

Pastelaria Koi Kei — egg tarts (pasteis de nata), pork jerky, and almond cookies that have been made in Macau for three centuries.

A Lorcha — the best Portuguese-Macanese restaurant in Macau. African chicken (galinha à Africana) and bacalhau are the dishes to order.

The casino zone: The Cotai Strip (reclaimed land between Taipa and Coloane islands) hosts the mega-resorts — The Venetian Macao, MGM Cotai, City of Dreams. Worth seeing for the spectacle; worth skipping if gambling is not your interest.

Lantau Island

The largest of Hong Kong's islands, connected to Kowloon by the Lantau Link bridge and to Central by the MTR (Tung Chung station). Most of Lantau is undeveloped — country parks, hiking trails, and traditional fishing villages.

Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddha): The 34m bronze seated Buddha statue on Ngong Ping plateau, accessible by cable car from Tung Chung (30 minutes, spectacular harbor views) or by 6km hiking trail. The monastery below (Po Lin Monastery) serves excellent vegetarian lunches.

Cheung Sha Beach: The longest beach in Hong Kong — a 3km stretch of sand on Lantau's south coast, accessible by bus from Tung Chung. Significantly better for swimming than the crowded urban beaches.

Tai O Fishing Village: A traditional Hong Kong fishing village built on stilts above the water at Lantau's western tip. Pink dolphins (Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins) are spotted in the waters here; boat tours operate daily.

Cheung Chau Island

45 minutes by ferry from Central. A dumbbell-shaped island with no cars, a traditional fishing economy, and the most authentic surviving traditional Hong Kong settlement outside the urban core.

The Bun Festival (Cheung Chau Da Jiu): One of Hong Kong's most spectacular traditional festivals, held in April/May. Towers of buns 14m high, lion dances, Taoist ceremonies, and a bun-climbing competition.

The seafood: The waterfront restaurants on the east harbor side serve fresh seafood (still alive in tanks) at prices significantly below comparable restaurants in urban Hong Kong.

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