Leaving for GZ soon

[DocMartin817]

At the end of the week I will be flying into Honk Kong on my way to GZ. Liwen will go there on Wednesday for her medical. Her interview is scheduled for next Tuesday the 28th. I will be arriving in Hong Kong on Saturday evening at 6. The plan is for Liwen to meet me at the border crossing and we will spend one day in Shenzen before we go to GZ. I have been trying to find the best way to get from the airport to the border at Lu Wu. Liwen suggested I take the KCR East Rail. But to do that it looks like i need to catch the Mass Transit to Kowloon and then take a taxi to the railway station. Is there a better way to get to the border crossing -- not taxi but are there good buses I could take? Also do I need to convert some money into Hong Kong currency? I was reading online that the best way to pay is to buy an Octupus card. Has anyone done that before? Any ideas on how much I should put on the Octupus card,? I will be going back home the same way. Also how long does it take to get through the border crossing? Any info would be appreciated.

[corvette]

You can take an airport coach from the HK airport to the Shenzhen custom. It's very convenient and safe. Details can be found at http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/cbt/cross.html

 

You can buy the coach ticket with your credit card at their counter so you don't have to convert USD to HKD. The Octupus card is for HK domestic transportation. I don't think you need to get one if you don't plan to travel in HK. If you fly out from HK after the trip, you can take the airport express coach at the China Hotel in GZ. It takes about 3-4 hrs including custom clearance and it will take you directly to the HK airport. You can pay by RMB. I remember the rate is around RMB250.

[DocMartin817]

Thanks so much. That was exactly the information I needed

[mlspyl]

Martin:

 

If you plan to stay Shenzhen for a day or two here are your options (I have alot of detail, sorry if you already know most of the information):

 

First clear customs and pick up you luggage. Then go to Arrival Hall, you have two choices, Arrival Hall A (left side) or Arrival Hall B (right side). They go to the same place (one big hall), I always got through Hall A.

 

About 100 feet after you enter the Hall you will see small booths with travel agencies. Booths A9 thru A16 are for bus, limo, etc. A10 (and many of the others) offer bus service to the Customs Ports at Shenzhen (SZ).

 

There will be many receptionists near the booths to help you, choose one and tell them you want to go to LuoHu (Lo Wu - Hong Kong side) Customs Port at SZ. I prefer to enter SZ at the Huannggang (Lokma Chau - Hong Kong side) Customs Port, this is a few miles west of the LouHo Port.

 

Cost is 100HKD, the bus rides takes approx. 60 - 75 minutes, including clearing immigrations on the Hong Kong side which you must do when exiting Hong Kong.

 

Once you reach the Chinese Customs Port at SZ (either Huanggang or Luoho) you must remove your luggage from the bus and go through customs. Depending on the time of day this could take from 5 minutes to 30 minutes.

 

I prefer Huanggang port because it is less crowded and usually takes less time. From either customs port, a taxi can take you anywhere in SZ.

 

The bus is nice, new and air-conditioned and the ride is pleasant. The busses run every 20 - 30 minutes, so the wait at the airport is short.

 

I apologize again if you are familiar with much of what I described. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

 

 

Mark

[DocMartin817]

This is great info for me. Thank you very much. I will be meeting Liwen after I cross the border and she already has a hotel reserved for us. So I will explain the two choices to her and let her pick the one most convenient for her.

[vibes1313]

Great directions Mark. I'll borrow them for my son. And Doc, across the hall from the A or bus groups you can change currency easy and fast. 100HKG for the bus (don't pay more), and I usually get some RMB just in case I need a taxi in Mainland. If you take the bus, remember the license tag number and color of the bus so it will be easy to find after the HKG exit. To me they all look the same. I also prefer Huangdang entry too because Luohu can be really busy especially on a Saturday night. Welcome to Shenzhen.

[DocMartin817]

great info again,

Thanks

[Guest DragonFlower]

The bus people will accept US dollars and give change in HK dollars,enough to make a phone call and let her know you are on the way.

 

long

[Jason+Joanna]

Martin:

 

If you plan to stay Shenzhen for a day or two here are your options (I have alot of detail, sorry if you already know most of the information):

 

First clear customs and pick up you luggage.  Then go to Arrival Hall, you have two choices, Arrival Hall A (left side) or Arrival Hall B (right side). They go to the same place (one big hall), I always got through Hall A.

 

About 100 feet after you enter the Hall you will see small booths with travel agencies.  Booths A9 thru A16 are for bus, limo, etc.  A10 (and many of the others) offer bus service to the Customs Ports at Shenzhen (SZ).

 

There will be many receptionists near the booths to help you, choose one and tell them you want to go to LuoHu (Lo Wu - Hong Kong side) Customs Port at SZ.  I prefer to enter SZ at the Huannggang (Lokma Chau - Hong Kong side) Customs Port, this is a few miles west of the LouHo Port.

 

Cost is 100HKD, the bus rides takes approx. 60 - 75 minutes, including clearing immigrations on the Hong Kong side which you must do when exiting Hong Kong.

 

Once you reach the Chinese Customs Port at SZ (either Huanggang or Luoho) you must remove your luggage from the bus and go through customs.  Depending on the time of day this could take from 5 minutes to 30 minutes.

 

I prefer Huanggang port because it is less crowded and usually takes less time.  From either customs port, a taxi can take you anywhere in SZ.

 

The bus is nice, new and air-conditioned and the ride is pleasant.  The busses run every 20 - 30 minutes, so the wait at the airport is short.

 

I apologize again if you are familiar with much of what I described.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

 

 

Mark

This is exactly what I do everytime I have visited. It works out great.

 

FYI the trip to SZ is around 70 HKD as is the trip back. You can pay in USD from HK, and you can pay in RMB from SZ.

[yuehan123]

I took this bus to GUZ last year. I recommend you meet some one on the bus as soon as you leave HK. They can be a big help to you.

 

On my trip one man had trouble at the border....the bus left without him but his bag was still on the bus! I'm not saying take your bag with you just do like they said and know excatly which bus is yours. At the China border you must take a different bus if you are going further- like GUZ. This is where it helps to know who is traveling with you.

[aqua8lung]

How do you know when you the P-3 is entered into the computer at Guangzhou ?

Wo hen ben...

[Inxsfan]

hey, when you go to GZ , can you make a map of what buildings you need to go pay for the visa and the place to pick up the visa so we can email to our SO in China?

 

mike

[david_dawei]

How do you know when you the P-3 is entered into the computer at Guangzhou ?

Wo hen ben...

you can call DOS to find out: DOS 1-202-663-1225

[Mengxin]

hey doc, if your looking for some attention or reply, maybe you could change your handle to start with "Remi" instead... hahaha, you probably only hear that about 100 times... ... today.

[david_dawei]

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