A Macau day trip, priced: the crossing, the day, the trip home
Published 2 November 2026
A day trip to Macau lives or dies on one number: what the return crossing costs after a full day, not the headline one-way fare. This guide prices the three crossings honestly (ferry, second ferry, bridge bus), names the one genuine fare deal on the route, then builds three sample day budgets for Hong Kong and Zhuhai day-trippers. Ferry and bus fares were checked against the operators' published prices on 2 November 2026; the operator's listing for your date always governs.
Crossing one: TurboJET to Outer Harbour, the old town route
TurboJET sails from Sheung Wan in Hong Kong to Macau's Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, about 60 minutes at sea. The first sailing is 7:30am, sailings run roughly every 30 minutes through the day, and the last sailing back to Hong Kong is 11pm. Economy fares, in force since 25 April 2026: HK$194 on weekdays, HK$212 on weekends and holidays, HK$242 on night sailings. Land here for a peninsula day: Senado Square, the Ruins of St. Paul's and the old town are the natural first hours of a day trip, and our ferry guide has the terminal detail.
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Crossing two: Cotai Water Jet to Taipa, the Cotai route
Cotai Water Jet sails from the same Sheung Wan terminal to Taipa Ferry Terminal, beside the Cotai resorts. Cotai Class fares since 25 April 2026: HK$192 weekdays, HK$209 weekends and holidays, HK$242 at night; Cotai First runs HK$330, HK$348 and HK$380. Its useful day-trip trait is the late finish: listed sailings from Taipa back to Hong Kong run to 11:00pm and 11:59pm, later than anything else on the water. Land here for a Cotai day: teamLab, the resorts and an evening show, with the last boat as your safety net.
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Crossing three: the Golden Bus, HK$65 and 24 hours
The shuttle bus across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the gold coloured Golden Bus, is the budget crossing: HK$65 by day and HK$70 overnight, running 24 hours, every 5 minutes or so at peak and every 10 to 15 minutes off-peak, about 40 minutes port to port. The catches are at the ends. It is port to port only, so add the trip out to the Hong Kong port near the airport, and on the Macau side bus 101X to the peninsula or 102X to Taipa and Cotai. It suits travellers already near the airport or Tung Chung, night owls, and anyone whose day is built around the bridge's price rather than the ferry's convenience. Our Hong Kong to Macau guide walks the route end to end.
From Zhuhai: the crossing is free
Zhuhai day-trippers skip the fare question entirely. The Border Gate and Gongbei Port crossing is a walk: free, open 6am to 1am, out into the north peninsula with buses and hotel shuttles at the door. For a Cotai day, Hengqin Port is open 24 hours and lands on the Cotai side. Your day-trip maths is then all attraction and food, which is exactly how it should be.
The one genuine fare deal: TurboJET Early Bird
TurboJET's own Early Bird offer is the only ferry discount worth building a day around. Book a single-trip Economy eBoarding ticket on the official TurboJET website at least 5 days before departure and the fares drop to HK$150 for a weekday day sailing, HK$175 at weekends, and HK$200 for a night sailing, against walk-up fares of HK$194, HK$212 and HK$242. The offer runs to 28 February 2027, with blackout dates that include 20 to 22, 25 to 27 and 31 December 2026, 1 January 2027 and 6 to 9 February 2027. A weekday day trip booked ahead prices out at HK$150 out plus HK$200 back, HK$350 return, because the evening sailing home is a night sailing either way. There is no button for this one: it is sold only on the operator's own site, which is rather the point of an honest deals guide.
Three sample day budgets
The old town day, from Hong Kong, weekday. TurboJET early bird return HK$350 (or HK$436 walk-up), then a free day: the historic centre walk, A-Ma Temple and the old town cost nothing at the door. Add lunch money and this is the cheapest full Macau day from Hong Kong that still arrives at a city terminal.
The Cotai day, from Hong Kong, weekday. Cotai Water Jet return at HK$434 walk-up (HK$192 out in the day, HK$242 back at night), plus one anchor attraction: teamLab SuperNature Macao is MOP 288 at the gate for adults, open 11am to 7pm and closed Wednesdays, so pick any other day and go late morning. If you plan two paid attractions, run the maths in our attraction pass guide before buying single tickets.
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The budget bridge day, from Hong Kong or Zhuhai. Golden Bus return HK$130 plus local buses at both ends, or a free walk across the Border Gate from Zhuhai. Spend the savings inside the day: the Golden Reel at Studio City is MOP 100 a ride on the official page, running 2pm to 8pm, which makes it a neat end-of-day anchor before the trip home. More paired-up savings are in our family bundle deals guide.
Timing the day well
Start with the 7:30am or 8:30am sailing. An hour at sea plus clearance puts you in Macau mid-morning, which is when a day trip earns its keep. Put the anchor attraction late morning or mid-afternoon, not at the end: shows and rides have fixed times, wandering does not. An evening show still works. House of Dancing Water's 7:30pm performance ends around 9pm, leaving the 11pm TurboJET and the late Cotai Water Jet sailings in play, as our show tickets guide sets out. And price the return as a night sailing from the start. TurboJET's night rate applies from 6:30pm and Cotai Water Jet's from 5:10pm in the October to January season, so any full day out ends on the HK$242 fare. Budget it first, and the day holds no surprises.
Sources and how we checked
TurboJET sailing times and the Early Bird terms: the operator's official schedule and promotion pages, checked 2 November 2026. Ferry fares: the operators' fare revisions effective 25 April 2026, as published by TurboJET and Cotai Water Jet. Golden Bus fares, hours and frequencies: the bridge shuttle operator's published timetable and fare table, checked 2 November 2026. Border Gate and Hengqin hours: Macau port listings checked 2 November 2026. teamLab hours and gate price, the Golden Reel price and hours, and House of Dancing Water show times: verified for our show tickets and family bundle guides in October 2026. Fares are quoted in the currency of the port of purchase, Hong Kong dollars leaving Hong Kong and patacas leaving Macau, at the same numbers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to do a Hong Kong to Macau day trip?
The bridge shuttle bus, the Golden Bus across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge: HK$65 each way at the daytime rate, HK$130 return, running 24 hours. The fare is only part of the cost, because the bus is port to port: add local transport at both ends, the B4 bus or a taxi to the Hong Kong port, and bus 101X to the Macau peninsula or 102X to Taipa and Cotai on arrival.
What does a TurboJET day return really cost?
More than the headline fare suggests, because your return will almost certainly be a night sailing. On a weekday, a daytime Economy sailing out at HK$194 plus a night sailing back at HK$242 comes to HK$436 return at walk-up fares, since the night rate applies from 6:30pm. Book both legs at least 5 days ahead on the official TurboJET site and the Early Bird fares bring the same return to HK$350: HK$150 out, HK$200 back.
Which Macau ferry terminal should a day-tripper choose?
Outer Harbour for the old town: it lands on the Macau peninsula, a short hop from Senado Square and the Ruins of St. Paul's, and TurboJET serves it from 7:30am. Taipa for Cotai: Cotai Water Jet sails there from Sheung Wan, next to the big resorts, and its listed sailings back to Hong Kong run latest, to 11:59pm.
Can I see House of Dancing Water and still sleep in Hong Kong?
Yes, with room to spare. The 7:30pm show runs about 90 minutes with no interval, so you are out around 9pm. TurboJET's last sailing from Outer Harbour is 11pm, and Cotai Water Jet lists Taipa departures back to Hong Kong up to 11:59pm. What you cannot do is linger: book the return sailing before you go, and price it at the night fare.
How does a day trip from Zhuhai work?
You walk. Zhuhai's Gongbei Port and Macau's Border Gate are one crossing: free, open 6am to 1am, and you come out in the north of the Macau peninsula with buses and hotel shuttles outside. For Cotai, Hengqin Port is open 24 hours and lands you by the Lotus Bridge side. Either way, your transport cost inside the day is close to zero, so Zhuhai day-trippers should put the budget into the attraction, not the crossing.
Do these booking links earn you a commission?
Yes. Our Klook and Trip.com links carry our partner IDs and may earn us a commission, disclosed on every booking button. The ferry fares, the Early Bird offer and the bridge bus in this guide are the operators' own prices, listed because they are the honest day-trip maths; the commission never affects which crossing we recommend.