Job Discussion Forums

[wuliuchiba]

The last time I did a visa run I tried the Shenzhen Bay crossing because you can simply walk in to HK from one side and walk back into China from the other side - entry points going both ways are in the same building. Big mistake - it literally took me over four hours in total to cross over to HK and return to Shenzhen because of the ridiculous weekend crowd. Is there a less crowded border crossing in Shenzhen? I'm going to spend a few days in HK so I don't need to exit and re-enter at the same border crossing.

As for why I don't just fly directly to HK, it's because domestic flights to Shenzhen are 2-3 times cheaper in China than to HK.

[roadwalker]

The Shekou ferry crossing should have a minimal customs wait time, but I've only used it once late at night HK to SZ, so I couldn't swear by it. I made the mistake last National Day of going to Shenzhen and checking out the border at Lok Ma Chau to see if I really wanted to deal with it. The Chinese side at Futian/Lok Ma Chau was not bad at all, so I went. Took 15 minutes tops to clear. Then we walked to the Hong Kong side.....! It took at least an hour of baby-step queue snaking to arrive at the window. Probably better than Luo Hu though.

My usual is to take the Guangzhou East to Hung Hom, Kowloon direct train ("Intercity Through Train" RMB 155). It also stops in Dongguan on some runs. Customs on both sides usually 10 minutes, less if you walk fast and have your forms filled.

[JoeKing]

Good info to know - I knew about the cheaper flights but never thought about best place to cross. Thanks to both of you.

[chinaroman]

Take the ferry, or get a mini bus at Shenzhen Bay from the China side. Walking across that border is one of the worst experiences ever!

[joe]

I second the Shekou ferry suggestion.

It's the most pleasant way to go from Shenzhen to HK and back.