Ferries & Boats in China: Hong Kong, Yangtze River, Coastal Routes & (2026)

A ¥2 commuter boat in Shanghai carries office workers across the same river that a ¥120 cruise ship crosses an hour later, to the same skyline. That gap, two yuan against one hundred and twenty, says most of what you need to know about ferries in China. Some are transport. Some are attractions pretending to be transport. A few, like the Hong Kong–Macau run, are international border crossings that happen to float.

This guide separates those out, route by route, with the fares and booking rules that actually trip people up. Prices below are the published figures as of 2026-08; always re-check the operator’s site before you go, because fares and timetables shift.

Hong Kong ↔ Macau (TurboJet / Cotai Water Jet)

The busiest ferry route in the country connects two Special Administrative Regions. TurboJet and Cotai Water Jet between them sail roughly every 30 minutes from early morning to late night. The official TurboJet timetable starts around 7:30am and runs to about 11:30pm, though exact departures vary by day, so confirm on the operator’s page.

| Detail | Info | |---|---| | Duration | 55–70 minutes | | Price | HK$160–220 (economy), higher for super class; night sailings cost more | | Departure points (HK) | Sheung Wan (Hong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal), Tsim Sha Tsui (China Ferry Terminal) | | Arrival points (Macau) | Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal (Macau Peninsula), Taipa Ferry Terminal (Cotai) | | Immigration | Passport required. Hong Kong exit, then Macau entry. Check in 30 minutes before departure |

Pick your arrival terminal to match your hotel. Outer Harbour drops you on the Macau Peninsula near the old center. Taipa serves the Cotai strip and its casinos. Night sailings after 6pm carry a surcharge. You can book on the TurboJet or Cotai Water Jet sites, or buy at the terminal, but weekends and holidays sell out, so reserve a day ahead. Verify fares and times at turbojet.com.hk as of 2026-08.

Hong Kong ↔ Zhuhai / Shenzhen / Guangzhou

Several operators run ferries from Hong Kong into mainland ports. Each one is a real border crossing, with passport control on both sides:

• Hong Kong → Zhuhai (Jiuzhou Port): 70 min, HK$200–300 one-way depending on terminal and day of the week. TurboJet runs it from Sheung Wan and Kowloon. Useful if you want the Zhuhai side without the bridge bus.
• Hong Kong → Shenzhen (Shekou): 50 min, from about HK$190 one-way on CKS boats. Often faster than rail if your hotel is already in Shekou.
• Hong Kong → Guangzhou (Nansha Port): 90 min, CNY180–260 (about HK$195–280) for standard through VIP class. Slower than the high-speed train, which does Guangzhou South to Hong Kong West Kowloon in roughly 50 minutes, but it lands you somewhere different.

Verify fares before you go: Zhuhai on TurboJet’s sea-ferry page, Shekou on HK Ferry Booking or operator cksp.com.hk, Guangzhou (Nansha) on operator cksp.com.hk or TravelChinaGuide, and train times on the MTR High Speed Rail planner, all as of 2026-08.

Treat all three like flights, not ferries. Passport out, arrive 30 minutes early, clear immigration on arrival.

Hong Kong Star Ferry (Tsim Sha Tsui ↔ Central / Wan Chai)

Technically not mainland transport, but skipping it would be wrong. The Star Ferry has crossed Victoria Harbour since the company was founded in 1888 (company history), the ride takes about 8 minutes, and the upper deck costs HK$5 on weekdays and HK$6.5 on weekends and public holidays, per the official fare table. That is a genuine commute fare for one of the best skyline views anywhere. Go at sunset. Verify the current fare at starferry.com.hk as of 2026-08, because it has risen before and will again.

Xiamen ↔ Gulangyu Island (鼓浪屿)

Gulangyu sits a short hop off Xiamen’s coast: no cars, colonial-era houses, piano museums, and beach crowds that swell to a crushing peak on weekends. The ferry is the only way on.

| Detail | Info | |---|---| | Duration | 20 minutes | | Price | ¥35 round trip on the tourist ferry; air-conditioned cabins run ¥50–80 | | Departure | Xiamen International Cruise Terminal (Dongdu) for tourists; Lundu terminal is for residents | | Arrival | Sanqiutian or Neicuo’ao wharf on Gulangyu |

Here is the rule that catches people: tourists must use the Dongdu terminal, not Lundu, which is reserved for locals. Book ahead through the official WeChat mini-program or a platform like Trip.com, because ferries sell out on weekends and holidays, and your passport is required to book. Buy a round trip; the return leg stays open for 20 days. Fares and rules are summarized by ChinaDiscovery as of 2026-08.

Take the first boat, around 7:10am, and you get the island before the day-trippers land. By 10am it is packed. The last return runs near midnight in summer and earlier in winter.

Shanghai Huangpu River Ferry

Shanghai gives you two completely different ways to cross the same river.

The commuter ferry (¥2)

The city runs 17 public ferry lines across roughly 34 stations on the Huangpu, all charging ¥2 per pedestrian, according to the Shanghai municipal government. The most useful one for visitors links Dongchang Road on the Pudong side, near the Oriental Pearl Tower, with Jinling East Road on the Bund. The crossing takes about 7 minutes. Locals ride it to get to work. You get the same towers and the same river for a fraction of the cruise price. Pay with a Shanghai transit card or the Alipay transport QR code. See the Shanghai government’s transport page as of 2026-08.

The tourist cruise (¥120–160)

The Huangpu cruise runs 45–60 minutes, sweeps both banks from Yangpu Bridge down to Nanpu Bridge, and times the full Bund and Pudong light show for after dark. Typical tickets run ¥120–160, though there is no single published fare; several operators run different boats and decks, so confirm the price at the Bund ticket counter before you pay. Worth it? If you want the lit-up skyline with a drink in your hand, sure. If all you want is the view from the water, the ¥2 ferry does most of the job for two yuan.

Yangtze River Cruises

This is not a ferry. It is a cruise vacation. Ships run downstream from Chongqing to Yichang in 4 days and 3 nights, or upstream from Yichang to Chongqing in 5 days and 4 nights, threading the Three Gorges (Qutang, Wu, and Xiling) and stopping at the Three Gorges Dam. The split is right on Century Cruises’ official itinerary page as of 2026-08.

| Detail | Budget | Mid-range | Luxury | |---|---|---|---| | From-price, per person (4–5 days) | About $385 | $620–772 | $1,500+ | | Example ships | Yangtze Gold, Victoria | Century Oasis, Century Voyage | Yangzi Explorer, suites | | Cabin | Interior / lower deck | Balcony cabin | Suite | | Meals | Buffet included | Buffet plus à la carte | Fine dining | | Shore excursions | Basic, included | Better selection | Private tours |

Prices are per person on double occupancy and cover the cabin, buffet meals, and three included shore excursions; optional excursions cost extra, and most lines add a compulsory tip of about ¥150–200 per person. Mid-range balcony cabins on the Century-class ships typically run $440–772 per person for the standard 4-day run, per the ChinaDiscovery Yangtze price tables as of 2026-08. Book through a cruise specialist or Trip.com. April–May and September–October are the comfortable windows, with mild weather and good water levels. Summer is hot and humid. Winter is cold, but low water makes the dam look its most dramatic.

Island Routes for Travelers

• Sanya ↔ Wuzhizhou Island (Hainan): 30 min to a tropical island known for snorkeling. Adult admission plus round-trip ferry runs from about ¥136, per current ticket listings as of 2026-08.
• Zhoushan ↔ Putuoshan (Zhejiang): 15–30 min to one of China’s four sacred Buddhist mountains, which happens to be an island. About ¥30 one-way, ¥60 round trip, with the ¥160 island entrance fee separate, per Travel of China as of 2026-08.
• Weizhou Island (Guangxi, near Beihai): 60–110 min to China’s youngest volcanic island. Standard cabins run from about ¥150 one-way (¥240–360 round trip), plus a ¥98 island entry ticket, per China Xian Tour as of 2026-08. Banana groves, beaches, and a Catholic church built by 19th-century French missionaries.
• Dalian ↔ Yantai / Weihai: overnight car ferries across the Bohai Strait, 6.5–7.5 hours, ¥200–400 for a berth, per TravelChinaGuide as of 2026-08. This is how trucks and locals cross, not a tourist ride, and it is a genuinely different way to get between Liaoning and Shandong instead of flying.

General Ferry Tips

Passport. Any international route (Hong Kong to Macau, Zhuhai, or Shenzhen) needs a passport and full immigration clearance. Arrive at least 30 minutes early. Domestic ferries sometimes ask for a passport as ID, so carry it.

Seasickness. The Pearl River Delta routes sit on calm water. Xiamen to Gulangyu is basically a bathtub. The Dalian–Yantai overnight run is open sea and gets rough in winter.

Booking. For the big routes (Hong Kong–Macau, Xiamen–Gulangyu) book ahead online. For local ferries (the Shanghai commuter line, island day trips) just show up and pay at the terminal.

Chinese ferries are practical, not plush. Their job is to move you across water, and they do it. Occasionally the far turn out to be an island with no cars, old colonial houses, and piano music drifting out of open windows. That part is free.