Hong Kong Side Trips: 3 Day Itinerary
Three days out of Hong Kong, one side trip per day: Macau’s old town, Cheung Chau’s hiking trail, and Tai O’s stilt village on Lantau. Sleep in Hong Kong all three nights. This extends the 2 day version with a Lantau day; go longer with the 4 day through 7 day plans if you have the time.
Book these before you go:
- Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui or Central
- Macau day trip covering the old town, not a casino shuttle
- Outlying islands tour
- Lantau and Tai O day tour if you’d rather not manage the Tung Chung bus yourself
| Day | Side trip | Travel time from HK | One-way cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macau (old town) | ~45 min bus, ~60 min ferry | HK$65-70 bus, HK$190-240 ferry |
| 2 | Cheung Chau | ~35-55 min ferry | HK$16.70-47.60 |
| 3 | Tai O (Lantau) | ~75-90 min bus and MTR from Central | Bus fare only, no ticket |
Day 1: Macau, the old town over the casinos
Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan, or the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge bus. Passport required, Macau runs its own immigration control as a separate SAR. The Ruins of St Paul’s, Senado Square’s wave-tile paving, and the Portuguese-colonial streets around them are the reason to go. The Cotai casino strip is optional, skip it unless gambling is genuinely the point of your day. Check current sailing times on Macau’s official tourism site or with TurboJet directly.
Day 2: Cheung Chau, the cheap escape
Ferry from Central Pier 5: ordinary boat HK$16.70 weekday or HK$24.80 weekend, fast ferry HK$32.90 or HK$47.60, 35-55 minutes. No cars. Walk the Mini Great Wall trail, see Cheung Po Tsai Cave, then a seafood lunch by the harbour.
Day 3: Tai O, Lantau’s stilt village
Bus from Tung Chung to Tai O, a fishing village built on stilts over the tidal flats. Boat operators advertise Chinese white dolphin sightings; the local population has been shrinking for years, so treat any sighting as a bonus, not the reason you booked the boat. If you haven’t done the Big Buddha and Ngong Ping cable car, that belongs to Hong Kong’s own city itinerary rather than this side-trip list, but it pairs well with Tai O if you’re already out on Lantau. General visitor information for the crossing is on Discover Hong Kong .
Three side trips in three days covers the essentials without touching a theme park or a border crossing. Add those with the 4 day plan, or read the full day trips guide for the reasoning behind the order.