7 Days in Hong Kong: Day-Trip Base Itinerary
Seven days completes the family: Macau, Cheung Chau, Disneyland, Tai O, Ocean Park, Lamma, then a genuine international border crossing into Shenzhen on the last day. This is the only version here that needs advance planning beyond a booking, the Shenzhen leg needs a visa sorted before you fly. Shorter on time? Drop to 6 days and skip the mainland crossing entirely.
Book these before you go
- Shenzhen day tour: GetYourGuide if you’d rather have a guide handle the border crossing on your first mainland entry
- Macau day trip: GetYourGuide for transport plus a guided old-town walk
- Hong Kong base: check Tsim Sha Tsui or Central rates on Booking.com
| Day | Focus | Travel time from HK |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Macau: Ruins of St. Paul’s, Senado Square, Cotai casinos | 45 min HZMB bus each way |
| Day 2 | Cheung Chau: fishing village, Mini Great Wall hike, cycling | 35-55 min ferry each way |
| Day 3 | Hong Kong Disneyland: Lantau, Disneyland Resort Line | 30-40 min rail via Sunny Bay |
| Day 4 | Tai O, Lantau: stilt houses, boat rides, Discovery Bay | 45-60 min bus from Tung Chung |
| Day 5 | Ocean Park: Aberdeen, marine life, thrill rides | 20-30 min bus or taxi |
| Day 6 | Lamma Island: coastal hike, seafood villages | 20-30 min ferry from Central |
| Day 7 | Shenzhen, mainland China: a real border crossing | 40-70 min MTR or high-speed rail |
Day 1: Macau
- HZMB “Golden Bus,” HK$65 regular hours or HK$70 overnight, about 45 minutes plus immigration each way, schedules on hzmb.gov.hk
- Ruins of St. Paul’s and Senado Square, free, hours on macaotourism.gov.mo
- Egg tart near Senado Square, then the Cotai Strip if the casinos interest you
Day 2: Cheung Chau Island
- Ferry from Central Pier 5, HK$16.70-47.60 depending on day and boat speed, 35 to 55 minutes, sailings on Sun Ferry
- Bike rental, the Mini Great Wall coastal trail, a harborside seafood lunch
Do I need my passport for the Macau leg? Yes, Macau is a separate Special Administrative Region with its own immigration control, distinct from Hong Kong even though HKD is widely accepted. Carry the passport you used to enter Hong Kong for both directions of the bus crossing.
Day 3: Hong Kong Disneyland
- MTR to Sunny Bay, transfer to the Disneyland Resort Line, 30 to 40 minutes from central Hong Kong
- A dated adult ticket, HK$669-939 depending on the calendar day, tier calendar on hongkongdisneyland.com
Day 4: Tai O Fishing Village, Lantau
- Bus from Tung Chung, or from the Ngong Ping cable car area if combining with the Big Buddha, 45 to 60 minutes
- The stilt-house village, a small boat tour for a chance, not a guarantee, at dolphin sightings
Day 5: Ocean Park
- Bus or taxi to Aberdeen and Wong Chuk Hang, 20 to 30 minutes from Central
- Adult admission HK$538, child HK$269, current pricing on oceanpark.com.hk
Day 6: Lamma Island
- Ferry from Central Pier 4, roughly HK$25, 20 to 30 minutes, sailings on Sun Ferry
- The coastal trail linking Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan, then a seafood lunch
- Short on time and want a quieter third island instead of Lamma’s hike? Swap in Peng Chau, the smallest and least-visited of the three, better suited to a slow half-day than a hiking-focused one
Day 7: Shenzhen and the Mainland Crossing
- MTR East Rail Line to Lo Wu, connecting directly to Shenzhen Metro, or to Lok Ma Chau for a pedestrian-bridge crossing into Futian, check current timetables on mtr.com.hk
- Alternatively, West Kowloon’s high-speed rail terminus for a faster run into Shenzhen or Guangzhou, with mainland immigration handled on site
- The moment you cross: currency switches to yuan, driving switches to the right, and the Great Firewall snaps into effect, no Google, WhatsApp or Instagram without a VPN
- Spend the day in central Shenzhen before crossing back into Hong Kong by evening, don’t push a return crossing right up against last-train times on your first attempt
Do I need a visa for the Shenzhen crossing? Almost certainly yes, and it’s the one thing on this whole 7-day trip you cannot resolve at the border. Most Western passports get 90 to 180 visa-free days for Hong Kong itself, but that status does not cover the mainland. Confirm a standard China visa, a qualifying nationality waiver, or Shenzhen’s own limited 5-day Special Economic Zone visa-on-arrival well before you fly, not at the checkpoint.
Sort the Shenzhen visa question first, before you book anything else on this itinerary, since it’s the one leg that can fall apart with zero notice at the border if the paperwork isn’t right. Our gateway guide and Shenzhen guide go deeper on the crossing itself.