Border Crossings: Mainland China to Hong Kong Airport

Having worked in China for 12 years, I've been across the HK border almost as many times as Bruce Lee kicked Chuck Norris's ass(I SAID IT).

...and there's about as many ways to cross it as ways to be kicked by said Bruce Lee. This is one of those ways.

First, you get to the Futian border crossing in Shenzhen. It's about ten minutes from my apartment. You won't be coming from there though. Unless you want to(PM me for my address). Don't forget to pack Rocket(even if he doesn't want to go).

Here is the China side building; I can't remember if it's late Tang Dynasty or built in 2007, it's one of the two. You can take the metro to get there!

Go on up the escalators to the second floor.

Inside you fill out a card, and if you have your passport you're all good to go. You don't need a visa for Hong Kong unless you're Chinese. If you are Chinese it's easy to get one but you can only have one per week.

Go up to the second floor and get through the queue, It usually goes pretty fast. Usually between 15 minutes and three hours. here is the gear you will need to get through.

ear buds

music

snacks

Walk across a long bridge that crosses the river that marks most of the border between mainland and Hong Kong's New Territories. They're very new, only 120 years old.

Once across you will go through Hong Kong customs, also by filling out a card and manoeuvring around Hong Kong security wearing masks and shooting you with thermometer guns. Looking for vampires I think. This will also take between 15 minutes and 3 hours. Have more snacks.

Then you get outside and have a lovely view of the HK mountains. Grab a red taxi and you're off to the airport. I've never had to wait for a red taxi there. Most people are taking green taxis to the closest towns to buy diapers and ginseng.

After about 40 minutes of driving through tunnels and over bridges you arrive at the airport.

tunnels

roads

airport

It's a great airport with fantastic food, like the fantastic Pizza Express, Shanghai Tang, Duty Free, and 15 Starbuckses. Every single time I've been my plane was there. They also have smoking lounges in which they apparently just generate smoke, you just walk in and breathe deeply.

All in all it's only about a two hour trip, easy!

Hope this was helpful, all pictures and cats are my own.