China - newbie question: shenzen to kowloon

I have to travel from the Grand Hyatt Shenzen to the Hyatt Regency Tsim Shui. what would be the easiest way to do this? Can you taxi from the hotel to the Luoho border crossing and then pick up a Hong Kong taxi on the other side? What would that cost approximately?

You can only take the train leaving Luohu on the other side of the border. If little or no luggage, I would do that and then a taxi at the end of the train line.

I took a private minivan from Grand Hyatt Shenzhen into Hyatt Tsim. It's a little more expensive that doing the border crossing on foot and then taking the subway into lower Kowloon, but it's so much more relaxing, etc. You won't have to stand in the long line at the border, which is so unpredictable.

It's 800RMB for the van, so if you've got a few people traveling with you it's actually cost effective.

Ask the Hyatt Shenzhen Lounge manager to help you set it up. Her name is Wendy.

You can only take the train leaving Luohu on the other side of the border. If little or no luggage, I would do that and then a taxi at the end of the train line.

Private van is certainly the way to go, but if one decides to take the train from Lo Wu - 1. Pay extra and ride 1st class; 2. No need to switch to taxi. Just switch to the West Rail at Hung Hom for one stop to East TST. The Hyatt is connected to the station.

For other newbies, here is what I did to get from Shenzen Grand Hyatt to Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui:

Wendy, the lounge manager mentioned above, vociferously denies that she helped arrange a van for anyone. She says she only arranges hotel limos to Hong kong. Cost = 1800 yuan ($300)

I called Shenzen car service. they speak english and are cheaper at $200, but still too much for me. Perhaps if several people were travelling it would be worth it.

So i followed Rkwan's advice. Taxi to Louhu border station 11 yuan ($1.75).
Lots of Chinese heading to border so I just followed the crowd. You come to passport control but there are no lanes for foreigners, only Chinese citizens. I retraced my steps and found a little door that has "foreigner" above it. From there it is two flights of stairs down to the second floor. This was the only awkward spot in the whole trip. I picked up my two carryons and suitcase (samsonite 26" spinner) and climbed down the two flights of stairs.

It was pretty fast sailing from there. Despite what they say in other posts on FT, while there is a big wait for Chinese, there is no wait for foreigners at all. The foreigners queue is off to the left on the second floor and there were two immigration officers and nobody waiting. One minute later and I was through. You head to the exit(past the "no lingering" sign in English, the only English language sign that I saw) and lo and behold you arrive at the Hong Kong immigration. Need to fill out an immigration form and had to hunt around for a clean one. There is a huge line here, but again, only for Chinese. There was a separate line for foreigners and about three people ahead of me. Five minutes later I was through into the MTR station. Rkwan is right, there are no taxis here just the train. So i got some cash from an ATM and bought a first class ticket for $HK75 ($9.50). Smooth sailing from here, with escalators down to the train. i got a seat in the first class car (there is a small space between seats for smallish carryons but not for a suitcase. So the Samsonite stayed in the aisle.) Its a 45-minute ride to Hung Hom and then you simply cross the platform and take that train to East Tsim Sha Tsui. There you take the escalator at the far end of the platform and there are clear signs in English for Hanoi Road. Take the elevator to Ground level. The Hyatt is right opposite the exit. Total cost: $11.25. Travel time 1 hour 20 minutes door to door. Take that Wendy!

I took a private minivan from Grand Hyatt Shenzhen into Hyatt Tsim. It's a little more expensive that doing the border crossing on foot and then taking the subway into lower Kowloon, but it's so much more relaxing, etc. You won't have to stand in the long line at the border, which is so unpredictable.

It's 800RMB for the van, so if you've got a few people traveling with you it's actually cost effective.


Overkill, for the most part. And to call the difference between a taxi to border, walk across, and take MRT in to HKG, small is erroneous. 800RMB is $130 or so USD. I often spend $10-$15 doing it the other way.

There are also some shuttle buses that you can book through the hotel that aren't so expensive. I've taken them to the HKG airport before, I think they were $20-$25. Perhaps they have one going to Kowloon, as well.

Wendy, the lounge manager mentioned above, vociferously denies that she helped arrange a van for anyone. She says she only arranges hotel limos to Hong kong. Cost = 1800 yuan ($300)


There was a rather heated thread on the GH Shenzhen thread last year about the Concierge that set up a "private ride" for a customer that was similar to yours. Seems he got charged a ton, and then just handed off to a private guy. I'm sure that it's similar to much of the world, where the Concierge gets a good chunk of money for handing customers off like that.

If Wendy did indeed set up such a transfer for a customer, it's doubtful that she'd want it posted on FT, and get in trouble for it.

And at the border crossing, no need to haul stuff up stairs. There is an elevator, when you first come in from the taxi dropoff area. Near the bathrooms. Slow as hell, but better than lugging stuff around.

I've never used the FC carriage. Just get a seat, and that's all you need, really. This isn't a 18 hour train ride in India.

I've never taken first class on the East Rail myself, since I am a cheapo, but for those with luggage, it's worth the little extra. Those trains can get pretty crowded, and knowing myself, I know there's fairly good chance I'd give away my seat to someone more in need along the way.

I've never taken first class on the East Rail myself, since I am a cheapo,


I thought I was cheap! You stood with the masses in the back of the train for one hour to save $HKG 30?

I thought I was cheap! You stood with the masses in the back of the train for one hour to save $HKG 30?

I live along the West Rail line and am quite used to crowded trains, though I usually prefer the buses in HK.

For other newbies, here is what I did to get from Shenzen Grand Hyatt to Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui:

Wendy, the lounge manager mentioned above, vociferously denies that she helped arrange a van for anyone. She says she only arranges hotel limos to Hong kong. Cost = 1800 yuan ($300)

I called Shenzen car service. they speak english and are cheaper at $200, but still too much for me. Perhaps if several people were travelling it would be worth it.



When I had a lot of baggage have hired one of the Toyota mini-vans for a ShenZhen to Hong Kong Central ride for around US$ 110.

If I am heading over the border for the weekend, I take the train, and it was so cheap that I can't recall how much it I spent. When I figure out how to use the Shenzhen subway, I will cut another 20 RMB out of the round trip.

EthernetWeasel

So i followed Rkwan's advice. Taxi to Louhu border station 11 yuan ($1.75).
Lots of Chinese heading to border so I just followed the crowd. You come to passport control but there are no lanes for foreigners, only Chinese citizens. I retraced my steps and found a little door that has "foreigner" above it. From there it is two flights of stairs down to the second floor. This was the only awkward spot in the whole trip. I picked up my two carryons and suitcase (samsonite 26" spinner) and climbed down the two flights of stairs.

You shouldn't have followed the crowd. There is a separate entrance for foreigners that doesn't require you to take the stairs back down.