Lotus Bridge crossing to Macau -- buses and immigration times
 

Is there a timetable for the shuttle buses that run across the bridge? I understand the bridge is now open 24h/day -- do the buses also run 24h? Where do the shuttle buses start from on the China side? I'm considering commuting to the Cotai strip from the hotel that seems to be very close to the bridge (the Qinhai Holiday Hotel) -- will that be convenient to get on the shuttle bus from there? Or do people have another hotel to recommend.

How long should I allow for the journey including immigration (I have a UK passport with a 10 year visa multiple entry visa). I'd be crossing to China late evening, and returning in time to get to Cotai for around 0830.

Alternatively I couild stay near Gongbei, but that seems much less convenient for Cotai.

thanks

iirc the shuttle bus doesn't actually get you anywhere - it merely travels the short stretch of bridge between the macau immigration post and the zhuhai immigration post. you have to arrange your own transport from the zhuhai side of the border to your hotel.

gongbei isn't that inconvenient because the shuttle buses to the cotai hotels (presumably your destination?) are much more frequent than those at lotus bridge crossing. but does get busy in the mornings.

Many thanks for this. Yes I realised that the shuttle bus just goes across the bridge itself; my question really was is there a timetable/does it run 24 hour, and if so how frequent at night. And any tips for how long it might take to do the actual crossing including immigration. Are there taxis hanging around both sides (though I understand the Cotai hotels have shuttle buses from the Macau side?

according to google (can't find the official timetable, not even in Chinese):

• Bus runs 24/7
• Frequency: 5-10mins during the day, 15mins during the night (see
  Flickr Slideshows (Photostreams)
  posted on a blog in 2018)

the last time i used this crossing was 3 years ago. it was literally empty on both sides and it took me less than a minute to cross (granted i used the machines) but usually the "foreigner" queue should be empty. there should be plenty of transport options on the zhuhai side given the new theme parks there. cotai shuttles are available on the macau side but they are not very frequent, around 30mins a departure.

Thanks very much for this; very helpful.

I use the bridge several times a year, and it's rarely more than a few minutes at each immigration depot. There are rarely more than one or two lanes open though, so when theres a small crowd it has taken up to 15 minutes. Finding a taxi at the Lotus port on the Macau side is HIGHLY unreliable, and they will likely try to grossly overcharge you. However, depending on which hotel you're trying to get to/from in Cotai, you might not even need to worry about transportation. In a worst case scenario, I remember walking from immigration to Studio City once. It was a while ago, but I think it took me less than 15 minutes. That would place Galaxy, Venetian, Sands Cotai Central, Parisian, and City of Dreams within about 30 minutes on foot. During the day there are hotel shuttles (don't know how early/late they run nowadays... but they might be 24 hours). There's also a public bus stop that should also be able to get you to Cotai relatively quickly.

By contrast, there are usually plenty of taxis lined on at the Henqin side, but they often try to overcharge you at least a little bit. I remember one time the driver asked for 100 RMB to get to Zhuhai... it actually ended up being about 78 by the meter (due to heavy traffic).

I wouldn't do Gongbei. Trying to get to/from Cotai during rush hour periods could take up to an hour due to traffic, and I don't think the hotel shuttles would start early enough for you anyway. Immigration also takes significantly longer on both sides of the border unless you have an APBT card. During rush periods it can take OVER an hour in the foreigner lanes on the China side, and the Macau side can be nearly as bad. If you have an APBT card, then China side is a snap, but Macau is not a member of APEC and will therefore not recognize the card for expedited immigration.

Unfortunately, I have no idea where the Qinhai Holiday Hotel is, but "getting to the shuttle bus" for the bridge means going to the port and getting through immigration first.

Thanks for this. I did the trip yesterday evening; I walked from the Venetian to the Lotus bridge border point just next to the south side of Studio City* (about 20 minutes); no queue for passport control; shuttle bus appeared within 10 mins. Similarly for the reverse trip just after midnight (in fact a shuttle bus turned up immediately). Then I walked back to the Sheraton in about 15 minutes. Quite warm and humid even at that time of night of course! Yes there were plenty of taxis the Zhuhai side; there were taxis the Macau side if one walked to the Studio City entrance (on the way to the Sheraaton) where therewas a queue of them.

I didn't investigate the Zhuhai hotel any further, so can't report back on that.

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*Take the pedestrian bridge from the south side of Studio City over the road, and keep walking straight ahead.

How is public transport on the Zhuhai side of the bridge? Trying to get to the St. Regis or the seafood area in Wanchai.

There was a line of taxis ready for hire, and a bus station immediately outside -- I didn't investigate where these buses could take you.