Macao History
Macao has a long and diverse history and was a Portuguese colony from the 16th to 20th centuries, and was returned to China in 1999. During this time, Macao developed a unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese culture, particularly evident in its cuisine.
Long associated with the car and motorbike racing (Macao Grand Prix), another reason people visit the city is to gamble. Known as the "Gambling Capital of the World", Macao's gaming industry significantly contributes to its economy, accounting for approximately 80% of government revenue by generating over US$70 billion in taxes in recent years.
Macau's casinos have many luxurious hotels and entertainment options available at the integrated resorts, making it a prime destination for both leisure, business and family travellers. And fabulous cuisine, including the famous Portuguese egg tarts.
However, the big difference between Macao and Las Vegas as a gambling destination is that Las Vegas has far more shows and concerts to attract a broader demographic including families. While there are shows in Macao, they are fewer.
Thanks to the opening of the Hong Kong-Macao-Zhuhai Bridge in 2018, the northbound travel scheme launched in 2023 and the ability for Hong Kong car drivers to get China driving licenses, means that self-drive holidays to Mainland China (and Macao) are, at last, a reality.
Let's Drive!
How to drive to Macao from Hong Kong via HZMB
Getting to Macao is now easier than for Hong Kongers to visit especially if you own a car in Hong Kong and have a permit for the Hong Kong-Macao-Zhuhai-Bridge (HZMB).
There's nothing quite like driving to a new destination and, even more so, if it means travelling across the mega bridge across the Pearl River Delta.
Having travelled across the HZMB many times (first by bus, then by car), I still find the trip to be an extraordinary and a unique experience.
According to China Daily ("Single-licensed vehicles make 2 million northbound trips via HZMB"), there is a growing number of registered Hong Kong vehicles signing up for the Bridge permit at a rate of about 6,000 per month and 110,000 trips were made in February 2024 by HK cars alone.
This post explains how to drive to Macao. Having previously only used HZMB to access Mainland China and knowing the procedure well, driving to Macau is almost the same except for two additional requirements.
These are:
- Pay in advance for temporary insurance for the trip from the toll gates to the Macao immigration building,
- You must park in the East Car Park in Macao and take a shuttle bus / taxi to wherever you're going.
You'll Need
- A permit for the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge
- Visit www.hzmb.gov.hk for details. Once got, you need to book 24 hours in advance. No need to book for the return journey. - HK car insurance
- China car insurance
- HK driving license
- China driving license
- Even though you're going to Macao, HZMB is in China waters - HKID Card
- Driver and passengers need this to exit HK and gain entry into Macao.
- Non-permanent residents should take their passports as well - Temporary Macao insurance
- This is required for coverage from the Zhuhai / Macao toll gates to the park-and-ride car park block. Costs about MOP82+. See www.macauticket.com/insurance - Car Park Reservation if there are fewer than 600 spaces free on the day you travel. See www.dsat.gov.mo/dsat/carpark
HZMB Reminder
- There is a hard shoulder
- Emergency phones placed at regular intervalsTh
- There are road lamps across the entire HZMB.
- There aren't any service stations, petrol stations, rest areas, viewing areas, or toilets.
- There are public toilets on the Hong Kong side before the border gates and within the immigration blocks on the Macao and Zhuhai side.
- HK plated cars can only park at the East Car Park and not drive in Macao unless permitted to do so.
Drivethrough
(From Hong Kong)
- North Lantau Highway Route 8
- Exit 5A to Tuen Mun, Zhuhai and Macao
- Exit at Zhuhai and Macao turnoff
- Keep to the centre lane and follow the signs to Zhuhai and Macao
- At the booths, queue up, hand over HKID for inspection
- Drive a few metres to the customs & excise booth who will check if your car has permission to be on the bridge. You cannot turn up on the day without pre-booking.
- If you have booked, and all is OK, then you're on your way!
- Note, this is where the road changes over to the right-hand side
- Follow the road, through the tunnel, onto the elevated highway. You are still in Hong Kong.
- When you enter the six kilometre tunnel, you have left Hong Kong and entered Mainland China
- Half an hour later, you'll arrive at the toll gates
- If you have AutoToll, you go through the yellow gate and get a 10 percent discount. Usual fee: HK$150.
- If not, you go through the green gate, pay cash, or via the AliPay or WeChat app. If you have linked your HK credit card to AliPay, there is a handling charge of approximately +4%.
- Drive ahead and follow the road to Macao
- Follow the directions to the East Car Park
- Parking costs MOP10 (1 Macanese Pataca (MOP) is worth HK$0.97) per hour.
- Go to the immigration block and use your HKID to pass through customs
- Catch a shuttle bus to your destination
Macao Temporary Insurance
The insurance is to cover you from the toll gates to the car park. If you go through the gates to Zhuhai, your China car insurance covers this. But not the Macao portion. So you need to buy it before travel and mine cost MOP82. Lasts a week.
To buy temporary Macao car insurance, you need to access through the Kong Seng Ticketing Service, the appointed partner of Macao's Cultural Affairs Bureau, Macau Cultural Center, Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Macau Government Tourist Office and Macau Sports Development Board. Kong Seng says on their website that 'Almost 90% of entertainment activities tickets in Macau are sold through our network'.
[You can also buy this through the 'Macao Smart Go' app (scroll down for the QR code).]
See below for the screenshots.
Screenshots
Here you need to read and then press the blue button when you're ready.
The page will then reveal this:
As before, read everything, and when you're ready, press the blue button.
Fill in your car details, email, name and told how much you have to pay. There are four insurance companies to choose from, accept, and pay using a credit card.
It's quick and efficient with little faffing about. You can then download a receipt and insurance policy (lasts a week, check the date) in PDF. I sent this PDF to myself on WhatsApp for easy retrieval.
Parking
If real-time parking spaces in the East Car Park exceed 600, no reservation is needed.
If spaces are below 600, a reservation is required. You must provide a license plate and a mobile number for SMS verification. The reservation is for 3 hours and cannot be repeated by the same vehicle during that time. The reservation can be canceled at any time but not changed.
Go to https://www.dsat.gov.mo/dsat/index.aspx and you'll see this come up (takes a few seconds longer to load)
Click on 'Real-Time Parking Information' (top row, second from left). This leads to the following page.
Scroll down until you get to 'East Public Park of the HZMB and click the > on the far right.
The following page will pop up with real time information. OK, in the example below, you can see there are many spaces available. There's no need to book and I can just turn up that day.
I've provided a shortcut to another page that gives the same information and directions to the car park and it's here.
After you've gone through the HZMB tollbooth, take the left-hand lane and over a short flyover. Keep on the right-hand side and follow the signs to 'East Car Park'.
The car park itself is well lit, and there are plenty of spaces. This is in sharp contrast to the Zhuhai car park, which is poorly lit.
Park and then take a lift to B1, walk a short distance until you come to an escalator, go up and to the main immigration building. There are 50+ manned and eGates, and the process is quick; even more so if you've pre-registered for the echannel. Having traveled to Macau many times by ferry, the HZMB immigration hall in Macao is so much more modern and tourist-friendly.
When leaving, we paid at the schroff with a mix of HK$ and MOP (HK$1: 1MOP) rather than credit card at the exit. For just over 24 hours, the cost was HK$250.
Macao HZMB Website
Macao's website about HZMB is here (note, the Macao Smart Go app QR code; mega useful for transport information and for updates on the parking situation).
Other
- The excitement inside the arrival terminal disappears when faced with the greyness of a public transport terminus.
- As you exit the main building, go far left for standard bus routes, walk straight ahead for free buses to specific hotels, and far right for taxis. It's a mess because the signage is too small, there was a huge queue for taxis, and nothing in the way of printed info.
- The road to the Cotai Strip was jammed and due to heavy construction work near the HZMB terminal, the road is like a country lane crammed with cars, lorries, and coaches. Returning is much easier and faster.
- Signage is in Chinese and English.
If you want to discover Macao in 24 hours, see our Discovering Macao post.
About Eight Insights
Eight Insights is a dedicated blog site and is owned by Eight Public Relations, a power PR agency in Hong Kong working with startups and multinationals. Being separate to the company blog page means we can write about areas of interest outside of public relations, enabling better curation and organisation.
About Ivan Theodoulou
Ivan Theodoulou is founder of Eight PR, a PR agency in Hong Kong that specializes in tech, law, and corporate PR. He first visited China in 1987 by train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou and has since traveled extensively on the mainland and in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Ivan passed his China driving test in March 2024 and now drives regularly in the GBA.
Places visited in China (by car, plane, train, high speed train, ferry, coach, bus) include: Beijing, Beijou, Chengdu, Dali, Daya Bay, Dongguan, Foshan, Ganzhou, Gaoming, Guangzhou, Hainan, Hailing Island, Heishan, Huizhou, Junan, Kunming, Lijang, Longjiang, Nanhai, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Shilin Yi, Shunde, Wuzhou, Xiamen, Yingde, Yinghe, Zhuhai, Zhaoqing.
All information for general purposes only