Ferry to Hong Kong's Outlying Islands: Routes, Fares & Tips

Hong Kong's outlying islands are all a short ferry ride from Central, and every route runs from one of three adjacent piers: Pier 4, 5 or 6 at the Central Ferry Piers, right along the waterfront near IFC. If you're trying to work out the Hong Kong ferry to outlying islands you actually need, here's which pier serves which island, what it costs, and how long you'll be on the water.

Which pier for which island

The Central Ferry Piers are numbered, and each outlying-islands route uses a specific one:

• Pier 4: Lamma Island (Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan), operated by Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry (HKKF).
• Pier 5: Cheung Chau, operated by Sun Ferry.
• Pier 6: Mui Wo on Lantau (Sun Ferry) and Peng Chau (HKKF), both departing from the same pier building at different times.

All three piers are a five to ten minute walk from Hong Kong Station or the IFC mall, so you can reach any of them on foot if you're staying on Hong Kong Island, or via the MTR to Hong Kong or Central station from anywhere else. Coming from further along the north shore, the Hong Kong tram also stops within a few minutes' walk of the piers and is one of the cheapest ways to get there. If you're flying in and heading straight for the islands, see whether the Airport Express makes sense for your first leg into Central before you connect to a ferry.

Cheung Chau ferry: fares & journey time

From Pier 5, Sun Ferry runs both an ordinary (slow) ferry and a fast ferry to Cheung Chau. The ordinary ferry takes about 55 to 60 minutes; the fast ferry cuts that to roughly 35 to 40 minutes.

Monday to Saturday (not a public holiday): ordinary class is HK$16.70 adult / HK$8.30 concession, deluxe class (air conditioned cabin) is HK$26.10 / HK$13.00, and the fast ferry is HK$32.90 / HK$16.40. On Sundays and public holidays fares go up across the board: ordinary HK$24.80 / HK$12.40, deluxe HK$38.00 / HK$19.00, fast ferry HK$47.60 / HK$23.80. Concession pricing applies to seniors 65+, children aged 3 to under 12, and registered disabled passengers.

Lamma Island ferry: fares & journey time

Lamma has two ferry piers with different fares. From Pier 4, HKKF sails to Yung Shue Wan (the main village, with most of the restaurants and the hiking trail to Sok Kwu Wan) in about 20 to 25 minutes, for HK$24.90 adult Monday to Saturday, rising to HK$34.70 on Sundays and public holidays. The Sok Kwu Wan route, on the other side of the island, takes closer to 30 minutes and costs more: HK$30.90 Monday to Saturday and HK$43.50 on Sundays and public holidays. Concession fares (children, seniors 65+, registered disabled) are roughly half the adult fare on both routes.

Peng Chau ferry: fares & journey time

Peng Chau, the smallest and quietest of the four, is served by HKKF from Pier 6 in about 25 to 30 minutes. Adult fare is HK$31.90 Monday to Saturday, HK$46.60 on Sundays and public holidays, with concession fares around half that.

Lantau (Mui Wo) ferry: fares & journey time

Sun Ferry's Pier 6 route to Mui Wo, on the eastern side of Lantau, is fast-ferry only, taking about 35 to 40 minutes. It's HK$33.50 adult / HK$16.70 concession Monday to Saturday, and HK$48.50 / HK$24.20 on Sundays and public holidays. If you're heading to the Big Buddha or Ngong Ping instead of Mui Wo village, the MTR to Tung Chung plus the cable car or bus is the more direct route in; the ferry is the way in specifically for Mui Wo, Silvermine Bay beach and the South Lantau coast.

How to pay

Every route accepts Octopus, the same card you'd use on the MTR or a tram, tapped at the pier's turnstile. If you don't have one, both operators sell single-journey tickets at the pier counter or vending machines before you board. Concession fares (senior, child, disabled) require either cash at the counter with ID, or an eligible Octopus card, such as a registered senior or JoyYou card, tapped at the gate; a standard adult Octopus card will just charge you the adult fare.

Tips for riding the outlying-islands ferries

Weekends and public holidays cost more and get busier. If you can go on a weekday, you'll pay less and queue less, especially for Cheung Chau, which is the most popular day-trip island. For Cheung Chau or Mui Wo, the fast ferry is worth the extra few dollars if you're short on time; the ordinary ferry is the better pick if you'd rather sit outside on the open deck or you're travelling with bikes or freight, since ordinary sailings on the Cheung Chau route carry freight and the fast ferry generally doesn't. Check the departure board at the pier rather than relying on a fixed mental schedule: sailings run every 20 to 60 minutes depending on the route and time of day. On the Cheung Chau route the last fast ferry back to Central runs at 11:45pm on weekdays (a little earlier on Sundays and public holidays); other routes have their own last sailing, so confirm your return time at the pier before you get off the outbound ferry.

Quick answers

What are the outlying islands of Hong Kong? The main ones tourists visit by ferry from Central are Cheung Chau, Lamma Island, Peng Chau and Lantau (via the Mui Wo ferry, separate from the MTR/cable car route to the Big Buddha side of Lantau).

How do I get from Hong Kong to Lamma Island? Take the HKKF ferry from Central Pier 4, either to Yung Shue Wan (about 20 to 25 minutes) or Sok Kwu Wan (closer to 30 minutes).

Can you catch a ferry from one side of Hong Kong to the other? Yes, but that's a different service. The Star Ferry crosses Victoria Harbour between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon in about 10 minutes; the outlying-islands ferries from Piers 4 to 6 go out to the islands instead, and take 20 minutes or more each way. If you're coming from Kowloon and would rather cross by road, the Cross-Harbour Tunnel buses are the other option before you connect to an island ferry.

What is the famous ferry in Hong Kong? That's the Star Ferry, running since 1888. It's a separate harbour crossing from the outlying-islands routes covered here.