Cheung Chau vs Lamma Island: Which Hong Kong Day Trip Should You Take?
Cheung Chau and Lamma Island are the two easiest outlying-island day trips from Central, and first-time visitors usually end up choosing between them rather than doing both. Both are car-free, both are a single ferry ride away, and both work as a half-day or full-day trip. The difference is what you actually do once you're there: Cheung Chau is a village you explore, Lamma is a walk you take. Here's how to pick.
The short version
Go to Cheung Chau if you want a fishing village with a swimming beach, a temple and a pirate's cave all within a short walk of the pier, and you'd rather wander than hike. Go to Lamma if the point of the day is the walk itself: a signposted trail across the island between two very different villages, with a wind turbine, a power-station view and a seafood lunch at the far end.
Getting there: two different piers
Neither island connects to the other by direct ferry, so this is a choice between two separate day trips from Central, not a two-island itinerary. Sun Ferry sails to Cheung Chau from Pier 5: the fast ferry takes 35 to 40 minutes (HK$32.90 adult, Monday to Saturday), the ordinary ferry 55 to 60 minutes (HK$16.70). Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry sails to Lamma from Pier 4, a five-minute walk along the same waterfront: about 25 minutes to Yung Shue Wan (HK$24.90) or 30 minutes to Sok Kwu Wan (HK$30.90), both Monday-to-Saturday adult fares. Both operators accept Octopus at the turnstile, and both raise their fares on Sundays and public holidays. For the full fare tables and every other outlying-island route, see our outlying-islands ferry guide.
What you'll actually spend the day doing
On Cheung Chau, the village sits right at the pier, so you're never more than a short walk from a restaurant, a shop or somewhere to sit down. Pak Tai Temple, the beaches and Cheung Po Tsai Cave are all reachable on foot from the centre, so you can string together as much or as little walking as you like. Our full Cheung Chau day trip guide covers the ferry times, the beaches and the cave in detail.
On Lamma, the walk is the itinerary. The Family Trail runs about 5km from Yung Shue Wan to Sok Kwu Wan, paved the whole way, and most people take an hour to ninety minutes to cross it without stops, three to four hours with them. There's no public transport and no taxis on the island once you start, so however far you get is on foot. Our full Lamma Island day trip guide has the trail, the beaches and the ferry times.
Beaches and swimming
Both islands have a lifeguarded, shark-netted public beach: Tung Wan on Cheung Chau, Hung Shing Yeh on Lamma, plus a quieter second option on each (Kwun Yam Wan and Lo So Shing). Lifeguard cover on Hong Kong's public beaches runs roughly April to October. The difference is access: Tung Wan is a short walk from the Cheung Chau pier, while Hung Shing Yeh is about 30 minutes into the Lamma walk, so swimming on Lamma means committing to part of the trail first.
Food: village restaurants vs a seafood strip
Cheung Chau's food is spread through the village: sit-down seafood on San Hing Praya Street facing the harbour, street stalls for fish balls and grilled squid, and bakeries selling the "Ping An" bun the island is known for. Lamma splits its food by village instead: Sok Kwu Wan is a row of open-fronted seafood restaurants looking out at fish rafts, while Yung Shue Wan has the cafes, bakeries and bars. If a long seafood lunch matters more than snacking as you go, Lamma's Sok Kwu Wan strip is built for exactly that.
Which is easier with kids or limited mobility
Cheung Chau is the more forgiving choice if you don't want the day to hinge on a long walk: the temple, the cave and the beach are each their own short outing from the village centre, so you can do one or two and call it a day. Lamma's sights are strung along the Family Trail itself, so seeing more than the beach nearest the pier means committing to a real walk with no shortcut back other than the way you came, or continuing to the other village. A stroller can manage the paved trail but not the steps near Sok Kwu Wan.
Which is quieter
Both are popular weekend escapes for Hong Kong residents, so Sundays and public holidays are busier and pricier on either island. Lamma's villages spread the crowd out more, since the walk itself absorbs people along its length; Cheung Chau's sights cluster more tightly around the harbour, so it can feel busier even at similar visitor numbers. Weekdays are the quieter, cheaper option either way. If both still sound busier than you want, our Peng Chau day trip guide covers the smallest and least-visited of the three islands near Central.
The verdict
- Want a village to wander with a beach, a temple and a cave nearby? Cheung Chau.
- Want a proper walk with a swim and a seafood lunch at the end of it? Lamma.
- Travelling with young kids or don't want the day built around walking? Cheung Chau.
- Want to say you've walked across an island in an afternoon? Lamma.
Both are easy enough that neither is a wrong choice for a single Hong Kong day trip. If you have two free days, they're different enough to justify doing both separately rather than trying to combine them into one.
Quick answers
Is there a ferry between Cheung Chau and Lamma Island? No. Each island only connects to Central: Cheung Chau from Pier 5, Lamma from Pier 4. Visiting both means two separate return trips.
Which is better for a family day trip, Cheung Chau or Lamma? Cheung Chau, generally, because its beach, temple and cave are each a short walk from the pier rather than strung along one long trail.
Which has better beaches, Cheung Chau or Lamma? Both have a main lifeguarded beach (Tung Wan and Hung Shing Yeh) plus a quieter second option. Cheung Chau's is closer to the pier; Lamma's requires part of the Family Trail walk first.
Can I visit Cheung Chau and Lamma Island in one day? Not really. There's no direct ferry between them, so combining both means returning to Central and heading back out, which eats most of the day in transit.
Which is cheaper, Cheung Chau or Lamma? Lamma's fast route is slightly cheaper (HK$24.90 to Yung Shue Wan vs Cheung Chau's HK$32.90 fast ferry), though Cheung Chau's slower ordinary ferry (HK$16.70) undercuts both.
