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Voykit pocket guide · China
Zhuhai
珠海
Give Zhuhai 2 nights if you want the coast and a Macau border hop; 1 night if it is only a stop between Macau and Guangzhou.
Zhuhai is a Special Economic Zone on the Pearl River estuary, bordering Macau and about 150 km south of Guangzhou. It is greener and lower-rise than Shenzhen or Guangzhou, with a long seafront, a big seafood trade and 146 islands offshore. Most travellers use it as a border base for Macau or a quiet coastal break, not as a sightseeing city.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 珠海
- Best months
- Oct–Dec, Mar–Apr
- Avoid
- Jun–Sep (heat, humidity, typhoon season)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥250–450 excl. bed · Mid ¥450–900 excl. bed · High ¥900+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ¥20–40 |
| Noodle soup or rice plate | ¥20–45 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a convenience store | ¥25–50 / ¥5–10 |
| Seafood meal at Wanzai Seafood Street | ¥100–250 per person |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | ¥20–30 |
| Airport Express bus to Gongbei | ¥25 |
| Ferry to a Wanshan island | ¥80–160 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ZUH · Zhuhai Jinwan Airport
- Domestic routes only; about 1 h to Gongbei by Airport Express bus, longer by public bus 207
- MFM · Macau International Airport
- Closest international gateway; Express Link coach to Gongbei in about 15 min, or a taxi in about 15 min
- HKG · Hong Kong International Airport
- Ferry to Jiuzhou port about 70 min, or HZMBus over the bridge to the Zhuhai port
Typical fares
- Airport Express bus, ZUH → Gongbei
- about ¥25, roughly 1 h (check)
- Taxi ZUH → Gongbei
- about ¥130 (check)
- Ferry Xiangzhou Port → Wanshan island
- ¥80–160, 1–2 h (check)
Get around
Buses cover the city and cost a few yuan; taxis and ride-hailing are cheap by US or UK standards. The Airport Express bus links ZUH with Xiangzhou and Gongbei. Ferries to the Wanshan Islands leave from Xiangzhou Port. Cross to Macau on foot at Gongbei or by bus over the Lotus Bridge to Hengqin.
See and do
Known for
- Gongbei border crossing to Macau
- Coastal promenade and palm-lined streets
- Wanzai seafood street
- Wanshan Islands ferries
- Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Macau | Walk across at Gongbei, or bus over the Lotus Bridge to Hengqin | 30–60 min plus border queues |
| Wanshan Islands (Dong'ao, Wailingding, Guishan) | Ferry from Xiangzhou Port | 1–2 h by sea |
| Zhongshan | Bus or car north | About 1 h |
| Guangzhou | Intercity rail or coach | 1.5–2.5 h |
Sleep
- Gongbei
- Main tourist strip next to the Macau border: cheap hotels, street food, nightlife. Best for one night and an early crossing.
- Jida
- Coastal offices and high-end hotels between Gongbei and Xiangzhou; quiet, near the water.
- Xiangzhou
- Local shopping and government district; AEON and midrange hotels, good bus links.
- Hengqin
- New development near the Lotus Bridge crossing; resort-scale hotels, few street-level services.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xièxie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duōshao qián |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kěyǐ shuākǎ ma |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪里？xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ |
| I don't want it | 我不要wǒ bú yào |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Typhoons are possible Jun–Sep; check warnings before island ferries.
- The 3-day SEZ visa on arrival is not guaranteed for every nationality — get a full Chinese visa in advance if unsure.
- Some islands have no ATMs: carry cash.
- Gongbei's Lianhua Lu bar strip has no posted prices in places; agree the total before you sit.
Zhuhai is one of China's calmer big cities; the real risks are summer heat, typhoon-season ferry cancellations and unpriced bar tabs in Gongbei.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Zhuhai yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Gongbei border crossing to Macau
- Coastal promenade and palm-lined streets
- Wanzai seafood street
- Wanshan Islands ferries
- Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Zhuhai, revision 5320692 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5320692
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Zhuhai珠海
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most countries: consulates-general in Guangzhou, embassies in Beijing. The US consulate-general is in Guangzhou (check).
Cantonese is widely spoken alongside Mandarin.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/zhuhai). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.