A new way to play in Zhuhai and Macau: a luxury cruise ship rides the waves and takes you to the most beautiful night view of the Greater Bay Area in 90 minutes
Preface
Although Macau has been opened to free travel, it is not as convenient as you can just leave. As they say, "distance creates beauty", it is also a good idea to try a different way to visit Zhuhai and Macau, for example - taking a cruise!
Zhuhai-Macau Bay Cruise Route
The "Macau Island Tour" was already available in Macau before individual travel was even permitted. With a yearning for a better life in mind, the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone has been working tirelessly for 40 years. The night view alone shows that Zhuhai and Macau are now on par with each other!
This upgraded route is full of highlights. It not only brings together famous Macau attractions such as the Macau Tower, the International Convention and Exhibition Center, the Macau Science Center, the Macau-Taipa Bridge, the Friendship Bridge, and the Sai Van Bridge, but also allows close contact with the century-old project, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Perfect!
Wan Chai Tourist Pier
Known as the "City of a Hundred Islands," Zhuhai boasts the largest ocean area, the most islands, and the longest coastline in the Pearl River Delta. While it boasts numerous piers, the most strikingly designed is undoubtedly the 7,000-square-meter Wanzai Tourist Pier! A massive, white, "tensile membrane" is light and agile, perfectly combining "force" and "form," providing excellent shade, lighting, wind resistance, and rain protection.
Macau is just across the pier. When we boarded the ship in the evening, we encountered a rainbow and neon lights after the rain, which added a lot of mystery to the beautiful Macau!
"Romantic Jiuzhou"
There are many luxury cruise ships of Zhuhai Jiuzhou Cruise Company docked at the pier. Both the day tour and the night tour are carried on the "Romantic Jiuzhou" multi-functional cruise ship with a capacity of 280 passengers.
Open deck:
Once on board, we recommend heading straight to the third deck. The open observation deck here offers the best views of the entire ship! While we can't recreate the classic romantic scene of Jack and Rose at the bow, the unparalleled 360-degree view of the sea makes us feel great while enjoying the sea breeze!
Sai Van Bridge
The first cross-sea bridge we crossed was the Sai Van Bridge, a harp-style cable-stayed bridge. It's 2,200 meters long and cost 560 million patacas to build! Its towers, designed with double arches in the shape of the letter "m," represent the first letter of Macau's English name.
Macau Tower
The most popular tourist attraction in Macau should be the Macau Tower, which has a total height of 338 meters (56 floors) from the ground to the highest point, right?
The Macau Tower, built with 1 billion yuan, is not only a landmark building in Macau, but also the tallest steel observation tower in Southeast Asia, surpassing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and ranks 10th among free-standing observation towers in the world!
International Convention and Exhibition Center
The semicircular building at the lower right corner of the Macau Tower is the Macau International Convention and Exhibition Center, which houses a large international convention and exhibition hall, high-end shopping malls, cinemas, theaters, etc.
Aotai Bridge
The second cross-sea bridge on the route is the 2.5-kilometer-long Macau-Taipa Bridge (also known as the Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge), designed by Portuguese bridge expert Giardino de S.A. and completed in October 1974. Its sweeping curve, resembling a rainbow across the Mirror Sea, has earned it the nickname "Mirror Sea Rainbow," one of Macau's eight scenic spots.
Wonderful journey
Macau is known for its dazzling displays of luxury, extravagance, and extravagance, with its dazzling array of top-tier hotels, upscale restaurants, and entertainment venues. Whether it's a building shaped like a birdcage or featuring three distinct gold colors: yellow, platinum, and rose gold, Macau is a haven for those seeking a truly luxurious destination.
Zhuhai's Shizimen Waterway, a strategic chokepoint and a maritime fortress since ancient times, was once Asia's longest shipping channel. Today, the Shizimen Wanchai area, dotted with high-rise buildings, shimmers at night, while the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge dances like a fiery dragon across the vast Lingdingyang. On New Year's Eve 2018, the nightscape of Shizimen Wanchai was featured on CCTV's Spring Festival Gala, stunning the crowds!
Lotus Garden
The Guanyin Lotus Garden, consisting of the statue of Guanyin of the South China Sea (cast in bronze, weighing 50 tons and 20 meters high) and the white lotus throne below, is the last work in the series of Sino-Portuguese Friendship Monuments. Like the Zhuhai Fisher Girl in Zhuhai, it has become one of Macau's landmarks.
Macao Science Center
The main building, consisting of an inclined cone, a hemisphere and a diamond-shaped base, houses the exhibition hall, planetarium and conference center respectively. It was completed in 2019, covers an area of 62,000 square meters and cost 337 million Macau patacas.
The silver exterior creates a futuristic feel during the day, while the illuminated landscape at night creates an alien-like experience. Due to limited access, the only way to fully appreciate this masterpiece designed by renowned Chinese architect I.M. Pei is from the sea.
Friendship Bridge
This wavy cable-stayed suspension bridge is the longest of the three Macau-Taipa bridges in Macau, with a total length of 4.7 kilometers. It is the most convenient access to Macau Airport.
Macau International Airport
The Pearl River Delta, home to four international airports—Macao, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou—is a hub for busy airspace. The reclaimed runways face the sea, the busiest airspace of the Shizimen Waterway.
Zhuhai-Macao Port Artificial Island
The artificial island, which consists of several major parts including artificial island revetment, land formation, foundation treatment and coast guard transport boat terminal, may not be eye-catching enough from a horizontal perspective, but it is absolutely domineering when viewed from an aerial perspective!
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, connecting the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area by road, is currently the world's longest (55 kilometers) and the world's first integrated sea-crossing bridge to encompass a bridge, island, and tunnel. It is a "project of the century" with the most complex technology, environmental protection requirements, and construction standards in China's bridge construction history.
The cruise ship turns around and returns when it approaches the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. You can choose to continue posing for photos on the third deck, or return to the air-conditioned cabins on the first or second floor to take a rest.
The return journey was a "return along the same route", but because there was an interactive clown show in the cabin on the second floor, and the beautiful scenery inside and outside the cabin complemented each other, it didn't feel boring at all!
There are currently two options for the Zhuhai-Macau Bay Tour: day tour and night tour. If you have enough time and budget, it is recommended to experience both.
Although the sailing time and route are the same, you can see farther and feel more of the ocean during the day; at night, the lighting effects on both sides of the strait are gorgeous and colorful, which is a rare visual feast.
Game Guide
Embarkation point
Wanzai Tourist Wharf, 3002 Wanzai Nanwan South Road, Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province. Directly accessible by bus: K10 from Gongbei Port Bus Station (near Zhuhai Metro Station). Driving is also very convenient (with ample parking spaces).
Ticket Purchase Location
The on-site ticket sales point and the self-service ticket sales and collection hall (online ticket collection) are only separated by a wall, which is very convenient.
Ticket prices
1. Zhuhai-Macao Bay Tour (178 yuan/person) 10:00, 11:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, enjoy the scenery of Zhuhai and Macao.
2. Zhuhai-Macao Bay Night Tour (198 yuan/person) 18:30, 20:30, enjoy the night view of Zhuhai-Macao Bay and see the long line of lights of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
Tips:
1. Due to the epidemic, flights may sometimes change, and the specific flight information may change. Please confirm before going! The National Day holiday will only increase by 10 yuan, so remember to book your tickets in advance!
2. Because the night lighting of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge adopts dual modes of daily and holiday, the colorful color-changing effects achieved by the color-changing LED lights can only be seen during holidays!
