Why YOU NEED TO BE at the Hong Kong HIGH SPEED Rail EARLY | HK to Mainland China High Speed Rail
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- Update (Aug 28) : As of Aug 30, 2023, no longer required to show negative covid test to enter China.
So one of the perks of living in Hong Kong, is that mainland China is very close along with it’s super convenient network of trains and flights.
I had a chance to travel to the Yunnan province during easter and Guangzhou last weekend, where I took the high speed rail from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station.
The train ride to Kunming, the capital of the Yunan province is just under 9 hours, but worth it. And the train ride to Guangzhou is typically around an hour, depending on how many stops the train makes.
So I recommend arriving at the train station at least one hour before the train departs, because you have to go through a lot of checkpoints before you can get on the train. It’s nothing like the trains in Europe, because a) you have to go through immigration at the hong kong station, and your bags have to be checked two times.
Right now, if you have been in Hong Kong for more than 7 days and then enter China, you don’t have to do any COVID testing, but you still have to fill in a health declaration form. Anyone who have stayed in overseas places or Taiwan in the past 7 days must have a negative PCR conducted 48 hours before travel. And please refer to the official websites for the most up to date and accurate info.
So In this video I will let you know what exactly is required from the process of entering the Hong Kong West Kowloon station to when you step on the train, so that you can better plan your trip.
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I will travel from HK to Mainland China in a few weeks and this video has been extremely helpful, specially the immigration part. Thank you so much ❤️
You explain it so well and make it look easy am literally getting nervous just from watching
Thanks! It's a bit easier now with no health declaration anymore. Just the usual baggage checks and immigration
Thanks a lot to this video ❤
I just took another trip on china hi-speed rail to guangzhou. The ticket scanning on passport actually works. in West Kowloon stations you can scan in 2 hrs before you departure. Just make sure you see your train on your departure board otherwise manually check in . In other mainland stations its times are posted tighter like 1 hr to 45 min to scan in
Nice! They fixed them now! 🙌 thanks for the update
How long did it take you from arriving at kowloon station to getting on the train to gz?
@@Windward535 1 hr from west Kowloon station to guangzhou south station. There are several stops like fumen and shenzhen north station. Stops only last 5 min.
@@keithng2517 I meant how long did it take you to go through security, HK custom than mainland custom and security while in Kowloon station?
@@Windward535 depends on the crowds, for me only 30min. It’s a little faster if u got homeland permit with fingerprint registered since it’s in a separate queues.
Thank you for this video ❤it was super helpful 🎉
Glad it helped 😊
Right now French, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch citizens from their counties and living in HK no need China visa can get the High speed train and aeroplane to China and stay for 15 days visa free.
Yes jealous
Many Westerners are not comfortable in HK anymore after National Security Law came into force. The city is no more a playground for troublemakers and saboteurs.
Thanks for the detailed explanation. I know some things have changed but this is very helpful. Going to be my first time flying to HK and taking the train. Direct flight prices from the US to China are crazy right now.
Glad I could help! Yes no PCR test required now. Have a good trip!
im traveling from hongkong to Beijing tomorrow this is helpful thank you usually i travel by air but since i got bad experience of turbulence last February 😢that traumatized me i gotta use high speed train to Beijing now i travel to Beijing like 5x to 6x a year
Safe travels!
Hong Kong immigration is just so efficient. Over the river… I can‘t tell.
Thank you for your video, very helpful. Was thinking of doing a day trip to Shenzhen from HK, which is a 15 train ride, but getting through immigration etc. looks like it will take an hour *face palm* so I think I’ll just forget it. Seems like way too much hassle.
To get to shenzhen you can take the MTR to luohu and you do the immigration clearance in shenzhen. Although from what I remember, the immigration can be around 45 min too.
Good explanation on the entry process. Not scanning passports is it for all passports (other countries)? Will you be doing a vlog on Kunming? Thanks enjoyed the vlog.
Thank you! It seems like everytime I go line up for the manual line, there any many other foreigners waiting for their passports to be checked. So I assume most passports don't work. I did do some recording, let see if i have time to showcase Yunnan 😊
Thank you very much for the information it will help me a lot.
I am travelling from India to Hong Kong and I will take a high-speed train from Hong Kong to Foshan, China.
I have some questions if you could reply it would soo so great.
1 how to reach Hong Kong train station from Hong Kong Airport.
2 do I have to change trains while transiting from Hong Kong to Foshan?
3 what to use for Maps, Taxis & Online payment?
4 do I have other options if I am not able to departure high-speed train for Foshan ( other than flight )
It would be stress-free for me if you could answer these questions for me.😃
It was the first time your tips and tricks also helped me in China.
Hi sure, glad to help
1) you can take the airport express and stop at kowloon. Then walk to the hk high speed rail.
2) no if you purchase a direct route to foshan
3) Google is blocked in China. Use baidu maps. Use wechat payment as cash is becoming inconvenient and they may not have Mastercard or visa. Just union pay.
4) there are a few departures to foshan a day. You can also go to Guangzhou and then train to foshan that way.
Thanks for your video, I probably would arrive 4 hrs early 😂
😂
Hi there found your video to be quite helpful! So, I have a question since I’m a foreigner livin’ in Guangzhou and I have a plan to go to Hongkong someday but there are things I don’t really understand about:
1.) Can I go to Hongkong and come back to Guangzhou just with my Foreigner Passport and Foreigner Residence Permit?
2.) Do I have to apply for a visa to go to Hongkong and apply another visa again to return to Guangzhou?
If there’s anything to add, feel free and I’m looking forward to your response, Thank you🙏🏼
Hi! It depends on your passport and if it's visa free to Hong Kong. I'm assuming if u have a foreigner residence permit you have multiple entry in and out of China. I don't know much about China immigration unfortunately.
Whoa so much thanks!!🙏🏼
Looks like the train station to KunMing is just right at the same place as the china customs, right?
You mean the hong kong high speed rail is the same place as customs if so yes. The customs is not at the kunming station
omg... 1hr earlier than the departure time. i have to live in hong kong and travel to shenzhen everyday D:
Is there like a TSA pre check :(
Yes there is on the hong kong to China side.
Dear Jess. Could you please illustrate the return trip to HK immigration process ? How China process the immigration ?
The return to Hong Kong is that you arrive, fill in the health declarstion form to generate the qr code. Then you exit China immigration and enter hk immigration. It's a lot faster depending on the line up for the china immigration.
@@JessBeyondHorizon Thanks Sir.
How early should I get to the China train station to go back to Hong Kong ?
Thanks Jess for sharing *liked the video* curious, when you mentioned your canadian passport couldn't scan through in their electronic automated digital system, at that time, were you referring it is likely to be all foreigners passports had to go through the manual process. By that I mean, people who do not have HK or china card or digital permit, etc.
Just curious, because I saw your passport has the electronic version so thought you may be referring to all foreigners passport (at that time). let me know what you think (to the best of your knowlegde), no worries if you don't know. I'll find out on the day too 😅😂
many thanks and have a lovely day
Thanks 😊. I am thinking all foreigners will have to go through manual. When I was in China I always found the people with foreign passports lined up in the manual line like they knew it would happen. But this was a year ago. I got comments from viewers that the scan is working for them for foreign passports now. U can try and if it doesn't work just line up for the manual line. Hope this helps!
@@JessBeyondHorizon appreciate it Jess and many thanks for taking the time out to respond too. once i find out, i'll let you know too ^ ^ have a great week! *subscribed*
Thanks for the video! I'm taking the train to mainland for the first time, so your information is very helpful (these places are a nightmare 😑) One thing though: I can't see anywhere that you need a PCR test to enter? I have downloaded the Health Declaration app, and the section where you need to tick the box about PCR test is not there. As far as I can tell, a negative home-test is sufficient. Can you confirm this? Thanks!
Ah, just saw your note about PCR test in the description, sorry 😄But again, thanks for taking us through the process at KWS.
Anytime glad it helped 😊 safe travels
Hi~Have you been to mainland?? I wonder if PCR test still required if I travel from HK or RAT will be good enough?
@@komiuchan2319 you don't need any testing if you travel from Hong Kong (and if you haven't been outside of HK for a while)
@@JessBeyondHorizon thanks for your reply ☺️
Thank you for your explanation. I have some questions about the nucleic acid test result. Do they still require it if I come from Thailand but use the HK rail to go to China?
Thank you in advance ❤
Yea it depends how long you are staying in Hong Kong
Hi Jess. Could you please kindly advise the best way to get from the airport to the Hongkong west Kowloon station? Many thanks
You can take the airport express to kowloon and then walk over to the hk west kowloon station
@@JessBeyondHorizon thank you very much for your response, Jess!
Hi Jess, great video. Can I buy the high speed train ticket (Hong Kong to Shenzhen) thru Alipay on the day of travel?
You can just take the east rail line to shenzhen ( lok ma Chau or Luo Hu) using the regular mtr line. But if u really want to use the high speed rail. Yes you can buy on the same day.
Thanks for sharing this which is very helpful for traveling from Canada to Hongkong and take a high-speed train.
Could you please also share if anyone checking the luggage size and weight? Since from official website it says only 20kg, while the Air Canada allows 2x23kg + Carry on 😅
No problem! No one checks luggage and weight but there is limited space on the train.
Can I purchase the ticket when I arrive at the west Kowloon railway station? Or I have to purchase online?
You can purchase there too
how much did it cost you?
It's pretty pricey around 800 yuan for one way to Kunming.
Hi Jess.. thanks for the great information. will coming to Kunming from HK also this Nov, I hope no more covid test needed. I wonder if we can still pay on cash in every place in Kunming, Lijiang, Dali and Shangrila ?? I can't install my Wechat here in Indonesia. IDK why.
In China it's mostly wechat or alipay.... It's quite difficult. You may be able to get by with cash for some things.
Where did you buy the train ticket? Is it on the spot or can buy online? If you bought it online, may you suggest where to buy ? Are they still need covid rapid test?
I used a Chinese app called 919 and it's in Chinese only. I think u can also use trip.com. No covid test required anymore.
Hey, I’m planning to visit Guangzhou from Hong Kong by taking the high-speed train too! Does it take a long time for a foreign passport to go through Chinese customs at the West Kowloon Station ?
Sorry for the late reply. It depends on the line up and how long it is. But I would say it is slower than the Chinese national line.I
@@JessBeyondHorizon Hi, im going too but only have 3 days. I will be going from HK, and im between Guangzhou or Shenzhen. Which one would your recommend? Thanks!!
@@Camila-tn9ecgo to Guangzhou, more historic buildings & cultural
Spend one day in Shenzhen before back to Hong Kong
Jess, your trains are so much better than here in the U.K. and there is no excuse for it, a prime example of which is the failure of the UK’s HS2 rail project - the CCP needs to come in and take complete and direct control of our U.K. railways, this is the only solution
Yes I agree China trains are really convenient and nice. Better than Canadian trains for sure too 😂
Please tell us your thoughts of comparing train rides in the PRC versus train rides in Canada ….
Sorry I have not taken any train rides in Canada. It's quite expensive and it takes a really long time to travel by train in Canada. Flying is better.
Massive difference. You can’t compare them at all. China has new everything and Canada is stuck in the 70’s to be fair.
Hi.. Am traveling from guangzhou to hongkong. What about luggage? Does your luggage stay with you? How much weight allowed?
There are overhead racks to put small luggage or a small space per compartment to put limited number of large suitcases. It's not weighted.
do you know where you would fill out the visa on arrival for americans? ill be in hong kong and want to take a train to shenzhen. apparently you can get a 5 day visa on thhe spot
I am not sure about visa on arrivals for China sorry!
If you have a HK ID is it easier to travel in Mainland China? (referring to customs especially)
No it is not because you don't use you hkid to cross the border. You use your passport with a visa or return home permit.
@@JessBeyondHorizon alright, that make sense 👍🏻
ah, remind me last time going yunnan province beatutiful scenery in Lijiang. home return permit really saves u allot of hassle if u enter china. your hkid must have (***) if u want to apply for it. one thing i say about the home return permit it you cannot tell the difference from hkid. the color scheme are the same.
I got an appointment in May for the home return permit! Hopefully it will work! I have *** but no hk passport 😯
@@JessBeyondHorizon hk passport is not needed if u got cdn passport and home return permit. your hkid card is becoming a legal doc to enter hk. your cdn passport allows u to enter many countries more than hk passport.
@@JessBeyondHorizon HKID card is required for home return permit no need to bring hk passport
@@keithng2517 oh good! Because when I applied for an appointment for the home return permit I had to put in a hk passport number,which I put 00000 😂
@@JessBeyondHorizon did u get your home return permit from china travel?
Hey I’m planning to visit Guangzhou from Hongkong, do I have to buy the high speed train ticket online ? Can I just buy it on the station on the same day ?
Yes you can buy at the station on the same day. Though I do recommend buying it in advance in case it's sold out
@@JessBeyondHorizon thank you for your info 🤗
Hi sorry to ask, but is there any baggage allowance for the train?
Yes there is space on the overhead racks for smaller items and a limited small section for larger suitcases in each compartment.
What if you are near-blind and don't carry a cell phone? How do you complete these steps?
I have no idea 😵💫
@@JessBeyondHorizon Thanks! That is kind of troubling to think that a person MUST have a cell phone to clear through the various procedures to make this journey.
How do foreigners buy HSR ticket online? Are all legit?
You can buy it on trip.com or on klook
@@JessBeyondHorizon thanks
Where did you get the visa to China? In Hong Kong or Canada?
I got it in Canada 8 years ago
Hey hi, I will be moving to hongkong in march2024 could you please tell me which city or place is close to Cathay city in Hong kong?
Most airport and airline employees live in tung Chung
@@JessBeyondHorizon thanks a lot🥰
Can I get a VOA at kowloon west station?
You mean a visa for hong kong or China?