Best travel mode for getting from Hong Kong to this destination in southern China?

[RSD]

I've never travelled from Hong Kong into southern China before (by any means), and so I'm after some advice on the best way to get from Hong Kong to a town called LiaoBu which seems to be on the eastern side of an area loosely called Dongguan City in the northern part of Guangdong Province. The directions feature in Google maps came up with no answers at all, so I don't know whether it is practical to do it as a day trip to visit a factory or ? Any advice would be appreciated as I'm a little bit lost on this one.

 

[markis10]

Try the train from HKG or Shenzhen and then metro

 

[elanshin]

I've never travelled from Hong Kong into southern China before (by any means), and so I'm after some advice on the best way to get from Hong Kong to a town called LiaoBu which seems to be on the eastern side of an area loosely called Dongguan City in the northern part of Guangdong Province. The directions feature in Google maps came up with no answers at all, so I don't know whether it is practical to do it as a day trip to visit a factory or ? Any advice would be appreciated as I'm a little bit lost on this one.

Quick check on Baidu Maps (my goto Chinese map app although i hear apple maps is solid too) suggests a HSR from Hong Kong Kowloon West to Humen , then 2 metros from there (~1hr on the metro and 30mins on the HSR).

Alternatively from Guangzhou station there is a HSR direct to Dongguan then another metro from there.

You would also need to clear immigration at West Kowloon station (both HK exit and CN entry so I'd get there at least an hour before your HSR). You could potentially look to hire a driver from Shenzhen for a fixed amount although I'm not too sure what services provide that.

Daytrip out of HK would be doable but probably take up the full day. If you have an extra day or need to be near Guangzhou, daytrip from there would be easier and cheaper. (Especially since hotels are a lot cheaper in GZ). I just stayed at Sofitel GZ for a price cheaper than Ibis HK.

 

[RSD]

Quick check on Baidu Maps (my goto Chinese map app although i hear apple maps is solid too) suggests a HSR from Hong Kong Kowloon West to Humen , then 2 metros from there (~1hr on the metro and 30mins on the HSR).

Alternatively from Guangzhou station there is a HSR direct to Dongguan then another metro from there.

You would also need to clear immigration at West Kowloon station (both HK exit and CN entry so I'd get there at least an hour before your HSR). You could potentially look to hire a driver from Shenzhen for a fixed amount although I'm not too sure what services provide that.

Many thanks @elanshin - with a bit of luck I might be able to get the factory to pick me up from the Humen HSR station and drop me back there again - or if not then a Didi might be quicker and easier than taking the two metros. Hopefully that QF upgrade to J comes through and I will be able to bring some product samples back with me.

 

[elanshin]

Many thanks @elanshin - with a bit of luck I might be able to get the factory to pick me up from the Humen HSR station and drop me back there again - or if not then a Didi might be quicker and easier than taking the two metros. Hopefully that QF upgrade to J comes through and I will be able to bring some product samples back with me.

Didi from Humen indicating right now ~45-70 RMB. 31km 54mins to Liaobu station. I wish I could go 30km in Sydney for $10-20.

 

[RSD]

Didi from Humen indicating right now ~45-70 RMB. 31km 54mins to Liaobu station. I wish I could go 30km in Sydney for $10-20.

Many thanks - that definitely sounds the best way to get from Humen to this place.

I was in Sydney when they had that stinking hot weekend in mid-March and wasn't feeling that well on the Saturday evening and discovered that about 4 blocks Pyrmont to Pyrmont was about $17

 

[elanshin]

Many thanks - that definitely sounds the best way to get from Humen to this place.

I was in Sydney when they had that stinking hot weekend in mid-March and wasn't feeling that well on the Saturday evening and discovered that about 4 blocks Pyrmont to Pyrmont was about $17

Just remember that you'll need to do 2 sets of immigration at west Kowloon and if you don't have APEC card, it might take a bit of time to do inbound Chinese immigration depending on how busy it is.

 

[RSD]

Just remember that you'll need to do 2 sets of immigration at west Kowloon and if you don't have APEC card, it might take a bit of time to do inbound Chinese immigration depending on how busy it is.

Cheers for the heads up - I don't have an APEC card unfortunately so will allow plenty of time at West Kowloon. I didn't even know that there was a train from Hong Kong to the mainland until I started this thread, it looks like I must have subconsciously known that I was going to need to make this journey into southern China as the hotel I randomly booked a couple of days ago is just a short stroll from the West Kowloon HSR station.

 

[patrickw]

The directions feature in Google maps came up with no answers at all, so I don't know whether it is practical to do it as a day trip to visit a factory or ? Any advice would be appreciated as I'm a little bit lost on this one.

I think Baidu Maps has an English option now? notwithstanding that, Apple Maps is pretty good in China for directions. Driving & Public Transport.

Assuming you have Alipay set-up, requesting a Didi through the mini-app there has been my go-to for any rideshare.

 

[RSD]

I think Baidu Maps has an English option now? notwithstanding that, Apple Maps is pretty good in China for directions. Driving & Public Transport.

Assuming you have Alipay set-up, requesting a Didi through the mini-app there has been my go-to for any rideshare.

I've never been an Apple person, but I will check out the English Baidu maps - if they now have an English option then that would be great! I tried to use it in China last year but there only seemed to be a Chinese version and I quickly gave up on that!

Agree that Alipay and the Didi mini-app in Alipay work great!

 

[Cruiser Elite]

I think Baidu Maps has an English option now?

Unfortunately not - only in Chinese:


Kunbudong

 

[patrickw]

Unfortunately not - only in Chinese:

Kunbudong

Apologies- Bing Maps it is!

 

[kamchatsky]

If you catch the HSR from HK West Kowloon to Guangzhou East line instead of Guangzhou South line to Humen station, you can get off at either Changping HSR (17km from Liaobu) or Dongguan HSR Station (14km from Liaobu). They are both closer to LiaoBu town than from Humen station.

Whilst 12306 is very comprehensive, it is only good in Chinese as you lose a lot of functionality in English:

12306 CHINA RAILWAY

www.12306.cn

For English this is a good website to have a look at the routes available:

High Speed Rail > Homepage

The 26km High Speed Rail (Hong Kong Section) runs from West Kowloon and connects Hong Kong with the Mainland’s 25,000 km national high-speed rail network. Whether it is for business or leisure, you can explore more destinations with the reliable and comfortable High Speed Rail service.

www.highspeed.mtr.com.hk

 

[moa999]

Amap is the one that recently added a decent Android English option

 

[RSD]

If you catch the HSR from HK West Kowloon to Guangzhou East line instead of Guangzhou South line to Humen station, you can get off at either Changping HSR (17km from Liaobu) or Dongguan HSR Station (14km from Liaobu). They are both closer to LiaoBu town than from Humen station.

Many thanks - that will make it even easier!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Didi from Humen indicating right now ~45-70 RMB. 31km 54mins to Liaobu station. I wish I could go 30km in Sydney for $10-20.

Didi was so cheap innChina last week… i can honestly say i don’t think there’s been any inflation in the 12 years since I finished living in China! Taxi flagfalls back then were 16RMB. Same today. Pretty much same same for everything else.

Interestingly didi was cheaper than the flagfall for most journeys!

 

[kamchatsky]

Didi was so cheap innChina last week… i can honestly say i don’t think there’s been any inflation in the 12 years since I finished living in China! Taxi flagfalls back then were 16RMB. Same today. Pretty much same same for everything else.

Interestingly didi was cheaper than the flagfall for most journeys!

That's because China's economy is actually quite bad since Covid. A lot of jobless due to manufacturing moving out of China. The spending power of average citizens has shrunk a lot. In many ways they have experienced deflation in a number of sectors.