In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Take the ferry from Central. Cheung Chau leaves from Central Pier 5 (Sun Ferry: HK$16.70 ordinary or HK$32.90 fast, Monday to Saturday; about 55 to 60 minutes or 35 to 40 minutes). Lamma leaves from Central Pier 4 (Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry: HK$24.90 to Yung Shue Wan or HK$30.90 to Sok Kwu Wan, Monday to Saturday). Sundays and public holidays cost more on both. Pick Cheung Chau for a temple, a pirate cave and a harbour full of snack stalls, or Lamma to walk the Family Trail between Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan and eat at the seafood restaurants on the pier. The day trips guide compares both with the other excursions.
Ferry fares and piers
| Cheung Chau | Lamma, Yung Shue Wan | Lamma, Sok Kwu Wan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Sun Ferry | Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry | Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry |
| Central pier | Pier 5 | Pier 4 | Pier 4 |
| Monday to Saturday | HK$16.70 ordinary, HK$26.10 ordinary deluxe, HK$32.90 fast | HK$24.90 | HK$30.90 |
| Sundays and public holidays | HK$24.80, HK$38.00, HK$47.60 | HK$34.70 | HK$43.50 |
| Children | Half fare | HK$12.40 (HK$17.30 on Sundays) | HK$15.40 (HK$21.70 on Sundays) |
Fares are from the operators: Sun Ferry, Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry to Yung Shue Wan and to Sok Kwu Wan, effective 1 April 2026. Sun Ferry also lists journey times of about 55 to 60 minutes on the ordinary ferry and 35 to 40 minutes on the fast ferry. Children aged 3 to under 12 pay the child fare on Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry.
Sailing times, from the operators’ timetables:
- Cheung Chau, Monday to Saturday: from Central the first ordinary sailing is 06:10 and the last ordinary is 23:30, with a last fast ferry at 23:45; from Cheung Chau the last sailings are the 23:30 ordinary and 23:45 fast. On Sundays and public holidays the last sailing back from Cheung Chau is the 22:30 ordinary (22:00 fast) (Sun Ferry timetable). The timetable says ticket gates close on the times shown.
- Yung Shue Wan, Monday to Saturday: from Central the first sailing is 06:30 and the last is 23:30; from Yung Shue Wan the first is 05:30 and the last 00:30. Sundays and public holidays run roughly every 30 minutes in the daytime, with the last sailing from Central at 23:30 (HKKF timetable). The listed time is the pier gate closing time, and the timetable can change without notice.
- Concessions: HKKF accepts eligible concessionary Octopus cards, including JoyYou, at the elderly and disabled fare (HK$12.40 Monday to Saturday to Yung Shue Wan).
Yung Shue Wan has frequent sailings through the day. Sok Kwu Wan has about one sailing every 1½ to 2 hours: from 07:20 to 23:30 from Central, and from 06:40 to 22:40 back from Sok Kwu Wan on Mondays to Saturdays (11 sailings each way), so check the timetable before you start the walk.
Boats in the harbour at Cheung Chau. Photo: Bernard Spragg, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Cheung Chau
Cheung Chau lies 10 km south-west of Hong Kong Island and is called Dumbbell Island for its shape: hills at the north and south ends with the settlements in between. Its lanes are too narrow for normal motor traffic, so the island runs on small “village vehicles” such as mini fire engines and ambulances (Wikipedia).
- Pak Tai Temple. The Taoist temple, known as Yuk Hui Temple, is dedicated to Pak Tai, the god of the sea, and was built in 1783 and completely rebuilt in 1989. The island’s Bun Festival, a parade with children balanced on floats, lasts three to four days and draws tens of thousands of visitors (Wikipedia).
- Cheung Po Tsai Cave. A cave said to have been the hiding place of the 19th-century pirate Cheung Po Tsai (Wikipedia). It is reached on foot; bring a torch on your phone and wear shoes with grip. The Cheung Chau Mini Great Wall is a hiking trail on the island.
- Beaches. Tung Wan and Kwun Yam Wan are the two beaches. The windsurfer Lee Lai-shan, who won Hong Kong’s first Olympic gold medal in 1996, is from the island. A 3,000-year-old rock carving near Tung Wan Beach is a declared monument (Wikipedia).
- Food. The waterfront facing the ferry pier has seafood restaurants with live tanks, and the lanes behind it sell snacks such as fish balls, potato spirals and mango mochi.
The entrance to Pak Tai Temple. Photo: Hauwah, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Lamma
Lamma is Hong Kong’s third-largest island, 13.55 square kilometres and 7 km long, with two ferry villages, Yung Shue Wan in the north and Sok Kwu Wan to the east, joined by the Family Walk (Wikipedia). Hong & Kowloon Ferry lists a walk from Yung Shue Wan pier past Yung Shue Wan’s Tin Hau Temple, Hung Shing Yeh Beach and a hilltop pavilion down to Sok Kwu Wan’s Tin Hau Temple and pier, and gives 2.5 hours for the Sok Kwu Wan to Yung Shue Wan route (HKKF). HKKF’s page also lists a longer route from Yung Shue Wan through Tai Peng, Pak Kok and back that it puts at 4 hours, and a Sok Kwu Wan loop through Mo Tat Old Village and Shek Pai Wan beach.
Yung Shue Wan. Photo: Mk2010, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Yung Shue Wan. Seafood restaurants, pubs, grocery stores and handicraft shops line the village; it was once the centre of Lamma’s plastics industry (Wikipedia).
- Hung Shing Yeh Beach. A beach on the Family Walk, near Hongkong Electric’s Lamma Power Station (Wikipedia).
- Kamikaze Cave. Near Sok Kwu Wan, a cave where Japanese forces hid speedboats during the Second World War, intended for suicide missions against Allied shipping.
- Sok Kwu Wan. The village is mainly seafood restaurants, beside the largest fish-farming site in Hong Kong (Wikipedia). Check the return ferry times before you sit down to eat.
The Lamma Family Trail. Photo: Exploringlife, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Practical tips
- Lamma is car-free, and the trail is exposed to the sun: carry water and sun cream.
- Cheung Chau gets busy at weekends and during the Bun Festival; Lamma is quietest on weekdays.
For the other islands, see Lantau and Tai O. For the mainland-side alternatives, read Sai Kung and the Geopark. The full list is in day trips from Hong Kong.
Common questions
Where do you catch the ferries to Cheung Chau and Lamma?
Both leave from the Central ferry piers on Hong Kong Island. Sun Ferry's Cheung Chau service leaves from Central Pier 5. Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry's Lamma services to Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan leave from Central Pier 4.
How much does the ferry to Cheung Chau or Lamma cost?
To Cheung Chau, Sun Ferry charges HK$16.70 for the ordinary ferry and HK$32.90 for the fast ferry Monday to Saturday, and HK$24.80 and HK$47.60 on Sundays and public holidays. To Lamma, Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry charges HK$24.90 to Yung Shue Wan and HK$30.90 to Sok Kwu Wan Monday to Saturday, and HK$34.70 and HK$43.50 on Sundays and public holidays (fares effective 1 April 2026).
How long is the ferry to Cheung Chau?
Sun Ferry gives about 55 to 60 minutes on the ordinary ferry and about 35 to 40 minutes on the fast ferry, for reference.
Can you visit Cheung Chau and Lamma on the same day?
Not easily. The two islands use different piers in Central and different operators, and Sok Kwu Wan has only about one sailing every 1½ to 2 hours. Pick one island for the day.
Are there cars on Cheung Chau and Lamma?
Both islands are small and largely car-free, so you get around on foot or by bicycle.
