How to Travel between Hong Kong & Xiamen: by Bullet Train

Hong Kong – Xiamen by Train

Overview

Xiamen formerly called Amoy City, is a beautiful coastal city in Fujian Province, and about over 600 km from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

It has been possible to travel between Hong Kong and Xiamen by direct high speed train in just 4-4.5 hours since the high speed rail opened on September 23 in 2018. The direct bullet trains run 4 times daily in each direction. Besides, you can have more trains if you make a transfer at Shenzhen North Station (HK West Kowloon – Shenzhen North – Xiamen) as Shenzhen North has frequent trains to or from HK or Xiamen.

Railway map & train stations

hongkong-shenzhen-xiamen-high-speed-rail

xiamen-train-stations-map

Option 1: By Direct High Speed Train, 4 Trains Daily

There are 4 pairs of high speed trains running between Hong Kong and Xiamen, using West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong and Xiamen Railway Station and Xiamen North Railway Station (XiamenBei) in Xiamen City. The travel time ranges from 4-4.5 hours depending on the specific train you take. Fares starts from CNY255 for a 2nd class seat.

Schedule last updated on August 27, 2019.

Train Times, ticket price

How to Take a Train from HK West Kowloon

Photos courtesy of Keith Wong, a Singaporean working in HK & ChinaTrain12306 visitor.

Photos courtesy of Keith Wong: Entrance to HK West Kowloon Station from Austin MTR Station. Passengers can get to HK West Kowloon Station by MTR by arriving at Austin Station or Kowloon Station.Photos courtesy of Keith Wong: Entrance to HK West Kowloon Station from Austin MTR Station. Passengers can get to HK West Kowloon Station by MTR by arriving at Austin Station or Kowloon Station.

Photos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): Link way from Austin station to West Kowloon Station.Photos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): Link way from Austin station to West Kowloon Station.

Photos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): Towards departure area for security checks.Photos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): Towards departure area for security checks.

Photos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): Self-service ticket machine for HK citizens. These don't accept foreigner's passports. Visitors & passport holders must collect or buy tickets from ticket counters next to machines in HK West Kowloon Station.Photos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): Self-service ticket machine for HK citizens. These don't accept foreigner's passports. Visitors & passport holders must collect or buy tickets from ticket counters next to machines in HK West Kowloon Station.

Photos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): Towards HK and China Immigration Area. No photos allow in this area. You clear both China and HK immigration in HK West Kowloon Station.Photos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): Towards HK and China Immigration Area. No photos allow in this area. You clear both China and HK immigration in HK West Kowloon Station.

Photos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): depaturesPhotos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): depatures

Photos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): Queue to go down to train platform by escalator.Photos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): Queue to go down to train platform by escalator.

Photos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): Trains from HK West Kowloon Station to China cities (Xiamen). Photos courtesy of Keith Wong (Singaporean working in HK, ChinaTrain12306 visitors): Trains from HK West Kowloon Station to China cities (Xiamen).

Useful resources

• Shenzhen metro planner (official Shenzhen metro site)
• Hong Kong MTR planner (official site)
• China train ticket booking service

Option 2: Hong Kong – Xiamen via Shenzhen, More Trains

The best way to travel between Hong Kong and Xiamen is going via Shenzhen North (HK West Kowloon – Shenzhen North – Xiamen), as Shenzhen has more trains to or from Hong Kong and Xiamen. If taking the direct HK – Xiamen bullet train, you have just only 4 daily options.

From Hong Kong to Xiamen via Shenzhen: Take one of the frequent bullet trains (see Hong Kong to Shenzhen train) from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station to Shenzhen North Station first, then connect to one of the frequent high speed trains to Xiamen North Station or Xiamen Railway Station. Remember to allow 20 – 30 minutes for changing the train.

From Xiamen to Hong Kong via Shenzhen: Take one of the trains from Xiamen Railway Station (16 daily) or Xiamen North Railway Station (39 daily) to Shenzhen North first, from which you change to another bullet train from Shenzhen North to Hong Kong West Kowloon.

Shenzhen – Xiamen train schedule, fares & duration

Which Train Station

In Xiamen: The high speed trains to or from Hong Kong are using Xiamen Railway Station or Xiamen North Railway Station. Xiamen Railway Station has less trains to HK than Xiamen North, but Xiamen Railway Station is centrally-located on Xiamen Island, the downtown of Xiamen City, while Xiamen North has more trains to or from Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

In Hong Kong: The trains are using Hong Kong West Kowloon. The West Kowloon Station is near the Kowloon Stop or Austin Stop on Hong Kong’s MTR network. You can use this journey planner to plan your route to Hong Kong West Kowloon Station.

From Xiamen to Hong Kong Airport by Train

From Xiamen to Hong Kong Airport, you can get from Xiamen to Hong Kong West Kowloon Station by direct train or via Shenzhen first. Then you can walk from West Kowloon Station to Kowloon MTR stop, from where you can take the airport express to Hong Kong Airport.

FAQ

Is there flight service between Hong Kong and Xiamen ?

Yes, there are non-stop flights between Hong Kong’s airport and Xiamen Gaoqi Airport operated by Xiamen Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airlines and China Southern Airlines. Fly hour is about 1h15 – 1h 35. Non-stop services run 9 times daily.

Hong Kong to Xiamen by ferry?

So far, Jack cannot find any official ferry service between Hong Kong and Xiamen. So, I don’t think is it still available to travel from Hong Kong to Xiamen by ferry.

Trusted Online Ticket Agents:

Option 1: China Highlights is a reliable online agency  for China train ticketing. They get positive reviews on TripAdvisor & Trustpilot. Sharon and her team help you buy tickets & plan rail routes even deliver tickets to your hotels with a service fee from $6.

Book a Train

Option 2: China DIY Travel  is also a trusted online ticketing agent & get recommended for their excellent service on TripAdvisor. Helen & her Australian husband, team are always helpful buying tickets for foreigners. ChinaTrain12306 users can use PROMO CODE “ct123” to reduce booking fees.

Book a train