Zhuhai Sanzao Airport
Zhuhai Sanzao Airport is a modern, medium-sized airport that connects the region to many Chinese cities, but not to international destinations. It is located west of the city center in the Jinwan District.
The Airport Express bus connects the airport to Xiangzhen and Gongbei districts for ¥30 (November 2010) per passenger and follows the flight schedule on arrival. The first bus leaves around 11:00am and the last one around 9:30pm. A cab from the airport to Gongbei or Jiuzhou in downtown Zhuhai costs about ¥130 (October 2011), if traffic is smooth. You can also take public bus No. 207, which goes directly to Gongbei border crossing and costs ¥6. However, the trip takes between 1h45 and 2 hours. Please note that this bus does not have a luggage locker on board.
Other Airports
To get to Zhuhai from outside China, one usually flies to Hong Kong, Macau or Guangzhou. All three cities have large, modern airports with many international connections, and all are accessible within one or two hours from Zhuhai; Macau is the closest. Shenzhen is another large modern airport nearby, but with fewer international connections.
From Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, there is a regular express bus service to Zhuhai. It costs ¥80 and takes about 2.5 hours, with a stop in the northern part of Zhuhai, before continuing to the Gongbei border gate for Macau. At the Gongbei bus station, which is near the KFC, it is possible to check in for the airport.
From Macau International Airport, the best way to reach Zhuhai is to use the Express Link service, which allows you to avoid entry and customs controls in Macau. Once you get off the plane, do not go through immigration, but look for the Express Link (China) sign and follow it. This will take you past a transit security scanning station where you will need to pick up an Express Link card and walk up the stairs to the departures hall. Go to the ticket booth at Gate 8, present your card and buy a ticket for the bus to the Gongbei Port of Entry. The bus fare is ¥52 and the trip takes only 15 minutes. The departure times of the bus are 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, 14:45, 17:00, 17:30 and 18:00. If you need to check in luggage for your flight, please remember to mark it with a blue tag when you check in for this express service. The blue tag is not a necessity, but simply a convenience. Present your luggage tags at the above-mentioned bus counter and collect your luggage later at the bus stop.
The option to bypass Macau immigration is not available on the way back. Allow at least three hours for the trip from Gongbei to Macau airport. Entry formalities can take a long time, especially on the Chinese side during weekends. After the Chinese customs (before entering Macau), there is a small ticket booth on the left where you can buy a ticket for the shuttle to the airport for ¥35. Buses are waiting on the left as soon as you leave the Macau immigration hall. They run every 10 minutes.
If you choose to go through Macau immigration at the airport and use the cab service to get to Zhuhai, the trip only takes about 15 minutes. This short trip costs about ¥60-80, but for those (>2 people) who wish to share the cab fare, it is very cheap. The fee includes an extra ¥5 at the airport and ¥5 per piece of luggage. Payment for the cab can be made in patacas, Hong Kong dollars or renminbi. They are all treated equally (i.e. dollar for dollar, although the Macau dollar has the lowest value of the three currencies). Cabs line up at the corner outside the airport.
From Hong Kong International Airport, it is possible to take the Airport Express to Kowloon Station (cost: HK$90), then the free Airport Express K2 transit bus to China-Hong Kong Ferry Terminal (中港城码头; Zhōnggǎng Chéngmǎtóu) to catch a ferry to Zhuhai.
Another option from Hong Kong is to take a ferry from the HKIA Skypier to Macau, then cross the Gongbei border crossing to Zhuhai. Entry and customs formalities can be skipped on the Hong Kong side. The ferry ride takes about 50 minutes and runs (usually) every hour.
The third option is to take long-distance buses from HKIA to Gongbei through the countryside. The trip takes 3.5 hours and costs HK$200. The departure times are 07:00, 08:00, 16:00, 17:00 and 19:00.
A new ferry service has been set up to transport passengers directly from HKIA to Jiuzhou Port in Zhuhai. The ferry leaves at 12:15, 14:04, 17:00 and 20:00. The ferry from Zhuhai to HKIA leaves at 9:30am, 12:40pm, 3:30pm and 6:30pm. The trip takes about 50 minutes.