West Kowloon

Trying out high speed rail for the first time from Hong Long to Guang Zhou. We heard it can get pretty crazy especially around holidays (we were here few days before mid autumn festival) so we came here 1.5 hours earlier just in case. After you arrive you either buy tickets at the station or show them your online reservation (which I believe is not available to foreigners). Then you go through Hong Kong customs and China customs, both at West Kowloon Station. That means you don't need to go through customs again when you arrive China. At the end, the whole process from our arrival to waiting to board took us about 45 mins and it's much faster for local residents. Keep in mind, there's absolutely nothing after you go through customs. No restaurants or stores. Not even vending machines. So bring water and some snacks while you wait to board. The station is brand new and modern. It was our first time but everyone was super helpful and nice.

High speed trains to China depart here. If you're a foreigner: - boarding to train only starts 15 mins before. - the pre boarding process (collect tickets, 2x immigration, 2x security, etc) took 30 mins on a low season Tuesday morning. - I would budget at least 1 hour in case of any issues. - book your tickets online at trip.com and collect with passport at the "Document Verification" counter There are some food outlets and shops (souvenirs, baked goods, etc) and the usual pharmacy, etc. I recommend picking up a box of Tim Ho Wan's special pineapple bbq pork buns (HKD37 for 3 buns) as a snack for the train ride. There are no food and drink outlets, nor shops after all the immigration, unlike the airport.

New railway station opened recently in Hong Kong. This is my second visit. The first visit I rode the high speed rail to the next city, Futian. It was fast, only 20 mins. This station is large and there are many travelers coming and going, mostly from other mainland cities. Try riding the rail once and see how fast it goes. Of course you need to have a Chinese visa if you are leaving Hong Kong and entering a mainland city.

Beautiful new train station. No restaurants after the immigration desks, so eat and grab your coffee in the main ticket and waiting area.