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How exactly does one get from Guilin to Hong Kong by rail? According to one website I looked at there is an overnight that gets to Guangzhou between 7 and 8 in the morning, but Shenzhen is also on the route. Does one need a visa to enter Shenzhen just to cross over into HK? What's the easiest/fastest way to get between place to place by rail?

It doesn't answer your question directly but I went from Hong Kong to Guilin by first taking the ferry from China Ferry Terminal in HK to Shenzhen airport (160 HK$) and then flying on China Southern Airlines to Guilin. It is cheaper to fly from Shenzhen Airport than Hong Kong especially when using internal flights.

In terms of the VISA then you will need a China and Hong Kong VISA?

My understanding is that there is a train from Shenzhen to Guilin (the ultimate destination may be Guangzhuo but Shenzhen is the city closest to HK). Good place for info is www.yangers.com which is Yangshou's website - as I am sure you are aware Yangshou is a town near Guilin.

A Guilin to Hong Kong train will go through Guangzhou and then Shenzhen (in that order)on its way to Hong Kong. It takes between 1 and 2 hours from guanzhou to Shenzhen dependingon the type of train (there are new bullet type trains that do 200kph). Shenzhen is the border with Hong Kong and you will get an automatic 90 visitors visa to Hong Kong at immigration. You don't need to apply in advance for Hong Kong. Shenzhen is part of China mainland so it is your exit point. You will have needed a visa to get to Guilin so you will just get an exit stamp from China immigration at Shenzhen.

I guess I have misunderstood the visa situation. I will already have a Chinese visa, but I thought one needed special permission to pass through the Shenzhen SAR. Would it just be cheaper to fly directly to Hong Kong or Shenzhen?

Nothing is needed to pass through Shenzhen. Just get to the Luohu border and cross into HK--you can take the KCR from there.
If you fly, it is definitely cheaper to fly to Shenzhen than HK. But the Bao'an Shenzhen airport is a ways from the border (I think they have an express bus to HK though).

If you come in to Shenzhen by plane you can get either a ferry from the airport (I haven't done this) or you can take a 355 bus outside the front door and go to Shekou port (Shekou Gang) and take a ferry to Hong Kong from there (this would cost you about RMB130 all up). There are also airport buses to downtown LouHu.
As ChinaMatt sugggested there is no problems with Shenzhen anymore. Your China visa is of course valid here and as he suggested if your train ends at Shenzhen you just cross the border (a short walk through immigration)from LouHu station to LoWu station and take the KCRC suburban network to Kowloon - East Tsim Sha Tsui. from there you can use the rail network to go where you want (it is fairly easy to use for a non-chinese speaker)

I did the ferry from Shenzhen airport to HK. 5 minute taxi ride from the airport to Fu Yong ferry terminal (there is also a shuttle bus). 55 mins on the ferry to HK (routes operate to both China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon and Macau Ferry Terminal on HK Island). Cost is 170 HK$ - tickets can be bought in Shenzhen airport or at the ferry terminal.

Two ferry operators - I used the Turbojet service which was great

http://www.turbojet.com.hk/turbojet_serviceroutes_rev.htm

http://www.xunlongferry.com/e-fwhx.asp

Get the bus from Guilin - overnight sleeper and wake up in Shenzhen. Cross the road and take the metro to Hongkong. Cheap and easy route taking maybe 12h and less than 250RMB.
Note: Once you leave the mainland your Chinese visa will have expired unless you have multiple entry

Make sure you can lock you baggage if you go by bus. That means a proper lock not the crap one that bags usually come with. Thieves are still about on the buses so the choice is yours if you want to sleep on the bus.

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Originally posted by Amadeus:
Get the bus from Guilin - overnight sleeper and wake up in Shenzhen. Cross the road and take the metro to Hongkong. Cheap and easy route taking maybe 12h and less than 250RMB.
Note: Once you leave the mainland your Chinese visa will have expired unless you have multiple entry

Is the bus faster than a train?

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I would expect the train to be fastest but I don't know for sure. They have a lot of new trains here that do 200KPH but I don't know whether they are on the Guilin Guangzhou route but I suspect not yet. perhaps do some searching.

Yes the bus is faster than the train. I don't understand about not sleeping on the bus. There are no seats only sleeping compartments. The luggage is secured and only accessed for one stop at Guangzhuo on the way. This is just an hour away from Shenzhen and so being awake at this time is not a problem and so if you are concerned about your stuff you can hop out and keep an eye on things.

Hi,
This is a very useful thread!

I am in a bit of a different situation in that I will be based in Guilin teaching, however in order to apply for my visa i need to show that i have an exit flight, i was originally intending to take buses / trains out of Guilin to Shenzhen, then on to HK.
What have other people done about the proof of outward jounry with regards to visas?

However as i need to have this 'outward flight' from mainland China, I have been searching for cheap flights from Shenzhen to HK or Guilin to HK, and i'm having a lot of diffculty with this! None of the websites appear to work!
Can anyone suggestt an airline that i'd be able to book in advance?
Or does anyone know if i can get a train ticket from Shenzhen to Hong Kong in advance so that i can use this as my 'exiting china proof' to apply for the visa?