By Blaise Jaeger · Updated October 21, 2026

Lantau is the largest island of Hong Kong, and the one most visitors only see from the plane: the airport sits on its north shore. Behind it are green mountains, the Big Buddha, an old fishing village on stilts, and a cable car that links them to the city. We spent a day there on Sunday, October 18, 2026, during our 5 days in Hong Kong. Here is our route, hour by hour, with what we paid and the 90 minutes we would rather not have spent in line.

Our Lantau Day at a Glance

Time	What we did	Cost per person
9:50 AM	Citybus E11 from Admiralty to Tung Chung	About HK$22
11:00 AM	Line for the Ngong Ping 360 cable car	—
12:27 PM	Cable car to Ngong Ping, about 25 minutes	HK$295 round trip, standard cabin
12:50 PM	Ngong Ping Village, the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery	Free
1:40 PM	Taxi down to Tai O	HK$69.60 for the car
1:50 PM	Boat trip around Tai O	HK$50
2:55 PM	Late lunch at Fook Moon Lam	HK$475 for two
3:30 PM	Blue Lantau taxi back to Tung Chung, then the MTR	HK$230 for the car

In total, around HK$750 per person for transport, the boat and lunch. A full day, but an easy one: the only real difficulty is the line for the cable car.

Getting to Lantau: the E11 Bus Instead of the MTR

The MTR Tung Chung line is the fastest way to Lantau. We took the Citybus E11 from Admiralty instead, near our hotel: about 80 minutes and around HK$22 by contactless card. Sit at the front of the upper deck. The bus runs past the container port of Kwai Tsing, one of the busiest in the world, then crosses the Tsing Ma Bridge to Lantau. Get off at Tung Chung, a few minutes’ walk from the cable car terminal. More on buses, taxis and fares in our guide to getting around Hong Kong.

Ngong Ping 360: How to Avoid Our 90-Minute Wait

This is where we lost the most time of our whole stay in Hong Kong. When we reached the cable car terminal around 11:00 AM, the line started on the other side of the parking lot. We finally boarded at 12:27 PM.

Buy Your Ticket Before You Arrive

Halfway through the line, we bought Ngong Ping 360 tickets on Klook on a phone. With a ticket already in hand, you skip the ticket counter and join a shorter line for boarding: it saved us about 30 minutes. Do it the day before, not in the line like us.

Take the Crystal Cabin

The Crystal cabins, with a glass floor, have their own line, much shorter than the one for the standard cabins. We did not take them, and it would have saved us another 30 minutes or so. If you go on a weekend or a holiday, the extra cost is worth it for the time alone.

Fares on the Day

Ticket (adult)	Price at the counter, October 2026
Round trip, standard cabin	HK$295
Round trip, Crystal cabin	About HK$360
Crystal+ (one way in the panoramic cabin, one way standard)	HK$420

We took a round trip even though we planned to come back by taxi from Tai O: we were not sure we would have the time to go there, and the round trip cost almost the same as a one-way ticket. It keeps your options open.

The Ride: Airport, Bridge and Buddha

The ride lasts about 25 minutes and covers 5.7 kilometers. It starts over Tung Chung Bay, with the airport runways below, then climbs over the mountains. Further on, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge disappears into the sea towards Macau. Near the top, the Big Buddha appears on its hill.

Ngong Ping: the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery

The cable car arrives at Ngong Ping Village, a row of souvenir shops and cafés built for visitors. Walk through it without stopping: the interesting part starts at the archway of Ngong Ping Piazza.

The Tian Tan Buddha and Its 268 Steps

The Tian Tan Buddha, better known as the Big Buddha, is a 34-meter bronze statue completed in 1993. It sits at the top of 268 steps, which we climbed in the midday sun: it takes about ten minutes, and it is free. From the platform, the view stretches over the mountains of Lantau and the islands of the South China Sea.

Po Lin Monastery

Below the Buddha, Po Lin Monastery is worth the short walk for its painted halls and the incense smoke in the courtyard. Its best view, though, is from the steps of the Buddha, with the orange roofs against the mountain.

Tai O, the Fishing Village on Stilts

Taxi from Ngong Ping

Bus 21 runs from Ngong Ping down to Tai O, but we took a taxi from the rank by the bus station: a short ride down the mountain road, HK$69.60 for the car. Have cash ready for taxis on Lantau.

The Boat Trip: HK$50 and No Dolphins

Tai O is an old fishing village on the west coast of Lantau, built partly on stilts over a tidal creek. As soon as you reach the bridge, small boats offer trips to see the pink dolphins. We took one with Dolphin Travel: HK$50 per person, adults and children alike, for about 20 minutes. The boat goes up the creek between the stilt houses, then out to sea towards the bridge to Macau.

We saw no pink dolphins. You have to be very lucky, the lady on the boat told us, and their numbers around Lantau have dropped sharply since the airport and the bridge were built. But seeing the village from the water was worth the HK$50 on its own.

The Village

Back on land, walk across the drawbridge and along the main street, lined with shops selling dried fish, shrimp paste and salted egg yolks. The smell is strong, and the place is still a working village rather than a museum.

Lunch at Fook Moon Lam

We had a late lunch at Fook Moon Lam, a simple Cantonese restaurant in the village: prawns with broccoli (HK$180), sweet and sour pork (HK$98), Tai O fried rice (HK$98), a beer and tea. With the 10% service charge, HK$475 for two. Nothing fancy, but good, and a welcome break after the morning.

Getting Back from Tai O

Bus 11 runs from Tai O to Tung Chung, but the line at the terminus was long enough for two or three buses. The bus takes about as long as a taxi, so we took one of Lantau’s blue taxis from the rank by the bus station: HK$230 for the car, about 40 minutes along the south coast of the island. From Tung Chung we took the MTR to Kowloon, in time for sunset on the Avenue of Stars. The rest of that day is in our Hong Kong itinerary.

What We Would Do Differently

• Book the cable car the day before, in a Crystal cabin. It would have saved us about an hour.
• Go on a weekday if you can. We went on a Sunday, and weekends and holidays are the busiest days for the cable car.
• Take the MTR to Tung Chung if you are in a hurry; the E11 bus is cheaper and more scenic, but slower.
• Keep cash for taxis and the boat in Tai O.
• Do not expect pink dolphins: take the boat for the stilt houses.

FAQ: Lantau Island Day Trip

Is one day enough for Lantau Island?

Yes, for the Big Buddha, Po Lin Monastery and Tai O. Leave Hong Kong Island around 9:30 AM, and you can be back in town for sunset, as we were.

How long is the wait for Ngong Ping 360?

On a Sunday in October, we waited about 90 minutes. Booking online and taking a Crystal cabin both shorten the wait. On weekdays the line is much shorter.

Is the Big Buddha free?

Yes. Climbing the 268 steps and visiting Po Lin Monastery are free.

Should I buy a one-way or a round-trip cable car ticket?

A round trip. It costs almost the same as a one-way ticket and lets you decide on the day whether to come back by cable car or by taxi from Tai O.

Will I see pink dolphins in Tai O?

Probably not. We did not, and the boat crew themselves say you need a lot of luck. The boat trip is still worth it for the stilt houses.

How do I get from Tai O back to the city?

Bus 11 or a blue taxi to Tung Chung (HK$230 for us), then the MTR. Bus 21 also goes back up to Ngong Ping if you have a return cable car ticket.

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