In short
Start with the negative fact, because it is what people actually search for: Zhuhai has no metro, and that is an official position rather than a gap in our data. Answering a resident, the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission went through the three thresholds in State Council document No. 52 of 2018 one by one — general public budget revenue above ¥30 billion, GDP above ¥300 billion and an urban permanent population above three million — and concluded that neither Zhongshan nor Zhuhai qualifies, so neither city can even submit a metro construction plan. A parallel reply relayed by the Zhuhai 12345 hotline adds that tram line 1 phase 1 has already been dismantled, with no plan to reopen it. There is no metro here and none is imminent. What the airport does have is newer than most guides admit. Phase 2 of the Zhuhai-Airport intercity railway, an extension of the Guangzhou-Zhuhai intercity line, opened on 3 February 2024 and put a station at the terminal door: from the Level 1 arrivals hall follow the signs about 500 m along the footway and go down through entrance 1A or 1B into Zhuhai Airport railway station. Since 5 January 2025 the line has been stepped up to 43 pairs of trains a day between Zhuhai Airport and Zhuhai station, with minimum headways of 10 minutes, running two kinds of service: fast trains that call only at Zhuhai Chimelong and Hengqin and finish in 35 minutes, and all-stations trains taking up to 52 minutes. It is cheap — ¥26 for the full run to Zhuhai station, ¥17 to Hengqin — and it behaves like a metro, with same-day single-use tickets and combined identity and ticket checks, so there is no booking ahead, no reserved seat, any train that day will do, and you simply tap an ID card or the Alipay 12306 travel code at the gate to be charged automatically. If you have too much luggage for the 500 m walk, or you have already missed the 20:55 last train, use the airport express coaches outside the exit: buy at the counter inside the Level 1 arrivals hall, then walk 40 m past Exit (03) and turn right into boarding Zone D. The Gongbei line is ¥30 on a standard coach and takes about 35 minutes to Gongbei Port, which sits beside Zhuhai railway station and the Macao border crossing, and it is the route most people look for; the Xiangzhou line costs ¥45 and serves Mingzhu intercity station, Xizang Building and the Swan Hotel. The third option is a taxi or a ride-hailing car. The airport quotes 40 to 60 minutes to the city, but no official source publishes an airport-to-centre price. What can be checked is the tariff in force since 1 December 2017: ¥12 covers the first 2.5 km in larger Class 1 cars, then ¥3 per km, while Class 2 cars start at ¥10 for 2.5 km and then ¥2.6 per km, with 30% added to the whole fare between 23:00 and 06:00 and another 30% on distance beyond 12 km, plus expressway tolls on top. Applying that formula to the 40 to 45 km run into town gives roughly ¥130 to ¥150 by day and ¥170 to ¥190 at night, excluding tolls, and that is our own arithmetic rather than any published price.
- Metro to the airport
- None — the city does not qualify for one
- The official answer
- Guangdong Development and Reform Commission, State Council document No. 52 (2018)
- The only rail link
- Zhuhai-Airport intercity, opened 3 February 2024
- Finding the station
- About 500 m on foot, entrance 1A or 1B
- Fare to Zhuhai station
- ¥26, second class
- Fastest and slowest
- 35 min express, up to 52 min stopping service
- Frequency
- 43 pairs a day since 5 January 2025, 10-minute headways
- Do you book ahead
- No — same-day validity, any train, unseated
- Airport Express Gongbei line
- ¥30, about 35 min to Gongbei Port
- Taxi flag fall
- ¥12 for 2.5 km in Class 1; ¥10 in Class 2
- Night supplement
- Plus 30% on the whole fare, 23:00 to 06:00
- Official taxi fare
- Never published; our ¥130-190 is our own working-out
How to take each option
Recommended: walk 500 m and take the intercity train
Time 35 min express, up to 52 min all-stationsFare ¥26 to Zhuhai stationFirst 06:35Last 20:55
- After baggage claim follow the airport station or intercity signs in the Level 1 arrivals hall and walk about 500 m along the footway; it is flat, step-free and manageable with a suitcase.
- Go down through entrance 1A or 1B into the underground station, check the departure board and pick the train going your way, towards Zhuhai station or towards Hengqin.
- Skip the ticket queue: the ¥26 fare is valid once on the day, so just tap your ID card or open the Alipay 12306 travel code and pass through the gate, which charges you automatically.
- Sit anywhere, since seats are unreserved. Express trains call only at Zhuhai Chimelong and Hengqin and reach Zhuhai station in 35 minutes, so check the service type on the board if speed matters.
- Zhuhai station puts you next to Gongbei Port and the Macao crossing; from here you can change onto Guangzhou-Zhuhai intercity trains for Zhongshan and Guangzhou South, or walk across the border into Macao.
The density here is new: 43 pairs a day and 10-minute minimum headways only since 5 January 2025, denser than most travel guides suggest. The catch is that trains stop early, with first and last departures at 06:35 and 20:55 according to a third-party timetable site rather than 12306 itself, so check your date there before you rely on them.
Airport Express Gongbei line: ¥30 to Gongbei Port
Time About 35 minFare ¥30, or ¥55 in a business carFirst 07:30Last 22:30
- Buy your ticket at the Airport Express counter inside the Level 1 arrivals hall, saying you are going to Gongbei Port; the counter is inside the hall, so you never need to leave the building first.
- Walk 40 m past Exit (03) and the coach boarding area, Zone D, is on your right; find the Gongbei line stand by the route board.
- It is about 35 minutes to Gongbei Port, which terminates beside Zhuhai railway station and the Macao crossing. In the other direction, boards at stands 8 to 9 at Gongbei Port and Zhuhai station, first bus 05:00 and last 23:00.
This is the only city line whose journey time is published by both the airport and the operator, at about 35 minutes. The airport timetable ends at 22:30 while the operator describes services from 05:30 until the last flight, so treat late-night cover as something to check on the night itself.
Airport Express Xiangzhou line: for Mingzhu station and Xiangzhou
Fare ¥45, or ¥65 in a business carFirst 06:44Last 22:44
- Buy your ticket at the same Airport Express counter in the Level 1 arrivals hall for ¥45.
- Board the Xiangzhou coach in Zone D; it calls at Nanping Bridge, Mingzhu intercity station, Xizang Building at Meihuazhong bus stop and finishes at the Swan Hotel by 888 Street bus stop.
- For Qianshan or Shangchong, get off at Mingzhu intercity station and change there; heading back to the airport, wait at Entrance C of that station, by the bus-lane barrier.
The airport publishes no journey time for this line, so this page quotes no minutes. Its real value is reaching Mingzhu intercity station directly, which is not on the Zhuhai-Airport intercity at all and cannot be reached by train from here.
Taxi or ride-hailing
Time About 40-60 min per the airport websiteFare Metered
- After baggage claim follow the taxi signs out through Exit (03) of the Level 1 arrivals hall; 20 m ahead on the left is the queue for city destinations such as Xiangzhou, Gongbei, Jida, Hengqin and Tangjia.
- Show the driver your hotel name and address in Chinese, ask clearly for the meter and refuse any flat price, then check the meter has started before you settle in.
- Pay what the meter shows plus the expressway toll, ask for the receipt and note the cab number; for disputes call the airport service and complaints line on 0756-7778888.
- For ride-hailing, walk 60 m past Exit (03) to the Level 1 pick-up channel with points B1 to B5 or A1 to A5, pick the shortest queue and text the point number to your driver.
The flag distance is 2.5 km, not 3: the airport taxi page still says beyond 3 km, which conflicts with the fare notice now in force, and this page follows the notice.
Late-night and early-morning arrivals
Late-night options are few and run out earlier than most travellers expect. The last intercity departure from Zhuhai Airport station is around 20:55, reaching Zhuhai station at 21:30 according to third-party timetables, so verify your date on 12306. Among the coaches the last scheduled Gongbei departure is 22:30, Zhongshan West ends at 23:00 and the Tangjia line at 23:50, the latest departure printed on the airport timetable, which calls at Nanping Bridge on the way in. After that it is taxis and ride-hailing, which between 23:00 and 06:00 carry a 30% surcharge on the whole fare — around ¥170 to ¥190 over the 40 to 45 km run into town before tolls. The express operator advertises cover up to the last flight of the day, but we could find no airport page setting out the rule in writing and nothing confirming that the taxi rank is staffed around the clock, so treat cover after midnight as something to confirm on the night rather than something to bank on.
Questions travellers ask
Is there a metro at Zhuhai Jinwan Airport?
No, and that is the official conclusion rather than missing data on our side. The Guangdong Development and Reform Commission has replied that under the three thresholds of State Council document No. 52 of 2018 — public budget revenue above ¥30 billion, GDP above ¥300 billion and an urban population above three million — neither Zhongshan nor Zhuhai qualifies to file for metro construction. Tram line 1 phase 1 has already been dismantled as well.
What is the fastest way from Zhuhai airport to the city centre?
In daylight it is the train. Zhuhai Airport station sits about 500 m from the terminal, fast services take 35 minutes to Zhuhai station at Gongbei, all-stations trains take up to 52 minutes, there are 43 pairs a day with 10-minute minimum headways and the fare is ¥26. With too much luggage, use the Airport Express Gongbei coach from Zone D instead, about 35 minutes for ¥30.
How much is the intercity train, and do I need to book ahead?
¥26 second class for the full run to Zhuhai station and ¥17 to Hengqin. No booking is needed: tickets are valid once on the same day with combined identity and ticket checks, so any train that day will do, seats are unreserved, and tapping an ID card or the Alipay 12306 travel code at the gate charges you automatically.
How often do the trains run and when is the last one?
Since 5 January 2025 there have been 43 pairs a day with 10-minute minimum headways, split between fast trains and all-stations trains. Third-party timetables show a first departure of 06:35 and a last of 20:55, reaching Zhuhai station at 21:30, but that is not an official 12306 page, so confirm your date there.
How far is the railway station from the terminal and is it easy to find?
Follow the airport station signs in the Level 1 arrivals hall and walk about 500 m along the footway, then go down through entrance 1A or 1B to the underground platforms. The whole route is flat and step-free, so suitcases are manageable, and coming the other way you exit through 1A or 1B and follow the same path back to the terminal.
How much is a taxi from Zhuhai airport to the city centre?
No official body publishes that number, and we do not present one as a price. What can be verified is the tariff: ¥12 for the first 2.5 km then ¥3 per km in Class 1 cars, ¥10 then ¥2.6 per km in Class 2 cars, another 30% on distance beyond 12 km and 30% on the whole fare from 23:00 to 06:00. Our own working-out gives roughly ¥130 to ¥150 by day and ¥170 to ¥190 at night, plus expressway tolls.
Can I pay with a foreign card, Alipay or WeChat Pay?
The airport publishes no dedicated page on payment methods. In practice cash, Alipay and WeChat Pay QR codes all work while foreign cards usually do not, so carry some cash or link an international card inside Alipay before you fly. The intercity accepts the Alipay 12306 travel code at the gate directly, but keep cash or a QR wallet handy for coaches and taxis.
Is there any public transport if I land late at night?
The last intercity train leaves around 20:55, while printed coach departures end at 22:30 on the Gongbei line, 23:00 on the Zhongshan West line and 23:50 on the Tangjia line, the latest on the official timetable. After that it is taxis and ride-hailing. The operator advertises cover to the last flight of the day, but no airport page states that rule in writing and nothing confirms a round-the-clock taxi rank, so treat it as something to check on the night.
I am heading to Macao — train or coach?
For Gongbei Port take the train to Zhuhai station, ¥26 and 35 minutes, which puts you right beside the crossing, or the ¥30 coach to the same area. If you want the Macao hotel strip directly — Venetian, Sands, Londoner or Parisian — take the ¥80 Macao coach, six departures between 10:00 and 20:00, clearing immigration at Hengqin Port yourself.
Is the intercity manageable with big suitcases?
The 500 m footway is flat and step-free, escalators and lifts take you down to a small station, and wheeling a suitcase is easy enough. The awkward part is arriving with a crowd or with several large bags, and on those occasions the ¥30 coach is much the same money door to door and usually less trouble.