Lamma Island or Cheung Chau: Which Hong Kong Island is Best in 2025?
Lamma Island or Cheung Chau? Which outlying island in Hong Kong should you visit for a day trip or a longer stay? You could choose either Lamma Island or Cheung Chau to escape from the city crowds and both islands are very scenic and easily accessible by ferry.
They have beautiful swimming beaches, delicious seafood, and a quieter, more traditional way of life, but is Cheung Chau or Lamma Island better?
Lamma is better for hiking, birding and scenic views, and has a wider selection of beaches while Cheung Chau has a colourful harbour, a great choice of restaurants and some good swimming beaches.
I’ve been to both islands and can recommend either for a great day out. But if you’re short of time and need to choose between them this article looks at the similarities and differences to help you decide whether Cheung Chau or Lamma Island is a better fit for you.
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Is Lamma Island or Cheung Chau the Best Island Escape?
The outlying islands are the best place to stay in Hong Kong for an island escape. There are no cars on either Lamma Island or Cheung Chau, just walking trails, bicycles and electric village vehicles.
Both islands are blissfully quiet with no traffic noise but Lamma is less densely populated and the quieter of the two. They both have fishing villages, a long seafaring tradition, and restaurants offering fresh seafood.
Lamma Island Hong Kong is long, narrow and much larger than Cheung Chau. It’s the 3rd largest of Hong Kong’s 260+ islands, 7 kilometres long with an area of 14.5 square kilometres and an elevation of 353 metres.
Cheung Chau on the other hand is much smaller, only 2.46 square kilometres with an elevation of only 95 metres. The name Cheng Chau means “Long Island” and it has a narrow isthmus where most of the population live.
Cheung Chau is a lot smaller than Lamma Island but has a much larger population. Around 22,000 people live on Cheung Chau while only 6,000 people live in the fishing villages on Lamma Island.
So, if you want to get away from it all, hike to scenic viewpoints and escape city life, Lamma is the better island to add to your Hong Kong itinerary, but if you’re happy to explore the village and the colourful harbour on a bicycle, and don’t mind being around other people then head to Cheung Chau.
Winner: Lamma Island
Lamma island or Cheung Chau: Pros & Cons
| Lamma Island: Pros | Cheung Chau: Pros |
| Beautiful scenery | Colourful Harbour |
| Fishing Villages | Fishing Village |
| Good swimming beaches with lifeguards & facilities | Good swimming beaches with lifeguards & facilities |
| Viewpoints | Viewpoint |
| Easy walking trails | Easy Walking Trails |
| No Cars | No cars |
| Small population: around 6,000 people | More densely populated: 22,000 people |
| Access by ferry from Central Pier #4 & Aberdeen Promenade | Access by ferry from Central Pier #5 |
| The ferry takes around 30 minutes | Fast ferry takes around 35 minutes / slow ferry 55 minutes |
| WW11 Kamikaze cave | Smugglers cave |
| Small village temples | Small village temples |
| Good choice of restaurants | Good choice of restaurants |
| Expats live here | Bicycles for hire |
| Relaxed, laidback vibe | Relaxed, laidback vibe |
| 4 Ferry Piers | Annual Bun Festival (early May) |
| Kayak at Mo Tat Wan Beach | Windsurf at Afternoon Beach |
| Lamma Island: Cons | Cheung Chau: Cons |
| A large ugly power station spoils the view | More crowded |
| It takes over an hour to walk between villages | The slow ferry takes twice as long to get there |
| Ferries from Sok Kwu Wan are less frequent | Busy on weekends and more likely to be crowded |
| Busier on weekends |
Lamma Island vs Cheung Chau: Location
Lamma Island has the better location just 6 kilometres from Aberdeen on the far side of Hong Kong Island and 10 kilometres from Central Pier.
Cheung Chau is a bit further away, just under 17 kilometres from Hong Kong Central Pier.
Winner: Lamma Island
Getting to Cheung Chau or Lamma Island
You can catch a ferry from Hong Kong Central Pier to either Cheung Chau or Lamma Island.
Ferries to Cheung Chau leave from Central Pier No. 5. I caught the fast ferry over and the slow ferry back. The views from the slow boat were lovely and I enjoyed being out on the water.
Ferries to Lamma Island leave from Central Pier No. 4.
But you can also catch a ferry to Lamma Island Hong Kong from Aberdeen Harbour on the other side of the island to Central Pier and I can recommend this option.
Ferries leave from the Pier on Aberdeen Promenade and go to:
- Sok Kwu Wan via Mo Tat Wan on Lamma Island. It takes around 25 minutes to reach Mo Tat Wan and another 10 minutes to Sok Kwu Wan.
- Yung Shue Wan via Pak Kok Tsuen on Lamma Island. The trip takes around 25 minutes to Pak Kok Tsuen and another 15 minutes to Yung Shue Wan.
On my day trip to Lamma Island, I caught an early bus to Aberdeen from Causeway Bay. The ferry pier was easy to find on the harbour Promenade and the Aberdeen Fish Market was in full swing.
While I waited for the ferry (about half an hour) I watched local people buying fresh seafood straight from the fishing boats moored by the pier.
I took the first ferry leaving from Aberdeen Harbour and it went to Yung Shue Wan (Banyan Tree Bay), the busiest part of Lamma Island. I paid the fare in cash on the boat as there was no option for using an Octopus card.
Catching the ferry from Aberdeen was much more interesting than from Central Pier but I suggest getting there early in the morning to catch the best of the Aberdeen Fish Market.
Getting to Lamma Island is easier with more options. Ferries leave from both Central Pier and Aberdeen Harbour.
Winner: Lamma Island
Cheung Chau vs Lamma Island: Character
While both islands have a busy harbour with waterfront restaurants and shops, Cheung Chau has a harbour full of brightly coloured fishing boats. When I first arrived at Cheung Chau Pier I was struck by the vibrant and unique character of the island.
The busy harbourfront was unlike anything I had seen before. Fishermen were wearing distinctive sun hats and the local people rode around on pushbikes with umbrellas attached to the handlebars providing shade from the sun.
Lamma Island has interesting villages but they are smaller and quieter. Cheung Chau is vibrant and colourful and wins for its unique character.
Winner: Cheung Chau
TIP: Lantau Island (The Big Buddha) and Macau are some more great day trips from Hong Kong that I can recommend.
Lamma vs Cheung Chau: Things to Do
Best Things to Do on Lamma Island Hong Kong
- Hiking: Walk across the island from village to village on the scenic family trail, an easy 5km path. I did this walk via Hung Shin Ye Beach and enjoyed some stunning views across the island and beaches along the way.
- Loop walk from Sok Kwu Wan, an easy 6km trail
- The Mount Stenhouse hike starts at the Sok Kwu Wan ferry pier and leads to the top of the mountain.
TIP: I caught the ferry from Aberdeen Harbour to the busier Yung Shue Wan and walked to the quieter ferry pier at Sok Kwu Wan. This worked well for me but it makes sense to go the other way and start at Sok Kwu Wan as ferries leave more frequently from Yung She Wan for the return trip.
- Explore the WW11 Kamikaze cave on the family trail not far from Sok Kwu Wan. The Japanese hid Kamikaze speedboats in this cave during the Second World War.
- Relax & swim at the beach. Choose a busy beach with cafes & facilities like Hung Shin Ye or get away from it all on a remote beach like Shek Pai Wan or Power Station Beach.
- Enjoy fresh seafood, a local specialty at the popular Rainbow Seafood Restaurant in Sok Kwu Wan.
- Explore the fishing villages on Lamma Island
- Visit the Tin Hau Temples in Yung She Wan, Sok Kwu Wan and Luk Chau are dedicated to worshipping the goddess of the sea.
- Go birding on Lamma Island. 159 species can be seen on the island including warblers, egrets, hawks and cormorants.
Best things to do on Cheung Chau Island Hong Kong
- Explore the village, the market and the picturesque harbour
- Visit Hong Kong’s oldest temple. The Taoist Pak Tai Temple on Pak She Street is in the centre of the village and is a historical landmark in Hong Kong.
- Shop for souvenirs at ‘Cheung Chau Garden” for local arts & crafts at a reasonable price
- Explore the walking trails across the island.
- Hike to the North Lookout Pavillion at Cheung Chau’s highest point.
- Cheung Po Tsai Cave – explore the smuggler’s cave on the family walk
- Relax & swim at Tung Wan Beach across the island from the ferry pier just follow the signs. Toilets and change room facilities are available.
- Windsurf at Afternoon Beach, watch the sunset & eat at the café
- Visit Nam Tam Wan Beach
- Try “Mochi” a local sweet made from rice flour filled with dragon fruit, mango or durian on Cheung Chau Island Hong Kong.
- Visit Cheung Chau for the Annual Bun Festival. Usually held in early May, the Taoist festival often coincides with the Buddha’s birthday and draws tens of thousands of visitors to the small island for a celebration of Chinese culture.
Both Lamma Island and Cheung Chau are fun to visit but Lamma is the larger Island with more things to do and a bigger selection of hiking trails, viewpoints and beaches to choose from.
Winner: Lamma Island
Cheng Chau vs Lamma Island: Beaches
Lamma Island has more beaches than Cheung Chau. There’s more choice and fewer people for a day of relaxing and swimming on Lamma Island.
- Hung Shin Ye is the most popular beach on Lamma Island and is often crowded on weekends. There are restaurants, shops, and cafes and the beach has showers, toilets lifeguards and hotels nearby.
- Lo Shing Beach in the centre of Lamma Island is a great swimming beach. It’s a bit off the beaten track and doesn’t get crowded but has lifeguards and toilet facilities.
- Power Station Beach is a secluded beach with no facilities near the huge power station on Lamma Island just a 15-minute walk from the Yung Shwe Wan Ferry Pier.
- Shek Pai Wan Beach is the longest beach on Lamma Island and a quiet and beautiful stretch of sand and waves. It’s closest to Mo Tat Wan ferry pier.
- Mo Tat Wan Beach is a lovely beach for kayaking and relaxing. Hire a kayak or a room at The Bay restaurant and stop for a meal as well.
- Sham Wan Beach is a lovely beach with a remote location on Lamma Island. A nesting site for endangered sea turtles the beach is closed from June to November and has no facilities.
On Cheung Chau Island there are only 2 swimming beaches with lifeguards and facilities but there are other sandy bays where you can swim without facilities.
- Tung Wan Beach is the main beach in the village and is quite built up, surrounded by hotels, houses and restaurants. It’s a lovely stretch of golden sand and is good for swimming and has a pretty view, a netted swimming area and toilet facilities. It’s easily accessible on foot on the opposite side of the village to the harbour and the ferry pier.
- Kwun Yam Beach is a smaller quieter, swimming beach on Cheung Chau with a popular beachside bar. The Windsurfer Café is in the Lifesaver building behind the beach and is a good spot for afternoon tea.
- Harder to get to Afternoon Beach, also known as Italian Beach has a café and is a great place to watch the sunset. It’s also the place for windsurfing on Cheung Chau.
- Turning left from the ferry pier I wandered along the coast road past the Pak Tai Temple to Tai Kwai Wan Beach and enjoyed relaxing in the shade watching the boats and ferries passing by. It’s not officially a swimming beach but is a nice place to chill out.
While there are some beautiful swimming beaches on Cheung Chau, Lamma Island has a wider choice of beautiful beaches.
Winner: Lamma Island
Lamma Island or Cheung Chau: Eating
Lamma Island has a great selection of restaurants, bars and cafes. Yung She Wan has the widest choice but Sok Kwu Wan also has some great places to eat
- Rainbow Seafood Restaurant in Sok Kwu Wan on the waterfront
- Bookworm Cafe Yung She Wan
- Banyon Bay Café Yung She Wan for a traditional English breakfast
- Lamma Grill Yung She Wan for a BBQ
- Dale Candela Yung She Wan serves Spanish Tapas with live music
On Cheung Chau head to
- Hometown Teahouse for freshly baked buns filled with red bean paste and delicious Chinese tea.
- New Baccarat for fresh seafood
- Bayview Chinese restaurant
- Windsurfer Outdoor Café in the Cheung Chau windsurfing centre.
- Muglan for a western meal
Both Lamma Island & Cheung Chau have some great places to enjoy the local seafood but Cheung Chau has “mochi” a specialty dish to try.
Winner: Cheung Chau
Lamma Island vs Cheung Chau: Where to Stay
Where to stay on Lamma Island
For an extended island getaway in Hong Kong, stay at the popular Hung Shin Ye Beach on Lamma Island at Concerto Inn or Bayshore Inn.
Where to stay on Cheung Chau
The beachside Warrick Hotel on Tung Wan Beach is in the centre of the village and has a great location for an island getaway, close to restaurants, cafes and bars and just a 5-minute walk from the ferry pier.
Lychee Sunset Hotel is another option on Cheung Chau located near the marina around 100 metres from the beach.
Final Thoughts: Lamma Island or Cheung Chau
I enjoyed visiting both islands on a solo trip to Hong Kong and can recommend either Lamma Island or Cheung Chau to escape the city, enjoy a scenic ferry ride, a swim and a delicious seafood meal. But if I had to choose, Lamma Island is bigger with more to offer in terms of hiking trails, scenic viewpoints and beautiful beaches.
I loved Cheung Chau’s colourful harbour and laidback village vibe but the wide-open spaces, quiet trails and gorgeous coastal views make Lamma Island a better escape from the hustle and bustle. It’s a bigger island with more to do.
I would happily go back and stay for a few days on Lamma Island, but a day trip was enough for me to get a feel for Cheung Chau’s vibrant and unique character.
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