Traveling from Hong Kong to Mainland China on the new bullet train
A new high-speed rail link opened between Guangzhou and Hong Kong in late 2018. We've never been to mainland China, and for us train nerds, this was a perfect excuse to go. Hong Kong Station Exterior First off, Americans need a visa to go to mainland China . We were originally thinking we'd just do a day trip, but when I started checking a few Hong Kong transportation forums, it seemed clear there is no way to get a day trip visa issued on the spot in Hong Kong . We decided to get the 10 year, multiple entry visa so we could go back again without having to do any further paperwork. There's a consulate here in New York City, and I did all of the visa paperwork in person. We were flying in to Hong Kong and taking the train into Guangzhou, which actually caused me some trouble with the people at the consulate . They are very focused on having your flight information for your arrival into mainland China, and we had none. The train tickets are only available 30 days in