Reading before you go
The piers, the paperwork and the timetable, written from the ferry company's own booking data rather than from a brochure.
Waitlists, explained: why sold out usually is not
Almost every full sailing on the Xiamen to Kinmen route keeps a waitlist open. What that means, and what to do when the boat you wanted says zero seats.
Read the postGetting to Wutong ferry terminal in Xiamen
Where the Xiamen ferry to Kinmen leaves from, how early to be there, and the map links to show a taxi driver. Wutong is on the northeast shore of Xiamen island.
Read the postArriving at Shuitou pier on Kinmen
Where the ferry from Xiamen and Quanzhou lands on Kinmen, what happens at the pier, and the map links for Shuitou. Thirty minutes from Wutong.
Read the postThe quieter route: Shihu port in Quanzhou to Kinmen
Two sailings a day, a 60 minute crossing, and seats on days when Xiamen has none. When the Quanzhou ferry to Kinmen is worth the trip north.
Read the postHow far ahead can you book the Kinmen ferry?
The timetable is published to a month boundary, not a fixed number of days ahead. What that means if you are planning a trip several weeks out.
Read the post