Getting
Around in Hong Kong
all about transportation |
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Above: rickshaws |
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| Hong Kong is very convenient when it
comes to getting around. You will love the subway (known as the
MTR) because it is efficient, clean, and safe
(with the only common crimes being groping and pickpocketing here
and there). Then there are the ever-present buses,
usually air-conditioned double-deckers. In addition, with Hong Kong
being so small (about 400 square miles/1000 sq km), everything is
all packed in there. It takes at most 2 hours to get somewhere,
and if it is near the MTR, usually half an hour or 45 minutes -
unless it is in the New Territories. |
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airport
transportation
- check the airport
transportation page.
trams
- they run on tracks and operate only on the northern
part of Hong Kong Island. It is a leisurely and inexpensive ride
to see the Hong Kong Island. The route is pretty much a line along
the curves of the island with just one extra loop to go into the
Happy
Valley area. The tram fare for adults is HK$2 (~US 25 cents).
Half price for children and elderly.
more
 peak
tram - a cable tram going up to Victoria
Peak from Central
district. (Check out the open
top bus to and from the lower Peak
Tram terminus)
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 MTR
- the subway and train system. It's the most convenient
way of traveling in Hong Kong. The greatest thing is that you
won't get lost as long as you can find your way back to one of
its stations. It reaches many parts of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon
and the New Territories. And the contactless "Octopus"
cash-card is probably the most advanced in the world - even if
it is not, it has to be the most widely used since a few million
people have it and use it regularly. It is great electronic-cash
for tourists when it comes to transportation. (It can also be
used in most convenient stores and supermarkets to pay for purchases.)
Unfortunately, they're now charging a fee for returning it within
3 months. But even with that, saving the hassle of figuring out
the coins is well worth the small fee. Or you can also buy one
to use for less than US$10. It's small and cute - about the size
of a large stamp.
To experience the crowds of Hong Kong, you should ride the MTR
during rush hours going toward "Central",
for instance, from anywhere in Kowloon or from Causeway
Bay on Hong Kong Island. One stop would do it!
(As of Dec 1, 2007, The MTR system now encompasses
the former KCR train system and the light rail.)
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Above: the train platform in a West
Rail station
KCR
- this is the old name of the train that goes north
into the New Territories and ultimately stops at Lo Wu. Lo Wu is
the border where you can cross into China mainland - with the right
visa. Now KCR has been merged with the MTR system
to become one. For those who are used to the old KCR, note that
the former Mong Kok station is now "Mong Kok East", and
"Kowloon" station is now "Hung Hom".
Below: KCR Train
Going to Shenzhen (the city in China just north of Hong Kong),
you can take the MTR and get to the "Kowloon Tong" station. Switch
there to the "East Rail" line heading for Lo Wu or Lok
Ma Chau.
At the time of writing, one still has to exit the
turnstiles and enter the old KCR system at some stations (Tsim
Sha Tsui-East
Tsim Sha Tsui, for example).
(2009.3.14)
  Pedestrian
tunnels connect the Tsim Sha Tsui station and the East
Tsim Sha Tsui station, The tunnels also take you to various
attractions in Tsim Sha Tsui like the Avenue
of Stars on the waterfront.
more...
In the old KCR system was also the West Rail, the
railroad link between Kowloon and western part of New Territories.
It is also part of MTR
now.
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 Light
rail - the tram that runs mainly between Yuen Long and
Tuen Mun in the New Territories. |
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Bus
- Hong Kong may not be London, but big double-decker
buses with many different routes go just about everywhere. And
most of them are air-conditioned - but there is no heater, and
even in the winter, the air-conditioners pump out cold air!
To experience vertigo, ride bus number 7 on the top deck in the
front seat from the Star Ferry terminus in Tsim
Sha Tsui, Kowloon, all the way to the end (Lok Fu).
 Buses
route numbering system - many of those with 3 digits go through
one of the cross harbor tunnels. For example, the 100s go through
the tunnel between Wanchai
and Hung Hom, the 600s go through the Eastern Cross Harbor Tunnel
(Quarry
Bay - Lam Tin), the 900s go through the Western Cross Harbor
Tunnel (Sai Ying Pun - Yau Ma Tei). (Left:
Double-decker bus)
Supposedly you cannot take luggage larger than 0.1 cubic meter
on board. links
to bus companies
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AirBus
/ Cityflyer
 These
are buses that take you to the airport. They have some luggage
space on board (not quite enough for everyone on board!). Their
route numbers always start with an A,
E, N,
or S, e.g. A21.
(Right:
airport buses)
- The A buses
are the fastest among these buses because they don't loop among
as much in the city.
- The E buses
get you there - ultimately.
- The N buses
only run in the small hours of the morning.
- The S buses
only go between "Tung Chung" (the town closest to
the airport) and the airport.
Refer to the bus company websites listed in links
section to get more info on routes.
Check the airport
transportation page for full details on different choices
of getting from the airport to the city.
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Ferry
 They
can take you across the harbor. There are also ones that run between
the main parts of Hong Kong (i.e. Hong Kong Island/Kowloon) to
the "outlying islands" (e.g. Lantau Island, Cheung Chau, Peng
Chau, Lamma Island). The piers
to the outlying islands are concentrated in Central on Hong
Kong Island near the MTR Hong Kong Station, and west of the Central
Post Office, a short walk outside the IFC
2. As of Nov 12, 2006, the Star Ferry pier in Central district
has also been moved there. Above
right: Star Ferry
 No
reservations necessary for the ferries. Check the transportation
section of the links
page for ferry operators. Left:
Outlying Island Fer
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 The
Star Ferry is
a must for tourists. It is just a short 5-minute ride between Tsim
Sha Tsui in Kowloon and Central
on Hong Kong Island. Right: a Star
Ferry with a cruise
liner in the background |
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Above right: Star
Ferry Pier and TST
clock tower at Tsim
Sha Tsui with Hong
Kong Island skyline in the background. |
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Hydrofoil
 Hydrofoil
is the most common transportation to go to Macau, the former Portugese
colony nearby. You can board one at Sun Tak Center in Sheung Wan.
[check the external links
page for the websites of the hydrofoil companies]
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| Cruise
Liners
 Being
an international port centrally located in Asia, Hong Kong has
plenty of cruise lines servicing many cities.
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Minibus
- officially known as the "maxicabs"; there are two
kinds - red top, and green top. They are 16 seat public vans.
Most of them serve as short connecting rides between MTR stations,
train terminals, shopping areas and residential areas.
You can check the minibus web page in the transportation section
of the government web site. (Click
here for the link)
As to where they all go, good luck! Even the locals don't know
except the routes they frequent. I suspect there is no web site
on all the routes either.
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Taxi
- mainly there are 3 kinds: red, green, and blue.
The blue ones can only operate on the Lantau Island (where the
airport is located, but most likely your hotel is not there).
The green ones can only operate in the New Territories. The red
ones can go anywhere except for outlying islands not connected
with a bridge. All three kinds can go to and from the airport.
So at the airport, get in the right queue! And when in doubt,
ask! If you don't want to ask, just get in a red one!
But beware
of taxi drivers in sheep's clothing!
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 Private
cars - from what I understand, the import tax is 100%
or something very high! But then the prices at the moment are
still not that bad. (Click here for link
to info about driver's license and vehicle registration.)
Right: a red Ferrari
spotted in Tsim
Sha Tsui
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Rental
cars - very rare. I don't know of anyone who has ever
rented a car to drive. (They are available though. Check the links
page - also chauffeured vehicles.) You can easily rent a van to
move things for a few hundred HK dollars for a couple of hours,
driver included, but moving is not. If it takes just one trip, there
seems to be a standard price, usually under a hundred HK dollars.
But then they may charge you a premium for being English-speakers! |
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Late
night travel - Since the MTR runs till around 00:30
a.m. Other than taxis, which are easily found, there are also public
buses (N-lines) and mini-buses. But then beware: the mini-buses
don't just run, they fly! So make sure you have life insurance,
then hang on and say a prayer!
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 Rickshaw
- these are just for the tourists - the locals don't
take them. After all HK$50 (~US$6.50) is a little steep for a five-minute
ride! Then of course that is a matter of perspective. How would
you like to pull a cart around in busy traffic loaded with a 200
pound person on a hot day?
Rickshaws can be found at the Star Ferry in Central on Hong
Kong Island. Unfortately, I have not seen any operators running
them for a while.
But watch out for rickshaws
taking you for a ride!
 If
you just want to have a picture taken, there is one sitting outside
of a restaurant on the second floor of the Hong Kong airport (not
sure if it is still there). There is also one at the Fleet Club
Arcade in Admiralty (Mar 2006).
(Left: rickshaw on display at Fleet Club Arcade)
And if you would like to rent one to operate - longer term, that
is, I think you can find the contact information on a few outside
the Star
Ferry pier on Hong Kong Island
(2007.5.1).
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Above: helicopter near the Peninsula
Hotel in Tsim
Sha Tsui where a helipad is located on the roof.
helicopter - If you want get to
Macau quick, you can hop into a chopper. Or if you just have half
an hour to see all of Hong Kong, this is the way to go! You can
get a 15-minute helicopter ride for the price of a couple of bills
(not any small bills, of course!) link
to helicopter tour operator
number
11 bus - the old locals' term for walking! You will
be doing a lot of that shopping!
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