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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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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 will not get lost as long as you can find your way back to one
of its stations. It reaches many parts of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. And the
contactless "Octopus" fare-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 has 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 just started 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.
To experience the crowds of Hong
Kong, you should ride it 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! The MTR system now encompasses the former KCR train system and the light rail (as of Dec 1, 2007).  - see the new system map here
- MTR
routes (old)
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KCR - 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 it 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. At the time of writing, one still has to exit the turnstiles and enter the old KCR system at some stations (Kowloon Tong and Tsim Sha Tsui / East Tsim Sha Tsui, for example). (2007.12.28)   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. 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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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). Supposedly you cannot take luggage larger than
0.1 cubic meter on board. links
to bus companies
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Double-decker bus |
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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. -
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. | 
Above: airport buses
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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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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. |
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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. If it is 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 1 a.m., I am talking about after midnight or
1:00am. Other than taxis, which are easily found, there are also public buses
and mini-buses. But then beware: the mini-buses don't just run, they fly! So 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 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 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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Related
Pages
 airport
transportation
airport
tips
Hong
Kong International Airport
Outlying
Islands Ferry Piers
Links to
transportation websites
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