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Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
Tap your card through the MTR, put Octopus in your Wallet, and watch the typhoon signals.
Ready-made routes
Know before you go
The practical facts for Hong Kong, at a glance.
Currency
Hong Kong dollar (HKD)
about HK$7.8 to US$1 — pegged, so it barely moves
Tap to pay
Yes, almost everywhere. A contactless card or Apple Pay gets you through the MTR gates and most shops.
Power
Type G (three square pins, the UK plug)
220V, 50Hz
Tap water
The water leaving the treatment works meets WHO standards, but older buildings have old pipes. Locals boil it or drink bottled; refill stations are common in parks and malls.
Tipping
Most restaurants add a 10% service charge, so no tip on top. Round up taxis and leave small change at a cha chaan teng if you like.
Emergency
Police 999 · Ambulance 999
112 · Works with no SIM, no signal
Best months
October to December: clear skies, dry air and comfortable hiking
Entry requirements
Visa-free for most passports: 90 days for US, Canadian, Australian and EU citizens, 180 days for UK citizens. No arrival card. Hong Kong entry does not cover mainland China — Shenzhen needs its own visa or visa-free eligibility.
Paying in Hong Kong
Yes, almost everywhere. A contactless card or Apple Pay gets you through the MTR gates and most shops.
Tap to pay works
Every MTR gate, including the Airport Express
Trams, the Star Ferry and most franchised buses
Convenience stores, supermarkets and chain restaurants
Hotels, malls and attractions
Carry another way to pay
Green minibuses — Octopus only
Many dai pai dong and small noodle shops
Some street-market stalls
Older taxis, though more now take cards
Tap a Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay contactless card, or a phone wallet, at any MTR gate. It charges the same adult fare as Octopus. An Octopus in Apple Wallet covers the minibuses and small shops the bank card does not.
Apps to download
The apps people in Hong Kong actually use, in the order to set them up.
Octopus for Tourists
Free; top up from HK$100
Critical
Puts an Octopus card in Apple Wallet with a foreign card — the one thing that works on minibuses, small shops and vending machines where a bank card does not.
Before you fly
MTR Mobile
Free; most rides HK$5–30
Critical
The official metro app: journey planner, fares, and — most usefully — which lettered exit to take.
Google Maps
Free
Critical
Good for walking and the MTR. Download the territory offline before you land.
Citymapper
Free
Important
Better than Google for buses, trams and minibuses — it knows the routes the MTR does not reach.
Airalo
From about $4.50
Critical
A Hong Kong data eSIM installed before you fly, so maps and Octopus work from the arrivals hall.
Before you fly
MyObservatory
Free
Important
The Hong Kong Observatory's own app — the one source for typhoon signals and rainstorm warnings that close the city.
OpenRice
Free
Important
Where Hong Kong itself rates restaurants. Better than Google for the small places, and it can take a queue ticket for you.
Klook
Free; usually a little below the gate price
Important
Hong Kong-founded booking app. Skips the ticket queues for the Peak Tram, Ngong Ping 360 and Disneyland.
WhatsApp
Free
Important
How Hong Kong messages — hotels, tailors, tour guides and junk-boat operators all use it.
Step-by-step setup for each app is in the iPhone app.
First 60 minutes after landing
1
Tap your card at the Airport Express gate
No need for the ticket desk: a contactless Visa, Mastercard or phone opens the gate, and it is charged at the other end. The desk only matters for group or return tickets.
2
Put Octopus in Apple Wallet now if you have not
Sitting on the train is the right moment. Your bank card covers the MTR, but the minibuses, small shops and vending machines want Octopus.
3
Take cash from an ATM, not the exchange counter
HK$300–500 in HK$100 notes covers street food and markets. The exchange counters in arrivals give some of the worst rates in the city.
4
Check the weather warnings
From June to October, open MyObservatory before planning the day. A Signal 8 or Black Rainstorm shuts the city within hours, and ferries to the islands go first.
Where to stay in Hong Kong
4 cities
Hong Kong Island
Towers pressed against a mountain, with trams along the bottom and trails along the top. Central, Sheung Wan and the Peak.
Watch out for
Go up the Peak on a clear afternoon and stay for dusk. On a hazy day the view is a white wall and the queue is just as long.
The tram only takes Octopus, a contactless card or exact coins. It gives no change.
Central is built on levels joined by footbridges. Google Maps often sends you to the street below the door you want — follow the signs to the building name.
Kowloon
The harbour view everyone photographs, from the side it is taken. Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and the markets, denser and cheaper than the island.
Watch out for
Touts on Nathan Road offering suits, watches and "copy" bags work in pairs. Keep walking.
Chungking Mansions guesthouses are cheap for a reason. Read recent reviews about the lifts and fire exits before you book.
Mong Kok's street markets open from mid-afternoon; going in the morning means shutters.
Lantau
The big island by the airport: the Big Buddha, a stilt-house fishing village and the quietest beaches in the territory.
Watch out for
The Ngong Ping cable car closes for high wind and annual maintenance. Check it is running before you go, and have bus 23 from Tung Chung as the backup.
Lantau taxis are blue and only work on Lantau. A red city taxi will not take you up to Ngong Ping.
Fly out from here on your last day: Tung Chung is one stop from the airport.
Sai Kung
The other Hong Kong: country parks, hexagonal volcanic cliffs and boat rides to beaches with no road to them.
Watch out for
Green minibuses are the way out here. Most take Octopus only, and you call out your stop to the driver.
The pier sampans to the beaches agree a return time with you. Note the boat's number, and be on the beach when it comes back.
Hiking in summer is serious: carry far more water than seems sensible and start before 9 AM.
Getting around
Hong Kong airport → city
The Airport Express is the fastest, and it now takes a contactless card at the gate.
Airport Express
Trains every 10 minutes from the arrivals hall. Tap a contactless card or Octopus at the gate, or buy a ticket at the desk. Free shuttle buses run from Kowloon station to many of the big hotels.
HK$115 to Kowloon, HK$130 to Hong Kong station
22 min to Kowloon, 24 min to Hong Kong
Airbus A21
Double-decker from the bus hall to Tung Chung, Mong Kok, Jordan and Tsim Sha Tsui. Octopus, contactless or exact coins.
About HK$35–42
60–75 min to Tsim Sha Tsui
Taxi
Red taxis from the red rank go to the city. Have the hotel name in Chinese on your phone.
HK$300–400 to Central, plus a small charge per bag
35–45 min
Getting around the city
The MTR does the heavy lifting; the tram and Star Ferry are cheap and the best way to see it.
MTR
Tap any contactless card, phone or Octopus at the gate. Clean, fast and runs until about 1 AM.
HK$5–30 a ride
Trains every 2–4 minutes
Star Ferry
Tsim Sha Tsui to Central or Wan Chai. Tap your card at the turnstile. Sit on the right going to Central for the skyline.
About HK$5–8.50
10 min across the harbour
Tram ("ding ding")
Board at the back, pay as you leave at the front. Go upstairs and sit at the front.
HK$3.3 flat
Slow — walking pace in Central
Hong Kong → Macau or Shenzhen
Both are day trips, and both are a border crossing — bring your passport.
Bridge bus to Macau
Take bus B4 or a taxi to the bridge port near the airport, clear exit control, then the shuttle bus across the bridge.
About HK$65–70
About 45 min on the bus, plus border queues
TurboJET ferry to Macau
From the Shun Tak terminal at Sheung Wan. Arrive 30 minutes early for immigration.
About HK$175 economy
About 1 hour
High-speed rail to Shenzhen
From West Kowloon station, with both border controls inside the station. Book on the station machines or Trip.com.
About HK$80–100 to Futian
About 15 min
Staying connected
Yes — a carrier-locked phone cannot use a local SIM or eSIM
Airalo
Hong Kong local
3GB · 30 days · US$8.5
Cheap and enough for a week of maps and messages. Data only.
Airalo
Greater China regional
5GB · 30 days · US$18
Covers Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China, where Google and WhatsApp still work over the eSIM.
CSL
Discover Hong Kong tourist SIM
Unlimited (fair use) · 8 days · US$11
Physical SIM sold at the airport and convenience stores, from about HK$48. Gives you a +852 number.
When to go
Best months
October to December: clear skies, dry air and comfortable hiking
Hardest months
June to September — hot, very humid, and typhoon season. A Signal 8 shuts the MTR's outdoor lines, buses, ferries and most shops.
Languages
Cantonese, English (official, and on every sign), Mandarin widely understood
Getting it right socially
Stand on the right on escalators and walk on the left. MTR escalators are fast; hold the rail.
Eating and drinking on the MTR is banned and fined, including water.
Sharing a table at a busy restaurant is normal. Sit where you are put and do not linger after eating.
Pour tea for others before yourself, and tap two fingers on the table to say thanks when someone pours yours.
Ready-made routes
Hong Kong in 6 days
6 days · about US$150 a day
Harbour, temples and markets in the city, then the Big Buddha on Lantau and the beaches of Sai Kung.
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