Transport Tips for Hong Kong

The moment you clear customs at Hong Kong International, make a beeline for any 7-Eleven or MTR station counter and buy an Octopus Card. This little plastic miracle is how you pay for absolutely everything that moves in Hong Kong — MTR trains, buses, trams, ferries, minibuses, and even street vendors who've been using it longer than most Western cities had contactless payment.

Load HK$300-500 to start (trust me, it disappears fast). The card itself costs HK$50 deposit which you get back when leaving, plus whatever credit you load. You can top up at any MTR station, 7-Eleven, Circle K, or those orange machines scattered everywhere. Way better than juggling coins on a swaying minibus or trying to pay exact change at a dai pai dong noodle stall.

Pro transport hack: works immediately on the Airport Express train (HK$115 to Central), so you skip the tourist ticket confusion and those painful queues at the machines. Also covers the Star Ferry (HK$4.80), Peak Tram (HK$99), all outlying island ferries, and even some McDonald's locations. Basically, if it moves people or food in Hong Kong, Octopus handles it.

Ultimate lazy traveler bonus: link it to Apple Pay if you've got an iPhone, so you can tap your phone instead of fishing for the card every time.

The Ngong Ping Cable Car up to Big Buddha offers stunning views over Lantau Island's mountains and coastline — Worth every penny of the HK$245 round-trip fare for that ascent. But here's a literary traveler's secret: take bus #23 back down to Tung Chung for just HK$17, saving yourself HK$100+ while experiencing a completely different perspective of the island.

The bus descent winds through Lantau's interior on narrow mountain roads, past villages and forested hills that the cable car passengers never see. It's reminiscent of those winding bus journeys through Welsh valleys that Chatwin wrote about — Slow, contemplative, revealing the landscape's true character rather than just its postcard views. The 45-minute ride gives you time to digest the spiritual experience of the Big Buddha while watching rural Hong Kong unfold outside your window.

Practically speaking, the bus deposits you directly at Tung Chung MTR Station (just a 2-minute walk), while the cable car station requires a longer trek with your potentially tired legs. Use that saved money for a proper meal instead of the overpriced tourist fare in Ngong Ping Village. Bus #23 runs every 15-20 minutes from the Big Buddha area, and accepts Octopus cards.

I've done this descent while reading Ackroyd's writings on London's hidden paths — There's something beautifully fitting about taking the road less traveled, even when leaving one of Hong Kong's most visited attractions.

Forget the unreliable Airport Express shuttle buses — The real hack is the MTR's Early Bird Discount that nobody talks about. Travel before 7:15am and get 25% off your first Octopus card journey of the day. So Airport Express to Central (normally HK$115) becomes HK$86.25 if you land early enough to catch the first train.

The Better Reality: Even without early bird pricing, Airport Express + MTR combo beats taxis every time. HK$115 Airport Express to Hong Kong Station + HK$5-12 for onward MTR connections = maximum HK$127 total. Compare that to HK$500+ taxi fares from HKG, and you're saving enough for two days of proper dim sum instead of overpriced airport sandwiches.

Off-Peak Bonus: If you're staying longer, load up your Octopus card and use the off-peak discounts on buses. Routes like 219X express (Laguna City to Tsim Sha Tsui) and A21 airport bus offer 10-15% discounts during non-rush hours — Just wave your Octopus twice quickly to check your balance and see the discounted fare applied.

Back in my broke uni days, I'd time my airport arrivals for maximum discount combinations. Every HK$20-30 saved meant another bowl of wonton mein instead of instant noodles in the hostel!

Hong Kong runs three completely separate taxi fleets by color, and they're territorial as hell. Red taxis own Hong Kong Island and Kowloon — That's Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, all the tourist hotspots. Green taxis stick to New Territories (outer suburbs). Blue taxis only work Lantau Island where the airport sits.

The system breakdown: Red taxis start at HK$27 (first 2km), green at HK$23.50, blue at HK$22. Sounds simple until you're stranded in Sha Tin with a red taxi that legally can't take you back to Central. Rush hour surcharge is HK$5 (7-9am, 5:30-7:30pm), plus HK$6 for each piece of luggage.

Most drivers speak zero English, so get your destination written in Chinese characters before leaving your hotel. The HKTaxi app saves major headaches — Lets you input destinations in English and shows drivers exactly where to go. Download it before you need it, trust me.

Pro tip from getting stuck in the boonies: If you're hiking or exploring New Territories, always check if green taxis can actually get you back to civilization. Some hiking trails are taxi dead zones.

Star Ferry gets all the love but the real ferry routes for surfers head south to the outer islands. The Cheung Chau ferry from Central Pier 5 cuts directly through the channel giving you perfect views of incoming swells hitting the southern beaches.

Ordinary ferry costs HK$15.90 weekdays, HK$24.80 weekends for the 55-minute ride. Fast ferry bumps up to HK$31.50/HK$47.40 but cuts transit to 35 minutes. Both give you clear sight lines to check surf conditions at Turtle Bay and Tung Wan Beach — You can literally see if there's rideable swell before committing to the full day trip.

Bonus is the ferry route passes right by some gnarly reef breaks around Po Toi and smaller islands that get decent size when typhoon swells wrap around from the South China Sea. Plus Cheung Chau itself has board rentals (around HK$200/day) and the ferry terminal is walking distance from the surf breaks. Way better than just crossing the harbour for photos.

Take tram route from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan for the full Hong Kong Island experience. Use your Octopus card for easy payment, sit on the top deck if possible. It's slow but you see everything: wet markets, old buildings, modern towers. Much better value than tour buses.

Skip the expensive taxi to Stanley and take bus 6 from Exchange Square Central. Takes 45 minutes but goes through Repulse Bay with amazing coastal views for just HK$10.

The bus ride is half the experience with mountain and ocean views. Stanley Market is touristy but the bus route shows you Hong Kong Island's south side that most visitors miss. Regular public buses to Stanley run on schedules, while hop-on-hop-off tour buses run every 30-60 minutes.

Red minibuses go everywhere and they're way faster than the MTR for certain routes, but tourists never use them because they seem complicated. Most have destination signs in English now.

Key signal: point down to get off at the next stop. Pay when you get off, usually HK$6-12. The Causeway Bay to Tsim Sha Tsui route via the tunnel is particularly useful and runs constantly.

There's a ferry from Central Pier 1 to Hung Hom that runs every 30 minutes and costs HK$3. Takes 15 minutes and gives you different harbor views than Star Ferry.

Useful if you're going to the Hong Kong Coliseum area or just want to avoid the crowds on Star Ferry. Runs 7am-7pm weekdays, weekends until 6pm.

There's a passenger ferry that runs between the old Kai Tak cruise terminal and Kwun Tong that gives you amazing harbor views for HK$2.50. Runs every 20-30 minutes and takes about 15 minutes each way.

Most tourists never discover this route because both terminals are off the main tourist areas, but the views of Hong Kong Island from the water are better than Star Ferry since you're further out in the harbor. Plus you get to see the Kai Tak cruise terminal which is pretty impressive architecture.

Combine it with exploring Kwun Tong's industrial art galleries or just use it as a cheap harbor cruise. Ferry runs roughly 7am to 8pm daily.

MTR last trains run 12:15-1:00am depending on the line, but Airport Express shuts down earlier around 12:48am from Hong Kong Station. Missing the last Airport Express means either a HK$500+ taxi to HKG or sleeping in the arrivals hall until 5:50am when service resumes.

Tsuen Wan Line (serving Tsim Sha Tsui) runs until 1:00am toward Central, but if you're bar-hopping in Lan Kwai Fong and staying near the airport, that Airport Express cutoff will catch you. Check MTR Mobile app for real-time last train updates — Typhoons and signal problems sometimes trigger early shutdowns without warning.

Learned this the hard way after late drinks in Tsim Sha Tsui. Ran to Kowloon Station at 12:55am only to find Airport Express already finished for the night. Ended up paying HK$520 for a taxi that took 45 minutes in light traffic. Now I set phone alarms for 11:30pm as last-train warning when drinking anywhere beyond walking distance from my accommodation.

Everyone takes Star Ferry but the Hung Hom to North Point route gives you the best views of the harbor without tourist crowds. Runs every 20 minutes, costs HK$3.4, and takes about 8 minutes across.

You see the whole skyline from a different angle and North Point has good local restaurants when you arrive. Much more authentic than the Central-TST tourist ferry route.

Forget the expensive hop-on-hop-off buses. Bus 15 from Exchange Square in Central goes up through Mid-Levels to The Peak with amazing harbor views the whole way. Costs HK$5.10 with Octopus Card.

Sit on the right side going up for best views. Takes about 20 minutes to the top and you can get off anywhere along the route.

Most tourists stick to the Star Ferry but Hong Kong has other cross-harbor ferry routes worth exploring. Various piers connect different parts of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island with harbor views.

Great alternative to crowded MTR and you get harbor views. Check current ferry schedules as routes and times can change. Much more scenic than tunnel crossings.

The red minibuses don't have fixed stops and routes change based on traffic, but they're often faster than the MTR for certain routes. You flag them down and tell the driver your destination. Payment is exact change only, usually HK$5-15.

Watch locals for the hand signals — Different gestures mean different destinations. Useful for getting around areas not well-served by MTR, but definitely not beginner-friendly transport. Green minibuses have fixed routes if you want something more predictable.