Most travellers reach Hong Kong by air, landing at the city’s huge and award-winning international airport, built on reclaimed land at Chek Lap Kok to the north of Lantau Island. It is an impressive introduction to Hong Kong's transport system. The Airport Express Line of Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is the fastest way into the city, with trains leaving from the departures level. An adult one-way ticket between the airport and Hong Kong Station costs HK$100. Alternatively, a wide range of buses link most areas of Hong Kong with the airport. The A11 (with fares starting at HK$40) and the A12 (HK$45) are the most useful for travellers as they go to the major hotel areas on Hong Kong Island.
Mass Transit Railway
Hong Kong’s MTR is probably the best underground railway system in the world. Reliable, fast and reasonably priced, it connects much of urban Hong Kong, linking Hong Kong Island to Kowloon and Lantau, with lines branching off to the airport and Disneyland. The system is easy to navigate as station signs are in both Chinese characters and English, and upcoming stations are announced in both languages. A typical journey from the shopping havens of Central to Causeway Bay costs HK$5. The ticket machines accept both notes and coins.
Trams
Hong Kong’s trams date back to 1904, when the first tram made its way along Arsenal Street in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district. A bell rang out in warning, and the locals have called trams ding-dings ever since. Today, the tram route has extended to cover much of northern Hong Kong Island, with 30 kilometres of track. Fares are a refreshingly cheap HK$2 to any point along the track, payable when getting off the tram.
Boats
Plying the waters of Victoria Harbour between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon since 1880, the Star Ferry remains the icon of Hong Kong. The journey is particularly quick these days, just 10 minutes, due to the shrinking nature of Hong Kong Harbour as more and more land is reclaimed, but the view remains spectacular. The one-way adult fare from Wan Chai to Tsim Sha Tsui is HK$2.20. Other ferry companies operate boats to the outlying islands, including Lantau, Cheung Chau and Lamma, from piers 4, 5 and 6 in Central on Hong Kong Island.
Buses
The bus system is extensive if a little confusing. Hong Kong’s heavy traffic can make bus journeys quite slow, and exact change is needed. The Hong Kong Tourist Board has leaflets detailing the major bus routes. Fares range from HK$1.20 to HK$45, depending on the destination. As with the trams, passengers need exact change.
Taxis
Taxis are plentiful and relatively cheap, although like the buses they are at the mercy of traffic conditions. Fares are HK$18 for the first two kilometres, then HK$1.50 for every additional 200 metres.
Hong Kong’s public transport system is admirably integrated, with many interchanges between bus, train, tram and ferry. As for fares, exact change is needed, but many locals and visitors use the Octopus Card, a rechargeable smart card which is valid on most forms of public transport. It costs HK$150, which includes a $50 deposit and $100 worth of travel. The deposit is refundable.
For shorter stays there’s the Airport Express Tourist Octopus card and the Tourist MTR 1-Day Pass.
The Octopus Card can also be used in a wide range of shops, from MacDonalds to 7-Eleven to café chain Delifrance.
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