Excessive-rise Hong Kong has lengthy been a hive of busy employee bees who rely on the town’s environment friendly transport system to whisk them from condominium to workplace to mall to restaurant and again once more.
Most individuals use the MTR, a sleek subway and practice community with greater than 150 stations dispersed throughout Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Lantau and the New Territories. However given the hilly island topography, there are numerous extra artistic methods to get from A to B, and for guests it may be much more rewarding to decelerate, keep above floor and savor the journey.
Take the Star Ferry between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon (and again once more)
Sure, they’re slower than the MTR, however the iconic inexperienced and white Star Ferries embody sluggish journey at its best. Hop aboard for jaw-dropping skyline views (day or night time), a tangible sense of historical past, and the best photograph op of your journey. Better of all, it prices lower than a cup of tea.
Observe that there are two Star Ferry routes (you can even sail from Kowloon to Wan Chai) and two ticket sorts (higher and decrease deck). Higher-deck tickets are barely costlier (as much as HK$3.70 on weekends) however include air-conditioning and higher views.
Journey the trams in north Hong Kong Island
Trying like slimmed-down London double-deckers, the “ding dings” trundle between the jap and western districts of Hong Kong Island. They’re an inexpensive, leisurely and scenic solution to go between Central and extra laidback Kennedy City, say, or to the buying mecca of Causeway Bay within the different route.
The flat fare is HK$2.60, utilizing both the precise quantity in cash or an Octopus card. Use the turnstiles behind the trams to get on, then pay on the entrance whenever you get off. Attempt to snag a entrance seat on the highest deck for the most effective views.
Hong Kong’s most well-known tram, the Peak Tram is not actually a tram in any respect however a remarkably steep funicular railway. The route was upgraded in 2022, and the tram vehicles now carry twice the passengers – 210 in whole – for the 396m (1299ft) vertical ascent to Victoria Peak and Hong Kong’s finest view.
Save your legs by driving the world’s longest out of doors people-mover
Connecting the workplace blocks of Central to extra residential zones additional up the island, the zig-zagging Central-Mid-Ranges Escalator is a commuting lifeline for Hong Kong, shifting nearly 80,000 folks a day for the 800m (2624ft) journey (all the way down to work within the morning, up from 10am till midnight).
With a number of factors to hop on and off, it’s excellent if you happen to’re heading to that hip new SoHo bar and don’t wish to sweat your method up the exhaustingly steep and humid streets. It’s additionally useful for hitting up Tai Kwun, Hong Kong’s former Central Police Station turned heritage arts advanced.
Flag down a taxi (however look ahead to the colours)
Taxis are cheaper than you may assume for a metropolis like Hong Kong, and the retro-styled Toyota vehicles are spacious and cozy (and who doesn’t love these self-opening doorways?).
The taxis are color-coded, however for many city journeys you’ll be seeing pink, which additionally occurs to be the costliest kind, charging HK$27 for the primary 2km (1.2 miles) and HK$1.90 for each 200m (656ft) and minute of wait time thereafter. Inexperienced taxis serve the New Territories, whereas the sunshine blue taxis are for Lantau.
Make sure that to get an Octopus card
Hong Kong’s rechargeable travel smartcard saves you a bit of cash on journeys, however most of all it saves time – no digging for actual change or queuing up at ticket machines.
The Octopus card prices HK$150, which features a HK$50 refundable deposit and HK$100 price of journey credit score. You need to use it on most types of transport, together with taxis and the Peak Tram; you may even use it to get into the Glad Valley racetrack. You can even obtain the Octopus app utilizing both Samsung Pay or Apple Pay and journey along with your smartphone or watch as an alternative.
Octopus playing cards are in the stores from machines in MTR stations, in addition to from comfort shops like 7-Eleven.
Take a ferry to the outlying islands
Ferries to the Outlying Islands depart from the Central Piers. They’re moderately priced, air-conditioned and a few have a primary bar that serves snacks and chilly drinks. Tickets will be purchased on the day from kiosks on the entrance to every pier. Ferries to and from the outlying islands can get very crowded on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday, particularly within the hotter months.
Don’t overlook the MTR
Clear, quick, protected and transporting round 4 million folks every single day, Hong Kong’s MTR (Mass Transit Railway) runs from 6am to someday between midnight and 1am.
Tickets are low-cost in contrast with these in lots of different world cities: between HK$5 and HK$30, although fares to stations bordering mainland China (Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau) value as much as HK$55. If doable, it’s finest to keep away from the push hours: 7.30am to 9.30am and 5pm to 7pm weekdays.
