Arriving in Hong Kong via airplane and other Hong Kong Transportation Tips

'Mode': TO
Category: Airplane
Getting TO/AROUND: The flight from Seoul to Hong Kong is only a few hours. I took Cathay Pacific and was very pleased with their service. Good food, great service at a nice price.

The Hong Kong International Airport is a very nice, modern facility located on an island 20+ km from the city center.

Immediately after exiting customs & immigration, you will find an ATM where you can get Hong Kong Dollars, a ticket machine for the train to the city, and a hotel finder service. I took advantage of all three. The only bad deal was the ATM. As expected, you get a very poor exchange rate at ATMs in the airport (I think it was about HK $7.2 = US$ 1 compared to HK$7.8 = US$ 1 at money exchanges in the city.

From the airport, you can take a train or a bus to the city. It is a fairly long hike to the train station depending on which terminal you arrived at, and the way is not always clearly marked.

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Website: http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/index.jsp

'Mode': TO
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: The high speed airport express train is a very good way to get to downtown Hong Kong from the airport. You can purchase tickets just outside of immigrations at the airport or in the train station. Kowloon is the third stop on the Airport Express train. The cost is HK$90 and the trip takes about 20 minutes to get to Kowloon Station.

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Website: http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/aguide/airportex.html

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Walking is a great way to get around Hong Kong. There are sidewalks in every neighborhood, cross walks are well marked, and there are many pedestrian underpasses (subways) to get you across busy intersections. Just remember, Hong Kong is a huge city... walking is a great way to get around within a neighborhood, but stick to the Metro, taxis, trams, and ferries to get between neighborhoods.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: The taxi is another good means of transportation in Hong Kong. They are plentiful, easy to spot, and easy to hail. Just look for the small red cars with the white taxi sign on the roof. Base charge is 15 HK$ (about US$2). A long trip, like Kowloon to Central, will run you about 80 HK$ (US$ 10). Their only drawback is their high cost relative to other modes of public transportation such as the ferries and the subway.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: The Hong Kong Subway, officially known as the Mass Transit Railway (MTR), is my favorite way to travel around the city. There are 49 stations located in every major neighborhood, and over 2.4 million people use the system each day. There are only 4 different subway lines, so it is very simple to use. Costs vary by distance of your journey and prices range from about US$1.50 to US$2.40. The subway is the quickest way to get across the harbor between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.

Most of the tourist sites on Hong Kong Island are located on the Blue Line (Central, Admirality, Wanchai, Causeway Bay). The tourist areas in Kowloon are located primarily on the Red Line (Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan, Yau Ma Tei). The Blue Line and Red Line cross on Hong Kong Island at Central Station and Admirality Station.

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Website: http://www.mtrcorp.com/prehome/index.html

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: The Star Ferry is the cheapest and most scenic route across the harbor between Kowloon and HK Island. Costing only HK $2.2 (US$ 0.25!) for a one way trip, the ferry is only about 1/6th the price of the same subway ride and 1/40th the cost of a taxi. While going across the harbor you get many great photo opportunities of the city and Victoria Peak. The ride takes only about 10 minutes, and ferries depart about every 10 minutes throughout the day, so the wait is never too long.

The main ferry routes within the city are:
Tsim Sha Sui <--> Central
Tsim Sha Sui <--> Wanchai
Hung Hom <--> Central
Hung Hom <--> Wanchai

Plus there are many routes to the surrounding islands.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: The Hong Kong Island Tram is a cheap and easy way to transit Hong Kong Island from Causeway Bay to Western. Since there is only one line, there are no transfers to worry about and you get a nice view of the city while you ride.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: The Peak Tram, established in 1888, offers a spectacular ride to the top of Victoria Peak. Today, over 3.5 million people take the tram to the top of the Peak. That is more than the number of people who ride Hong Kong's subway each year!!!

The tram runs from 0700 until midnight, and costs HK$20 one or HK$30 round trip. It departs about every ten minutes from the terminus at the bottom of the mountain, located near Central Subway Station and Hong Kong Park. There are also 4 intermediate stops on the journey to the top. The total trip time is only seven minutes and it climbs 368 meters.

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Phone: (852) 2849 0818
Website: http://www.thepeak.com.hk/tram/location.html
Other Contact: e-mail: peaktram@peninsula.com

'Mode': TO
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: A trip to Macau offers a nice break from the constant crowds and traffic of Hong Kong. There are several ferry options to get you there. I took the ferry from Kowloon Ferry Terminal. The cost for economy class is HK$141 and the ride takes about an hour. There are several different companies offering ferry rides to Macau, but the only major difference is their departure schedule. Between the companies, ferries depart about every 30 minutes from 0700 to 2200.

The Kowloon Ferry Terminal is located at 33 Canton Rd on the western side of Kowloon, near Kowloon Park.

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