 Whether you arrive by air, rail, or sea, you'll be downtown in no time. Hong Kong's modern, efficient public transportation network will knock your socks off! A spotless subway system, the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) has ten lines connecting major population centers, New Territories and Mainland China; it also has the fastest ride to and from the airport. Buses zip the length and breadth of the city, 24 hours a day. You'll be impressed by how far you can go without ever setting foot in an automobile.
For cheap thrills, go joyriding on Hong Kong Island's double-decker tram system, which costs only $2 no matter how long the journey. If you need to get off the beaten track, public light buses (technically called maxi cabs, known to all as green or red minibuses) fly through less-serviced areas. Red ones go anywhere, green ones have set routes. Wear a seatbelt, and learn to scream "yau lok!" (stop!) in Cantonese. |
For a lower-adrenaline experience, take an environmentally friendly LPG-powered taxi. They come in three colors - red in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, green in the New Territories, and blue on Lantau Island. The red ones can go anywhere in the territory (except for the outlying islands, of course!), while the green and blue are confined to their respective areas.
Hong Kong's hilly terrain calls for some out-of-the-ordinary means of transport - witness the annual sedan chair race up to Victoria Peak, a masochistic reenactment of the days when ladies had to be carried to the top. So, while you can hike there, it's much more fun to be pulled up the near-vertical hillside by Hong Kong's oldest mode of transport, the PeakTram. Haven't had enough hauling? Step onto the world's longest outdoor covered escalator to get to Soho's nightlife, or take a swinging ride over the wilds of Lantau on the new Ngong Ping 360 cable car.
Ferries cruise to the main outlying islands, and across Victoria Harbor. The Star Ferry, a personal favorite of martial arts star Jackie Chan, runs between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It's popular among tourists for its stunning views of the skyline, and among locals for its wallet-friendly fares. Jetfoils ply the waters between Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, and other cities in South China in record time. To get to truly remote islands, try a kaido (ferry-like boats that may or may not run at scheduled times) or sampan (small, private boats that can be hired by flagging down local fisher folk).
With such fantastic public transportation, who needs a car? Driving in Hong Kong requires wealth, patience, and nerves of steel. Expect to sit in long traffic jams, get cut off by impudent taxi drivers, and shell out a considerable amount of money for parking. Keep left, and try not to get distracted by all the luxury cars around you - unless, of course, you're in one.
Before you start traveling, pick up a handy-dandy Octopus card. It works like a debit card, subtracting money every time you use it to pay for most public transportation. It also works at some supermarkets, fast food joints, and vending machines.
