Hong Kong’s public transport is among the best in the world — dense, punctual, cheap, and almost entirely covered by a single stored-value card.
The Octopus card
Introduced in 1997 and one of the first contactless smartcards anywhere.
It covers the MTR, buses, minibuses, trams, ferries and the Peak Tram, and it is also accepted in convenience stores, supermarkets, fast food, vending machines and a great many small shops.
Buy one at any MTR station with a refundable deposit, top it up at machines or 7-Eleven counters. There is also an Octopus app with digital cards for phones.
Contactless bank cards are now accepted on the MTR and some buses, which is convenient but does not get you the fare discounts or work on minibuses and older ferries. Get the Octopus.
The MTR
Ten lines, extremely frequent, air-conditioned, signed in English and Chinese, and clean to a degree that surprises people.
It runs from around 6am to 1am. Trains every two to four minutes at peak.
Fares are distance-based and cheap. Airport Express is separate and costs considerably more.
Platform screen doors throughout, and station exits are lettered — pay attention to the exit letter, because a large interchange like Central or Mong Kok can put you several hundred metres from where you wanted.
Trams
The “ding ding” — double-decker trams running east–west along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island since 1904, and the only all-double-decker tram fleet in the world.
A flat fare, paid on exit, and it is a trivial amount. It is slow, and the upper deck front seat is one of the best sightseeing rides anywhere.
Ferries
The Star Ferry across the harbour, and outlying island ferries from Central Piers 4, 5 and 6 to Cheung Chau, Lamma, Peng Chau and Mui Wo.
All on Octopus.
Buses and minibuses
Double-decker buses cover everything the MTR does not, including the Peak and the south side of the island.
Green minibuses run fixed routes with fixed stops. Red minibuses run fixed routes but stop anywhere on request — you shout to get off, and paying is on exit in cash or Octopus depending on the route. They are fast, cheap and not really designed for visitors.
Taxis
Colour-coded by territory: red for urban Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, green for the New Territories, blue for Lantau. A red taxi cannot take you into New Territories-only areas and vice versa.
Metered, cheap by international standards, and drivers frequently speak limited English — have your destination written in Chinese, which any hotel will do.
Many take cash only. Tunnels carry additional charges.
Uber operates in a legally contested position; taxis are the reliable option.
The escalators and walkways
Hong Kong is built vertically and a great deal of pedestrian movement happens on elevated walkways and escalators — the Mid-Levels Escalator, the Central elevated walkway network, and the connections through malls.
In Central you can walk from the ferry to the Peak Tram almost entirely under cover, which in August matters.
Practical points
Exits matter. MTR stations have lettered exits and the large ones are enormous — Central and Admiralty are effectively one complex with over twenty. Note the exit letter from your directions rather than surfacing and hoping.
Octopus fare discounts apply on some interchanges and on the MTR’s fare-saver machines dotted around the city, which give a small rebate if you tap them before travelling.
Airport Express is separate and costs several times an ordinary fare.
Accessibility
Good and improving. Every MTR station has lifts, tactile guidance and wide gates, though a few older stations require a longer route. Buses are increasingly low-floor with ramps.
The obstacles are the terrain and the older buildings — Hong Kong Island rises steeply and a great many streets are stepped. The elevated walkway networks in Central and Kowloon are step-free and are the better route.
The one habit to adopt
Stand right on escalators and walk on the left. Hong Kong observes this rigorously and you will be told if you do not.
Crossing the harbour
Four ways, and they cost wildly different amounts.
MTR — four minutes, cheap, and what most people use.
Star Ferry — ten minutes, costs almost nothing, and is the better journey.
Cross-harbour bus through one of the three road tunnels — slower, and useful if you are going somewhere the MTR is not.
Taxi — quickest door to door, and picks up a tunnel toll on top of the meter.
Take the ferry when you have ten minutes. Take the MTR when you do not.