Taxis are cheap and plentiful but getting to an exact address can be difficult unless your Cantonese is up to scratch. Use the underground (MTR) instead.

Each MTR station has lettered exits. There is always a map in the station and using this can help you find the correct exit. Or just ask the office you are visiting for the exit number. If you are revisiting, write the exit number on any business card you get - but not while you are in the meeting. It's a bit of an insult to write on a business card.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

How can waving your handbag over a sensor gain you entry to the underground railway network? They must have an Octopus card in there somewhere. A must-buy as soon as you arrive in HK. The best thing to use when paying for public transport (except taxis). You simply pay a HK$50 deposit (which is refunded on its return, or you can keep as a souvenir) and add as much value as you think you need. We charged ours up with HK$100 which lasted us comfortably for 3 days travel. Simply wave your card over the reader to gain entry to the MTR and then wave it again to exit. Your fare is calculated and deducted. Dead easy to use. Not only that but the MTR is the most efficient way to get around Hong Kong. My wife summed it up best when she mused that the MTR is the best underground railway she had even been on. When asked why she simply replied "it's so clean and I feel tall".

Valid though these reasons may be, what impressed me was the speed and the efficiency of the service which moves 2.4 million people every weekday through its 51 stations over 83.7km. Simple touches like a map showing you where on the line your train is and lights showing which side of the train the door will open on made the journeys more enjoyable.

Unlike older underground networks, like London, you can also get a mobile phone signal on the MTR, making sure you don't miss that vital call. It is also cheap with the maximum fare around HK$13 for a single journey (unless you venture out to Chung Tung which will set you back HK$20 – around £1.20). Of course there is the inconvenience of packed carriages at times and the confusion about which exit to take in the larger stations but the attractions are all well signposted. But we agreed that safe is the keyword for the MTR. We always felt safe, unlike in London, Rome, Paris and Barcelona, which is possibly due to the clean, modern look of the stations and the trains.

The only problem is that it is largely underground! Whilst the MTR is the way to get around Hong Kong, the Star Ferry is the only way to get from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon (or vice-versa). By taking the ferry you can get a view of the Hong Kong skyline like no other. And how much do you pay for this view? Something in the region of £1 - £2 for the 10 minute crossing, and photo opportunities aplenty. You can also use the Octopus card to make purchases from 7-Eleven stores (where you can also charge them up, as well as at MTR stations), McDonalds, KFC etc.

www.octopuscards.com/consumer/products/en/index.jsphttp://www.mtr.com.hk/

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The Airport Express is the express train that runs from HK international airport to central HK.

It costs 100 HKD to take a single and there are return tickets available if you are returning within 1 month.

On the return trip, you may be able to check in for your flight at Hong Kong station or Kowloon station. Check with your airline beforehand as this can save you some time.

Hong Kong International Airport

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends