Why I barely take taxis in Hong Kong

I have been to Hong Kong more times than I can count, and I have taken a taxi maybe five times. Not because I dislike taxis. Because the metro here is so good that paying several times more to sit in the same traffic feels silly. The MTR runs from around 6am until about 1am, trains on the busy lines come every two to four minutes, and the stations are clean in a way that will ruin every other metro system for you.

The thing that does hurt is crossing the harbour. Between the distance and the tunnel tolls, a taxi from Kowloon to Central can easily cost over a hundred Hong Kong dollars. The MTR goes under the water in about four minutes for a fraction of that.

The MTR: what to know before your first ride

Four things cover most of it.

• Fares are charged by distance. Most trips within the city cost somewhere between HK$5 and HK$25. Crossing the harbour or heading out to the airport costs more.
• You tap in and you tap out. If you forget to tap out, the system charges you the maximum fare for that line. Almost everyone learns this the hard way once.
• Signage is in English and Chinese, and exits are lettered. In Central and Admiralty, the walk between lines can take longer than the train ride. These are big stations.
• Check the exit letter before you go up. Leaving from the wrong corner of Central can add ten minutes to your day.

The Octopus card is still worth carrying

A standard adult Octopus costs HK$150 to start: HK$50 of that is a refundable deposit and HK$100 is stored value. You can also add Octopus to Apple Wallet or an Android wallet, which is what I do now, because it is one less card to lose.

The card earns its place on the buses, the ferries, the trams and the Peak Tram, plus 7-Eleven, bakeries, vending machines and plenty of small restaurants. In a city where some noodle shops still prefer cash to cards, being able to tap your way through a HK$40 bowl of wonton noodles comes in handy more than you would think.

Top up at any station service desk or machine, or in the app. If you have value left when you fly out, you can refund the deposit and whatever remains at the airport or at a station counter.

A word about the tourist passes

There is a Tourist Day Pass and an Airport Express travel bundle. Do the arithmetic before buying either. If you are riding the metro eight or nine times a day, the day pass can win. If you walk a lot, and in Hong Kong you will, a plain Octopus usually comes out cheaper.

Buses, and the tram that crawls

Buses are slower than the MTR and much better for actually seeing the city. Routes starting with A are the airport routes, and most double-deckers take Octopus at the front door. Sit upstairs on a cross-harbour route and you get a harbour tour for the price of a bus ticket.

On Hong Kong Island, the ding ding tram is the slowest and cheapest way to move. A flat fare, paid on exit, and no air conditioning on most of the fleet. On a hot afternoon it is a sauna. On a mild morning it is the best HK$3 in the city.

The Star Ferry: a few dollars, ten minutes, the whole harbour

The Star Ferry between Tsim Sha Tsui and Central costs a few Hong Kong dollars and takes about ten minutes. The upper deck costs slightly more and has the better view. I would rather ride it at sunset than pay for any harbour cruise. Cross once in each direction if you are not in a hurry, and sit on the seaward side heading back to Kowloon for the skyline.

Coming in from the airport

Three realistic options. The Airport Express reaches Hong Kong Station in about 24 minutes for around HK$115, and it is the easy choice if your hotel is in Central or near Kowloon Station. The A11 and A21 buses cost around HK$40, take 45 to 70 minutes, and drop you on the street close to a lot of hotels. A taxi runs roughly HK$300 to HK$400 depending on where you are going, which makes sense mainly for three or four people with luggage.

One catch for late arrivals: the Airport Express stops around midnight. Night buses on the N routes run through the small hours, so check which one passes near your hotel before you land.

Small things worth knowing

• Stand on the right on escalators, walk on the left. People will let you know if you block the flow.
• Eating and drinking on the MTR is banned and can be fined. Staff do enforce it.
• Rush hour is real, roughly 8am to 9:30am and 6pm to 7:30pm, worst on the Tsuen Wan and Island lines and at Admiralty. Put museums and hiking outside those windows if you can.
• Install the MTR app and a ride-hailing app before you land. Uber works in Hong Kong alongside the local taxi apps.
• Keep a little cash for older shops and market stalls. There are ATMs inside MTR stations.

What I would actually do

Get an Octopus on day one, ride the MTR for anything with a deadline, take the Star Ferry once at sunset, sit upstairs on a bus at least once, and accept that you will walk far more than you planned. That combination covers Hong Kong better than any taxi ever will.

Originally published on 71Asia Tours blog.