Hong Kong Holiday

[runawaybus]

My wife and I are planning a trip to Hong Kong and you guessed it I have been offered an oppotunity to give a talk about Hong Kong Public Transport to a group next year.

Now some questions

1. Where can we purchase the Octopus Card- can they purchased at Hong Kong Airport

2. Does the Light Rail (ie. not double deck trams) connect with any trains at stations in Hong Kong

3. Does Hong Kong have a central public transport information centre?

4. How does one in Hong Kong get timetables, maps etc- the traditional public transport information etc

5. Is it easy to get around by public transport- any tips and tricks

6. What attractions apart from Disneyland and Ocean World are worth visiting

7. Is it cheap to purchase electrical items like I-Pads in Hong Kong compared to here.

Any other tips would be greatful for your assistance in making our holiday as easy as possible.

[The Phonj]

Having not been to Hong Kong; I can't really comment; however on item 7, do consider if purchasing goods such as iPads etc overseas that they may not be covered in Australia for warranty purposes (you may have to send the goods back to Hong Kong) and also do consider that if the value of your goods purchased overseas exceeds A$900 per person, yo will have to declare these items to Customs upon your return to Australia.

Also consider utilising the Tourist Refund Scheme whereby you may be able to get the GST paid on goods bought in Australia. For further information on all matters mentioned here; I would recommend visiting the Customs website at http://www.customs.gov.au/

[boronia]

Most of the info you want can be found by googling.

[runawaybus]

Yes Boronia Googling does not bring up Gunzel experiences in Hong Kong etc especially the ones on here might share some stories.

[CCCC]

My wife and I are planning a trip to Hong Kong and you guessed it I have been offered an oppotunity to give a talk about Hong Kong Public Transport to a group next year.

Now some questions

1. Where can we purchase the Octopus Card- can they purchased at Hong Kong Airport
Airport or railway station.
2. Does the Light Rail (ie. not double deck trams) connect with any trains at stations in Hong Kong
Depends on what you call lightrail, Are you referring to the Ding Ding trams on Hong Kong Island ?? most rail is single deck and connects with the the other
railway systems which now comes under the control of MTR.
Buses connect with most trains and trains connect with trains, if you have to wait
for than a minute for a connecting train they will be apologising to you.
Does Hong Kong have a central public transport informationcentre?
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/nz/see-do/index.jsp

4. How does one in Hong Kong get timetables, maps etc- the traditional public transport information etc

5. Is it easy to get around by public transport- any tips and tricks
Very easy, the only way togo.
6. What attractions apart from Disneyland and Ocean World are worth visiting
White star ferry only takes maybe 10 minutes to cross but its the experience of
living in yesteryear with a two class system which still applies.
Bottom deck is 35 cents and upper deck 75 cent and that's is Aussie.
The big buddha is popular, you can catch the ferry, then bus and then chairlift back
to railway.
The peak via the peak tram is a must but expect long delays catching the tram
especially late afternoon to evenings.
Take the trip to Macau, well worth it ,has to be a full day tour, about an hour by
ferry or half that by hydrofoil, check out the casino's , free coaches to the casino's,
Portuguese tart (the eating variety) will set you back 75 cents each, yum.
The architecture in parts of Macau is still Portuguese, just remember you are
passing through China customs to get to and return from Macau.

7. Is it cheap to purchase electrical items like I-Pads in Hong Kong compared to here.
There not much cheap anymore, same with clothing , if you
do buy something electrical you will need the adapter for our electrical plugs.
Food is still reasonable.

Any other tips would be greatful for your assistance in making our holiday as easy as possible.

There a few members on here from Hong Kong, they would be best to track down for better advice.

[Volvo Super Olympian]

Hi

Regarding to your questions

1. Yes you can certainly purchase an octopus card at the MTR Airport station. Here's a list of purchasing locations:

http://www.octopus.com.hk/get-your-octo ... index.html

Their website has some more
Info under Q&A. http://www.octopus.com.hk/customer-serv ... index.html

2. The light rail operates in New Territories between Tuen Mun and Yuen Long. It does not link to HK Island, however there are multiple interchanges that you can connect to the MTR West Rail line (purple on MTR map). Catch the West Rail line to Kowloon district, then you can change at Tsim Sha Tsui for the Tsuen Wan line (red on MTR map)which will subsequently lead you over to HK island.

3. I think it's better if you visit their websites prior, all transport companies have their wealth of info online.

Kowloon Motor Bus - http://www.kmb.hk
New World First Bus - http://www.nwfb.com.hk
Citybus - http://www.citybus.com.hk
MTR - http://www.mtr.com.hk
HK Tram - http://www.hktramways.com

4. Depends on where you go, I don't think with the frequencies of MTR trains and buses, you don't need to
Worry about a timetable. They just depart at regular intervals on most services, you wouldnt need to wait more than 5 mins for a train on the busy routes.

5. The MTR gets you to most places. Buses can be a bit trickier, as there are different types of routes.

KMB operates kowloon and New Territories routes, and also cross harbour routes which starts with 1##, 6## and 9##, and the cross harbour routes go thru the harbour tunnels which are shared with Citybus/New World First bus.

CTB and NWFB operates on HK Island. NWFB has two tourist routes H1 H2 which runs from Central pier with open top double deckers.

6. If you want to see countryside where the biggest Buddha is, Lantau Island is a good choice.

[Connex]

1. Where can we purchase the Octopus Card- can they purchased at Hong Kong Airport

Octopus cards can be purchased for $50HKD from the MTR Airport Express customer service desk. That $50HKD fee is refunded if you return the card to a MTR customer service centre.

There are also various tourist Octopus cards that incorporate trips on the Airport Express at a discounted rate. There's more information about those fares at the MTR website.

2. Does the Light Rail (ie. not double deck trams) connect with any trains at stations in Hong Kong

The MTR Light Rail operates in the New Territories, primarily around Yuen Long and Tuen Mun. It connects with MTR West Rail.

3. Does Hong Kong have a central public transport information centre?
4. How does one in Hong Kong get timetables, maps etc- the traditional public transport information etc

Throwing these questions together, transport in Hong Kong doesn't run to a timetable per say. Most services operate on a frequency basis and usually between 5.30am until 1.00am. Information about public transport in Hong Kong is usually available at MTR stations, tram stops and at bus stops. Some major terminals are manned and have a customer service kiosk manned by one of the transport operators.

MTR, KMB, Citybus and New World First Bus all have iPhone apps, so if you have an iPhone those apps might come in handy.

5. Is it easy to get around by public transport- any tips and tricks

All buses, MTR trains and stations, and some bus terminals have screens that show the next stop in English and Chinese; as well as announcements. Most MTR station staff speak English, but bus drivers might prove a challenge. All bus stops have route, fare and map information and at MTR stations there are large maps of the surrounding area.

Try to avoid travelling in the thick of peak hour. Peak hour in Australia is nothing compared to peak hour in Hong Kong, and can get extremely crowded. Trains run every 2 to 3 minutes during the peak, so if the first train is crowded, let it go and wait for the next one. All MTR stations have markings on the platform floor indicating the where the door will open, so once the first train has left line up there so you'll be the first to get on the next one.

At major cross platform interchange stations, make sure you look out where your going. Hong Kongers are always in a rush at any time of the day and will not hesitate to bowl you over if you get in their way of a train.

With buses and the double decker trams, if you're travelling on the top deck, make sure you make your way down to the lower deck well before the bus has arrived at the stop.

Running along side the mainstream double decker buses are smaller mini buses known as Public Light Buses. They're painted in a cream livery with either red or green tops and operate a shuttle style service in streets where the larger buses wouldn't usually travel through. The green tops pick up and set down at designated stops, and the red tops can pick up and set down wherever. With the red tops, from memory most don't have Octopus card readers and are a cash fare paid to the driver (usually $3-4 HKD).

Buses charge a fare according to the route, irrespective of distance travelled, which is where the iPhone apps come into play. The apps can determine which bus is cheapest if you're travelling from one point to another where several buses travel in the same direction.
Trains and Light Rail are charged based on a point to point fare structure, and the double decker trams at a flat rate of $2.30HKD.

6. What attractions apart from Disneyland and Ocean World are worth visiting

Don't be afraid to go off the beaten track. There are some hidden gems in Hong Kong that aren't on tourist maps. Some of the best food experiences I've had in Hong Kong weren't the big flashy restaurants or places on main roads. Disneyland isn't that great, but Ocean Park is quite an experience, especially the cable cars.

Lamma Island and Cheung Chau are small islands that lie off the coast of Hong Kong and are great places to get away from the hussle and bustle of the city.

The street markets in Mong Kok are an experience that every Hong Kong tourist should experience, as is the the laser and lights show that occurs daily at 8pm. It's an amazing array of lights and lasers being shot from the skyscrapers in the Central district, and is best seen from the Tsim Sha Tsui foreshore.

7. Is it cheap to purchase electrical items like I-Pads in Hong Kong compared to here.

It's getting a little bit pricier now that there are more Mainland Chinese coming down to Hong Kong for day shopping trips, but it's still cheaper than Australia. I picked up a few iPad accessories, WD My Passport portable hard drives and gifts for the missus cheap.

Clothing prices vary depending on the brand, I remember going into Superdry and finding the prices roughly the same back home in Aus. Athletics and sports gear is quite cheap, I picked up some Adidas kit for a fraction of what I'd pay from a factory outlet back at home.

[baby38]

My wife and myself are going to Hong Kong for 4 days on our way to the Philippines,can you pay cash on the trains ferries or buses or do you need a ocyopus card,also what the cost on the ferries to Macau, and do they have bustrips to get around.

[Connex]

My wife and myself are going to Hong Kong for 4 days on our way to the Philippines,can you pay cash on the trains ferries or buses or do you need a ocyopus card,also what the cost on the ferries to Macau, and do they have bustrips to get around.

You can pay by cash on ferries and buses in Hong Kong. On trains you can buy a single or return trip magnetic ticket from vending machines in the station concourse.

The ferry fares to Macau vary across operators. Best to investigate the fares on the ferry operators websites (New World First Ferry and TurboJet).

Getting around Macau can actually be quite easy if you're only visiting the casinos. Most, if not all, have free air-conditioned shuttle buses picking people up from the ferry terminal; but there are also public buses. There's also coach tours of Macau that begin at the ferry terminal, so it might we worthwhile looking into those as well (last time I went I toured with the local Gray Line subsidiary).

[kitkat271]

Indeed some of the off the beaten track experiences are fantastic. Try some of the less "famous" cross harbour runs for example.

As for bus experiences, try the "country" New Territories services, and anything around the southern end of Hong Kong Island. It's best enjoyed at the front end of a top deck, you'll be amazed at how big deckers can negotiate these roads.

Or go to the big buddha on Lantau Island by bus (instead of by shiny cable car) - the gradient of some of those roads have to be experienced.

Also the open top buses through Hong Kong would be a great experience - NWFB has a "route service" open top route that's only about AUD$1.20 one way.

[ar157]

You may want to pop into Lei Yue Mun for some seafood

[Citybus]

You may want to pop into Lei Yue Mun for some seafood

Sai Kung is better and cheaper, and if you travel by bus from Shatin, it's a nice scenic ride as well.

[CCCC]

You may want to pop into Lei Yue Mun for some seafood

Sai Kung is better and cheaper, and if you travel by bus from Shatin, it's a nice scenic ride as well.

X2

And try Tim Ho Wan a cheap dim sum Michelin star restaurant.

[ar157]

Also a nice tofu specialist restaurant in Causeway Bay which sells Tofu Fa and other stuff like soy milk and yeung tofu

[Paul_Nicholson]

Who''s been to Shenzhen? I am visting Hong Kong next month and plan to do a day trip to Shenzhen. I would like to ride a subway and a bus if possible once I'm across the border into Shenzhen; any tips?

Paul in Melbourne

[Citybus]

I've been to Shenzhen a few times. Good for bargains but just beware of crowds (even more crowded than HK).

[CityRail]

You may want to the newly opened Tuen Mun Road Interchange, the newest transport facility in Hong Kong.

[boronia]

Who''s been to Shenzhen? I am visting Hong Kong next month and plan to do a day trip to Shenzhen. I would like to ride a subway and a bus if possible once I'm across the border into Shenzhen; any tips?

Paul in Melbourne

Make sure you've got your visa requirements sorted. I don't think you can get there on a HK visa.