Visiting Hong Kong
Hong Kong will always be a special place for me, as back in the day, I called it home, and still have many good friends and fond memories of my time there.
Since leaving, I have tried to visit when possible, with the first post-COVID trip happening back in August 2023, the next was June 2024, and I was planning to visit for Christmas 2024, however, various things did not align, so that's one for another year.
The question is, why do I like Hong Kong so much? Well put simply, I feel at home there; the locals are generally friendly, the climate is interesting, and the environment is almost ideal for me.
Anyhow, moving on, so you are interested in visiting Hong Kong, and need to know the what, where, why.
Samsung SM908E, 2.2mm, f2.2, 1/350s
First, when you arrive at the airport, which is out on Lantau island, and as such, is a fair way out from the city, not that this is a problem, as this being Hong Kong, there are multiple options to get into the city.
Yes you can take a taxi, although given the distance, this can be expensive, just checkout this page which gives example costs. Also available are various shuttle buses, some public, others specific to hotels.
Personally I have not used these, however I would expect these to be cheaper than taxi, and just as comfortable.
For those visits where I am not met by friends, I will take the express train service, which runs from the airport all the way to Hong Kong Island with a few stops. This service, which I did use for one part of my August 2023 trip, is cheaper than taxis, very fast, and about as comfortable as it gets.
Depending on where you are staying, I would recommend taking the train to the nearest stop and getting a taxi from there to your hotel. For example, for my previous visit, I was staying in Kowloon, so I took the train to Kowloon station, followed by a taxi.
Samsung SM908E, 2.2mm, f2.2, 1/350s
Talking about accommodation, again, this being Hong Kong, there are more hotels than you can count, ranging from super budget to "if you have to ask, you cannot afford it".
Just checkout booking.com or webjet.com, both of which have tools to help you decide on which one is good for you.
As for me, for most of my visits, I stay with friends; however, I do have personal experience with several hotels, with the preferable one being the Park Lane in Causeway Bay, which has everything I want, perfect location with the MTR very close, good shopping, good food, and reasonably priced, very comfortable.
For another visit, I stayed at the Marco Polo which, just like Park Lane, is in an excellent location right in the middle of one of the major Kowloon shopping areas; however, I was not impressed; it had the impression of being tired and in need of updating.
With my next visit, I am trying something new and staying at the Auberge Hotel in Discovery Bay on Lantau Island. As for why, well, I used to live there, so know the area very well; the price for the room was good, and this trip includes catching up with various friends who live there. Depending on how the stay goes, I may write a full review.
Samsung SM-S908E, 6.40mm, f1.8, 1/950s
Now, how do you get around now you have made it to your accommodation from the airport?
The answer is simple: public transport in Hong Kong is about as good as it gets, being cheap, reliable, safe, and goes everywhere.
Yes, you can hire a car and drive everywhere; note I said "You Can", not that you should. Just be aware that Hong Kong's traffic ranges from busy to a total nightmare, and that's on a good day. And yes, that's from personal experience from someone who has driven all over the world.
Back to public transport: Yes, I really mean it. Depending on where you come from, the available public transport you are used to may range from okay to "over my dead body, " but that's not true in Hong Kong.
The public transport system is, as I said before, about as good as it gets, so do not be put off from using it if what's available back home is bad.
The only place I have visited recently with transport this good is Singapore, although I have heard good things about parts of mainland China.
As for what's available, just about everything you can think of. To me, the MTR subway system is the go-to for most trips; it goes everywhere, costs little, and is one of those things that every visitor needs to experience; you will not be disappointed.
To help some more with getting around in Hong Kong, I have done a full write-up on my experience with the various types of transport available over many decades, you can read it here