Getting around Hong Kong: transport and apps

The MTR does most of the work

• Fast, frequent, air-conditioned and signed in English throughout. Trains run from around 06:00 to just past midnight.
• Tap in and out with Octopus, a contactless Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay card, or a QR wallet. Contactless bank cards work on a ride-first, pay-later basis and settle daily.
• Exits are lettered and matter. A big interchange has a dozen, and taking the wrong one can mean a 10-minute walk back underground. The exit letter is usually the most useful part of an address here.

The rest of it

• Trams - the double-decker "ding dings" - run along the north of Hong Kong Island for a flat fare, board at the back, pay at the front when you get off. Slow, and the top deck front seat is the best value sightseeing in the city.
• The Star Ferry across the harbour costs a few dollars and is the crossing worth making at least once after dark.
• Green minibuses are fast and useful but require you to shout for your stop, in Cantonese, at the right moment. Leave them until you know the ground.
• Buses are extensive and take Octopus. The upper deck front row is again the point.
• Walking is underrated and vertical. Central and Mid-Levels are linked by the world's longest outdoor covered escalator, and much of the dense area is connected by air-conditioned footbridges rather than pavements.