Compact yet electric, Hong Kong blends Cantonese culture, colonial history and world-class food into one of Asia’s most dynamic city destinations.
Transport in Hong Kong is fast, efficient and incredibly easy to use. The MTR (metro) connects most major districts and runs like clockwork, while double-decker trams rumble through Hong Kong Island for a nostalgic and budget-friendly ride. Ferries cross Victoria Harbour between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, offering skyline views for just a few dollars, and buses reach areas the metro doesn’t. Pick up an Octopus Card when you arrive and you’ll be able to tap in and out seamlessly across almost all forms of public transport.
Hong Kong has a subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and mild, drier winters. Typhoon season runs roughly from June to September, bringing heavy rain and dramatic storms, while autumn and spring are generally the most comfortable times to visit.
There are lots of good accommodation options in Hong Kong, but note that rooms are generally pretty expensive and really quite small.
I always book my accommodation through trusted providers like booking.com and Hostelworld, but always read the reviews carefully.
I always recommend checking the official government advice from your own country of citizenship. For example, I’m from the UK so I use the UK Government’s Foreign travel advice website, and navigate to the “Entry requirements” section of the country I wish to visit. That will show me the most up-to-date advice and the correct links to use to apply for a visa officially, without being scammed. E.g. “Hong Kong: Entry requirements”.
Be aware that if you just google “Hong Kong visa”, you’ll find lots of 3rd party websites offering to do the application for you, which at best will charge you quite a lot of money and at worst may scam you completely.
If you would rather someone else take care of the application for you to save you time and hassle, I can recommend iVisa. iVisa offer an end-to-end visa application service where they take care of the entire application for you. You just need to sign up via their website and fill out the information they need from you for the application. Note that they charge a fee for this service, so it will be more expensive than applying directly yourself.
Here are some of the resources I’ve found particularly useful for travelling in Hong Kong. Download the apps before you go to ensure a smooth and stress-free experience! Check out my Useful Travel Resources page for my complete go-to list of websites and apps.
Currency:
Hong Kong Dollar (HKD)
Languages:
Cantonese; English
