How to Get Around Hong Kong: MTR, Bus, Tram, Ferry & Taxi for First Timers

Short answer: Buy or set up an Octopus card on arrival, ride the MTR for almost everything, cross the harbour on the Star Ferry, and ride a double-decker tram on Hong Kong Island at least once. A contactless Visa, Mastercard, or UnionPay card also works at MTR gates for adult fares, but Octopus is still the safer default for buses, minibuses, and ferries. Taxis are metered and easy to find, but in the city centre the MTR is almost always faster. This guide covers the MTR, buses, trams, ferries, taxis, the airport, and every crossing to Shenzhen.

Last updated: November 2026. Fares and operating hours change — check the MTR or operator page for your date.

Hong Kong transport at a glance

MTR: the lines first-timers actually use

The MTR is clean, air-conditioned, frequent, and signed in English and Chinese, with announcements in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. These are the lines that cover almost every first trip:

• Island Line: Kennedy Town to Chai Wan along the north shore of Hong Kong Island — Central, Admiralty, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, and the tram connection.
• Tsuen Wan Line: Central to Tsuen Wan via Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, and Prince Edward — the Kowloon shopping and market spine.
• Tung Chung Line: Hong Kong Station to Tung Chung on Lantau — the line for the Ngong Ping 360 cable car and for the airport area (not the airport itself).
• East Rail Line: Admiralty through Kowloon Tong to Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau — the line to the Shenzhen border crossings.
• Airport Express: Airport to Hong Kong Station via Tsing Yi and Kowloon, in about 24 minutes to Central. This line has premium fares and is not priced like an ordinary MTR ride.
• South Island Line and Kwun Tong Line: useful for Ocean Park, Wong Tai Sin Temple, and East Kowloon, but not essential on a first trip.

Use the MTR Mobile app or the system map posted in every station — the official map is in English, and station staff can point you to the right platform. Interchange stations are large but well signed; follow the line colour and the final station name, not just the direction, as several lines share station names in different places.

Octopus, contactless cards, and tickets

Octopus is Hong Kong’s rechargeable stored-value card. Tap it at MTR gates, on buses, trams, and ferries, and in convenience stores and many restaurants. Tourists can buy a Tourist Octopus at the airport or any MTR station customer service centre — the sold Tourist Octopus costs about HK$39 for the card itself with no stored value included, so add value before your first ride. You can also add a Tourist Octopus to a phone wallet through the Octopus for Tourists app. When you leave, the remaining stored value can be refunded, subject to a handling fee — check the current refund rules at the counter.

Contactless bank cards are a genuine alternative for short stays: a contactless Visa, Mastercard, or UnionPay card is charged the adult Octopus fare at MTR gates, including the Airport Express, and works on many Citybus routes and trams. It does not cover everything Octopus does — minibuses, Light Rail, some ferries, and concession fares still need Octopus — and your bank may add a foreign-transaction fee to every tap. Single-journey tickets from station machines are the most expensive option and are only worth it for a single ride.

One warning that catches first-timers: do not assume a mainland transport QR code works on the MTR. Hong Kong’s gates accept Octopus, contactless bank cards, and Hong Kong transit QR codes, which are different from mainland Alipay and WeChat Pay transport codes. If you have only a mainland payment app, buy an Octopus at the airport before you ride.

Bus: double-deckers for views, minibuses for short hops

City buses (mainly Citybus and KMB) cover everywhere the MTR does not, including the south side of Hong Kong Island, the New Territories, and Lantau. Sit upstairs at the front of a double-decker for the best cheap sightseeing in the city. Pay by Octopus or contactless card when you board, or with exact coins — drivers do not give change. Fares vary by route and distance, typically from a few Hong Kong dollars for a short city hop to HK$20–40 for a long cross-harbour or Lantau route; the fare for your route is shown at the stop and on the bus.

Green minibuses run fixed routes with numbered stops and accept Octopus; red minibuses run more flexible routes and are mostly cash-only, so they are best left to a second visit. If a bus route number has a letter N in front of it (for example N11 or N21), it is an overnight bus — useful after the MTR closes, when the Airport Express has also finished for the night.

Tram: the slowest, cheapest, most Hong Kong ride

The double-decker trams, known as “ding dings” for their bell, run only along the north shore of Hong Kong Island, from Kennedy Town in the west to Shau Kei Wan in the east. The fare is flat — a few Hong Kong dollars (about HK$3–3.50) whatever the distance — and you board at the back and pay at the front when you get off, by Octopus, contactless card, or exact coins. Sit upstairs at the front for a slow, open-window ride past markets, old buildings, and office towers. The tram is not fast, and that is the point: take it for one or two stops of sightseeing, and take the MTR when you are in a hurry.

Ferry: Star Ferry and outlying islands

The Star Ferry between Tsim Sha Tsui and Central takes under 10 minutes and costs a few Hong Kong dollars — use it as real transport, not just as a tourist ride, especially at sunset and after dark. Other Star Ferry routes run from Central to Wan Chai and from Tsim Sha Tsui to Wan Chai. For the outlying islands, ferries leave from Central Pier to Cheung Chau, Lamma Island (Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan), Peng Chau, and Mui Wo on Lantau; timetables and fares vary by route and by weekday versus weekend, so check the ferry operator’s timetable before you go, and allow extra time on weekends when island ferries are busy. Pay by Octopus at the gates or buy a ticket at the pier; contactless cards work at some ferry ticket machines but not at every gate.

Taxi: colours, meters, and when to use one

Hong Kong taxis are metered and colour-coded by the area they serve: red for urban Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, green for the New Territories, and blue for Lantau. A red taxi starts at about HK$29 for the first 2 km, then charges by distance and waiting time; cross-harbour tunnel tolls and luggage charges may be added, so watch the meter and ask for a receipt. Taxis are best for late nights after the MTR closes, for heavy luggage, and for the airport when you have bags — in the city centre at rush hour, the MTR is faster. Ride-hailing apps operate in Hong Kong, but ordinary street taxis are so easy to find in Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Mong Kok that most first-timers do not need one. There is no need to tip, though rounding up a small fare is common.

Airport and high-speed rail

From Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), the Airport Express is the default: about 24 minutes to Hong Kong Station in Central, about 22 minutes to Kowloon Station, and about 14 minutes to Tsing Yi, roughly every 10 minutes from about 05:54 to 00:48. Adult fares with Octopus or a contactless card are about HK$120 to Hong Kong Station, HK$105 to Kowloon Station, and HK$73 to Tsing Yi. Airport buses are cheaper (for example, the A21 to Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok) but slower in traffic, and overnight N-buses cover the airport corridor after the trains stop. A taxi from the airport to Central costs several hundred Hong Kong dollars in normal traffic and is only worth it with heavy luggage or a late arrival.

From Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, high-speed trains run to mainland cities including Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and beyond. You clear Hong Kong immigration and customs inside the station before boarding, so arrive early, carry the documents for both sides of the journey, and check the train operator’s rules for your date. Do not confuse West Kowloon Station with Kowloon Station on the Airport Express and Tung Chung Line — they are different stations in the same district.

Crossing to Shenzhen

Hong Kong and Shenzhen are two cities with a border between them, and each crossing is a separate checkpoint with its own documents, hours, and queues. The main crossings for first-timers are Lo Wu (MTR East Rail Line to Lo Wu Station, connecting to Shenzhen’s Luohu), Lok Ma Chau (East Rail Line to Lok Ma Chau Station, connecting to Futian Checkpoint), Shenzhen Bay (bus from Hong Kong, connecting to Shenzhen Bay Port), and West Kowloon high-speed rail. Check your mainland visa or visa-free eligibility before you cross — Hong Kong entry does not grant mainland entry — and check the crossing’s hours, as Lo Wu in particular closes at night. Our Shenzhen transport guide explains the Shenzhen side of each crossing, and our Hong Kong city guide covers the Hong Kong side of the trip. For the Hong Kong city guide itself, see our Hong Kong for first timers.

Practical tips

Keep your Octopus topped up — a card with too little value will not open the gate, and topping up at a station machine or convenience store takes a minute. Stand on the right on escalators and let passengers off the train before you board; Hong Kong commuters move fast at rush hour and will go around you, not through you. On buses and trams, have your card or exact coins ready before you board, as drivers do not give change. If you are travelling with children, note that a contactless bank card is charged the adult fare at MTR gates — a Child Octopus is cheaper for children, so get one at a station if you are travelling as a family. And if you plan a cable-car or ferry day, check typhoon and rainstorm warnings first: services can be suspended in bad weather, and a suspended cable car is not a problem you can solve by arriving earlier.

Do I need Octopus if I have a contactless bank card?

For a very short stay, no — a contactless Visa, Mastercard, or UnionPay card works at MTR gates for adult fares and on many buses and trams. For two days or more, or if you ride minibuses, Light Rail, or island ferries, Octopus is still the safer and usually cheaper choice, and it avoids a foreign-transaction fee on every ride.

Is the Airport Express worth it compared with the bus?

Yes, if your hotel is near Hong Kong Station, Kowloon Station, or Tsing Yi, or if you are short on time — about 24 minutes to Central, unaffected by road traffic. The airport bus is cheaper and drops you closer to some Kowloon hotels, but it can take twice as long in traffic.

Can I use my mainland transport QR code on the MTR?

No, not as a general rule. Hong Kong gates accept Octopus, contactless bank cards, and Hong Kong transit QR codes, which are different from mainland Alipay and WeChat Pay transport codes. Buy an Octopus at the airport if you do not have a contactless bank card.

Which taxi colour do I need?

Red for Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, green for the New Territories, and blue for Lantau. In Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Mong Kok you want a red taxi. A taxi from one area may not be allowed to pick up in another, so a green taxi will not take you from Central to Kowloon.

How do I get from Hong Kong to Shenzhen?

By MTR East Rail Line to Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau, by bus to Shenzhen Bay, or by high-speed train from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station. Each crossing has its own hours and documents, and mainland entry is separate from Hong Kong entry — check your mainland visa or visa-free eligibility and the crossing hours before you travel.