Hong Kong, which literally interprets into “perfumed harbor, is a sophisticated town busy with shops, eateries, clubs, and folks. Getting around may seem dismaying initially, particularly with the unfamiliar Chinese characters and the strange-sounding words, but it is essentially quite simple. Hong Kong may act, look, and smell like a massive town, but in this example, “enormous” is only metaphorical.
With an area of only four hundred square miles ( about one thousand sq.km ), and a well-developed transport system, the farthest point is only ever 2 hours away, and getting from here to there really isn’t a difficulty . The very first thing a traveler to Hong Kong should know is that Hong Kong is essentially a tiny group of islands and is divided appropriately. There’s Hong Kong Island, where almost all of the action is ; the Kowloon Promontory , a neat place to go and do some shopping ; Lantau Island, home of the global airfield ; and the New Territories.
Most holiday makers to Hong Kong will often concentrate themselves around the Hong Kong and Kowloon areas. To get anywhere using public transportation, you’ll need an “octopus card,” which is accepted by the tube, buses, trams, ferries, and even parking meters. Also remember that maps are generally available and can be gotten from most hostels, trains stations, and bus stops. There are three train systems in Hong Kong. There’s the Light Rail System, the Kowloon-Canton Train line ( KCR ) and the Mass Transit Railway ( MTR ). The Light Rail runs in the New Territories and is not exactly ever tried by visitors.The KCR links Hong Kong to Mainland China and also goes thru the western part of the New Territories.
The MTR or the subway serves the remainder of Hong Kong, and is the system most holiday makers will become acquainted with. Hong Kong’s trains are on time, efficient, awfully clean, and stunningly convenient. MTR stations dot each commercial part of the town. Trams are also available and are well-liked by holiday makers. Many of them will even take you on an easy going tour of the island, which is a nice technique to get your bearings. There’s also the Top Tram, which may take you to Victoria Top from the Central District. The perspectives from the top aren’t to be missed. The buses and minibuses in Hong Kong are also trusty, accessing nearly every single part of the town.
The minibuses, also called “maxicabs,” are 16-seaters, and sometimes travel brief distances, connecting train stations, malls, and home areas. The buses are double-deckers and are quite snug. They travel greater distances and sometimes go thru cross-harbor tunnels. A word of warning however : some of the buses are not heated in winter. Hong Kong being a collection of islands, there’s also sea transport. A ferry can take you away from the chaos of the town and into some of the more chilled out outlying islands at quite excellent rates, while hydrofoils can get you to Macau, a previous Portuguese colony, now offered to be the Vegas of East Asia. And eventually, when doubtful, there are the cabs, which are everywhere. It must be mentioned nevertheless, that while English is widely spoken in Hong Kong, a Cantonese accent can infrequently stand in the way of perfect understanding. It’s good procedure to take a card from your hotel so that you can show your driver the right address, making certain that you will always be in a position to get back home.