10 Must-Know Travelers Tips to Hong Kong

Hong Kong is an international city and it has vastNew Territories.
number of tourists come from all over the world1. Tsuen Wan Route: Tsuen Wan to Central
in all year round. According to the Hong Kong2. Kwun Tong Route: Yau Mat Tei to Tiu Keng
Government statistics, the number of internationalLeng
tourists visited Hong Kong in 2005 reaches 10.83. Tseung Kwan O Route: North Point to Po Lam
million which represents a 13.1% increase when4. Main Route: Sheung Wan to Chai Wan
compared to 2004. Countries such as Australia,5. Tung Chung Route: Tung Chung to Hong Kong
Canada, French, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia,6. Airport Route: Airport to Hong KongDue to the
Singapore, Korean, Thailand, British and Unitedconvenience of MTR and the compact area of
States all contributes significant tourist growth forHong Kong, most tourists find it is not necessary
Hong Kong. This article presents some criticalto rent car during their stay. Besides, due to the
traveler tips for tourists so that you could enjoyvery heavy traffic and the complexity of the city
more and have a wonderful trip to Hong Kong.1.roads, it is not recommended for tourists to drive.
Personal Identity and SafetyIn case you really need car rental, you may
Tourists must carry valid personal identityconsult your hotel, and be ready with your
documentation such as passport during their staypassport and driving license.7. Kowloon Canton
in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a very safe cityRailway (KCR)
according to the low crime rate. However, due toThe KCR is the major railway which links up the
the densely population, it is not suggested to takeNew Territories and the city of Kowloon. It runs
a large amount of cash when going out sincethrough Tsim Sha Tsui East to Lo Wu which
most of the shops in Hong Kong accepts credittakes about 40 minutes for the whole route. Lo
cards. Expensive belongs should be locked in theWo is the final station which you could pass
safe in hotel. You could easily find policemen onthrough to enter China with valid visa. The train
the streets whenever you have encountered anywill depart for every 3 to 10 minutes, and the
problems.2. Service Chargesearliest one will be started at 5:35 a.m. while the
Most of the restaurants except fast food shopslast one will be departed at 12:20 p.m. The
will add 10% service charges to the bill. Therefore,ordinary fair and the first class fair are HK$18 and
you may choose to give out the odd dollars fromHK$36 respectively from Hung Hom to Sheung
the changes as the service tips. For taxi driver orShui.8. Tram
bellboy in the hotel, there is no pre set norm forThe tram service has been started in 1904 and it
the service tips, you may choose to give outis the oldest transportation system in Hong Kong.
whenever you think the service is deserved for.3.It only services the Hong Kong Island running
Telephone Servicefrom Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan plus
All local telephone call is free except for the publicanother route to Happy Valley. The earliest tram
telephone which charges HK$1 for every 5starts at 6: 00 a.m. and run until 1:00 p.m. and the
minutes. Emergency call is 999 and it is free tofair is HK$ 2 for adult and HK$ 1 for children
call even in public telephone. You could either useunder age12. It is the cheapest transportation in
IDD telephone call card or credit card for longHong Kong, and you are highly recommended to
distance call, or simply through operator for collecttake a ride at the upper stairs so that you could
call in all public telephone counter.4. Drinking Waterenjoy all the street scenery of Hong Kong.9. Star
The drinking water in Hong Kong reaches WorldFerry
Health Organization standard. However, you mayThe scenery of Hong Kong harbor is famous in
also choose to buy the bottle water in thethe world, especially the night scenery. Besides,
supermarkets if you think it is necessary.5. Taxithere is spectacular light show by the commercial
All taxi only accept cash and they have invoicebuildings in the Hong Kong island at 8:00 p.m.
print out whenever you request. It is easier toevery night which you must not miss. The Star
catch the taxi in the taxi stop or outside the hotel.Ferry has been serving on the harbor for more
Many of the taxi drivers could understand simplethan 100 years, and the fair is less than HK$3 per
English. It is suggest writing down your destinationrides. You could take the Star Ferry from Cental
(in English) on paper to minimizeto Tsim Sha Tsui at around 8:00 p.m. You could
misunderstandings. The taxi charges is based onenjoy the harbor scenery on the ferry and
the meter which is HK$15 for the first 2 Km andcontinue with the light show at the Starlight Road
HK$1.4 for the subsequent 0.2 Km. Besides, thereof Tsim Sha Tsui.10. Hong Kong International
are tunnel charges ranging from HK$3-45 dependsAirport
on which tunnel you have to take. The chargingThe most convenient route to the Hong Kong
table is clearly shown on the inner side of theInternational Airport is through the MTR which
doors so you could check it before you pay. Intakes about 23 minutes from Central. It passes
case of any complaints or lost case, you maythrough stations of Kowloon, Olympic, Tsing Yi,
record down the name of the taxi driver and hisand the train will be departed for every ten
license plate number which is clearly shown on theminutes. With the MTR, you would never miss the
front seat stand, and reports to the police hotline:airplane due to the traditional traffic jam.Other
2527 7177 whenever necessary.6. Mass Transitthan the MTR, you could take the Airport Bus
Railway (MTR)which starts from 6:00 a.m. at the morning until
Hong Kong has 6 MTR routes, which covers11:00 p.m. at night. It covers most part of Hong
most parts of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon andKong Island and Kowloon with major hotels.