This is one of the traditional transportation to travel between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. We…read morecan get in using the octopus card. It was $4 per person per ride. We can enjoy the view of the Hong Kong famous Victoria Harbor. The ride was short, but good enough to enjoy the great view. Try to get on both daytime and night-time as you will get a completely different experience.

We've taken the Star Ferry hundreds of times and it is always a thrill…read more Victoria Harbour should be one of the official Wonders of The World. The red-sailed, wooden Chinese boats, super wealthy yachts on their way to Macau, the ferries chugging along ... it's magical. I never tire of Victoria Harbour.

The MTR, Hong Kong's mass transit rail system, is a world class transportation wonder. It's…read moreextremely efficient, extremely widespread as a metropolis-wide network, very clean, and also very economical. The fares vary by distance, but many of our one way fares were in the range of only $0.60 USD to $0.90 USD. We used it numerous times, and I don't think we waited more than 5 minutes for a train to arrive. Often, it came quicker than some waits we had for the hotel elevators lol. The MTR stations are everywhere in the Hong Kong area, and you never seem to have to walk very far to get to one. There is an MTR station at virtually every major mall in the Hong Kong vicinity. An Octopus card can be loaded into your Apple wallet and a nod of your smartphone at their smart turnstiles will get you in or out of a station effortlessly. When our trip was completed, I applied via the Octopus app for a refund of our unused balances, and instead of the stated 6-8 weeks wait, the refund showed up in my checking account in 2 days! Each train of maybe 8-10 long cars had one car dedicated to first class. For grins, we tried it once for a short ride. First class is very comfortable with bigger seats, like on a comfortable bus coach, and there is never a need to stand, which is often the case with regular MTR rides. The fare is about 2-3x that of the regular fare. It's an option but not really something most consumers would opt for. Overall, I was just as extremely impressed with the system today as I was 32 years ago when I first encountered it.

I was asked about getting around in HKg. Definitely take the MTR! It's a little daunting, but…read moreyou'll get the hang of it. I think it is the best mass transit systems around. Here's my pro tips: Get an Octopus Card. Good for fares and almost anything else. Trust. Remember what entry and exit you need to use at each station. They are lettered A - ? and there might be 12 or more! Be prepared to walk a bit inside the station. It's not like New York or The Bay. The stations are as big if not bigger than Grand Central Station. It's very safe. Just understand that it may be crowded. Oh, if you're going to Kowloon and you have time, take the Star Ferry!

For HK$6.10 (US$0.77) you can get on this bus at the Happy Valley Bus Depot and go all the way to…read moreSham Shui Po in Kowloon side, along the route you can jump off at right after the Cross Harbour Tunnel and explore the Hong Kong Museum or stop at Mong Kwok for some serious shopping! The bus comes every 20mins. and stops at a lot of great locations in the Hong Kong side too, such as Time Square and Causeway Bay! Check it out when you are in Hong Kong!!

Yesterday was the fourth time I got on the free shuttle bus. I had seen the buses going around Wan…read moreChai a few times but had never used this service until I realized just how convenient it'd be. In fact, one of its stops is two minutes walking from home which means: 0 minutes baggage up or down MTR stairs and 5 minutes ride to Hong Kong station. The whole service is just worth a full review. The free shuttle bus is a complimentary service for Airport Express passengers (although I never showed any proof other than my suitcase to the driver). I've taken this bus to and from the airport and the service has always been reliable, on time, quick and yeah, free. Not that a ride to Hong Kong station from Wan Chai is worth a ton, but hey! who doesn't love free? The buses run from 6:12 in the morning to 23:12, every 20 minutes and the pick up points are located at main hotels. I normally take line H1 that goes through Central and Wan Chai (Shangri-La, Conrad, Pacific Place, Marriott, Empire, Wharney Guang Dong Hotel and Novotel Century) but you may want to take H2 if going further to Causeway Bay. For Kowloon passengers, there are yet 5 different lines covering the whole area. If you're taking the free shuttle from Hong Kong station, the platforms are located on the left hand side as you come out of the train. There's a small waiting area per bus line and the time remaining is set up on the screens. Yesterday, my friend and I got to Hong Kong station at around 21.30 and waited for the bus for 10 minutes. As it was a Tuesday night, we were the only passengers and even though the driver stopped at the duly pick up points, we got to Novotel Century in less than 15 minutes. On time to grab some food at the supermarket for today's breakfast!

This is a convenient way to get from your hotel to the Airport Express in town check in stations…read more It runs at a regular interval visiting a few hotels for pick up or drop off. Free for the Airport Express Train passengers.

Hong Kong Tramways is a 3 feet 6 inch narrow-gauge tram system that runs on historic double decker…read moreelectric trams. It is a rare example of a systems that is run exclusively with double decker trams. It is one of the earliest forms of public transportation in Hong Kong. The trams have been running since 1904 when they were still under British rule. It cost 10 cents for a first class fare and 5 cents for a third class fare when they opened. Today the trams are wrapped up in history and advertising. Loved the ride on the tram. Our guide, Raymond from MyHKTours, gave us $12 HKD in coins and carefully walked our party of 4 to the station in the median between two lanes of traffic. Boarded through the old fashioned metal turnstile and climbed the stairs to the second level. Exit at the end where the tram makes a loop were our directions. The trams are so cute. Rows of wooden seats. One seat on the left. Two on the right. Headed to the front seat when one opened up to enjoy the views on the slow moving tram. Enjoyed a beautiful afternoon and the ever changing neighborhoods. Healthy Village. Quarry Bay. Kornhill Garden. Tai Koo. Lei King Wan. Felicity Garden. Sai Wan Ho. Exited at Shau Kei Wan stop where the trams turn around. What a great way to experience Hong Kong. The fare is just $3 HKD per adult and $1.5 HKD for seniors and kids. Price fixed per ride. Drop the coins in the metal box when you exit. So much fun.

The Octopus card is a great service, especially for tourists. They have different branches…read morethroughout Hong Kong, but I used the one at the airport when I first arrived. The card is like a debit card, except that you don't need to sign for it and they don't ask for an ID. There's a $50HK deposit that you get back when you turn the card in. You preload the card and use the card as cash. You can use it for the metro, bus, ferries, stores, fast food places, almost anywhere. You put it up to the scanner and it deducts from the card. There's no signature or ID needed. Whatever you don't use, you can get back when you turn the card in. The positive is that it's very convenient. I would just bring this card with me to the 7-11 by the hotel and just scan it. I didn't need to look for change for the bus or deal with the metro machines for transportation. The negative is that it's treated like cash, so if you lose your card you won't get your money back. I put just enough so that it would last me a few days. When the amount got low, I would deposit money at 7-11 or at the metro stops.

Great card to have if you are planning on using the public transit at all…read more For visitors and tourists be sure to find the kiosk at the Airport upon arrival. There is a fee for the card which is refundable upon return of the card and acts primarily as a debit for convenience stores, subways, and buses. Also, gives minor discounts from general fare and some nicer discounts for seniors. Any funds unused can be refunded back to you. You don't really need to overload it. Octopus Card reload machines are relatively easy to find in any subway station or 7-11. Was very happy that it save us time since we were a really large group using public transit and primarily a group of senior citizens so it made dealing with fees very seamless and headache free! Highly recommend.