ASUDan130

I know this general topic has been discussed but I wanted some feedback after doing some research. My flight gets in at 11:40 and connecting flight leaves at 17:00. I will my bags checked all the way to my final destination and will have my BP in hand already for the connector. I just want to see what everyone thinks of my itinerary in HKG and the timing assuming there are no delays.

I am sitting in J so should get off the plane very quick. I am going to take the MTR to Hong Kong station then take the Star Ferry to the West Promenade at Kowloon and walk around and take in the view and that specific area for an hour and have a quick bite around there. Leave Kowloon Promenade between 2-2.5 hrs before my flight and walk over to Kowloon Station to take the MTR back to the airport hopefully arriving at the airport between 1:30-1:45 before my flight. Worth noting I am flying F on the connecting flight. Is this a good quick way to see Hong Kong based on the info I have gathered.

dkc192

Immigration should be a breeze around 11-12, with a handful of regional flights arriving around that time IIRC. Assuming that your flight arrives on time, you should be landside by 12, on board the Airport Express by 12:10 and arriving into HK station by 12:35. From there it is a 5-10 min. walk to the Star Ferry (IMO one of the best public transport attractions out there), which should get you to Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon side) by 1.

Working backwards for your departure time of 17:00, I'd say you'd need to be at the airport by 15:30 or even 15:45 if you don't plan on hitting the lounge (regional flights and long-hauls to North America are about all the departures at that time), meaning that you should plan to get to the Kowloon station by 15:10-15:25. Factoring in the ~25-30 min. walk from TST (where the Star Ferry drops you) to the West Kowloon Promenade (next to the Kowloon station), that gives you about 1:45-2:00 of free time, which isn't a lot. All of this assumes everything going smoothly; any delays on the MTR (which I doubt will happen but you never know) will leave you in a shaky position to catch your onward flight.

That being said, I agree that the Kowloon side is better for catching views of the harbor and the HK skyline. I'd suggest TST (the waterfront area where the Star Ferry drops you) over the Promenade, which has equally good views and saves you the long walk. The Avenue of Stars borders the harbor and is a good place for the view. Alternately, there are a couple of museums (Space Museum and Cultural Center IIRC), the Peninsula Hotel for afternoon tea, and Harbor City for one-stop shopping, if any of these options interest you. Once you're ready to head back to the airport, you can either go back the way you came (Star Ferry back to HK side then Airport Express) or walk over to the Kowloon station and take the train from there.

Good luck and enjoy HK!

ASUDan130

Great info...Thanks! Assuming everything is on time that should work! Know any good must have local lunch spots to check out in the immediate area that I should check out? Nothing fancy just something local and authentic.

Rejuvenated

Are you aware that that in order for you to take the MTR, you need to take Bus S1 to Tung Chung before you are able to take the Tung Chung Line to HK station? Please do not confuse the MTR route with the Airport Express One. If you don't want to make the extra trip to Tung Chung and don't mind paying more then Airport Express is the option.

QRC3288

I suspect the OP was referring to the Airport Express when talking about the MTR .

Just fyi, trains leave Central Station on the hour and run every 12 minutes. Thus I believe Kowloon station is 3 minutes after the hour, aka 3:03, 3:15, 3:27, 3:39, 3:51.

Rejuvenated

I just want to make sure the OP is clear on that. Although the AE is part of the MTR system, people in town in general do not refer to the AE as the MTR. Of course one will get those comfortable seats on the AE compared to those metal ones on the MTR. Another reason why the AE is charged more compared to the MTR.

ASUDan130

Yes I plan on taking the AE the whole time.

Guy Betsy

Moving this to a more appropriate forum... as this has more to do with HK itself than CX.



Guy Betsy
Cathay Pacific Asiamiles forum moderator

rkkwan

There is little to see from the West Kowloon Promenade. With the construction of the Highspeed Rail Terminus and the open unbuilt cultural area, it's still a huge dusty area, other than the complex that contains the Elements Mall, W, ICC etc.

Instead, for views, head east from the Star Ferry and stroll along the old promenade and Avenue of the Stars in front of the IC, like locals and tourists have done in the past 30 years. To get back to the airport by the AE, either take the Star Ferry back to Hong Kong, or take a taxi (cheap) or one of the free shuttles offered by AE from a hotel in Tsimshatsui, K2 or K3: (why bother walking through the no man's land to get to the Kowloon Station?)

http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/airport_ex..._free_bus.html

CkCrunch

Second all the suggestions to skip the West Kowloon promenade in favor of TST. While the West Kowloon promenade will be a great place to visit in the future, it is not yet fully developed so it is not nearly as nice as the "traditional" waterfront in TST, where the views are just as spectacular (especially at night, too bad you do not have time for that).

As have been mentioned, Kowloon Station is quite a walk from TST and the Star Ferry, so you may be better off taking the star ferry back to Central to take the Airport Express from there.

popcorndk

bear in mind the Airport Express same day return ticket is HKD100 instead of the regular return journey ticket of HKD180. I bought the regular return ticket but later found out. The staff at the Hong Kong Station was nice enough to refund me the money and change to the same day return ticket.

ASUDan130

My flight schedule was just changed now I only have 4 hours and 50 minutes of connection time for my flight back to the US. Is this still possible for me to get this done or do I need to bail. Bear in mind I have never been to HK and desperately want to see at least a little of HK.

RemoteControl

Sorry to resurrect a super old thread, but I'm in the same situation, and would love to know if/how your trip went.

I have about 4hr:45min in HKG, never been there, and would really like to see at least a little of it. Kowloon seems like the best option. I'm okay even if I have say, 20mins to take in the view, then head back to the airport.

Were you able to do this successfully? Any tips?

steveben53

Allow 1 hour from landing, to get thru immigration. You may be thru in 30 mins, but I have been held up for 90 mins before now, so an hour is a reasonable guesstimate.

Allow 40 minutes to purchase your train ticket (there can be queues at the ticket booth) , wait for the train and get to Central. Coming back allow 30 minutes, including wait time for the train and an absolute minimum of one hour to get through security, locate and get to your gate

So far you have used up 3 hours 10 minutes, leaving you about 90 mins in the city

Is it worth it - only you can answer that

RemoteControl

Thanks, steveben53. That agrees with my estimate, but your calculations based on experience is what I needed!

It's definitely worth it for me, so I'll try it. I can always bail if my incoming flight is late or if immigration takes longer than expected.