[Information] What you need to know before traveling to HONG KONG
 

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It is common for tourists who are traveling in Hong Kong for the first time to be confused by the unfamiliar and complicated regional structure. Being a group of local college students, let us introduce this attractive place to you all and share with you how to enjoy the trip in Hong Kong!



Transportation

Hong Kong is well known for convenient transportation. Most of the tourist attractions can be reached by MTR.



It is also quite convenient to travel by bus inside the downtown area. There are lots of choices for you. However, you have to pay attention to the stations while you are taking the bus. It would be quite troublesome if you miss the timing to get off the bus.



Although Hong Kong’s minibus does have its local characteristics, and it often appears in the TVB dramas, we won’t recommend any of you to take the minibus in Hong Kong for the first time traveling here. Since you have to shout for getting off the minibus, it is relatively fast as well. Most importantly, drivers are not familiar with English or Mandarin. It is quite inconvenient for non-locals.



If you are in a hurry or let’s say you are rich, taxis would be a good option for you. If you are afraid of some drivers that are trying to swindle money out of your pocket, you can use common ride hiring service apps to ask for drivers and pay with international credit cards.





Accommodation

Hong Kong’s living place is small. You can’t expect to have large rooms in hotels. But they are mostly clean and with a high level of hygiene. The hotel reservation websites that are commonly around the world can also be used for booking the hotel in Hong Kong. Homestays are usually illegal in Hong Kong and not allowed in the housing estate. Be aware of the legal risks if you try to rent a homestay and usually the security guards will stop you from getting in.



Payment

Most places in Hong Kong are basically using cash as the payment method. Octopus card is mainly used for public transportation, convenience stores and supermarkets. Credit cards, both VISA and Mastercard can be used in supermarkets, hotels and some of the restaurants.



HKTB Tourist Information Centre

You can find all the most specialized travel information here. There are some travel ambassadors to answer your questions about Hong Kong, and many leaflets are provided! These centre are located in the airport and most of the tourist attractions, which is very convenient! The address is below.

discoverhongkong.com/eng/plan-your-trip/traveller-info/visitor-services-centre.jsp



Friendly Reminder



Foot-bridge



Many tourists have mentioned that there are lots of foot-bridges and subways in most of the places in Hong Kong. Because of the high density of cars and passengers, these are built to avoid congestion on the road. Please be careful and try not to cross the road directly. It is really dangerous.





Toilet

Some tourists also mentioned that it is not easy to find a washroom in the downtown area. In fact, most of the shopping malls in Hong Kong have public washrooms, and the hygiene conditions are mostly acceptable. So, just try to find the mall!



Asking for directions

It is unavoidable to ask for directions during travel. Even with GPS navigation, many people complain that Hong Kong people are indifferent and won’t answer the questions. This mainly because of the fast pace of life in Hong Kong. Most of the passers-by are in a hurry. Secondly, some of the Hong Kong people are not good at English and afraid to say. In fact, there are customer service centres in many big shopping malls or tourist hotspots. Just go and ask!



These are the Hong Kong travel guides that we have prepared for you. I hope everyone would enjoy the trip to Hong Kong and have fun here! Welcome to ask any questions!



Click here to see the photos of public transports in Hong Kong:

docs.google.com/document/d/171-TZlT5Pa2RoFD8t6kGxoYPDsY7GgYXlOx7Y9MmVEI/edit?usp=sharing

**You are welcome to leave any question in this thread, we will answer it ASAP**

Many people here prefer to use AmEx cards when we travel.

It is common to use the American Express card to pay in Hong Kong too.
eg. groceries stores like Park n Shop, Wellcome
Most merchants inside shopping malls (fashion stores, jewelry stores, etc..)

But generally, VISA and MASTERCARD are the 2 most common payment methods

Oh god, not here too!
These people have been mass posting their school project on TripAdvisor also.

Theory of mind is the ability to attribute mental states — beliefs, intents, desires, emotions, knowledge, etc. — to oneself, and to others, and to understand that others have knowledge, beliefs, desires, intentions, and perspectives that are different from one's own. Theory of mind is crucial for everyday human social interactions and is used when analyzing, judging, and inferring others' behaviors and intentions.

Recursively speaking, I find this post intensely fascinating. It is by somebody who's projecting his or her own worldview onto that of Hong Kong visitors and tourists, and fails miserably at capturing the visitor's frame of mind. Writ large, it explains a lot of how "Asia's World City" interacts with the external world and fails miserably in that respect.

It does look like a school project quality without any in-depth knowledge of the needs of a tourist visitor.
Too many locals are still stuck at the bottom of the well.

Looks like something from the HK tourism brochure.

Skimpy info on the MTR vs. bus warnings which are unlikely to even be considered by an actual tourist.

Heres something quite useful for a visitor, toilet wise. There's an app called Toilet Rush with GPS direction to bathrooms all over the city including the excellent public ones. Most cities around the world people would never consider public facilities. HK Johns are amazingly nice.

No mention of cheap easy cellular internet either which is essential.

Never found Toilet Rush to work for me. Trying out Flush, for when I'm in parts unfamiliar.

AliPay? WePay?

I see a lot of people using Chinese payment options.

McD app works just as well for me.

The various public facilities are sufficient (eg the one next to the Star Ferry pier in TST) but I also wouldn't call them amazingly nice. I've also been to public facilities in HK that weren't great, such as at various wet markets. However, what a tourist would be doing at, say, Lai Wan Market is beyond me...

at star ferry TST you should go to 6/F Marco Polo Hotel :p

most just cycle them between promos and the few main supermarket.

tbh most shops tourists go would take AMEX too if they take cards (otherwise they just don't take cards all together)

Taking the minibus is also a good idea going to Sai Kung (From Dundas Street, Mong Kok) and the Peak (from around Central - and if you're good, you'd be looking for Citysuper in IFC, and go 1 floor down through the footbridge outdoors).

re airbnb: I've only hear of issues when a big group crash a building. if you're normally discreet, you'd be fine.