Octopus & money
The Octopus card is how Hong Kong pays for small things. It works on the MTR, buses, minibuses, trams and ferries, and at 7-Eleven, supermarkets, vending machines and many restaurants. Set it up before you fly.
Put Octopus on your iPhone
You can't add it straight from the Wallet app. That route only takes Hong Kong bank cards. Do this instead:
- Download the Octopus App for Tourists from the App Store.
- Tap "Add New Octopus", choose Adult, and enter an amount. HK$200 to 300 is a good start.
- Pay with a Visa or Mastercard that's in your Apple Wallet. Amex won't work.
- Your Octopus now lives in Apple Wallet. Turn on Express Transit so you can tap without unlocking your phone.
Top up in the same app whenever you run low. Any leftover balance can be refunded through the app after your trip.
On Android, or prefer a card? Buy a physical Octopus card at the airport or any MTR station customer service counter.
Cards and cash
- Visa and Mastercard work in hotels, malls and most restaurants.
- Carry some Hong Kong dollars for small local restaurants, street markets and taxis. ATMs are everywhere.
- You can also tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard at the light blue gates in MTR stations.
Tipping
There's no tipping culture here. Restaurants usually add a 10% service charge to the bill, and that's it. At casual places you leave nothing, or just the coins. Taxi fares get rounded up to the dollar. A small tip for a hotel porter is fine.
Haggling
Bargaining is expected at street markets like the Ladies' Market and Temple Street. Start around half the asking price, smile, and be ready to walk away. Don't haggle in shops, malls or restaurants.
Getting around
The MTR (subway) is clean, cheap, and comes every few minutes. You'll use it more than anything else.
- Follow the colours. Each line has a colour, and signs are in English and Chinese.
- The exit matters. Stations are big, and exits are lettered (A1, B2, D). The wrong one can leave you a 10-minute walk away. Google Maps tells you which exit to take.
- No eating or drinking once you're through the gates, not even water. You can be fined.
- Let people off first, and stand to the side of the doors.
Taxis
- Red taxis cover the city. Green ones serve the New Territories and blue ones serve Lantau Island.
- Many drivers speak little English. Show the address in Chinese on your phone.
- Have cash ready in case the driver doesn't take cards.
The fun ways
- Star Ferry. Crossing the harbour costs less than a dollar and has the best view in town.
- The tram ("ding ding"). Slow double-decker trams run along Hong Kong Island. Sit upstairs at the front.
Etiquette
- Escalators: stand on the right, walk on the left. People take this seriously.
- Sharing tables (搭枱, "daap toi"). At busy local restaurants you'll be seated at a table with strangers. That's normal. Nod, sit, and eat. Nobody expects small talk.
- Local restaurants are fast. Staff can seem abrupt. It's speed, not rudeness. Order quickly, eat, pay at the front, and go.
- Tea. Pour for others before yourself. When someone pours for you, tap two fingers on the table to say thanks.
- Chopsticks. Don't stand them upright in a bowl of rice. It looks like incense at a funeral.
- Queue. People line up neatly for buses, taxis and restaurants.
- Bring tissues. Small restaurants often don't give out napkins.
What to eat
Dim sum (飲茶, "yum cha")
Small plates with tea, from morning to mid-afternoon.
Out of tea? Leave the teapot lid propped open and someone will refill it.
Cha chaan teng (茶餐廳)
Hong Kong's version of a diner. Fast, loud, cheap, and very local.
Roast meats (燒味)
Look for the shops with meat hanging in the window.
Noodles, snacks and sweets
Seafood by the water
In Sai Kung and on Lamma Island, you pick your seafood live from the tanks. It's priced by weight, so ask the price before they cook it.
Shops and their US cousins
| In Hong Kong | Think of it as |
|---|---|
| PARKnSHOP, Wellcome | Safeway. The everyday supermarkets. |
| city'super | Whole Foods, with a lot of Japanese imports. |
| YATA, AEON (吉之島) | Japanese department stores with great food halls. |
| Don Don Donki | A Japanese discount store packed floor to ceiling. Go for the snacks. |
| Watsons, Mannings | CVS and Walgreens. |
| 7-Eleven, Circle K | The same, but on every corner and far more useful. |
Stationery stores
Hong Kong is a great place to buy pens, notebooks and stickers.
- 奇趣. Billy's pick.
- CN Square (Yau Ma Tei). Five floors of stationery and art supplies.
- Gift Idea (Sheung Wan). Washi tape, stickers, fountain pens and inks.
- The Lion Rock Press. Hong Kong-themed cards and gifts. The best souvenirs.
- The Tree Stationery & Co. (Causeway Bay). Small and design-focused.
- Paper n Things (Central). Notebooks monogrammed while you wait.
- Eslite (Causeway Bay). A big Taiwanese bookstore with a stationery floor.
- LOG-ON. Japanese gadgets and stationery, usually next to a city'super.
- Japan Home Centre. Cheap and cheerful household and stationery finds.
Mall culture
Malls here aren't like malls in the US. They're how the city works.
- Most malls sit on top of MTR stations and link to each other by footbridges. Locals walk through them to stay out of the heat and rain.
- Mall restaurants are good. Some of the best places in town are on the upper floors of a shopping centre.
- Malls have the cleanest public bathrooms.
- The air conditioning is strong. Bring a light layer.
Tropical fruit
Stop at a fruit stand or a supermarket and try something you can't easily get at home.
- Mangosteen. Purple shell, sweet white segments inside.
- Dragon fruit. Pink outside, mild and refreshing inside.
- Guava, longan and rambutan. Easy to snack on.
- Pomelo. Like a giant, gentler grapefruit.
- Durian. Famous for its smell. Try it if you're brave. Most hotels don't allow it in rooms.
Mango and lychee season is summer, so in March much of the fruit is imported. It's still very good.
Practical
- Weather. March is mild, around 17 to 22°C (low 60s to low 70s °F). It's humid and often misty, with some drizzle. Pack layers and a small umbrella.
- Plugs. Hong Kong uses the British three-pin plug at 220V. Bring an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle the voltage fine.
- Phone. Buy a travel eSIM before you fly, or check your carrier's international day pass. Google, Instagram and WhatsApp all work normally here.
- WhatsApp. Please install it. It's how everyone in Hong Kong messages, and it's how we'll send updates.
- Language. Cantonese is the local language. English is widely understood in hotels, malls and most restaurants.
- Shoes. You'll walk a lot, and the city is hilly. Bring comfortable ones.
- Emergencies. Dial 999.