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Travel - International
AIR: Hong Kong’s major international airline is Cathay Pacific (CX) (website: www.cathaypacific.com), which flies to Hong Kong thrice daily from London Heathrow, Los Angeles, and once a day from New York, Toronto Vancouver and Delhi. Cathay Pacific’s associated airline for flights to and from mainland China is Dragonair. Other airlines operating to Hong Kong include Air Canada, British Airways, China Airlines, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Philippine Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.
Important note: Some civilian air routes over Afghanistan are threatened by military activity. Some airlines continue to use these routes to fly to destinations including Hong Kong. Others, including all British airlines, use alternative routes, on which the threat is assessed as minimal. Travellers should check their routes directly with either travel agents or airlines when booking flights.
Approximate flight times: From Hong Kong to London is 12 hours 50 minutes, to Los Angeles is 14 hours 15 minutes, to New York is 17 hours, to Singapore is three hours 40 minutes, to Sydney is nine hours and to Tokyo is four hours 20 minutes.
International airports: Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) (Chek Lap Kok) (website: www.hkairport.com) is located on Lantau Island, 34 km (21 miles) from central Hong Kong. It opened on 6 July 1998 (replacing the existing Kai Tak airport) and could handle 117,000 passengers a day even before the opening of its second runway in 1999. It is one of ten Airport Core Programme (ACP) projects, one of the largest infrastructural projects ever undertaken in the world. It includes the 2.2km (1.4 miles) Tsing Ma Bridge, the world’s largest road and rail suspension bridge, linking Lantau Island to the mainland New Territories. About three quarters of the 12,480 sq km (7800 sq miles) airport site was constructed from land reclaimed from the sea, with the rest formed from the excavation of the existing islands of Chek Lap Kok and Lam Chau. The new airport terminal building, designed by the British architect Sir Norman Foster, is Hong Kong’s largest single building and its wing-like roof and glass walls have been hailed as a landmark in modern architecture.
Rail, bus and taxi links from Hong Kong International Airport to central Hong Kong leave from the Transportation Centre adjacent to the passenger terminal and cross the Tsing Ma bridge to the mainland New Territories. The easiest connection is via the Airport Express Line (AEL), an all-seater business class high speed train. The AEL leaves the airport every ten minutes, operating from 0500-0100. It is a 23-minute journey to Hong Kong station, also stopping at Kowloon, with free shuttle buses running from the rail stations to various hotels (a single ticket costs HK$100 for adults and HK$50 for children). Many bus routes operate between the airport and Hong Kong and Kowloon, including nine Airbus services. Fares range between HK$14-45. High-speed ferries run between Chek Lap Kok Ferry Pier and Tuen Mun, with a shuttle bus from the pier to the airport. Ferries operate from 0600-2300 and cost HK$15. There are also 18 pick-up bays for coaches providing group and organised tour hotel transfers, and a car park for more than 3000 vehicles. Taxis to Hong Kong are readily available. MTR Travel Services and a number of other coach companies offer a variety of travel services for journeys to mainland China or Macau.
Facilities at Hong Kong International Airport include tourist information desks and computer kiosks, several currency exchange counters, banks and ATMs, 24 hour food and drink outlets, a post office and medical centre, good physical accessibility for passengers with disabilities and a large Hong Kong Sky Mall shopping centre with duty free shopping available. Hong Kong International is also one of only a few airports to have an Automated People Mover (APM); a driverless train at basement level that transports passengers between terminals.
Departure tax: HK$80; children aged 12 and under are exempt.
SEA: A large number of cruise ships visit Hong Kong port. The following is a list of those that are UK-based; Crystal, Cunard, P&O, Silversea, Radisson Seven Seas, and Seabourn. Ferries and hovercraft link Hong Kong with mainland China. Departures are from the Hong Kong ferry terminal in Kowloon to Shenzhen or Guangzhou. Enquire locally for details.
There are more than 100 daily scheduled sailings each way to Macau. The journey can be made by jetfoil, turbocat, jumbocat, hoverferry or catamaran. Travel time by jetfoil – 55 minutes; by catamaran – one hour and ten minutes. See also the Macau section.
RAIL: The Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation (KCR) operates a service from Kowloon to Guangzhou (formerly Canton), several times a day. There are also services from Hong Kong to Foshan and Changping. Restaurant cars are only available if travelling first class. Local KCRC trains run regularly (every five to ten minutes) to Lo Wu, the last stop before the Chinese border. It is then possible to cross the border to Shenzhen, a special economic zone, in China over the border. To go as far as Lo Wu travellers must hold a visa for China, otherwise it is only possible to get to Sheung Shui. Children under three years old travel free. Children aged three to nine years old pay half fare. For more information, contact the KCRC information line (tel: 2602 7799; website: www.kcrc.com).
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