Getting started in Hong Kong: quick guide

Arriving in a new city always generates excitement… and also a bit of chaos. Hong Kong is a unique, vibrant, and sometimes overwhelming destination at first. In this guide, I want to help you with everything I wish I had known before moving: from what to pack and how to buy tickets, to how to get around the city, get your Octopus card, or find the best place to exchange money. If you are planning to come to Hong Kong (whether for tourism or to stay for a while), this post is for you.

🧳 Before coming: what to have ready

Documentation and visa

If you are coming from Spain and your stay does not exceed 90 days, you do not need a visa: you can enter with just your passport. Also, until a few months ago, it was necessary to fill out an entry form, but it is no longer mandatory.

For stays longer than 90 days, you will need a visa. The entire process can be done online, without the need to go in person anywhere.

SIM card or eSIM

Hong Kong has very affordable prepaid options, especially compared to Japan or mainland China. You have two options:

1. eSIM: If your phone is compatible, you can purchase it before you arrive. Holafly is one of the most popular and works well.

2. Physical SIM: This is what I did. You can buy one directly at any 7-Eleven. The one I use costs 33 HKD (about €3.80), includes 60 GB, and unlimited calls for 90 days. A hard option to beat.

Where to search for flights

To search for flights, I use Skyscanner to compare prices and then book on the airline’s website.
There are direct flights from Madrid (Friday outbound, Sunday return), but they usually cost around €1,000.
If you have a layover in London or Doha, you can save up to €300-400, and the layovers are usually brief.
I also recommend checking Trip.com, where I sometimes find better deals than on other sites. For instance, last summer I saved €200 on my direct flight to Hong Kong, so it can be a good alternative.

What to pack

• Type G plug (like in the United Kingdom)

• Clothes according to the season: very hot and humid in summer, low wind chill in winter

• Umbrella (essential)

• Some cash (euros or dollars) to exchange upon arrival

🛬 Upon arrival in Hong Kong

Money exchange

Avoid exchanging money at the airport: the fees are high.
My recommendation: carry a card like Revolut, which allows you to exchange currencies at a good rate and withdraw up to €200 a month without fees.

Once you're already in the city, there are several exchange houses; avoid those in very touristy areas. I’ll provide the location of the place we used to exchange money. → view location

How to get from the airport to the city center

• Airport Express: comfortable, economical, and fast if you don’t have many bags.

• Taxi: more comfortable if you are loaded down. There are two types: red (urban areas) and green (New Territories). There are English-speaking staff who will indicate which one to take and can communicate your destination to the drivers.
  The journey to Central costs about 380 HKD (~€44).

• Uber: fixed price, ideal if you want to avoid surprises.

Getting the Octopus card

The Octopus is Hong Kong's magic card: it’s used for the metro, buses, ferries, trams, restaurants, shops, hairdressers…

• Price: 150 HKD (~€17), includes 100 HKD in balance + 50 HKD refundable deposit.

• Where to buy it: metro stations.

• Top-ups: in cash, at stores like 7-Eleven or stations.

• If you are a resident and have the HKID, you can use it in digital format from your mobile.

How to get around the city

Public transport in Hong Kong is excellent:

• Trams (only 3 HKD) for going slowly and enjoying the urban landscape

• MTR with 12 lines, punctual and clean

• Buses and ferries to move around the islands or more remote neighborhoods

  
  

  

🏨 Where to stay

Depending on your type of stay:

• 1 week: Central, Sheung Wan, Tsim Sha Tsui

• 1 month or more: Sai Ying Pun, Kennedy Town, Kowloon Tong...

I recommend looking on Airbnb, local hostels, or apps like 28Hse if you plan to stay longer.

📱 Must-have apps in Hong Kong

• MTR Mobile: metro schedules

• OpenRice: to search for restaurants

• Octopus: check balance (requires HKID)

• Google Translate / Maps

• Foodpanda: food delivery

• HKTaxi / Uber

• HKTVMall: the Chinese Amazon

• A VPN if you are going to use ChatGPT, or if you plan to go to China

💡 Personal tips

• One of the things that surprised me the most, besides the city, was the public transport: cheap, clean, efficient, and very well connected.
  Whenever you can, hop on a tram. It’s the best way to start getting to know the city.

• Try to always have the Octopus or some cash with you. Most places accept Visa or Mastercard, but you might encounter some surprises.

• Eat where the locals eat
  The best places to eat are not on the main avenues. Look for side streets, menus in Chinese (even if you don’t understand anything) and shared tables. Street food is part of the experience and often delicious and cheap.

• Even if it’s summer and the heat is almost unbearable, it's a good idea to carry a light jacket in your backpack; as soon as you enter any shopping mall the temperature drops, and it feels like you’ve walked into Siberia.