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The excellent, modern airport trains to Central take just 23 minutes and depart every 10 minutes from 6am to 1:30am daily. Taxis are also readily available at the airport. The E11 bus through Central, Wanchai and Causeway Bay takes about an hour and is the cheapest option.

If you’re going to travel widely in Hong Kong consider buying an Octopus card, which you charge with money and swipe over the readers on most local buses, trains, ferries and trams. Special tourist versions allow unlimited travel for 24 hours or three days.

The excellent, efficient MTR (Mass Transit Railway) system runs from 6am to 1.30am on five underground lines connecting Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories and Lantau. It’s clean, cheap and air-conditioned. The KCR (Kowloon-Canton Railway) line, connecting Kowloon with the New Territories, runs from 5.30am to 1am.

Cheap, frequent buses connect almost every place in Hong Kong. Pick up a bus route map at any of the HKTA’s offices. Major hotels offer free shuttle buses between the hotels and Kowloon and Central KCR stations.

Red taxis operate in and around central Hong Kong and are reasonably priced. Surcharges apply for tunnel tolls, luggage in the trunk and late-night journeys. Tipping is appreciated but not expected. Green taxis run in the New Territories; blue ones on Lantau. Bear in mind, though, that few taxi drivers can speak much English.

Ferries link Hong Kong Island with Kowloon, the outlying islands, Macau and China. The frequent Star Ferries (see Star Ferry)shuttle between Hong Kong and Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon from 6:30am to 11:30pm. Next to Central’s Star Ferry pier are the main piers for outlying islands.

The ancient, wood-panelled, double-deck trams running west to east from Kennedy Town to Chai Wan are a slow, sometimes cramped but undeniably atmospheric way to get around Hong Kong. A very reasonable flat fee applies for all destinations. The legendary Peak Tram (see The Peak) leaves from Garden Road.

The best way to see many central Hong Kong districts is to walk. The distances are short, although the inclines can be steep. Walking is really the only way to see the sights in Western, the Mid-Levels, Wan Chai, much of Kowloon and Hong Kong’s country parks. Walking in parts of Central and Admiralty, however, can be a disorientating trudge around a maze of walkways and underpasses.

Forget cycling among the urban congestion and fumes, but think about hiring a bike to hit some of the rugged, steep country trails. Contact the Hong Kong Cycling Association for details.

Why hire a car in Hong Kong when it’s so easy to get around, parking is scarce and congestion is so intense? If you do, you’ll need an international driving licence.