I definitely thought about transport before I came to Hong Kong. It all depended on my arrival time on whether or not to buy an Airport Express Tourist Card. I had read about the Citiflyer airbus a couple hours before I departed and decided to take that instead of the Airport Express, that is if I manage to arrive before their last departing bus from the airport (around midnight). For one it goes along Nathan Road and would make it easier for me to locate my hotel. The Airport Express on the other hand stops at 3 locations – Tsing Yi, Kowloon and Sheung Wan/ Central on Hong Kong Island. The Kowloon stop would be apt but then I would have to either walk or take a taxi to my hotel. It would be late at night when I arrive in Hong Kong, I am a single young female lugging a heavy bag, it was my first time abroad, the infamous char siew pau story didn’t exactly made me feel better.
But anyway the HKG$220 Airport Express Tourist card gives you :
- a single journey on the Airport Express
- 3-days unlimited rides on the MTR, beginning on the first day you swipe the card on any MTR
- HKG$20 to use for whatever you want
- HKG$50 refundable deposit
The HKG$300 gives you all the above and an additional single journey on the Airport Express.
The normal adult fare for the Airport Express is HKG$90 if you alight at Kowloon and HKG$100 if you alight at Hong Kong Island. So minus that and HKG$50 refundable + HKG$20 useable from HKG$220 and you get HKG$60 worth of MTR rides. Unlimited for 3 days of course. If the HKG$20 for other stuff isn’t enough you could always top it up.
Which was very nice. But in my case I had just 2 days to walk around Hong Kong, since I arrived late at night and would leave early Tuesday morning. Having walked to and fro Tin Hau Temple I was convinced that you don’t really need the MTR that much, for example the fare from the Yau Ma Tei station to the Prince Edward station costs HKG$3.20. How many times do you want to get on the MTR? Of course it is very convenient but wouldn’t you want to walk around a bit? Besides I didn’t want to commit to the single Airport Express ride since I would have to reach the airport by 0715 on Tuesday.
The normal Octopus card on the other hand gives you the freedom to use it for everything and anything, for the normal prices of course. Having used it and calculated everything I think it was much better for me instead of the Octopus tourist card. I bought the HKG$150 Octopus card and used it for the MTR, ferries and buses. When I returned the card I got back around HKG$77, including the HKG$50 deposit. So in total I had used HKG$73.
This sum included HKG$33 for a return bus ride from Mui Wo to the Po Lin Monastery. I also used the card for a ferry ride from Hong Kong Island to Tsim Tsa Tsui, as well as a bus ride from The Peak to the pier. So overall I would think that the unlimited 3-day MTR ride is just a gimmick – the card would be more useful for other means of transport and they do not go by the name of MTR.
Of course it depends on your itinerary. If everything involves the MTR then by all means get the tourist card.
For me I was glad that I didn’t. OK it is all very small money, more or less this or that and maybe some people would prefer the convenience of the unlimited rides. But I just have this annoying habit of wanting to find out different ways to arrive at various solution.
Then proving I was right.
The feeling is just…
Sublime.
Read more:
Day 1 : To Hong Kong
Day 2.1 : In Search of Tin Hau
Day 2.2 : The Octopus Strikes Back
Day 2.3 : Flower Crazy
Day 2.4 : Central; A Different World
Day 2.5 : Night Time, Light Time
Day 3.1 : The Buddha Beckons
Day 3.2 : To The Peak and Back
Day 3.3 : This Girl Needs a Beer
Day 4 : Leaving Hong Kong
Some thoughts on Hong Kong
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