Hong Kong has the big city specials like smog, odour, 14 million elbows and an insane love of clatter. But it's also efficient, hushed and peaceful: the transport network is excellent, the shopping centres are sublime, and the temples and quiet corners of parks are... Read the overview

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Getting there and away

Air travellers will be treated to Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong's giant greenhouse of an airport; it's one of the world's ritziest. By land, the only way into Hong Kong is from mainland China: you can choose between bus and train. Water is perhaps the most picturesque way to arrive in Hong Kong; there are boats that take you between Hong Kong and destinations in Guangdong Province and Macau.

Getting around

In just 23min the Airport Express train connects Hong Kong International Airport with Hong Kong station in Central, stopping in Kowloon along the way. It's possibly the most convenient airport transport on earth, with the train leaving from inside the arrivals hall. On the way back you can check your bags in at the train stations in Central and Kowloon many hours before heading out to the airport, and go sightseeing with just your hand luggage. There's also a 35min Cityflyer airbus, and cheaper public buses: A21, best for Kowloon, and A11, for Hong Kong Island. Hotel shuttle buses and taxis are another more expensive option. Hong Kong's public transport system is a tourist attraction in its own right: there are old harbour ferries and narrow trams, ultra modern trains and the world's longest escalator. If you can't get from A to B with style in Hong Kong, you're not trying.