Hong Kong airport to city: 24 min by train

Hong Kong's airport sits on Chek Lap Kok off Lantau Island, about 41 km by road from Central. Even so, this is one of Asia's easier arrivals, because the Airport Express barely pauses. The trap is at the other end: the city is spread across both sides of the harbour, and the train does not stop right outside the places most visitors stay. The short answer: hotel in Central, Admiralty or Wan Chai: Airport Express to Hong Kong Station. Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui: Airport Express to Kowloon Station and a short taxi, or a taxi from the airport. Tight budget: an A-route bus.

The options side by side

Train times are from MTR, the operator. Taxi times are pure driving time from OpenStreetMap routing with no traffic; add at least a third. The airport gives no bus journey times. They are slower, and we are not guessing a figure here.

Airport Express: the standard route

MTR's Airport Express runs about every 10 minutes between the airport and the city, according to the airport, from early morning until just before 01:00. The ride takes 24 minutes to Hong Kong Station, 22 to Kowloon Station and 14 to Tsing Yi, according to MTR. The line has its own fares, separate from ordinary MTR trips.

Hong Kong Station and Kowloon Station also offer In-Town Check-In: on departure day you hand in your luggage in the city. MTR lists which airlines take part and until when. This is the best trick for a late flight home, because you spend your last day without a suitcase.

Hong Kong Station or Kowloon Station?

This is the decision the map tends to get wrong:

• Hong Kong Station is in Central on Hong Kong Island and links to MTR Central. For hotels in Central, Admiralty, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay, you change here to the MTR or a taxi.
• Kowloon Station is in West Kowloon, on the Tung Chung Line. The name is misleading: the harbour at Tsim Sha Tsui is still some way off, too far on foot with cases. From here, take a taxi or the MTR with a change.
• Tsing Yi only matters if you want the Tung Chung Line. For Disneyland Resort, the airport says to change here and again at Sunny Bay.

Changing once more at Kowloon Station for the last few kilometres costs more patience with luggage than those 22 minutes suggest. If you are staying in Tsim Sha Tsui and travelling as two, a taxi is often the calmer option.

A-route buses and others

The airport's own list shows a great many bus routes, and they cost far less than the train. The A routes are the Airbus services, and the E routes, listed as External Bus, serve other destinations such as Tin Hau and Lam Tin (North). A few A routes that suit visitors:

• A11: to North Point Ferry Pier, across Hong Kong Island.
• A12: to Siu Sai Wan, also on Hong Kong Island.
• A21: to Hung Hom Station through Kowloon.
• A22: to Lam Tin.
• A25: to Kai Tak.

Most run until around midnight according to the airport, and some start only in the morning or at midday. You pay the exact fare, by Octopus or by e-payment, and the airport's counters sell tickets for the A routes. Citybus lists the exact stops. The buses are best when your stop is right at the hotel; a change usually wipes out the saving.

Taxi: pick by colour

The taxi station is near the left-hand ramp outside the Arrivals Hall, according to the airport, with separate rows by colour. You really can get in the wrong one:

• Red (urban): goes almost everywhere. This is the taxi for Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
• Green (New Territories): mainly the north-east and north-west of the New Territories.
• Blue (Lantau): only Lantau and Chek Lap Kok, so for Tung Chung and hotels on Lantau.

Pure driving time is about 40 minutes to Central (41 km) and about 36 to Tsim Sha Tsui (37 km). If you would rather have a driver with a name board, book a transfer from Hong Kong airport^* (Kiwitaxi) ahead; pre-booked taxis have their own pick-up zone next to Car Park 1. Our article on when an airport transfer pays off explains when it adds up.

Late landings

The last Airport Express to the city leaves just before 01:00, according to MTR. After that you are mostly looking at a taxi. The airport's bus list shows operating hours until around midnight on the routes into town, so check your line with Citybus if you land even later, and treat a taxi as your fallback.

Which one suits you?

• Hotel in Central, Admiralty, Sheung Wan: Airport Express to Hong Kong Station.
• Hotel in Wan Chai, Causeway Bay: Airport Express and MTR, or a taxi.
• Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan, Mong Kok: taxi, or Airport Express to Kowloon Station and onward.
• Hotel in Tung Chung or on Lantau: blue taxi.
• Tight budget, hotel on an A route: Airbus.
• Late flight home: In-Town Check-In, otherwise a luggage drop in Hong Kong^*.

Set up mobile data before you fly; our eSIM comparison for Hong Kong lists the plans. Entry rules are on the UK government's Hong Kong page.

How long to stay is covered in how many days in Hong Kong. If you are arriving for the Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year in Hong Kong 2027 helps you plan the days.

Hong Kong trip planDay by day, with map and tips

How YesTrip helps you plan

Add your arrival and hotel to YesTrip and you see your places in Hong Kong on the map, split across the island and Kowloon, along with the weather for your travel days. You can copy the ready-made Hong Kong plans with one tap, and the offline package keeps the map ready even with no signal. YesTrip is free and books nothing itself.

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