Hong Kong Travel Guide: Octopus, Etiquette & Dim Sum
🛂 Arrival & Immigration
- HK immigration is separate from mainland China — passport stamps differ
- Most visitors get visa-free entry 7–180 days depending on nationality
- Fill in the arrival card on the plane to skip queues
- Free WiFi at the airport and MTR stations (find "#HK-FreeWiFi")
👛 Octopus Card
- Buy an Octopus at any MTR station — HK$150 (HK$50 deposit)
- Works on MTR, buses, ferries, trams, 7-Eleven and even fast food
- Tourist versions are refundable; standard cards keep the deposit
- Add it to Apple Pay/Google Pay to skip physical cards entirely
❤️ Etiquette & Culture
- Give and receive cards with both hands — small sign of respect
- Tipping is not required; some restaurants add a 10% service charge
- Stand right on escalators, walk left (opposite of London)
- Queueing is taken seriously — jumping queues draws stares
🍜 Food & Dim Sum
- Dim sum runs 7am–3pm; "yum cha" is a morning ritual
- Michelin-starred tim ho wan costs under HK$60 per person
- Cha chaan tengs (tea restaurants) serve milk tea and pineapple buns
- Cash still matters at street markets; cards elsewhere
💱 Money & Payments
- Hong Kong dollar (HKD) pegged ~7.8 to USD
- Alipay/WeChat Pay work in most chains; Octopus covers transit
- ATMs are everywhere; airport rates are poor, use city machines
- No sales tax — the sticker price is the final price
📱 Connectivity
- eSIM is the easiest way to stay online from landing
- One eSIM covers both Hong Kong and Macau — no border swap
- Hotel WiFi is common but slow at peak hours
- Google Maps works fine here (unlike mainland China)
📅 Physical Octopus vs Mobile Octopus
| Physical Octopus | Octopus in Apple/Google Pay | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | HK$150 (HK$50 deposit) | No deposit — top up in app |
| Refundable | Tourist version yes; standard keeps deposit | Remove card anytime, balance stays in wallet |
| Works on | MTR, buses, ferries, trams, 7-Eleven | Same — tap your phone |
💡 Quick Tips
- Visit October–December: cool, dry and festival season
- The Peak at sunset beats daytime views — arrive 1h before
- Get a Day Pass for unlimited MTR rides on heavy sightseeing days
- Taxi drivers may not speak English — show the address in Chinese
- Sunday is domestic helper day — Central is crowded, plan around it
- Tap water is technically safe but most locals boil or filter it
- Macau is 1 hour by ferry — a perfect side trip on the same eSIM
⚡ Pro Tips
- Book Peak Tram tickets online to skip 45-minute queues
- Use the MTR tourist hotline app for real-time crowd levels
- 7-Eleven Octopus top-up machines accept foreign cards better than kiosks
📋 Summary
Hong Kong is compact, efficient and food-obsessed. Get an Octopus card, mind the escalator rules, eat your way through dim sum halls, and one eSIM covers Hong Kong plus Macau.
