Websites for buying Hong Kong flights

 Transport, Travel Tips  No Responses »
May 222011
 

There are two Hong Kong travel websites which allow you to buy Hong Kong flights online with instant confirmation. One is www.zuji.com.hk, which I have been using since its debut a few years ago. Most recently, another website joined the ranks, www.webjet.com.hk.  The website’s search results give you a glance of airlines, their ticket prices as well as the flight duration and time. The results are based on a single flight with a handling fee of HK$50.  I have not used its service so I cannot comment.

Zuji is a bit different. The booking is based on return flights. No handling fee is charged. My experience with it has been good. Its flight ticket prices are among the city’s lowest. But it comes with one disadvantage. If you want to change your outbound flight time after the e-ticket is issued, you have to pay a charge, a practice that you won’t encounter if you buy your flight ticket through an “offline” travel agency.

 Posted by Anna at 2:23 pm

Which border crossing to choose

 HK-Shenzhen Transport, Transport  6 Responses »
Mar 212011
 

There are four land border crossings between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Which one to choose? Let me lay out the disadvantages and advantages below:

Lo Wu
This is probably the busiest and most popular border crossing among the four. It has East Rail Line train connection at the Hong Kong side, and underground train connection and a busy shopping area at the Shenshen side. Many Hong Kong people tend to use this border because of its convenience for shopping. The disadvantage is, it is not a 24-hour crossing. The border closes at midnight – the last train destined for Lowu border departs from Hong Hum, Kowloon at about 11pm. This crossing during the public holidays can be very crowded.

Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Futian
This border crossing is a diversion from  the Lo Wu one. It is also connected at two sides, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, by railway. The difference is, the Shenzhen side of this crossing, i.e. Futian, is relatively desolate, with little business activity. It is a springboard for you to go to other parts of Shenzhen via the underground train, itself unlikely a destination. Its advantage is, it is not as crowded as the Lo Wu crossing. To attract more people to use this crossing, ticket discounts for the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line – the railway line at the Hong Kong side connected to the border - are often offered.

Huanggang/Lok Ma Chau
The biggest advantage no doubt is its 24-hour operation. You can find buses and taxies going to/from the border 24 hours. And the biggest disadvantage lies in its traffic and immigration clearance arrangement. You have to get off the bus to clear the customs and immigration of Hong Kong, and then onto the bus to go to the Shenzhen check point, and off again- if you go in the direction of Shenzhen, and vice versa. What is more, at the side of Shenzhen, the transport hub (for taking buses and taxies) is a footbridge away, not readily accessible and hardly convenient, especially for those carrying heavy luggage.

This crossing is very congested during the public holidays, especially the mainland public holidays (such as Golden Week in the first week of October) when tours from the mainland flock to Hong Kong using this crossing.

Shenzhen Bay
This border crossing is used by vehicles only, as it has no rail connection at both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen side. This is its limitation. But since it is closer to the Shenzhen Airport, the bus to/from Shenzhen Airport usually uses this crossing. This crossing, the newest among the four land crossings,  boasts one thing -  the immigration and customs clearance for both Hong Kong and Shenzhen lies under one roof, a stark contrast to the Huanggang/Lok Ma Chau border. And the highway has made the journey to/from the border a fast one.

If you take a taxi from Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon of Hong Kong, for instance, it takes only about half an hour to reach the Shenzhen Bay border, and costs about HK$220. It probably takes you 10-15 minutes to clear all the customs and immigration. Right after leaving the customs and immigration hall, there is a taxi stand – you can take the taxi to anywhere in Shenzhen.

More to read: Hong Kong-Shenzhen Transport

 Posted by Anna at 10:00 pm

Low cost airline for Shanghai-HK route

 Transport, Travel Tips  3 Responses »
Sep 272010
 
Mainland China’s low cost airline Spring Air will launch its service between Hong Kong and Shanghai starting 28 September. If you want to find cheap tickets for the route as well as China’s domestic flights, check out its website (tickets.china-sss.com).

To mark the new service, the airline offers the unbeatable price of HK$199 (US$26) for a one-way ticket between Hong Kong and Shanghai from now until end of October. But the discount tickets are said to be all sold out.
 Posted by Anna at 10:35 pm

Biking in Hong Kong

 Transport, Travel Tips  No Responses »
Aug 092010
 

If you want to bike in Hong Kong, the best place to rent a bike is the Tai Shui Hang bike park near Tai Shui Hang MTR station on the Ma On Shan line. In the park, there are three bike shops, all of them offering a full-day bike rental for HK$20 (US$2.6), from 9:30am to 6:30pm (the official opening hours of the park are 9am to 6pm). For that moderate price, don’t expect the bike to be very a professional one. If you want a better quality bike, pay more.

a bike shop in the park

Before you reach the park, you will also find a bike shop which offers bike rental from 9:30am to 8pm for HK$20, and sometimes HK$15. The opening hours are slightly longer.

Hong Kong’s best bike paths are located in the Tai Wai / Ma On Shan / Shatin /Taipo areas in the New Territories. In all these areas, near the MTR stations, you can probably find bike shops for bike rental. But it is sure that you won’t be able to find the rent as cheap as HK$20 for a whole day.

The bike park in Tai Shui Hang is in the Ma On Shan area, from where you can bike to Tai Mei Tuk in Taipo (a place close to Plover Cover Reservoir), passing through the Hong Kong Science Park. Be assured that the scenery along the route is beautiful. You will find yourself biking along the sea or surrounded by hills at times. Well, you will also find yourself biking in the Taipo Industrial Estate area, where some of Hong Kong’s factories are located, including the fast food chain Fairwood. You can smell curry in the air.

the section of path next to science park

If you don’t know much about Hong Kong, biking is a very pleasant way to experience the city. It is a shame that Hong Kong has a very limited number of bike path – there is none on Hong Kong Island.

How to go to Tai Shui Hang bike park

Take exit B of Tai Shui Hang MTR station. Turn right where you see a cement road leading to trees. The park is 2-minute walk away.

More information

It is about 18km from Tai Shui Hang bike park to Tai Mei Tuk. A return journey would be 36km. For a rent of HK$20, you have to return the bike to the bike shop on the same day. Or you pay a little more, to return the bike at Shatin or Taipo at a designated bike shop.

the thai restaurant I went to

It takes 1-2 hour bike ride to finish one way journey, depending on how strong you are and how good your bike is. In my case, it took me almost 4 hours to bike from the bike park to Tai Mei Duk and return, in sweltering heat.

Tai Mei Tuk is famous for Thai food. It is such a pleasure to sit down for some delicious Thai food after some hard biking.

 Posted by Anna at 10:59 pm

Ferry to/from HK airport

 HK-Shenzhen Transport, HK-Zhuhai Transport, Transport  6 Responses »
Jul 062010
 

If you come to Hong Kong via Hong Kong International Airport and are en route to Pearl River Delta cities, or vice versa, do consider using the SkyPier at the airport.

The pier, soft-opened in December 2009, is a cross-bounder ferry terminal situated at the eastern tip of the airport island. The airport’s Automated People Mover system has extended to the pier, resulting in only 4-minute travel time to Terminal 1. There are 20 airline check-in desks and five security screening channels inside the ferry terminal.

The SkyPier has ferry going to/from Shenzhen’s Shekou (40 minutes), Shenzhen Airport (45 minutes), Dongguan (Humen)(1 hr 20 minutes), Zhongshan (1 hr 10 minutes), Zhuhai (50 minutes) and Macau (50 minutes).

For ferry schedule and more information, check out here.

 Posted by Anna at 4:53 pm
Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 4
© 2012 Journey to Hong Kong