Arrive
HKIA: every step after baggage claim
Find the GTC, Airport Express, A/E/S/N buses, the official taxi rank, the cheap ordinary MTR via S1 and Tung Chung Line, McDonald’s, and SIM desks.
Notes dated 2026-09
Most flights use Terminal 1. Terminal 2 has been rebuilt — follow live signs. After immigration, decide three things: how rushed you are, how many bags, which district. That picks Express, A-bus, taxi, or S1 plus ordinary MTR.
Four signs, do not mix them
| You want | Follow | Where it is |
|---|---|---|
| A/E/S/N/NA buses | Ground Transportation Centre | Ground-level bus terminus under the terminal. Platforms show route numbers. Cityflyer A-buses are often yellow; LWB serves the western and northern New Territories. |
| Airport Express | Airport Express / MTR | Airport station sits under the terminal, lifts and travelators. Its own fare; different gates from ordinary MTR. |
| Taxi | Taxi | Official rank: red urban, green NT, blue Lantau. Read the queue signs. Ignore touts outside the building. |
| Hotel / Disneyland | Hotel Coach / Disneyland | Match the company on your booking. A touted coach is not your hotel shuttle. |
Airport Express: fastest, not ordinary MTR
- Adult Octopus: Hong Kong Station HK$120, Kowloon HK$105, Tsing Yi HK$73. Paper tickets about $10 more. About 24 minutes to Hong Kong Station.
- Same-day return on the same Octopus can be free. Free ordinary MTR connection within one hour (not Light Rail, MTR Bus, or East Rail First Class).
- Cars have luggage space. Kowloon and Hong Kong stations have free hotel shuttles on listed routes.
- In-town check-in is for departure day, not arrival.
Cheap ordinary MTR: S1 then Tung Chung Line
Airport Express gates do not charge ordinary MTR fares. For a normal MTR ride you leave the airport station, reach Tung Chung, and enter the Tung Chung Line there.
- Bags → Ground Transportation Centre.
- Citybus S1 (loop, about HK$4) to Tung Chung station. Frequent. Lower deck takes a normal suitcase.
- Tap in at Tung Chung. For Kowloon, change at Nam Cheong or Lai King. For the Island, ride to Hong Kong Station and change.
- About 50–70 minutes, a little over HK$30 to the Island depending on the end station. Two large cases, a tight connection, or kids: use an A-bus or the Express.
A-buses, E-buses, night buses: match the platform
Each GTC bay has a route plate. Tap Octopus or a bank card; the reader shows the fare. Exact cash only. Suitcases on the lower-deck rack. Many E-buses dislike oversized bags.
| Kind | Who | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Cityflyer A-routes | Kowloon, Island, Tseung Kwan O; direct with bags | Dearer. Same-day Octopus return to town can be half price. A21 TST/Mong Kok $34.6; A11 CWB/Central $41.9; A22 Kwun Tong $40.8; A29 Tseung Kwan O $44.0. |
| LWB A-routes | Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai, Sha Tin, Fanling, Sheung Shui | Do not ride into TST and back. A31 Tsuen Wan about $19.8; A33X Tuen Mun about $15.7; A36/A37 Yuen Long/Tin Shui Wai; A41 Sha Tin about $23.4; A43 Sheung Shui/Fanling about $32.4. Use App 1933. |
| E-routes (external) | Budget, light bags, not rushed | More stops via the logistics area or Tung Chung. E11 to the Island is cheaper than A11. Skip E with two large cases. |
| Night N / NA | After the last MTR and Express | N21 to TST Star Ferry about $23.8, infrequent. NA-routes dearer and more direct. Check Citybus; a 40-minute wait is often worse than a taxi. |
Taxis: official rank, three colours, extras
- Queue at the official rank. Fares are metered plus luggage, tunnel and bridge extras.
- Red: Island, Kowloon, parts of the NT. TST/Mong Kok from about HK$280; Central/Admiralty often about HK$350–400 depending on the tunnel.
- Green: New Territories, not urban Island. Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Tai Po, Fanling can be simpler. Drivers may refuse some long cross-district jobs — follow rank signs.
- Blue: Lantau and the airport area, not a Kowloon ride.
- Three-plus splitting, late night, hotel door: a taxi often beats four Express tickets. E-pay is required; many still prefer cash. Keep a couple of HK$100 notes.
Food, data, Octopus on arrival
- McDonald’s: T1 L8 near aisle F, landside, 24 hours. Walk up after landing. L6 near gate 11 is airside.
- Arrivals: 7-Eleven, coffee, some bakeries. For a sit-down meal, go up to departures or T2 Food Hub.
- Octopus: Airport station customer centre and machines. The loaded T-Union tourist pack is common here. See the Octopus page.
- SIM desks in arrivals (CSL, 3HK, CMHK): convenient, pricey. Short trip: eSIM before you fly.
- Airport FX is poor. Change a little cash for taxis and snacks; use an ATM for the rest.
Airport to each district (short table)
| Going to | How | Roughly | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong Island (Central, Admiralty, Wan Chai, CWB) | Rushed: Express to Hong Kong Station. Not rushed: Citybus A11. Cheap: S1 + Tung Chung Line, then change. | Express ~24 min; A11 ~70–90 min | A11 about $41.9. Night: N11 / NA11. |
| Kowloon (TST, Jordan, Mong Kok) | Not rushed: A21 along Nathan Road. Rushed: Express to Kowloon then taxi/shuttle. Cheap: S1 + Tung Chung Line, change to Tsuen Wan line. | A21 ~70–90 min | A21 $34.6. Night N21 to Star Ferry. |
| Tseung Kwan O | Citybus A29 toward Po Lam / Hang Hau. Or Express into town then Tseung Kwan O line. | A29 ~80–100 min | About $44. Night NA29. |
| Kwun Tong, Lam Tin | Citybus A22. | ~80 min | About $40.8. |
| Sha Tin, Tai Wai | LWB A41. Do not go via TST. | ~60–80 min | About $23.4. App 1933. |
| Tai Po | No star A-route. Practical: A41 to Sha Tin then East Rail, or Express then East Rail. | ~90 min+ | East Rail: Tai Po Market station. |
| Fanling, Sheung Shui | LWB A43 / A43P. | ~70–90 min | About $32.4. East Rail nearby. |
| Tuen Mun | LWB A33, A33X via the Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok tunnel — faster than looping Tung Chung. | ~40–55 min | A33X about $15.7. Do not detour via Kowloon. |
| Yuen Long, Tin Shui Wai | LWB A36, A37. | ~50–70 min | Check 1933. Tuen Ma Line nearby. |
| Tsuen Wan, Tsing Yi | LWB A31; or Express stop at Tsing Yi ($73). | ~40–55 min | A31 about $19.8. |
Fares, frequencies, and border hours change. Recheck App 1933, Citybus, MTR Mobile, or the ImmD app before you go.
Questions
Where is the bus station?
After bags in Terminal 1, follow green Ground Transportation Centre signs downstairs. Citybus and LWB A, E, S, N and NA routes board there — not at kerbside on the departures level.
What is the cheapest MTR way into town?
Airport Express is not the ordinary MTR. Cheap path: S1 from the GTC (about HK$4) to Tung Chung, then the Tung Chung Line on a normal Octopus fare (about HK$24–28 to Hong Kong Station). Far cheaper than the Express HK$120, but you change and haul bags. About 50–70 minutes.
Where is McDonald’s? Can arrivals use it?
The 24-hour non-restricted McDonald’s is Terminal 1, departures L8 near check-in aisle F — no boarding pass. After landing you go up to departures. The L6 shop near gate 11 is airside. Terminal 2 L7 Food Hub also has a landside shop. Arrivals has fewer sit-down options; 7-Eleven and cafés are closer to the belts.