Hong Kong Street Map
Gets You into the
Heart of this City

On the Hong Kong street map, you do not see the MTR (subway), bus or tram routes. But they cover most of the roads and streets. Plus, there are mini-buses and taxis to cover the routes that other transportation don't go to. That's why you don't need to have a driver license over there.

Hong Kong Transportation & Traffic

To the Hong Kong people , owning a car is a luxury. Having your own car in Hong Kong is more expensive than in US.

The Government even charges high import tax on cars in order to discourage people from buying them. Fewer cars, less traffic congestion. Everywhere you go, you must pay for parking. There is NO free parking in Hong Kong.

Besides, traffic congestion is very, very common. The average speed limit is 50km/hr (=30mph).The highest speed limit on the highways is 100km/hr (=60mph). So, why bother to have car?

Hong Kong MTR (Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway), is connected to the train system that can pretty much reach anywhere you want to go.

The Tram (pictured below) only runs on the northern part of Hong Kong Island. It may be very slow. But with the traffic congestion, it helps you to get through the traffic quicker on many occasions. It has the cheapest fare which allows you to travel the city at a very low cost.

I used to take a long tram ride after a long day of work. Sitting on the upper deck next to the window seat, it was such a relaxing ride.

There are 2 bus companies in Hong Kong. Each only travels in certain areas:

City Bus: Travels only on Hong Kong Island

Kowloon Motor Bus: Travels in Kowloon and the New Territories.

All the buses in Hong Kong are double-decker. They have come a long way.

Thanks to the collapse of the franchise, China Motor Bus in 1998. The buses are more reliable. And nowadays they are air-conditioned and connected to TVs. And most important of all, they are more reliable and comfortable. They use to breakdown often.

Characteristics of Hong Kong Street Map

Due to the early development of Hong Kong Island, the Hong Kong street map is not as organized as some modern urban areas. You can compare it by looking at the streets and roads in Hong Kong Island and the New Territories.

Also, if you look closer at the Hong Kong street map names, you will realize that many of them are the last names (surnames). Most are named after previous British governors. A few good examples are, Aberdeen St., Wellington St., Robinson Rd. and so forth.

Below, you can also see on the Hong Kong street map signs that all the streets and road names have both Chinese and English names which is very typical in Hong Kong.  Most things are bilingual.

When I looked back to the pictures taken 3 years ago, some places changed dramatically.  The perfect examples are the Star Ferry Central Pier and the Elements in western Kowloon.

Currently, there is an extensive land reclamation under way in the northern part of the Hong Kong Island.  Can you imagine how much it is going to change in the next 5-10 years?

Strategies on Hong Kong Street Map

When we were in Hong Kong, both Perry and I looked very hard for a Hong Kong street map. What we found were usually the map showing the area concentrated on the norther part of the Hong Kong Island and the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula.  It is because these 2 areas are where most of the Hong Kong attractions and shopping malls are located.

These maps are available at all Hong Kong Tourism Board service centers and hotels.  They are FREE.

However, there were several occasions that Perry got upset about places that he was looking for and didn't exist in the map.

We saw some tourists relied on their smart phone or tablets to search in the maps. Even some Hong Kong people owning their own cars, they would rely on those devices to look for their destination.

Although we brought along our smart phone and used the Google map to look up the places we want to go, the result was not as satisfactory as in the States.  I believe part of it is because Yahoo is more commonly used over there.

Plus, you get charged for internet used overseas.  If you have a GPS already, see if you can download or buy Hong Kong street map.  It's comparatively cheaper.

I specifically have this page, Hong Kong map, pinpointing all the major tourist musts, buildings and areas that you may be interested in visiting.

Explore More

To explore more check out:

1) Fun Facts About Hong Kong - This is an eye-wide opener.

2) Map of Hong Kong - The map changes dramatically in the last 100 years. How? Why?

3) Hong Kong Road Map - The main infrastructure built by the Hong Kong government connecting 235 islands together.

4) World map Hong Kong - Gives you a very brief idea of this tiny, but significant world top financial city, a peek in relation to the rest of the world.

5) Hong Kong Map - Precisely at what location to do what? Shopping, dining, touring, entertainment, nightlife and more.

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