Hong Kong & Macau

Hong Kong and Macau are Chinese Special Administrative Regions (SAR), meaning they are mostly self-governing. These are some of the most unique cities on earth, with clashes of culture, food, religion and more.

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Hong Kong

Macau

Special Administrative Zones Travel Info

Language

The Special Administrative Zones of Hong Kong and Macau have some of the most complicated Language structures in Asia. Of course, both cities speak Cantonese, as they are historically part of China. However, Hong Kong was owned by the British for hundreds of years, and likewise Portugal owned Macau. Because of this, much of Hong Kong speaks English fluently, and many in Macau speak and understand Portuguese as well. English is also understood in Macau, but less so than Hong Kong.

Demographics

The SARs are quite diverse, due to their location as important trade cities and historical occupation. Of course, there is an increased amount of westerners, specifically British and Portuguese, Filipino, Indonesian, and many other Central and South East Asian ethnicities. Hong Kong specifically is much more diverse, with about 10% of inhabitants being of non-chinese descent. Religion is also diverse, with many Catholics in Macau, and sizable populations of Christians and Muslims in Both cities.

Weather

Hong Kong and Macau are both just outside of the tropics. That means warm weather year round, with weather ranging from 65F (20C) in winter to 90F (33C) in summer. Although it is subtropical, the region never dips below 55F (14C) making it a warm destination. There is a significant increase in rain due to the monsoons between May and September, with intense downpours possible on many days in the summer.

Public Transit

Hong Kong: Public transit in Hong Kong is world class, with 10 rail lines connecting every part of the city, and incredibly frequent service. It is not needed to run for your train, because if you miss it the next one is usually 2-3 minutes. There are thousands of double decker busses connecting every street and far off neighborhoods, plenty of taxi’s which can be hailed with Uber, and even the iconic street cars on Hong Kong Island.

Macau: Macau is far smaller than Hong Kong, and the public transit is much worse. There is currently only one light rail line, with access mostly limited to the casino areas. Busses connect everywhere on the island, but can be incredibly packed and delayed, especially in the city center. Additionally, the official app is not user-friendly making planning routes challenging. Taxis are massively understaffed, with roughly 1,500 in operation in a city with 40 million annual tourists, taxi stand lines can often be hours long. Thankfully the city is very small, meaning walking between locations is usually the best option.

Hong Kong & Macau FAQ

Both cities are average price for foreign travelers. The Hong Kong and Macau dollars are valued slightly lower than western currencies, and food and lodging is average, if not slightly cheaper than average. Neither city is excessively cheap, especially compared to nearby destinations in South East Asia.

The Special Administrative zones of China are some of the safest cities in Asia. With some of the lowest rates of violent and petty crime, no terrorism risk, and lacking many of the risks for foreigners associated with mainland China. Traveling in Hong Kong and Macau is a very safe and convenient experience.

Do to their past as colonies of the Western world, Hong Kong and Macau have some of the highest English literacy in all of China. Of course, Hong Kong was a British protectorate, and therefore has broader English proficiency. However, due to Macau’s large tourism industry, many areas have full fluent service.

Due to the weather, the most comfortable times to visit the SARs is from mid fall to mid spring. This is when temperatures are warm but comfortable and rainfall is low. The cities experience sweltering heat and heavy rainfall mid summer, making these more difficult times to visit. Tourist season is significantly higher from October January due to Chinese New Year, Golden week, and several regional holidays. The best times to visit to avoid bad weather and crowds are mid to late fall, and early spring.

Both cities are quite small, especially Macau, which if you’re quick on your feet can be explored nearly completely in a day. We recommend taking 2-3 days to visit Hong Kong, dedicating one day to Macau. Ferries start at 7:30am and end at 11:00pm, making a full day trip possible. The most popular areas in Hong Kong are Hong Kong Island, South Kowloon, and Tung Chung, and Disneyland Hong Kong. The ultimate Hong Kong/Macau itinerary would dedicate one day to Hong Kong island and Kowloon, one day to Tai O, Tung Chung, and Ngong Ping, one day to Macau, and one day to Disneyland.

Both cities widely accept cards, which we find the easiest method. If you do not want to carry around a card or cash, Alipay is almost universally accepted as well. However, if you are using the mainland China version of Alipay linked to a foreign card, it might not be accepted, so we recommend setting up AlipayHK ahead of time. Both cities have transport cards which can be loaded with cash and used in almost all restaurants, cafes, and convenience stores, making it the best way to go cashless while avoiding foreign transaction fees. It’s important to note that the transport cards can be used in the opposite city for transit, and some other uses.

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