💡Travel Tips

Essential Apps for Hong Kong Travel

February 20, 202520 min read

At a glance

MTR, Octopus, taxi, dining, translation — 14 must-have apps for Hong Kong.

Essential apps for Hong Kong travel

TL;DR – install these before you go

Category	App
Metro & transit	MTR Mobile, Citymapper
E-wallet	Octopus
Taxi	Uber
Maps & navigation	Google Maps
Translation	Google Translate, Papago
Payments	Wise, Revolut
Dining & reservations	OpenRice, Klook
Food delivery	foodpanda
Accommodation	Agoda, Booking.com

The official app for Hong Kong's MTR (metro). Covers the system map, routing, fares, and real-time arrivals. The MTR is the backbone of daily life in Hong Kong — since opening in 1979, it has become one of the world's top-tier metro systems, carrying over 1.6 billion riders a year.

Route search: the best route from your origin to destination, travel time, and fare calculation
Timetables: first/last train times and headways for each line
Service alerts: notifications for delays and service disruptions
Airport Express info: fares and schedule for the Airport Express from Hong Kong International Airport into the city (Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong stations)
Octopus balance: check your Octopus card balance via NFC right in the app
Tip 1: the Airport Express gets you from Hong Kong International Airport to Hong Kong Station in 24 minutes. In-Town Check-in lets you check your luggage in at the station in advance.
Tip 2: transferring at East Tsim Sha Tsui when moving between Kowloon Station and Hong Kong Station can save on fare.

Citymapper

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Combines Hong Kong's metro, buses, trams, and ferries into one integrated route planner, calculating MTR + walking + bus transfers all at once. Its bus and tram information for Hong Kong is more detailed than Google Maps.

Hong Kong Tramways: the double-decker tram line running along Hong Kong Island (Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan) — Citymapper can search tram routes.
Star Ferry: includes the Tsim Sha Tsui ↔ Central ferry route — for just HKD 2–3, it's a cheap way to take in Victoria Harbour's night view.
Minibuses: also covers some green and red minibus routes.
Tip: for Hong Kong Island to Kowloon (Tsim Sha Tsui), the Star Ferry is a popular choice over the MTR since you get the night view along the way. Check the ferry schedule in Citymapper ahead of time.

2. Octopus card — essential in Hong Kong

Octopus

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

An e-wallet used across Hong Kong for transit, convenience stores, and dining. Introduced in 1997, it's now used by nearly every resident as a daily essential — accepted on the MTR, buses, ferries, at 7-Eleven, Circle K, McDonald's, KFC, and supermarkets like PARKnSHOP and Wellcome, among nearly everywhere else.

Getting a card: buy a physical card at arrivals, an MTR station, or a convenience store (initial load of 70–150 HKD, including a 50 HKD deposit)
Mobile Octopus: register it via NFC on iPhone or Android (Apple Pay/Google Pay) — pay with your phone, no physical card needed.
Top-up: top up with a credit card at MTR station machines, convenience stores, or in the app
Balance check: check your balance and transaction history in real time in the app
Online Octopus: some online stores also accept Octopus payments
Tip 1: right after clearing arrivals, you'll find a convenience store and an MTR station nearby. Buy an Octopus card, load 100–150 HKD, and hop on the Airport Express.
Tip 2: Hong Kong's double-decker trams don't give change for cash — paying with Octopus is much more convenient.

3. Taxi

Uber

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Uber operates in Hong Kong with a convenient English interface and card payment. Hong Kong's regular red taxis run on the meter, so pricing is transparent, but they can be harder for visitors to hail.

UberX vs. taxi: UberX fares are similar to, or slightly higher than, regular taxis — but the fixed fare up front and easy card payment make it popular anyway.
Payment: link an overseas Visa/Mastercard card directly.
English-speaking drivers: Uber drivers often communicate more easily in English.
Tip: hailing a regular taxi is very difficult late at night (after midnight) or in heavy rain in Hong Kong — that's exactly when Uber is most useful.
Caution: matching can be slower near Victoria Peak, Lantau Island, or the Macau ferry terminal.

Google Maps

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Covers maps, transit, and restaurant search across all of Hong Kong. Given the density of high-rises, indoor maps are especially useful — floor-by-floor maps are available for some complex malls like IFC, Times Square, and Harbour City.

Offline maps: save Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and Lantau Island separately, or the whole territory (roughly 60–100MB).
Dim sum search: search "dim sum near me" to instantly find a local dim sum restaurant.
Tip: the route along Hong Kong's Mid-Levels Escalator (the world's longest outdoor covered escalator system) is also on Google Maps — useful when moving between Central and SoHo.

5. Translation

Google Translate

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Hong Kong's official languages are Cantonese and English. Restaurant menus are often written in Chinese characters (Traditional), so camera translation is genuinely useful.

Cantonese and Chinese (Traditional) offline packs: download both — useful for translating night market and local restaurant menus.
Camera translation: local dim sum restaurants and Hong Kong-style cha chaan teng (茶餐廳) menus are often packed with Chinese characters. Use camera translation to figure out what you can order.
Voice translation: even knowing just "唔該 (m̀h'gōi)" — thank you/excuse me — and "幾錢 (géi chín)" — how much? — will get you a warm reaction from locals.
Tip: camera translation is handy for checking prices at Hong Kong's night markets, like Temple Street and Lai Chi Kok.

Papago (Naver)

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Good translation quality between your language and Chinese/Cantonese.

Photo translation: use alongside Google Translate for local Hong Kong restaurant menus.
Conversation mode: real-time two-way voice interpretation — useful for haggling while shopping.
Tip: many signs and menus in Hong Kong show Simplified Chinese alongside Traditional, so having both scripts available in Papago is useful.

6. Payments

Wise

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Useful for cutting exchange-rate loss when converting to or paying in Hong Kong dollars (HKD).

Preferred exchange rate: pay close to the live mid-market rate — a significant improvement over an airport currency exchange counter.
ATM withdrawals: free HKD cash withdrawals within your monthly limit.
Tip: card payments work well in Hong Kong, but you'll still need cash (HKD) for night markets and local eateries — carry around 200–500 HKD.

Revolut

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

A travel-focused card similar to Wise — use it for shopping and dining in Hong Kong.

7. Dining & reservations

OpenRice

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

The biggest restaurant review app for Hong Kong and Macau. Launched in Hong Kong in 1999, it's now an essential app for locals, covering tens of thousands of Hong Kong restaurants.

Dim sum search: a wealth of information and reviews for traditional Hong Kong dim sum restaurants (Tim Ho Wan, Lung King Heen, Dim Sum Square, and more).
Cha chaan teng: detailed listings for local cafés known for milk tea, egg tarts, pineapple buns, and more.
Reservations: some popular restaurants can be booked directly in the app.
Menu photos: plenty of photos uploaded by actual diners, so you can preview a dish before ordering.
Tip 1: for a highly rated dim sum spot on OpenRice, go before 11 AM on weekends to keep the wait short — a famous spot like Tim Ho Wan can have a line forming before dawn.
Tip 2: "cha chaan teng (茶餐廳)" are local eateries open from early morning to late night. Search "茶餐廳" on OpenRice to find hidden local favorites.

Klook

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

For tours, activities, and transit passes in Hong Kong. Good things to book on Klook:

MTR Airport Express tickets: board straight away with no queue via advance booking — some packages include In-Town Check-in.
Octopus Tourist Pass: a visitor-only 3- or 5-day pass with unlimited MTR rides.
Victoria Peak Tram round trip: skip the on-site queue with an advance booking.
Hong Kong Disneyland tickets: cheaper than buying on site when booked in advance.
Macau ferry tickets: book a round-trip ticket on the Hong Kong ↔ Macau high-speed ferry.
Hong Kong helicopter tour: a relatively affordable way to see the Hong Kong skyline from the air.
Tip: a Klook Hong Kong attractions pass bundles several attractions at a discounted combined price.

8. Food delivery

foodpanda

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

A food delivery app available in Hong Kong. Order dim sum, cha chaan teng food, and international cuisine straight to your accommodation.

Fast delivery: Hong Kong's dense urban layout means delivery is often quick — usually within 20–30 minutes.
Menu variety: everything from local Hong Kong food to Korean, Japanese, and Western options.
Tip: on a rainy day, or when getting around at night is inconvenient, ordering local Hong Kong food through foodpanda is an easy fix.

9. Accommodation booking

Agoda

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Book Hong Kong hotels — compare everything from Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, and Central hotels to resorts on Lantau Island.

Compare prices: the same Hong Kong hotel can vary widely in price between platforms, so check both Agoda and Booking.com.
Tip: hotels near the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station are popular for their easy access to both sightseeing and shopping — booking early pays off.

App installation checklist

Why an eSIM matters for a Hong Kong trip

The MTR app, Google Maps, checking Klook tickets, calling an Uber, and searching OpenRice for a good meal — all of it needs an internet connection. An eSIM means no waiting to pick up a SIM at a Hong Kong airport counter — you get data the moment you land.

👉 Compare the best Hong Kong eSIM prices on esimoa

Note: app details are current as of 2025 and service policies may change.

Looking for eSIM plans?

Check out our most popular eSIM plans

View Plans

Back to blog