All the best Hong Kong apps for travel to Hong Kong, including Hong Kong travel apps such as an MTR app, Hong Kong food app, and a Hong Kong taxi app.
Where would we be without our smartphones when travelling these days? From sorting out our transportation, to finding restaurants and using online maps, smartphones have changed the way we travel irreversibly.
Like many big cities, it can take time to get to know Hong Kong, so having a good selection of Hong Kong apps on your phone can make a real difference to making the most of your Hong Kong trip.
Here we highlight the best Hong Kong apps. These include all the best apps for Hong Kong travel such as an MTR mobile app, bus app HK and taxi app HK, in addition to food apps, weather apps and even a Hong Kong hiking app.
Table of Contents
My Hong Kong Guide
by Hong Kong Tourism Board
The My Hong Kong Guide app is the official app from the Hong Kong Tourism Board and has a wealth of information for tourists to Hong Kong.
More than 1,800 activities and attractions are featured on this Hong Kong travel app, including addresses and links to websites, plus information on nearby places.
You can also search through other people’s pre-planned multi-day guides and save them as your own, before tweaking and sharing with friends. An events guide keeps you up-to-date with all the latest goings-on in Hong Kong.
Download My Hong Kong Guide here
HK Taxi – Taxi hailing app
by HK Taxi App Limited
There are more than 18,000 taxis in Hong Kong. But if you have ever tried to hail a Hong Kong taxi in the rain, or after midnight in Lan Kwai Fong, then you will know that it is a dog-eat-dog world out there.
You need a Hong Kong taxi app and this one has saved me hours of queuing over the years.
Download this app and you can smugly walk to the front of the queue and jump in a cab you have booked with the tap of a button from your phone.
Uber
by Uber Technologies, Inc
Another option for booking a ride on your phone is Uber, especially if you find yourself stranded with no cash in your pocket.
With Hong Kong Uber, you can choose from an UberX, which will be an ‘everyday’ car and similar cost to a taxi, an Uber Black if money is no object and you want to arrive in style, or an Uber XL for a larger ride for the whole family.
Hong Kong Taxi Translator
by Triple Happiness
It’s all very well and good securing your taxi, but not much help if you can’t make yourself understood by the driver once you’re inside.
Every now and then you will find a taxi driver who, despite your best Cantonese accent, will not understand the street name you are going to.
This is one of the best Hong Kong apps to have in your arsenal – use it to search among more than 3,000 streets, residential areas, buildings and sightseeing spots and create a flashcard in Chinese characters that the driver can read at a glance.
HKe Transport
by Transport Department, HKSA
One of the most useful apps for traveling in Hong Kong, this comprehensive Hong Kong transport department app helps you plan any route across Hong Kong using public transport, combining both a MTR mobile app and a Hong Kong bus app amongst others.
Simply type in your starting point and destination, and a selection of route and transport options will be given to you, including bus, tram, minibus, ferry and MTR, together with fare and estimated travel time.
MTR Tourist
by MTR Corporation Ltd
This is the best Hong Kong MTR app for visitors to the city. It makes visiting the major tourist attractions in Hong Kong via MTR (the city’s underground/subway system) a doddle.
Use this MTR trip planner app to choose the attraction you want to visit, and it will provide your route there via MTR, a map of the surrounding area and estimated journey time.
My Observatory hk
by Hong Kong Observatory
The weather in Hong Kong is fickle. One minute it will be brilliant sunshine, and the next you could be in a torrential downpour.
Keep your finger on the pulse with the Hong Kong observatory app, which gives you weather forecasts, alerts you if there is a thunderstorm on its way, lets you track typhoons in the vicinity, and even warns you if rain is coming to your current location.
Google Maps
by Google, Inc
Finding your way around the streets of Hong Kong can be a challenge. There isn’t really a specific Hong kong map app I have found, but I constantly rely on Google maps to navigate the city – even though I have lived in Hong Kong for years.
Don’t look like a hapless tourist with your large Tourist Board map… blend in with the locals by walking along looking at your phone instead!
OpenRice Hong Kong
by OpenRice.com
Hong Kong’s most comprehensive dining guide brings you this Hong Kong food app, which includes over 40,000 restaurants and 600,000 reviews.
Search for Hong Kong restaurants by cuisine, district, restaurant type or price range. You can also bookmark restaurants for later, navigate to nearby eateries with GPS, share restaurant info via social media and even book online for some restaurants.
Download OpenRice Hong Kong here
HKG MyFlight
by Airport Authority Hong Kong
Another essential app for travel to Hong Kong, this Hong Kong airport app allows you to track your flight, gives baggage arrival information (useful if you are meeting someone from the airport), in addition to providing information about all the airport services: restaurants, shopping etc.
The HKIA app also provides information on transport to and from the airport and has a map of the airport.
Enjoy Hiking
by Agriculture, Fishing and Conservation Department
Most people associate Hong Kong with skyscrapers and busy bustling streets, but there are some incredibly beautiful Hong Kong hiking trails to be explored outside of the city centre.
Use this Hong Kong app to choose the type of hike you are interested in – Family Walk, Nature Trail, Country Trail or Long Trail, and find all the route information you need – Distance, Time, Difficulty, Starting Point, End Point and public transport access, plus of course a map of the hike.
Beanhunter
Hong Kong is in the throes of a long-term love affair with Starbucks and Pacific Coffee that just refuses to die. For serious coffee lovers, finding a decent barista-brewed coffee can sometimes be a challenge.
The Beanhunter app uses GPS to find your location and points you in the direction of the best coffee shops in your area.
You can read reviews from coffee gurus who have been there before you, and leave your own reviews for others. The best bit – no chain shops are included on the app. This is for independent, specialty shops only. Hurrah.
Hong Kong Disneyland App
If you are thinking about visiting Hong Kong Disneyland then you should definitely download the Hong Kong Disneyland app, which makes your visit much easier.
This allows you to keep an eye on current queuing times at the various rides, see show times and character meet times, as well as viewing an online map.
You can read more about the HK Disney and all our Hong Kong Disneyland tips in our article: Tips for Visiting Hong Kong Disneyland
What do you think are the best Hong Kong apps out there? Let me know in the comments below!
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Thanks daydreamer – I haven’t heard of that one but I will check it out. Sounds useful – especially if you can pre-download apps for reading offline; great if you’re travelling and don’t want to pay roaming charges.
Marianne, OMG! You are a life saver. I just brought flights to Hong Kong where I am going to spend a week after New Year before heading to Macao and two cities in China near HK before heading back into HK for the first time ever. I have only been to the Maldives in Asia. But anyway, all these apps you have mentioned are now on my cellphone. You are a life saver! Keep up the great work. Now its time to check out your other posts on HK. 😀
Thanks Danik – I’m glad to have helped! Let me know if you need any other help with your Hong Kong planning. I hope you have a great time when you’re visiting!
Marianne Rogerson recently posted…10 Uniquely Hong Kong Experiences to Try
I found this so useful, thanks for all the work. I mentioned you on my blog – https://never2oldblog.wordpress.com/ hope that was ok. I had a wonderful trip to Hong Kong and the apps I did get were very useful. Thanks again for sharing.