Travelers to Europe will be familiar with the many trams in the cities on the continent. These trams are sometimes modern and new. At other times, European trams are rustic and nostalgic. Go to Hong Kong and visitors are greeted with a special type of old tram. Space is limited in Hong Kong and so most buses are double-deckers and keeping with that, so too are the Hong Kong trams.
The tall and skinny double-decker trams are one of the star attractions for first-time visitors to Hong Kong. Visitors can also take the Hong Kong trams to visit the massive dystopian-like Monster Building. It is a brutalist mass of uniform apartments home to some 10,000 Hong Kongers.
Hong Kong double decker trams
The trams in Hong Kong are found on the island of Hong Kong, where they service the flat coastal parts of the old parts of the city. They are cheap and easy to use and offer a fun activity in Hong Kong. Forget the hop-on, hop-off tourist buses in cities around the world, take the trams and explore old Hong Kong that way.
They offer tourists an authentic and enjoyable way to explore Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is a fairly expensive destination, and many of the attractions are pricey, which eat right into the travel budget. But the trams of Hong Kong offer another, almost free, attraction. Visitors can explore and tour the old city of Hong Kong on a double-decker tram with the window open.
The trams (along with the double-decker buses) are somewhat reminiscent of the triple-decker night bus in Harry Potter. The tempo and pace of life are very high in Hong Kong, so just about everything is seemingly in a hurry. The buses are typically driven faster than the trams and at night they can seem to be speeding by and zooming around corners reminding passers-by of Harry Potter.
Hong Kong double decker tram at night
Age & Size Of Hong Kong’s Double-Decker Tram Fleet
Hong Kong boasts the largest double-decker fleet of trams in the world – and it has the Guinness World Book of Records accolade to prove it. The fleet has grown to include some 165 trams that carry up to 200,000 passengers every day.
- Fleet: 165 Trams
- Location: Hong Kong Island
- Passengers: Up to 200,000 Daily
- Largest: Double-Decker Tram Fleet In The World
Hong Kong’s tramways have just turned 117 years old. They have become a huge part of the city’s history and heritage, and they have become a valued part of the city’s setting. They may have been outgrown by Hong Kong’s extensive bus and subway mass transit systems, but the trams offer a nostalgia that they can’t.
It may be a bit faster to take the other modes of public transport, but the feeling on an old-time double-decker tram with the breeze in one’s face has a quality of its own. The trams of Hong Kong are nothing like the iconic trams or cable cars of San Francisco.
Hong Kong skyline at night
Planning To Ride The Double-Decker Trams Of Hong Kong
The double-decker trams are easy to use and connect much of the old city of Hong Kong. The fare is only a token payment of 3 Hong Kong Dollars or around $0.40 USD.
- Normal Fare: $3 Hong Kong Dollars ($0.40 USD)
The first thing everyone should do in Hong Kong is get an Octopus card. Octopus cards are the metro cards used to pay for the city’s public transportation – they are available at any of the large metro stations and can be topped up at any of the convenience stores.
While it is easier to just pay for every ride in Hong Kong with an Octopus card, there is more than one payment option. Passengers can also pay with their credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, UnionPay, & JCB), with their mobile phones using Apple or Google Pay, or they can pay in cash. There is no change offered for cash payments, and passengers do not bother the tram driver. Instead, passengers just deposit the cash directly into the coin box upon exiting the tram.
Monster Building in Hong Kong
Paying for mass transit rides in Hong Kong is a little confusing. On the subway, passengers need to tap their Octopus cards on both entry and exit. On the buses, rides only tap the Octopus cards once when getting on the bus. For the trams, passengers tap and pay as they disembark from the front exit of the tram.
While in Hong Kong, take the ferry and visit Macau – Hong Kong’s sister special administrative region of China that was ruled by the Portuguese. Enhance the stay in Hong Kong by staying in one of the city’s unique hotels.
