According to localtimezone, Hong Kong (Chinese:香港) is a Special Administrative Region of China, located in the South China Sea (Asia). Hong Kong only borders China. Hong Kong consists of 236 islands, of which Kowloon Peninsula, Lantau Island and Hong Kong Island are the largest. The unofficial capital of Hong Kong is Central (Victoria).
Hong Kong is known for the crowds. Everywhere you go there are lots of people, lots of traffic and lots of skyscrapers. In addition to this bustle, Hong Kong also offers a lot of nature. Hong Kong has 26 National Parks and 150 beaches. These are white sandy beaches with clear blue water. According to elaineqho, Hong Kong also has a wide range of shopping centers, shopping streets and restaurants.
Where is Hong Kong?
Travel information of Hong Kong
Official name: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
Continent: Asia
Area: 1,099 km²
Capital: Central (Victoria)
Country code: HK, HKG
Population: 7,249,907 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: China Special Administrative Region
Highest point: 958 m (Tai Mo Shan)
Distance (Amsterdam – Hong Kong): 9,299 km
Flight time: approximately 10 hours
Travel advice
Current status: No special security risks.
Current color code: Green.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), there may be (temporary) measures in place in Hong Kong that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of Hong Kong, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
On our travel offer page you will find an overview of reliable travel organizations that offer complete trips and holidays to Hong Kong. In addition, you will find an overview of separate travel components (car rental, hotels and airline tickets) with which you can compose your ideal trip yourself.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Hong Kong?
Excursions, activities and day trips
With the help of Countryaah you can reserve an excursion, activity, tour, entrance ticket and/or day trip for your stay in Hong Kong at a discount. This way you are assured of a place, in some cases you can skip the queue and you can already plan your travel program.
Weather and climate
Hong Kong has a subtropical climate. In the summer months the temperatures are around 15 to 35 degrees. In the winter months the temperatures are around 10 to 20 degrees. Hong Kong also has a typhoon season from May to November. Severe storms can also occur.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Hong Kong can be found on our extensive weather page.
Detailed information about the climate of Hong Kong can be found at Climate info.
Best time
April, May, September and October are the best months to travel to Hong Kong. This avoids the cold winter period and the wet hot summer period.
Language
Chinese is the official language in Hong Kong. In addition, a lot of English is spoken.
Would you like to translate from or into Chinese for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 1 month upon departure from Hong Kong.
A visa is not necessary if you stay in Hong Kong for less than 3 months.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in China (also for Hong Kong): netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Dutch consulate in Hong Kong: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Chinese Embassy and Consulate in the Netherlands: nl.china-embassy.org.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
You do not need any vaccinations to visit Hong Kong.
Money and Currency
In Hong Kong, payment is made with the Hong Kong dollar (HKD).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs in Hong Kong can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
Prices in Hong Kong are slightly higher than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is +6% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (33% cheaper), food (38% more expensive), imported beer in catering (36% more expensive), cigarettes (8% more expensive) and public transport (58% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
In Hong Kong it is customary to tip. If no service costs have been calculated yet, a tip of approximately 10% is given.
Time difference
During our summer time, it is 6 hours later in Hong Kong.
During our winter time, it is 7 hours later in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has no difference between winter time and summer time.
The local time, date and time zone for Hong Kong can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
You must drive on the left in Hong Kong.
You do not need an international driver’s license to drive and/or rent a motor vehicle in Hong Kong.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Hong Kong.
Electricity
In Hong Kong you need a travel plug.
More information about common plugs and sockets in Hong Kong can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 999
– Fire: 999
– Ambulance: 999
Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap.
If you are unable to buy bottled water, use a water purifier to purify the water or boil the water for 5 minutes. After this you can safely use it as drinking water and for things like brushing teeth, cleaning lenses and washing vegetables and / or fruit. More information about drinking water and/or the purchase of water purification products can be found on our drinking water page.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to Hong Kong can be found on Google news.
An overview of Hong Kong newspapers can be found at Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Hong Kong websites end in.hk.
Hong Kong official websites: gov.hk and discoverhongkong.com.
Telephony
The country code (international prefix) to call someone in Hong Kong is 00852 or +852.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Hong Kong? Then use the Dutch country code 00131.
(If you use a country code, leave out the first 0 of the number to be called.)
Telephone numbers can be found in the Hong Kong Telephone Directory.
Company details can be found in the Hong Kong Yellow Pages.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos of Hong Kong.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Hong Kong.
Holidays
An overview of all public holidays in Hong Kong can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations in Hong Kong, supplemented with photos, videos and places of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about Hong Kong?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Hong Kong. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in Hong Kong can be found on Protected Planet.
Hong Kong is not on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Hong Kong? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol and money, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. In addition, on this website you will find the laws and regulations regarding the importation of pets and a list of everything that may not be imported and/or exported from Hong Kong.
Entrepreneurship and doing business
If you intend to do business in or do business with Hong Kong, it is wise to prepare well. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency can help you with this. On PaulSourcing.com you will find a large amount of information about Hong Kong, including: opportunities, import and export regulations, trade figures, do’s and don’ts, business partners and subsidies.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant laws and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to Hong Kong.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking from the age of 18.
– Alcohol and traffic: The maximum permitted alcohol content is 0.55.
– Tobacco: Buy from the age of 18, smoking at all ages.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Allowed
Did you know that…
…Hong Kong had only 600,000 inhabitants in 1945 (2009 – 7 million)?
…Do double-decker trams drive around in Hong Kong?
…Hong Kong has its own Disney park?
…There are places in Hong Kong where 130,000 people live per square kilometer?
…Hong Kong has the most skyscrapers in the world?
…Hong Kong has the highest IQ average in the world (107)?
