Do you remember those days when you traveled to a country for the first time and all you had was a map, a travel guidebook and your creative hand gestures used to communicate with locals? Yeah, me neither! Nowadays all you really need is a digital device and internet connection. Pretty much everything can be found on your smartphone, there’s an app for everything you need. And that’s why we always recommend to our visitors the best apps to use while traveling in Hong Kong. Continue reading to find out which apps we find super handy for the city!
Booking
It can be quite difficult to find a good stay in Hong Kong for an affordable price. I’m sure most of you already know Booking, but did you know that you can find the best deals there when you book last-minute? One of our visitors wanted to look for a new stay because the place he was staying at was a bit pricey for his budget. He decided to check out and look via Booking for a cheaper rate. Guess what? He found the same room, now offered for half the price! I can’t guarantee it will work as well for a bigger group, but it doesn’t hurt to check ;-).
Lookdiary
Before moving to Hong Kong I frequently traveled to the city and I’d always go for some beauty or spa treatment. Facials, massages or even a haircut. The prices here are much better than where I’m from and the quality is great. That is, if you know people who know the right places. Luckily we can now also go to Lookdiary to find whatever beauty services we need. Although they don’t have an app yet, the website is actually very mobile-friendly. Search, compare and when you found the right treatment you can immediately book it on the website. Can’t get easier than that!
Timable
To find out where the hottest events and happenings are, you can check out Timeable. Be it music, art, food, film, nightlife…literally anything you want to see or do in Hong Kong! There’s so much to do here so this app will definitely help you figure out which event is most worth going to.
OpenRice
Hong Kong is one of the greatest cities for food. It’s not that strange if you see how much Hongkongers love eating food! To find the best food hotspots wherever you are, you need to download the app OpenRice. This app will show you almost all food establishments of Hong Kong and when you turn on GPS it can actually show what’s near you. My tip is to check the photos before deciding where to go, because the reviews can be quite biased sometimes.
MTR/KMB & LW
The train system in Hong Kong is probably one of the best in the world. Their MTR Mobile app does not disappoint either. There’s no need to grab a map at the station anymore, because you can easily access it via your smartphone. The app can also tell you exactly which lines you need to take to get to your destination and at the same time calculate your train fare. A more recent update has made it possible to also see when your first or last train is going to come, so no need to worry about how to get back to your hotel after a long night out!
When the trains stop operating, there should still be a bus that can get you home. Download the KMB & LW app to find out how to get around by bus. Afraid of missing your stop while sitting in the bus? No worries, they actually have a reminder function on the app that will tell you when to get out. Ahh…the public transport is just amazing in Hong Kong~
Hong Kong Observatory
We might have a nice climate in Hong Kong, but the rain can get pretty crazy. Prepare to get soaked even while holding up an umbrella! And although it rarely gets too crazy when typhoons pass the city, the No. 8 typhoon signal is taken very seriously and you might end up being stuck outside for while. That’s why you should have the HK Observatory app on your phone to make sure you know exactly what’s up.
For other great tips about Hong Kong, you can of course follow our blog ;-). Did you know we have a wonderful handmade map where we have highlighted some cool places to check out? And if you haven’t joined our walk yet, sign up now! See you at the Clock Tower~
