The 14 Most Useful Apps for Traveling in Hong Kong

Will you travel to Hong Kong and want to download some of the most useful applications beforehand?

Even if many young and middle-aged people speak English in Hong Kong, you’ll come across areas where speaking Cantonese is the only mean of communication. Downloading a handful of applications can help you to avoid getting lost and to save time and money.

In this article, we list some of the most popular and widely used apps in Hong Kong, not only among travelers but also locals. If you have any recommendations of useful apps not listed below, feel free to drop a comment after the article!

1. Google Maps

Google Maps is probably the most important and useful application that you should download as early as possible if you don’t have it yet. It was a true hassle to navigate the streets before Google Maps was launched as you had to walk around with physical maps (that often got torn) and it took a great deal of time.

Google Maps, on the other hand, shows where you’re located in real-time, what the distance is to your destination, and how much time it will take you to walk or reach the destination by car. You can also download maps and use them offline, which is useful if you don’t have a local SIM card.

On the contrary to Mainland China, Google Maps and plenty of other applications are available in Hong Kong, including Youtube, Facebook, and more. You won’t need a VPN here, but can surf the internet freely.

You can download the Google Maps application on Google Play and in the Apple store.

2. Uber

While Grab is the biggest taxi-hailing app in Southeast Asia, Uber is your choice in Hong Kong. Taxi rides are generally expensive in Hong Kong, if you’re on a budget, you should try to go by public transportation instead.

You can download Uber before visiting Hong Kong or after arrival, there are no regulatory issues that prevent you from downloading the application. That said, it can be better to download it in advance and link your credit card with the application beforehand.

The benefit of using Uber is that some taxi drivers cannot speak English in Hong Kong. If you go by a regular cab, you usually need to show the address on your mobile phone or write it down on a paper.

You can download Uber for free on Google Play and in the Apple Store.

3. My Hong Kong Guide

My Hong Kong Guide is a travel app that was created by the Hong Kong Tourism Board in 2014. The application has a rating of 4.3 with ‎915 votes on Google Play, which shows that this is one of the best travel apps you should download.

The application has plenty of information for tourists in Hong Kong, including information about 1,800 activities and attractions, information about nearby places,

More than 1,800 activities and attractions are featured on this Hong Kong travel app, including addresses and links to websites and information on nearby places. You can also see trips that other travelers and local shave planned in Hong Kong and save them.

You’ll also find guides and information about upcoming events.

4. XE Currency and Wise

XE Currency is a real-time currency converter application that is widely used among tourists. You can either download a free version (having ads) or a paid version without ads.

Besides, the paid version allows you to see 20 different currencies at once, while the free version only allows you to see 10 currencies (even if that’s generally enough).

Another application that I recommend you downloading is Wise (formerly Transferwise). Founded in London in 2011, Wise is a peer-to-peer payment service provider that has transformed the online banking world. They have competitive rates and short processing times.

You can save much money when using Wise as the commissions when sending money to or from Hong Kong will be lower compared to traditional banks. The Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England monitors Wise’s activities, making it a reliable service provider.

What makes Wise different from other companies is that you don’t do an actual transaction to overseas, but send the amount via a local Wise account (in this case, in Hong Kong).

Let me give you an example, let’s say that you want to perform a transaction from Germany to Hong Kong, you will then transfer the money to Wise’s German account. They will then send an equal amount from a Hong Kong account (border-less transaction).

This will, of course, result in lower prices.

5. Agoda, Booking, and Airbnb

Booking is one of the biggest accommodation-booking websites in the world with numerous listings and plenty of discounts. Their application is easy to use and you can simply input the name of the dates of your stay, the destination, and how many travelers you are.

Booking also allows you to create a profile that in turn brings many advantages:

• You can see the record/history of bookings you’ve made
• You can become a “Genius” user if you make enough Bookings, giving you discounts
• They will send you a barcode that you can use for tourist attractions

Agoda is another big accommodation-booking website, belonging to the same parent company. It’s similar to Booking.com, but generally has more properties on display, at least in Asia.

Booking has 764 properties available in Hong Kong, while Agoda has 7,807 hotels available, which is self-explanatory.

If you want a more local (and cheaper) experience you can also check Airbnb. It can be a truly unique experience to stay in any of Hong Kong’s islands, such as Lamma Island. The Airbnb application is also useful in the sense that you can book “experiences”, including guided tours.

6. OpenRice Hong Kong

Founded as early as 1999, OpenRice is a food and restaurant website and application that provides restaurant guides and services. It has the biggest database of restaurants of all websites.

It’s available in several cities and countries, including Hong Kong, Mainland China, Malaysia, Japan, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

The company has tens of thousands of registered restaurants and hundreds of thousands of diners recorded.

Over the years, OpenRice has won plenty of rewards, including:

Hong Kong MOB-EX Awards 2019

• Best APP – Food and Beverage
• Best APP – E-Commerce

Hong Kong Retail Innovation Award 2018

• Best Retail Innovation (Product) Award – Gold Award
• Media Choice Innovation Award

Media Convergence Awards 2018

• 10 Favorite Websites

7. HKG MyFlight

HKG My Flight is a popular application that provides travelers and locals with real-time flight information, helps you to stay connected with the free Wi-Fi at the airport, and assists with airport navigation.

You can also get replies to questions related to airport facilities, flight information, shopping, and dining thanks to its chatbot.

Some of the features included in the latest version include:

• Flight and Baggage Delivery Status
• Real-time flight updates
• Boarding alerts for tracked flights
• Baggage arrival notice (with MyTAG)

You can download the application on Google Play here and in the Apple Store here.

8. Toilet Rush

Toilet Rush has gained popularity in Hong Kong as it shows you the closest available toilets. The application can be used offline, but you need an internet connection to launch the app. You’ll get access to the following functionalities via the app on Google Play and the Apple Store:

• Find toilets that can be used for free and within walking distance
• Advanced searches on specific districts
• You can submit toilet information not existing within the app
• Check ratings and provide comments

You can download the application for free.

9. Hong Kong Disneyland

The Hong Kong Disneyland application is the official app for Disneyland. It’s one of the highest-rated in Hong Kong with an average score of 4.6 on Google Play and has more than 4,000 reviews. You can also find it in the Apple Store.

The app provides a lot of useful information and helps you to save time as you can browse the park’s map, see schedules and approximate waiting times, and more. You can also find information about opening times, descriptions of attractions, and entertainment.

The application can be used in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

10. Citymapper

Citymapper is one of the most popular travel applications in Hong Kong that helps you to find your way through the city. The app combines data for all modes of transportation, including walking, cycling, and driving.

Since its creation, The New York Times has called it “The single best app for finding your way in the city” and it has an average rating of 4.5, having almost 80,000 votes.

Citymapper can help you to:

• Check nearby departures in real-time
• Show the fastest routes combining bus, subway, train, ferry, taxi, walking, and more
• Follow step by step directions, including the best subway exit to reach the platform
• Receive alerts when your favorite lines are disrupted

11. csl Wi-Fi

csl Wi-Fi is a leading Wi-Fi service provider in Hong Kong that offers broadband connectivity at more than 20,000 hotspots in Hong Kong. You can find these hotspots at coffee shops, convenience stores, shopping malls, restaurants, MTR stations, Airport Express stations and trains, universities, and more.

Notice: The “Auto Connect” function of csl Wi-Fi was no longer available since 4, March 2019. Thus, you need to connect manually.

12. Cantonese by Nemo

Cantonese by Nemo is an application that helps foreigners to learn Cantonese by providing audio learning, including a Speech Studio where you can record your voice and compare that to a native speaker’s.

You can customize your programs, instead of following a set course. The application also allows you to review previous lessons. The application has a high rating and has been downloaded millions of times.

The application is available on Google Play and in the Apple store.

13. Deliveroo

Deliveroo was founded in 2013 and is an online food delivery company, available in over 200 cities across 12 countries. They make money by charging restaurants commissions and by charging customers a fee per order.
Deliveroo is perfect if you have a lazy day or simply just want to eat at home. The application has received hundreds of thousands of reviews and has an impressive average score of 4.6 in the Apple Store.

14. Chope Restaurant Reservations

Chope was originally established in Singapore and connects restaurants and diners through online reservations. It has grown significantly since the start and has a network of over 2,000 top restaurants in Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Bangkok, Bali, and Jakarta.

Chope lets diners make real-time and instantly-confirmed bookings 24/7 via their website and application. They also offer plenty of products for restaurants, to improve revenues, operations, and CRM.

Photo Credits: Photo by mohamed_hassan
on Pixabay