Ah, Hong Kong! Few cities in the world combine energy, architecture, tradition, and sheer visual drama quite like this extraordinary metropolis. Skyscrapers seem to reach for the clouds while markets overflow onto crowded streets and the aroma of sizzling street food fills the air. But after several visits, I’ve learned that one of the best ways to experience Hong Kong isn’t from a luxury hotel, a taxi, or even the top of a skyscraper. It is by using the city’s wonderfully historic public transportation. In Hong Kong, getting from one place to another can become an adventure in itself.

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My favourite way to explore Hong Kong Island is aboard one of the famous Ding Dings, the city’s iconic double-decker trams. Operating since 1904, they have become as much a part of Hong Kong’s identity as its skyline. Climb upstairs, find a seat near the front, and watch the city roll past the windows. The experience is wonderfully unhurried: enormous advertising signs, old apartment buildings, markets, shops, pedestrians and futuristic skyscrapers constantly compete for your attention. The tram passes through neighbourhoods such as Central, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay, offering a fascinating glimpse into everyday Hong Kong life.

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What makes the Ding Ding particularly special is the perspective. From the upper deck, you’re almost at eye level with the surrounding buildings, giving you a completely different view of the city. And for anyone carrying a camera, it’s a moving photography platform. One moment you’re watching an old shopfront; seconds later, a modern skyscraper fills your view. Then comes the unmistakable sound — ding, ding! — and you’re reminded that this charming relic is still very much part of modern Hong Kong.

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Then there is the Star Ferry, which has been crossing Victoria Harbour since 1888. If the Ding Ding lets you experience Hong Kong from street level, the ferry gives you the city from its most spectacular natural viewpoint. As the boat pulls away from the pier, the noise of the streets suddenly seems to disappear. Ahead is the harbour, surrounded by mountains and some of the world’s most recognizable skyscrapers. The journey is short, but I often find myself wishing it were longer. There is something magical about watching Hong Kong’s skyline change as the ferry moves across the water.

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During my visits, the Star Ferry has become one of those experiences I return to again and again. I’ve crossed between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon countless times, yet the view never seems quite the same. Morning light creates one atmosphere, afternoon haze another, while sunset can transform the entire harbour into something almost cinematic. At night, the illuminated skyline takes on another personality altogether. It’s easy to understand why the Star Ferry has become one of Hong Kong’s most beloved symbols — it isn’t simply transportation; it is an experience that connects the city’s past with its spectacular present.

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What I love most about both the Ding Dings and the Star Ferry is that they remind you to slow down. Hong Kong can be frantic, crowded and incredibly fast-paced, but sitting upstairs on a tram or watching the skyline from a ferry gives you a few moments to simply observe. You see people going about their daily lives, neighbourhoods changing block by block, boats crossing the harbour and skyscrapers rising behind traditional buildings. These aren’t tourist attractions in the conventional sense. They are working parts of the city — and that’s precisely what makes them so fascinating.

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So, if you’re planning a trip to Hong Kong, don’t think of public transportation as merely a way to reach the next attraction. Make the journey part of your itinerary. Ride a Ding Ding through Hong Kong Island, cross Victoria Harbour aboard the Star Ferry, keep your camera ready, and allow yourself to get distracted. Some of my favourite Hong Kong memories weren’t made at famous landmarks at all. They happened between them — looking through a tram window, standing on the deck of a ferry, and watching one of the world’s great cities move around me.

And perhaps that’s the real secret to Hong Kong. You don’t always need a carefully planned itinerary to discover something memorable. Sometimes you simply need to climb aboard, take a seat, and see where the city takes you. In Hong Kong, the journey isn’t just the way to reach the destination — the journey is the destination.

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