If you’re wondering how to get from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) to Hong Kong Disneyland (HKDL), this transportation guide has you covered. We’ve traveled from the theme park and its resort hotels to the airport on multiple occasions using multiple forms of transit. Here are the best and worst of those options, our experiences & recommendations.
Upon arriving into the city of Hong Kong from abroad, you’ll likely find yourself at Hong Kong International Airport. The airport is technically on Chek Lap Kok Island, but it’s also off the north coast of Lantau Island–where Hong Kong Disneyland is located. The two are 10 miles apart, making them closer to one another than either are to the city center, Kowloon or Hong Kong Island.
This is similar to all Disney destinations and their respective airports around the globe–they aren’t actually in city centers, but more suburbs or different cities entirely. This is worth mentioning for planning purposes, as it makes sense to start or end your trip at HKDL, staying on-site as opposed to commuting from a hotel in the city of Hong Kong.
For the Hong Kong Disneyland 20th Anniversary, you’ll even find themed décor at Hong Kong International Airport, including a nearly 10-foot-tall Mickey Mouse statue! Located in the HKG’s Hall B, he welcomes guests to RSVP to “The Most Magical Party of All” along with a counter reflecting the growing number of guests who will be celebrating HKDL’s 20th.
There are a few ways you can travel from the airport to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. We explain the basics of each, along with our ‘reviews’ and recommendations. We’d also add that Google Maps works really well for seeing the logistics and time required for each route.
Worst: Bus
From the airport, you can take the ‘A’ or ‘E’ bus routes to Lantau Link Interchange. From here, you will transfer to Route R8, which runs regularly during the day to the resort directly.
E routes are typically cheaper than A routes. At the risk of stating the obvious, the bus is not direct of express, meaning you’ll have a number of other stops along the way. Bus is far and away the least expensive means of getting from the airport to HKDL at $1-2 US, but it’s also far and away the most tedious.
As a hardcore hater of buses in Asia, I’d also add that the buses can be the most confusing to the uninitiated. I’m not speaking specifically about these routes, as we’ve never used them (and never will). Just generally. Buses are super nice, clean, safe and well-maintained. It’s just that they’re often also packed with people and inefficient.
Maybe: Mass Transit Railway (MTR)
The city’s train system is home to its very own Disneyland Resort Line, which will take you from the airport to the park with one transfer and even features Hong Kong Disneyland 20th Anniversary theming.
Trains run from Sunny Bay Station to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and back daily, from early in the morning until late at night. Trains will arrive frequently, typically running every few minutes or so. For up-to-date MTR train schedule information, visit the MTR website.
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is allegedly only a 30-minute ride from the following MTR stations:
- Hong Kong International Airport MTR Station (Transfer at Tsing Yi Station and transfer to Sunny Bay Station)
- MTR Kowloon Station
- MTR Hong Kong Station
If you’re staying at one of the HKDL resort hotels, you can find a complimentary shuttle located next to Disneyland Resort Station.
I cannot stress enough that the stated time estimate of 30 minutes from the airport to Hong Kong Disneyland is playing fast and loose with times. You can expect the commute to take closer to an hour, and it’ll put you at the far side of HKDL, the exact opposite of the hotels. Unless you’re going to hit the ground running, this is an awful approach.
We love the MTR and highly recommend riding it at least once, ideally from the city to HKDL when you transfer between the theme park and your days downtown. Hong Kong’s MTR is one of the nicest forms of transportation in the world, and the Disney Resort line is second to none.
Better: Taxi
Just a 15-minute ride from the airport to the park, you can catch a taxi by following the terminal signs to the taxi stand. Lantau taxi service provides transportation from the airport to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. In Hong Kong, the taxi color tells what area it serves. Lantau taxis, which are blue, serve all of Lantau Island.
Taxi drop-off for Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is at the Disneyland Public Transport Interchange (PTI). You can also be dropped off at any of the resort hotels, which is much more convenient if arriving from the airport–you just need to specify that at the taxi stand.
When you want to return to the airport, you can also take a taxi from your hotel. In our experience, there are taxis idling in the parking lots of the resorts at pretty much all hours. We’ve had several early morning departure times and hailing a taxi has never been an issue.
A taxi will cost about $15 to $25 US between HKG and HKDL, and can increase depending on the amount of luggage, traffic conditions, etc.
Best: Uber
We’ll start with the caveat that Uber remains technically illegal in Hong Kong, but has been in the market since 2014. It’s actually more like a legal grey area, as ride-hailing services like Uber are not officially permitted unless drivers possess a hire car permit–and most do not. In other words, Uber is not illegal per-se, but it is in practice most of the time.
So how has Uber managed not just to exist for over a decade, but thrive? Because the government wants to project an image of Hong Kong as a bastion of technological modernity, and actually banning a service that is popular with its populace and pretty ubiquitous in most world-class cities would be viewed as regressive. Hong Kong wants to be a ‘smart city’ and Uber fits into that vision.
This isn’t dissimilar to how Uber existed for a long time in most areas of the United States. It’s easy to forget now, but taxis fought hard to maintain their monopoly over the market…and eventually lost. But if you used Uber or Lyft a decade ago in the US, chances are it was illegal–or in that same grey area.
In any case, the Hong Kong government still turns a blind eye to Uber despite it operating in a legal grey area and most of its drivers being flat-out illegal. Uber drivers found to be unlicensed can face penalties and fines, but you’re unlikely to have any issues–Uber even claims to be insured in Hong Kong.
You can also request a taxi via the Uber app. This is 100% legal and licensed, as Uber as deal with the city’s taxis. The upside of doing this is that you can pay for a taxi via credit card, which is otherwise difficult. (A growing percentage of Hong Kong taxis do accept credit card, but we were advised during our last stay that it’s uncommon of the Lantau Island ones.)
Uber has the slight edge over taxis for being slightly cheaper and more efficient. If you are uncomfortable about the legality or safety or whatever, again, you can request a taxi via the Uber app (it’s a separate option–you’ll see it).
Our Recommendations for Getting From HKG to HKDL
From our perspective, the obvious winners here are Uber or taxis.
We say this as big fans of Hong Kong’s MTR and public transportation, generally. That is a great option if you’re going to the city itself, but for transportation on Lantau Island, between HKDL and HKG Airport, a taxi or Uber is far and away the most logical approach. This is what ~95% of international tourists bound for HKDL from the airport should use.
Yes, it’s more expensive than public transportation–but only slightly so if you have a party of 2 or more people. Moreover, if you’re can afford airfare to Hong Kong and are comfortable traveling halfway around the world, you also really should be comfortable using rideshare or taxis.
There are very few scenarios where taxi or Uber are not the most logical options. Uber is what we always use, including our most recent trip with a toddler. (This actually does present the rare use case where it may not be best–we won’t fly with a car seat next time we visit Hong Kong.)
After a 14+ hour flight, the absolute last thing I want to do is hassle with time-consuming transportation or, worse yet, transfers. (We’ve screwed up transfers that we normally know like the backs of our hands in Japan after those long flights–everything is harder when you’re tired and lethargic and just want to crash at your hotel.)
For the rest of your planning needs, consult our Hong Kong Disneyland Trip Planning Guide. It covers everything you need to know for a visit to HKDL, including reviews, strategy, packing, and more. If you’re visiting the city as well, please consult our Hong Kong City Guide on TravelCaffeine, our non-Disney planning site.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your favorite mode of transportation between HKG and Hong Kong Disneyland? Do you prefer the efficiency of a taxi or the novelty of the MTR? Have you used Uber in Hong Kong, or does the legality of it concern you? Any tips of your own for exploring HKDL? If you’ve never been to Hong Kong, what interests you most about the park? Agree or disagree with our recommendations? Anything else to add? Any questions? Hearing from you is half the fun, so please share your questions and thoughts in the comments!