The official languages in Hong Kong are Chinese (Cantonese) and English, although the latter may come as a surprise to those that know Hong Kong well. While many people do speak English there are also a lot that do not, and many of the menus in the more local restaurants can be in Chinese with no English translations. If you are moving around by taxi we do advise that you ask your hotel to write down the address in Chinese to help both you and the driver.

Calling code +852

* 011 - US exit code; must be dialed first for all international calls made from the USA or Canada
* phone number - 8 digits
* US to Hong Kong international dialing format: 011 + 852 + 2XXX XXXX

Cell codesHow to dial to Hong Kong cellular:

* for calls to a cell phone dial: 011 + 852 + 6XXX XXXX (or 9XXX XXXX)

Internet TLD .hk

Hong Kong Broadband provides SIP-based VOIP connections for residental service. Each account provides unlimited incoming and outgoing calls. The service supports Local Number Portability so you can move your local fixed-line number (an 8-digit Hong Kong phone number starting with the digit 2 or 3) to your HKBN subscription.

HKBN's core uses Nortel's Networks Communication Server 2000 (Compact softswitch) and the Packet Voice Gateway 15000. At the residences, ATA boxes (called Integrated Access Devices, IAD) are provided to subscribers. Additionally, a softphone (Nortel's Multimedia PC Client v2.0) option is available for people to use the VOIP service without the need for an ATA box.

Service cost (with the ATA) is $88 HKD/month (~$11.28 USD/month). If you want to use the softphone or already have an ATA then you can opt for the softphone option that is only $48 HKD/month (~$6.15 USD/month). The softphone option is great for the BYOD crowd since the Nortel core supports most SIP devices.

Voltage is

220V / 50Hz

2008 estimate 7,008,900 people
Density 6,054.5/km2

The Hong Kong dollar (sign: $; code: HKD) is the currency of Hong Kong. It is the 9th most traded currency in the world.[1] In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. The dollar is subdivided into 100 cents.

The GST or goods and sales tax still being deliberated by the government therefore there is no tax refund scheme

Major banks are open from 9am to 4:30pm Mondays to Fridays and from 9:00am to 1pm on Saturdays. Offices follow normal International times and run generally from 9am to 5:30pm some with a half day on Saturday from 9am to 1pm.

Most hotels and restaurants add on a 10% surcharge for service, however if you would still like to tip HK10 or HK$ 20 should always suffice. With taxis you normally round up to the closest dollar, though most of the time they will do this automatically.

Standard time zone: HKT (UTC+8)

Visas are not required for Commonwealth citizens, British passport holders, and Republic of Ireland citizens for a stay of up to 14 days. All onward visitors should have passports valid for at least three months from the time of arrival. They should also have return tickets, and sufficient funds for the length of their stay in Singapore.

Hong Kong is fortunate as it enjoys four seasons, it also is unfortunate in that it receives Typhoons from time to time. Winter can be chilly and runs from mid December until February, you will need a jacket, temperatures can go as low as 6 degrees, although around 10 would be more average. Spring starts to get a little warmer with temperatures generally ranging from 18-27 degrees and it runs from March to mid May, in the earlier months a light jumper or jacket would be advisable, especially for the evening.

Summer heats up and humidity soars, from late May to mid September you will get by with light clothes. It is advisable though to bring a light pullover as restaurants and shops tend to blast their air conditioning units at full blast. It is very easy to catch a cold when moving from very hot and humid to cold air conditioning. Autumn from September to December is a lovely time of year, as the humidity drops and the temperatures begin to cool off. You may require a light pullover or jacket for some evenings.

The Typhoon season can be chaotic, and runs from May to November. The meteorological dept. keeps a very keen eye on all Typhoon developments and there warnings are taken very seriously. As a Typhoon comes closer, they issue warnings as to its' strength, with 1 being the lowest and 8 being very strong. Hotels restaurants and shops display message boards to inform you of the severity of the Typhoon. Once the signal reaches 8 then most if not all shops and businesses close down, and some flights may even be cancelled. If you would like to see the power of a force 8 typhoon, take a look at our Pictures of Hong Kong and around the world, and you will see a building being blown by a typhoon. It is the bottom left picture. We do not recommend you go outdoors when it a force 8 has been hoisted. It can be dangerous with things fling around and other things falling from balconies and buildings. Take care.