Hong Kong

On the Hong Kong Immigration Department's list, holders of an ordinary Mongolian passport may visit visa-free for up to 14 days. Have a passport valid at least a month beyond departure, a return ticket and a hotel booking. Hong Kong has a separate regime from mainland China — for Shenzhen or Guangzhou you need a separate Chinese visa.

Hong Kong's private hospitals are among the most expensive in Asia, and public hospitals also charge foreigners high rates. Get insurance covering medical costs and flight cancellation. If you take medication, bring an English copy of the prescription.

Tip: Save your Mongolian insurer's 24-hour number on your phone.

October–March is pleasant, a light jacket is enough; June–September is hot, humid, with downpours and typhoons. When Typhoon Signal 8 (T8) is hoisted, the metro, shops and Disneyland close — check the Hong Kong Observatory and keep plans flexible. Indoor air conditioning is cold, so bring a thin layer even in summer. Plugs are British type G.

Hong Kong hotel rooms are small and expensive — a triple room for a family of three is rare, so search early. Kowloon (Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan) is close to the metro and ferries and cheaper than Hong Kong Island. Buy Disneyland and Ocean Park tickets online in advance to skip the queue. MIAT's direct flight leaves early in the morning, so pack the night before.

The officer may ask for your return ticket and hotel address as well as your passport. No stamp — you get a small paper 'landing slip'; keep it with your passport (hotels and SIM registration ask for it). After baggage, the Meeters & Greeters hall has a 7-Eleven and SIM and Octopus sellers.

From the airport to Hong Kong station takes as little as 24 minutes; get off at Kowloon station for Tsim Sha Tsui. Paying with Octopus, the adult single fare to Hong Kong station is HK$120, a paper ticket HK$130. Same-day return trips get a discount. Free shuttle buses used to run from the stations to hotels — ask at the station whether they still operate.

Double-deck 'A' routes such as A21 (Kowloon — Nathan Road) and A11 (Hong Kong Island) stop along the main streets, so you can often get off near your hotel door. Slower than the train but several times cheaper; pay with Octopus. There are luggage racks.

csl's 'Discover Hong Kong Tourist SIM' is sold at the airport, 7-Eleven, Circle K and csl shops; 3-, 7- and 15-day packs that include Macau data. 3HK and SmarTone have similar packs. Show your passport to register (Hong Kong law). Data is fast and 5G is everywhere in the centre.

With an eSIM phone, buy csl's or an international eSIM while still in Mongolia and activate it on landing — nothing to do at the airport. Many cafes and metro stations have free Wi-Fi, but for a two-week trip a SIM/eSIM is cheap and reliable.

For a day trip to Shenzhen (with a Chinese visa), ask whether your Hong Kong SIM roams on the mainland — csl's pack includes Macau data, but mainland China depends on the pack. Google and WhatsApp are blocked on the mainland, so you need an eSIM that routes around it.

Tip: Keep roaming on for your Mongolian number so bank SMS codes arrive.

Octopus is the card for transport, shops and cafes alike. The 'Sold Tourist Octopus' costs HK$39 with no deposit, and the remaining value can be refunded (the card is then deactivated); the 'On-loan' card has a HK$50 deposit. Buy it at the airport 7-Eleven or MTR machines; top up with cash at 7-Eleven, Circle K and metro machines. On an iPhone, create a digital card in the 'Octopus for Tourists' app and top up with a foreign card.

Every station has an English name, lines are colour-coded, trains are clean and frequent. Exits (A, B1, etc.) lead straight into major buildings, so check which exit you need in advance. Morning and evening peak hours are very crowded. Eating, drinking and smoking are fined.

The double-deck 'ding ding' tram along the north shore of Hong Kong Island is the cheapest, nicest city tour; board at the back, pay with Octopus as you exit at the front. The Star Ferry between Tsim Sha Tsui and Central gives the harbour view. The front seat upstairs on a double-deck bus is a free sightseeing ride. All take Octopus.

Small restaurants (cha chaan teng, dim sum houses), street stalls, markets and some taxis take only cash or Octopus. Big shops, brands, hotels and restaurants take Visa/Mastercard contactless everywhere. Ask your bank about foreign-transaction fees on your Mongolian card. HKD is hard to get in Mongolia — bring US dollars and exchange in Hong Kong.

The airport rate is the worst; in town the changers on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, in Chungking Mansions and in Central are best — compare the final amount, not the 'no commission' sign. HSBC, Hang Seng and BOC ATMs accept foreign cards; fees depend on your bank. Small shops will not take a HK$1000 note.

Tip: Enable 'use abroad' on your Mongolian bank card before you leave.

Restaurants add a 10% service charge to the bill — no extra tip is expected, leaving the small change is fine. Taxi drivers and cafes do not expect tips. Hotel porters get a small tip. There is no sales tax (VAT) — the price you see is the price you pay.

Dim sum (morning to noon, in a group with tea), char siu pork, roast goose, wonton noodle soup, claypot rice, egg tarts and Hong Kong milk tea. A cha chaan teng (茶餐廳) is a cheap, fast Hong Kong cafe; menus have pictures, order a 'set'. Kowloon has several cheap Michelin-starred places.

Tip: At dim sum, pour tea for the others before yourself — it marks you as 'one of us'.

In busy places you will be seated with strangers — that is normal. Service is quick and lingering is 'hinted' at by bringing the bill. Chicken feet, pork intestines and seafood in every form appear on menus — check photos on OpenRice before ordering.

Stalls around Temple Street and Mong Kok: fish balls, stinky tofu, egg waffles, siu mai. Hygiene inspection is strict, so it is safer than in most of Asia; take what is hot and freshly made. Ask seafood-restaurant prices at the night market before ordering — 'seasonal price' can be a shock.

From June to September, if Typhoon Signal 8 or higher is hoisted, the metro is reduced, shops, parks and ferries close and flights are delayed; a Black Rain signal is similar. Stay in your hotel, away from windows. Check the Observatory app or site daily. In the dry season there is rarely a problem.

Theft is rare, but pickpocketing happens in the crowds of Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui. Decline the 'tailor', 'watch' and 'massage' touts who follow you on Nathan Road. Phone scams (callers claiming to be 'immigration') target foreigners — never give passport details over the phone.

Tip: If a taxi takes a long detour, take the receipt and complain at a police station, not via 999.

In summer it is cold indoors and extremely hot and humid outside — drink plenty and dress in layers. Trails like Dragon's Back and Lion Rock are good, but many hikers get heatstroke on sunny days — go early, with water and a hat. At beaches, choose ones with shark nets and lifeguards.

Littering, spitting, eating or drinking on the MTR, smoking outside permitted spots (restaurants, bars, bus stops and parks are all no-smoking) — on-the-spot fines. Importing or selling e-cigarettes and heated tobacco is banned — even for personal use it can cause trouble at the border. Street gambling and joining protests are prohibited.

Tip: If you smoke, do it outdoors next to an ash bin only.

On escalators stand on the right, walk on the left. At metro doors let people off first, then board — there are lines on the floor. Queues are everywhere (buses, lifts, taxis) and someone will tell you if you jump one. Loud talking or watching videos with sound on draws scorn.

Tip: Press the bell before your bus stop or the driver will pass it.

Man Mo, Wong Tai Sin and Po Lin have no strict dress code, but covered shoulders and knees show respect. Do not photograph in front of people lighting incense or praying; some temples have no-photo signs inside. Around the Big Buddha (Tian Tan) no meat or alcohol is sold — the food is vegetarian.

Metro map, fastest route, exit information, times and disruption alerts. The best guide to 'which exit do I take' inside a station.

On iPhone X and later, create an Octopus card in Apple Wallet and top up with Visa/Mastercard — no need to find a card shop, just tap your phone at the metro gate. On Android only the physical card is available.

Uber operates in Hong Kong — up-front fare, card payment, chat with the driver in English. Usually a bit more than a metered taxi, but easy with a family and luggage.

Hong Kong's 'Yelp' — restaurant ratings, menu photos, average spend and queue registration. Everyone local uses it, so its ratings are more reliable than Google's.

At the Airport Express Hong Kong and Kowloon stations, some airlines (Cathay Pacific among them) check you in and take your bags from the day before the flight — you then see the city luggage-free and take the train to the airport. Ask at the station whether MIAT takes part; you need an Airport Express ticket or Octopus.

HKG is big: security, immigration, then a train to the gates — a long walk. Arrive early for international flights; MIAT's return leaves in the afternoon, so the morning is relaxed. The Airport Express runs late into the evening and the timetable changes during typhoons.

The balance of a Sold Tourist Octopus can be refunded at an MTR customer service centre and you keep the card (deactivated); a digital card is refunded through the app. Spend a small balance at the airport 7-Eleven. HKD is hard to exchange in Mongolia, so convert to US dollars before you fly.