Public Transport
Hong Kong is one of the most convenient cities in the world in terms of public transport. The buses, ferries, trams and trains are fast, efficient and very inexpensive. And it needs to be as the locals are an impatient lot. Nearly every mode of transport is scheduled in 10 minutes intervals - often more frequent. As the territory is so densely populated traffic can be horrendous during peak hours. During rush hours the MTR often employs extra manpower to manage the overcrowded trains while ferries to outlying islands can be jam packed with home bound commuters as well as holiday makers.

Special MTR Passes
The MTR promotes 2 special programs for short staying visitors. Briefly put these are:

MTR 1-Day Pass
For those only in town for only a day (24 hours) and wanting to see as much as possible the MTR offers a 1-Day Pass with unlimited travel on the MTR (except for the Airport Express) for HKD 50. The card is good for any 24 hour period). The cards are available at any MTR Customer Service Centre or Airport Express counter. That said, HKD 50 is an awful lot of MTR travel and chances are most people would be better off buying single trip tickets for a couple rides or the Octopus Card and getting the full value of the unused card back.

3 Day Tourist Octopus Card
A slightly better deal is the 3 day Airport Express Tourist Octopus Card. For HKD 220 you get a one way ride from (or to) the airport to Hong Kong and 3 days of unlimited use of the MTR plus HKD 20 worth of rides on other public transportation (i.e. tram, buses). For an additional HKD 80 (HKD 300) you get a second ride on the Airport Express. Again, this gives a lot of travel on the MTR and it's doubtful the casual visitor would come out ahead.