Hong Kong International Airport with Kids: What We Did and Tips
Last Updated on November 25, 2025 by Kay
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I thought I would share my family’s experience at Hong Kong International Airport, just in case there’s some helpful information here for anyone planning a trip with kids.
In this article, I’ll cover what it was like arriving and departing the airport, what we ate, what we did with our children, and important tips about what to know before you go.
Our Family’s Experience Arriving at Hong Kong International Airport
My daughter and I traveled to Hong Kong with my Japanese friend and her child.
When we arrived at Hong Kong International Airport via a Cathay Pacific flight from Japan, I was genuinely shocked to see that immigration was practically empty. Where were the long lines?! I can’t remember ever traveling internationally before and not having to wait at least ten minutes to go through immigration.
(As an aside, I found it so cute how the immigration staff called my daughter a “baby” despite that she was six years old at the time.)
We had to take a train (Automated People Mover or APM) from our arrival terminal to get to baggage claim, and that was empty, too! I was not used to riding in empty public transport, and I obviously appreciated all the space.
The baggage claim was also devoid of people. It felt surreal, and to be honest, would have been a little dystopian if it weren’t for how clean and bright everything was.
I think there were a few things that contributed to the lack of people at the airport. Firstly, we traveled at the beginning of September, right after summer vacation ended. Secondly, September is typhoon season in Hong Kong, so perhaps people were avoiding traveling to the region at this time.
Check-in time for the Disney Explorers Lodge was 3 PM, so we had a bit of time to kill. Looking back, I think we should have gone straight to the hotel because they had an afternoon tea set at the World of Color Restaurant, but we certainly saved money staying in the airport, and the kids had a great time.
While at the airport, the kids went wild at POP MART and bought some Labubu blind boxes. This was a smart move because they would end up playing with the toys at the hotel for the duration of our stay.
There is a Disney shop near POP MART, but I recommend skipping it if you’re staying at a Disney hotel, since you’ll get coupons when you check in. The products sold are also available at the hotel shops as well as in the park.
When we were done shopping, I took out some cash using my Wise Card at the HSBC ATM on the fifth floor, which is located next to the 7-11.
I took out about $500 HKD, which would end up being more than enough for the trip.
I set $180 aside for the one-way taxi fare from Hong Kong International Airport to our hotel at Hong Kong Disneyland because I had heard some taxis don’t accept credit or debit cards. (My friend would be paying for the way back to the airport at the end of our trip.)
We decided to take a taxi instead of the train to the Disney hotel because the cost was reasonable, it was much faster (about fifteen minutes), and a taxi would be easier with children and luggage in tow.
Afterwards, we decided to have lunch. My friend wanted to go to Jardin de Jade, a restaurant with high reviews and popular on Japanese social media, but it was located in the departures area. So instead, we had a dim sum lunch from a shop called Tong Kee Bao Dim on the 5th floor. This shop only takes cash, so make sure you have some on hand.
As you can see in the image below, the steamed buns are priced incredibly fairly!
There is some space to eat in front of the shop. The tables are quite small, but it’s worth it because the dim sum was affordable and delicious. (Also, try to get only one bun at first because they are quite big and filling!)
When we were done eating, we bought some bottled drinks from 7-Eleven because my friend told me that bottled water at Hong Kong Disney was twice as much. I was surprised by how crowded the convenience store was; it was really hard to shop, especially with kids and luggage!
After that, we headed to the taxi area where we would board a taxi heading to Lantau (where Hong Kong Disney is located).
Right in front of the taxi stand, I briefly saw a sign saying that you should get a Taxi Information Card before boarding. I realized I should have gotten this from the desk located in front of the doors before we went outside.
The Taxi Information Card would let us know how much the fee would be before we boarded, so that we wouldn’t be overcharged.
Alas, I was too late. My friend and our kids were ahead of me, and the driver of a blue taxi was already loading our luggage into the trunk.
I asked him about the card, and he acted like he didn’t understand English, so I pulled out Google Translate and also showed him the photo I took. He said I didn’t need one, and the fare would cost $180 HKD, which is what some people online said would be the taxi cost to Hong Kong Disney.
At this point, the kids and my friend were already in the taxi, and I didn’t want to cause a fuss since the meter was running. This was also my first time traveling with this friend, who happened to be Japanese and very non-confrontational, so I got in.
And indeed, the cost was $180 HKD when we arrived at The Explorer’s Lodge in less than 15 minutes. We gave the driver $200 HKD, and he didn’t even give us change. I was tired and figured this was normal, but it’s not (which I would learn on the way back to the airport — the taxi driver of a red car charged us only $150 HKD and gave us change.)
If you’re curious, I’ve written an article all about our trip to Hong Kong Disneyland, so please give it a read to know more!
We didn’t use the train or public transport this time since we were traveling with kids and had luggage (and to be honest, we just wanted a straight shot to the hotel). But if you’re packing light or staying in the city, you can easily take public transportation to the city using the Airport Express train from Airport Station. This station is inside the airport and accessible from Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
You can also use something called an Octopus card, which is an electronic prepaid travel card that works on trains, buses, convenience stores, and vending machines. We didn’t need one for this trip, but I’ve heard it’s super helpful. You can purchase an Octopus card online to save time, but they’re also for sale at the Airport Express Customer Service Centre (located at Airport Station), the MTR Travel Centre in the Arrival Hall of Terminal 1, or at 7-Eleven and Circle K convenience stores inside the airport.
Also, for our cellular data while traveling in Hong Kong, we used a Klook eSIM. It was incredibly cheap at only 500 yen for 3GB.
Departing Hong Kong International Airport
Our flight back to Japan was leaving at 4:30 PM, but we had to check out of the Hong Kong Disney hotel at 11 AM. The staff at the front door of the hotel was able to arrange a taxi for us almost immediately when we asked at 11:30 AM.
They got us a red taxi, and it was such a different experience compared to the blue one we took a few days earlier. The driver spoke fluent English, he was super friendly (and a huge fan of Japan), and he charged us 150 HKD for the trip as well as gave us change!
When we got to the airport, we checked in and were free to explore before our flight. We quickly checked POP MART again to see if they had any new Labubu merch for the kids, but they didn’t. (And what we bought a few days prior were completely sold out!)
We also picked up some souvenirs from Kee Wah Bakery, but afterwards I wish I hadn’t because there were lots of other Kee Wah Bakery locations in the departures area (after we passed security).
As I mentioned earlier, my friend wanted to dine Jardin de Jade so we beelined there for lunch. It was about 1:20 PM by this point, and we had to wait a few minutes to be seated. However, it was worth the wait because the food was (generally) delicious.
My friend and I shared a bowl of Dan Dan noodles, which were creamy and not too spicy. (Personally, I thought it could use more kick.) The noodles were delicious but super long, which made sharing difficult.
We also shared the steamed pork dumplings with the kids, which were indeed as juicy as the name implies.
The children especially loved the scallion pancakes we ordered, which I was happy about because I devoured those when I was a kid growing up in Canada.
The only disappointing part was the fried rice, which paled in comparison to the one we got at the Crystal Lotus at Hong Kong Disneyland. The seating was also super cramped, and there wasn’t much room for our carry-on luggage.
If there’s a line for this restaurant, I think it’s okay to skip it and eat at the next-door food court.
When we were done eating, we decided to grab some egg tarts and milk tea as souvenirs from King Bakery. It was fine, but to be honest, I wouldn’t get it again. I’ve never been much of an egg tart fan, though. The milk tea also wasn’t sweet enough for me (I think I’m too used to Japanese milk tea).
While on our way to our gate, we spotted a playground that the kids really wanted to play in, so we gave in despite not having much time before boarding. We needed to take off our shoes to go inside.
I didn’t take a photo of the playground because my friend and I were so engrossed in our conversation that I completely forgot. (I think I was also overwhelmed with all the bags I was holding.)
Apparently, this playground doesn’t allow children under the age of six (according to reviews online), but the staff never asked our children’s ages and my friend’s kid was five years old at the time.
The kids played for about ten minutes before we had to go. Now we were cutting it close to boarding time, and we had completely forgotten that we needed to take a train to our gate because it was so far.
When we arrived at the Midfield Concourse, where our gate was located, we had some trouble finding our gate. There were no airport staff anywhere, but when we asked the staff at a sunglasses shop, they very kindly showed us where to go.
We were exhausted at this point, and I was surprised to see a small Kee Wah Bakery right next to our gate! There were also lots of tea shops and more, so I suggest not cutting it close and saving your souvenir shopping for when you’re at your gate.