- Fastest
- Airport Express + MTR, 40 min, HK$120
- Cheapest
- A21 bus, 86 min, HK$34.6
- Taxi
- HK$284-296, 30-40 min (red urban)
- After midnight
- NA21 + N241 night buses
- Pay with
- Octopus or contactless card
Tsim Sha Tsui is the easiest arrival in Hong Kong because Nathan Road runs straight through it - and the airport has a bus that runs the length of Nathan Road. You have three good options and one luxury one. All fares below are Octopus or contactless-card fares in Hong Kong dollars, from current operator timetables (route data checked 31 October 2026 on getaroundhongkong, fares cross-checked against MTR and Citybus).
The short answer
Fastest: Airport Express train to Hong Kong Station, then two MTR stops back across the harbour on the Tsuen Wan Line - 40 minutes, HK$120. Cheapest: the A21 Cityflyer bus from the Ground Transportation Centre, 86 minutes, HK$34.6, dropping you on Nathan Road itself. The underrated middle: Airport Express one stop to Tsing Yi, then the Tung Chung and Tuen Ma lines to East Tsim Sha Tsui - 43 minutes, HK$73. A red urban taxi runs about HK$284-296 and 30-40 minutes (hongkongtaxifare.com's 2026 estimate).
Airport Express + MTR: fast but fiddly
The Airport Express itself is excellent - trains about every 10 minutes, 22 minutes to Hong Kong Station, HK$120 adult on Octopus or contactless (MTR and Airport Authority, checked 8 October 2026). The catch for TST is that you land on the wrong side of the harbour: from Hong Kong Station it is a 6-minute covered walk to Central station, then two stops on the Tsuen Wan Line. Total 40 minutes door to Nathan Road. With light bags this is the best option; with a family and suitcases, note the station change involves real walking.
The A21 bus: the local's pick for TST
The A21 leaves from the Ground Transportation Centre outside arrivals and runs the full length of Nathan Road through Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei and Jordan into Tsim Sha Tsui - 13 stops to the Cameron Road stop in the heart of TST, 78 minutes on a weekday morning, HK$34.6 adult (child HK$17.3, senior HK$6.9). Buses have luggage racks and display screens. For most TST hotels the A21 drops you closer than the train does, at less than a third of the price; the trade is time and traffic. Sit upstairs on the left for the harbour approach views.
Taxi: the door-to-door price
Take a red urban taxi from the signed ranks - red is the correct colour for Kowloon (green and blue taxis are restricted to the New Territories and Lantau). Expect roughly HK$284-296 to Tsim Sha Tsui, 30-40 minutes depending on traffic, plus a small per-piece luggage fee. For a family of four with bags, this is often the right call: door to door, no station changes, and per-person it approaches the Airport Express fare. Drivers expect cash or, increasingly, Octopus; have your hotel name and address ready in writing, ideally in Chinese.
Landing after midnight
The Airport Express stops around 00:45 and the A21 winds down late evening, but Hong Kong does not leave you stranded: night buses run. The workable combination at 1 AM is the NA21 from the airport toward Mong Kok, changing to the N241 down Nathan Road to Cameron Road - about 52 minutes total. With kids or heavy luggage, the honest answer at that hour is the taxi.
What to check before you land
Four things smooth the arrival: an Octopus card or any contactless Visa/Mastercard (both work across the Airport Express, MTR and buses); your hotel's nearest Nathan Road bus stop name, since "Tsim Sha Tsui" covers a kilometre of stops; which terminal and exit your flight uses for the Ground Transportation Centre; and, if you land late, the night-bus combination above or the taxi rank location. Flying in from Delhi? Our Delhi to Hong Kong flights guide covers the airlines, fares and the PAR registration Indian passports need before boarding.
A Miranda House graduate and lawyer who traded courtrooms for slow travel. Cheshta travels with the batches we host ourselves, with a soft spot for travelling alongside elders.
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