Hong Kong Airport to Disneyland: Every Route Compared (MTR, Bus, Taxi)

Hong Kong airport to Disneyland is a short hop, because both sit on Lantau Island and Disney's own guide puts the resort at less than 10 miles from the terminal. You still have to choose between a train with two changes, a cheap bus-and-train combination, an airport bus with a shuttle at the end, or a taxi. The right answer changes with who is in your party. Here is every route, with the real fares.

Hong Kong airport to Disneyland by MTR: the Airport Express route

This is the route Hong Kong Disneyland itself describes. Tap in with an Octopus card at Airport station, which is attached to the terminal, and ride the Airport Express one stop to Tsing Yi. That takes 14 minutes, with trains every 10 to 12 minutes. At Tsing Yi, change to the Tung Chung Line heading towards Tung Chung and ride one stop back across the bridge to Sunny Bay. Change platforms there for the Disneyland Resort Line, a two-station shuttle that ends at Disneyland Resort station, right outside the park gates.

Fares, from MTR's own tables: the Airport Express to Tsing Yi is HK$73 on an adult Octopus, or HK$80 for a single ticket. The Tung Chung Line leg from Tsing Yi to Disneyland Resort is HK$15.9 on Octopus, HK$17 as a single. Call it just under HK$90 per adult. A child aged 3 to 11 on a Child Octopus pays HK$36.5 plus HK$7.7, and children under 3 ride free. Disneyland's travel page puts the whole journey at about 30 minutes from the airport station. The Disneyland Resort Line runs every 5 minutes at peak and every 10 off-peak, so you are never waiting long at Sunny Bay.

Luggage is fine: there is no numeric size limit for bags on ordinary MTR trains and nearly every station has a lift. If you are arriving with more than a carry-on, see the guide to taking the MTR with luggage.

The cheapest way: S1 bus to Tung Chung, then the MTR

There is also a route that costs about HK$20 and takes only a little longer. Outside the terminal, catch the S1, a local Citybus service that loops between the airport and Tung Chung MTR station for HK$3.7. It stops at both the south and north ends of Terminal 1, and the Transport Department lists the full loop at 22 minutes. At Tung Chung, tap into the MTR, ride the Tung Chung Line one stop to Sunny Bay, and change to the Disneyland Resort Line. Tung Chung to Disneyland Resort is HK$15.9 on an adult Octopus, HK$17 as a single, so the whole trip comes to HK$19.6 by Octopus.

The trade-off is that the S1 is a regular city bus, not an airport coach, so you stand with your bags, and the Tung Chung stop is busy with commuters. With one carry-on each it is a bargain. With a family's worth of suitcases I would pay the extra for the Airport Express.

Airport bus to the Lantau Link, then the R8 shuttle

Disneyland's guide also lists a bus route: take an A or E airport bus to the Lantau Link Bus-Bus Interchange at the toll plaza, then transfer to Route R8, which runs a loop between the interchange, Inspiration Lake and the Disneyland Resort. The R8 costs HK$7.4 and the Transport Department lists the loop at 17 to 19 minutes. Airport routes that stop at the interchange include the A21, A22, A29, E22 and E23. The E22 and E23 are HK$18.6 full fare and the A21 is HK$34.6, so bus plus R8 lands at about HK$26 at the cheapest.

Honestly, I only use this one if I am already on an A or E bus. It is not cheaper than the S1 and MTR combination, the interchange is an open-air stop beside the toll plaza, and journey planners put the total at about 45 minutes.

Taxi from Hong Kong airport to Disneyland: 15 minutes, around HK$160

With small kids or a late landing, the taxi is the answer. Follow the signs in arrivals to the airport taxi station. All three colours of Hong Kong taxi, urban red, New Territories green and Lantau blue, are allowed to drop at the Disneyland Public Transport Interchange. The blue Lantau taxis are the cheapest on the meter, with a HK$22 flagfall for the first 2 km against HK$27 for a red one, and the airport and Disneyland are both inside their patch, so if there is a blue one at the rank, take it.

Disney's guide calls it a 15-minute ride. There is no published flat fare, so treat the number as an estimate: route planners quote HK$150 to HK$180 on the meter, and the regular answer in the Hong Kong Disneyland planning groups is around HK$160, before the small per-piece charge for bags in the boot. Most airport taxi drivers still prefer cash, so change some Hong Kong dollars at the terminal before you walk out. For a family of four it works out cheaper per head than the Airport Express, with no changes.

Staying at a Disney hotel? Use the free shuttle at the end

Whichever route you pick, Disney hotel guests get a free shuttle bus between the three resort hotels and the Disneyland Resort Public Transport Interchange, and it also meets guests at Disneyland Resort station. So the MTR drops you a shuttle ride from your room.

Which route should you take?

• Travelling light, two adults: Airport Express to Tsing Yi, then the Tung Chung and Disneyland Resort Lines. About 30 minutes, just under HK$90 each.
• On a budget: S1 bus to Tung Chung, then the MTR. HK$19.6 each and only slightly slower.
• Family with small kids or a late flight: taxi. 15 minutes, around HK$160 for the car.
• Already on an A or E bus: ride to the Lantau Link interchange and change to the R8 for HK$7.4.

One thing to sort before you leave the terminal: an Octopus card. Every route except the taxi is a tap-on, tap-off journey with it, and the same card pays for shops and restaurants inside the park once you arrive. Heading into the city first? I compare those options in Hong Kong airport to the city.

Quick answers

How much is a taxi from Hong Kong airport to Disney? There is no fixed fare. Estimates run HK$150 to HK$180 on the meter, with HK$160 the usual real-world answer, for a ride of about 15 minutes.

What is the best way to get to Disneyland from the airport? For most adults, the MTR: Airport Express to Tsing Yi, Tung Chung Line to Sunny Bay, Disneyland Resort Line to the gates, about 30 minutes for just under HK$90. For families with young kids or a late arrival, a taxi.

How far is Disneyland from Hong Kong airport? Less than 10 miles, or under 16 km, both on Lantau Island. Allow 15 minutes by taxi, about 30 by MTR, and about 45 by airport bus and the R8.

Is one day enough for Hong Kong Disneyland? For most visitors, yes. It is the most compact of Disney's castle parks, and I go through how to plan it in is one day enough at Hong Kong Disneyland.

Does the Octopus card work on every route? Yes on the Airport Express, the MTR, the S1 and the R8. Taxis are mostly cash, so keep some notes for that one.