Airlines Air India, Rm 3008-9, The Centre, 99 Queen's Road, Central (tel 2522 1176); British Airways, 30th Floor, Alexandra House, 25 Chater Rd, Central (tel 2868 0303); Cathay Pacific, 35/F, Two Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty (tel 2747 1888); Dragonair, Rm 601-3 Wheelock House, 20 Pedder St, Central (tel 2590 1188); JAL, 20th Floor, Gloucester Tower, Pedder St, Central (tel 2523 0081); KLM, Rm 2201-03, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Rd, Causeway Bay (tel 2808 2111); Korean Air, 11th Floor, Tower Two, South Seas Centre, 75 Mody Rd, Tsimshatsui East (tel 2368 6221); Malaysia Airlines, Central Tower, Queens Road, Central (tel 2521 8181); Qantas, Rm 3701, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Central (tel 2842 1438); Singapore Airlines, 17th Floor, United Centre, 95 Queensway, Admiralty (tel 2520 2233); Thai International, 24F United Centre, 95 Queensway, Admiralty (tel 2876 6888); United Airlines, 29th Floor, Gloucester Tower, The Landmark, 11 Pedder St, Central (tel 2810 4888).

 

American Express , Ground Floor, New World Tower, 16-18 Queen's Road, Central (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-noon; tel 2801 7300; report stolen cheques on tel 2885 9331).

Banks and exchange Banks generally open Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm, Sat 9am-12.30pm, though there is quite a hefty commission on travellers' cheques in many banks; among those who generally don't charge commission are the Hang Seng, Wing Lung Bank and the Wing On. The licensed moneychangers, on the other hand, which open all hours including Sundays, may not charge commission but sometimes give very poor rates; signs saying "No Commission" may only apply if you're selling Hong Kong dollars. Especially avoid moneychangers with windows looking onto Nathan Road, and always ask around before changing large sums as there are significant variations in rates.

Bookshops For such a cosmopolitan city, Hong Kong has a rather poor selection of decent foreign-language bookshops. The Swindon Book Company has what is probably the largest centrally located English-language bookstore at 13-15 Lock Rd, Tsimshatsui; it has another branch at the Star Ferry concourse, Tsimshatsui, which is particularly good for books on Hong Kong and for glossy art books. Dymock's bookshop at the Star Ferry, Central, is good for paperbacks and travel guides. Some of the shopping malls also have reasonable outlets, in particular Page One in Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong, in Times Square, Causeway Bay, and Kelly and Walsh, Shop 348 Pacific Place, Admiralty. The Government Publications Centre, at Tower Block, Ground Floor, 66 Queensway, Admiralty, has Hong Kong maps, and all kinds of books on local politics and the local environment.

Cinema Most of the main English-language films find their way to Hong Kong soon after release, and they are usually shown in the original language, sometimes with Chinese subtitles (although the local audience prefers dubbed versions, which usually hit the screen soon afterwards). Some of the Chinese-language films are shown with English subtitles - all those kung fu movies are suddenly brought to life. The major cinemas include United Artists at One Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Central, and also at Times Square, Causeway Bay. For alternative or art films, including Chinese, try the Hong Kong Arts Centre at 2 Harbour Rd, Wanchai (tel 2582 0200), or the Cine-Art House, Sun Hung Kai Centre, Harbour Rd, Wanchai (tel 2827 4820).

Embassies and consulates Australia, 23rd Floor, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Rd, Wanchai (tel 2827 8881); Britain, 1 Supreme Court Rd, Admiralty (tel 2901 3000); Canada, 14th Floor, 1 Exchange Square, Central (tel 2810 4321); China, 5th Floor, China Resources Bldg, Lower Block, 26 Harbour Rd, Wanchai (tel 2827 1881); India, 504 Admiralty Centre, Tower One, 18 Harcourt Rd, Admiralty (tel 2528 4028); Japan, 46th Floor, One Exchange Square, Central (tel 2522 1184); Korea, 5th Floor, Far East Financial Centre, 16 Harcourt Rd, Central (tel 2529 4141); Malaysia, 23rd Floor, Malaysia Building, 50 Gloucester Rd, Wanchai (tel 2527 0921); New Zealand, Rm 2705, Jardine House, Connaught Rd, Central (tel 2877 4488); Philippines, 6F, United Centre, 95 Queensway, Admiralty (tel 2823 8500); Taiwan, 4th Floor, East Tower, Lippo Centre, 89 Queensway, Admiralty (tel 2525 8315); Thailand, 8th Floor, Fairmont House, 8 Cotton Tree Drive, Central (tel 2521 6481); USA, 26 Garden Rd, Central (tel 2523 9011); Vietnam, 15th Floor, Great Smart Tower, 230 Wanchai Rd, Wanchai (tel 2291 4510).

Festivals Festivals specific to Hong Kong include the Tin Hau Festival, in late April or May, in honour of the Goddess of Fishermen. Large seaborne festivities take place, most notably at Joss House Bay on Sai Kung Peninsula. Another is the Tai Chiu Festival (known in English as the Bun Festival) held on Cheung Chau Island during May. The Tuen Ng (Dragon-boat) Festival takes place in early June, with races in various places around the territory in long, narrow boats. Other Chinese festivals, such as New Year and Mid-Autumn, are celebrated in Hong Kong with as much, if not more, gusto than on the mainland.

Hospitals Government hospitals have 24-hour casualty wards, where treatment is free. These include the Princess Margaret Hospital, Lai King Hill Rd, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon (tel 2990 1111) and the Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam Rd, Hong Kong Island (tel 2855 3111). For an ambulance dial tel 999.

Laundry There is a cheap laundry service on the ground floor of the Golden Crown Court on Nathan Rd (one block north of the Mirador Mansions) - use the red entrance; you'll see a sign at the end of the corridor. Same-day service for three kilos of clothes costs $30. Mirador Mansions, 13th Floor, has a similar place called Posh Wash.

Left luggage There's an office in the departure lounge at the airport (daily 6.30am-1am), and at the Central and Kowloon stations for the Airport Express. Alternatively you can usually leave luggage at your guest house or hotel - but ensure you're happy with the owners and general security before leaving anything valuable. There are also coin-operated lockers in the Hong Kong China international ferry terminal in Tsimshatsui.

Library The main English-language library is in the City Hall High Block, Edinburgh Place, Central (Mon-Fri 10am-9pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-1pm). The British Council, 1 Supreme Court Rd, Admiralty, also has a library which includes a selection of UK newspapers, videos and talking books (Mon-Fri noon-8pm, Sat 10.30am-5.30pm; tel 2913 55005).

Lost property For belongings left in taxis call 2389 8288; however they charge a steep fee in advance to search for lost items, and they don't have a very good record for finding anything. See also the police general enquiries number below.

Police Crime hotline and taxi complaints tel 2527 7177. For general police enquiries call 2860 2000.

Post office The general post office is at 2 Connaught Place, Central (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat-Sun 8am-2pm; tel 2921 2222), just west of the Star Ferry and north of Jardine House (the tower with porthole windows). Poste restante mail is delivered here (you can pick it up Mon-Sat 8am-6pm), unless specifically addressed to "Kowloon". The Kowloon main post office is at 10 Middle Road, Tsimshatsui (tel 2366 4111). Both have shops which sell boxes, string and tape to pack any stuff you want to send home.

Sport For horse-racing, see "Happy Valley". Every Easter, Hong Kong is host to an international Rugby Sevens tournament (information from Hong Kong Rugby Football Union, tel 2504 8300). The following activities are also available in the territory: sailing (information from the Hong Kong Yachting Association: tel 2504 8158); windsurfing (try the Windsurf Centre on Kwun Yam Wan beach, Cheung Chau, for rentals and instruction); martial arts ( tai ji takes place in all public parks; for more general information, call the HK Chinese Martial Arts Association: tel 2394 4803); marathon-running (the Hong Kong marathon takes place in January; to enter, call the HK Amateur Athletic Association: tel 2504 8215). Public tennis courts are available in Victoria Park (tel 2570 6186), at the Hong Kong Tennis Centre on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road (tel 2574 9122) and at King's Park (tel 2388 8154) in Kowloon. Courts are around $40 per hour. Private coaching (ask at the courts) is around $350 per hour. The easiest way to get a round of golf on the crowded local links is probably by taking the HKTA's golfing tour, which provides transport and entry for around $500. Alternatively, try ringing the Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club (tel 2719 1595).

Swimming pools One of the most conveniently located public pools is in Kowloon Park on Nathan Rd, Tsimshatsui (6.30am-9pm; adults $19, children $8). Another is in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay (6.30am-10pm; adults $19, children $8). All public pools tend to be very crowded, and the water is sometimes not that clean.

Telephones All local calls are free, and you can usually use any phones in hotel lobbies and restaurants for no charge. Payphones require $1 for five minutes. For IDD calls, use a payphone or go to a Hong Kong Telecom office; there's one at Hermes House, 10 Middle Rd, Tsimshatsui (24hr), and also at Telecom House, 3 Gloucester Rd, Wanchai (Mon-Fri 8am-9pm, Sat 8am-3pm). For directory enquiries in English call 1081. Hong Kong phone numbers have no area codes. From outside the territory, dial the normal international access code followed by 852 (country code) followed by the number. However, from Macau you need only dial 01 and the number.

Thomas Cook Travellers' cheques service available at 18th Floor, Vicwood Plaza, 199 Des Voeux Rd, Central (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-1pm; tel 2544 4986) or Mirador Mansions Arcade, 58A Nathan Rd, Tsimshatsui (daily; 8am-10pm, tel 2366 9687).

Tours HKTA runs a series of interesting theme-tours, such as the "Sports and Recreation Tour" (see "Clearwater Bay") and the "Come Horse-racing Tour" (see "Happy Valley"). These tours are fun, but are really for those in a hurry and with plenty of money. Consult HKTA's brochures for details. Other operators offering numerous tours - the harbour, New Territories, Kowloon, the Mai Po Wetlands, the Pink Dolphins - are advertised in brochures available around the Star Ferry ticket windows.

Travel agents Hong Kong is full of budget travel agents including Shoestring Travel Ltd, Flat A, 4th Floor, Alpha House, 27-33 Nathan Rd (tel 2723 2306, fax 2721 2085) and Hong Kong Student Travel Ltd, Hang Lung Centre, Yee Wo St, Causeway Bay (tel 2833 9909). The cheaper hostels often have useful up-to-date information and contacts for budget travel as well, or look in the classified ads of the South China Morning Post. For train tickets, tours, flights and visas to mainland China, try the Chinese state travel agency, CITS, Rm 1213-15, 13th Floor, Tower A, New Mandarin Plaza, 14 Science Museum Rd, Tsimshatsui East (tel 2732 5888, fax 2721 7204), or alternatively, the more friendly CTS, whose main office is on the 4th Floor, CTS House, 78-83 Connaught Rd, Central (tel 2522 0450).