Winter school and conference venue
Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong
Getting there: by foot from the hotel should be possible. By public transport, one may take MTR to HKU station (Island line) and then walk for around 5-10 min.
Entering Hong Kong
If you are joining us from outside Hong Kong please make sure you hold a passport that allows you free entry into Hong Kong. If you don’t hold such a visa-exempt passport, and if you haven’t done so already, please make sure you secure the necessary visa or entry permit to enter Hong Kong. Upon arrival into Hong Kong airport, you may want to get an Octopus card and pre-load it with some cash right at the airport. The exchange rate in Hong Kong is 7.8 HKD per 1 USD. While other payment methods are generally available around Hong Kong, this Octopus card is almost universally accepted and quite convenient.
Getting from the Airport to Hong Kong Island or Kowloon
HKU is located on the west side of Hong Kong Island. If you are staying in Hong Kong Island, there are several options to get to the place you are staying from the airport. You can take a “red” taxi (about HKD 350), the MTR’s “airport express” (HKD 115) takes you to Hong Kong Station and there you can transfer to other MTR lines and or take a shorter taxi ride. MTR System Map various buses that connect the airport with Hong Kong Island (most affordable option). Ride sharing companies do have a special pick up area a bit farther away in the airport’s garage area (similar cost to taxi) Some hotel options in Kowloon (across Victoria Harbour from Hong Kong Island) might be more affordable. If you are staying in Kowloon, you too can get there from the airport using a red taxi, ride sharing cars, buses or the airport express (but get off in Kowloon, before crossing the harbour). If you chose to stay farther away in the “New Territories” and want to use a taxi, note you will need a “green taxi” from the airport instead.
Getting to HKU
If you are staying in a hotel nearby HKU’s main campus you can typically walk up to campus. But please note that much of the walk will be a 15-20 minute uphill hike from most nearby hotels. So please take that into account as you plan the time you need to get to HKU. The weather is generally very nice in Hong Kong in mid-December, so you won’t sweat too much, if you don’t mind a bit of exercise early in the day. If you are staying farther away from campus you may consider taking the MTR (Hong Kong’s subway system) to HKU Station. HKU Station has several exits. Use Exits A2 or C1 to easily get to “Centennial Campus”, the area of HKU’s main campus where the DSE event will be hosted. Other exits will entail a significant detour. Some elevators are needed to get out of the station and these may get congested with some queues building up sometimes, so please allow some buffer time if this will be your commuting choice. Detailed Campus Maps and Directions to get to the DSE Conference and School venues will be available on the DSE website in the days leading up to the DSE event. It is easy to get lost the first time coming to HKU’s campus, so please take advantage of these detailed instructions once they become available. If you are not staying close to an MTR station, you may consider taxis, ride sharing companies, or buses to get to HKU’s main campus. In addition, there will be a limited morning shuttle service for those presenting papers at the Conference and/or lecturing at the School (and you will be contacted with details on using this shuttle service)
Suggestions for accommodation
- Oasis Aurum 181 Hotel, 5 stars, 1200 - 1700 HKD, make reservations directly on the hotel website with a promo code “DSEV181”
- JEN Hong Kong by Shangri-La, 4 stars, 980 HKD, booking link
- Best Western Plus Hotel Hong Kong, 4 stars, around 500-700 HKD
- Ramada Hong Kong Harbour View, 4 stars, around 500-700 HKD
The University of Hong Kong is conveniently located near the MTR station. Participants may search for hotels in Kowloon and commute to campus.
Visa information
- Students from Mainland China need to apply for a travel visa, which allows them to stay in HK for a week
- Students from many other countries don’t need a visa. Please check the list here