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City guide

Hong Kong

China (Special Administrative Region)

Hong Kong always surprises: behind the skyline, three quarters of the territory is nature, with beaches, trails and islands. The French community is one of the largest in Asia, and the Lycée Victor-Segalen an institution.

Currency
Hong Kong dollar (HK$)
Languages
Cantonese and English
Time vs Paris
6 to 7h ahead
Emergencies
999

FIAFE network

The Accueil for French-speaking families

In each city, a volunteer-run association from the FIAFE network welcomes, informs and helps French-speaking families settling in.

Hong Kong Accueil

Since 1995

Since 1995, Hong Kong Accueil has helped French-speaking families discover the territory: a weekly café, cultural visits, excursions and a very active women entrepreneurs club.

Where to meet them

Friday café, every week from 10am to 12pm at Pacific Place (Admiralty).

What they offer

  • Friday café, the weekly meetup for newcomers
  • Cultural visits and excursions (as far as Shenzhen)
  • Women entrepreneurs club and workshops
  • Practical guide and members newsletter

Other support networks

Two large national networks also support the French abroad, each with its local chapter.

  • UFE

    UFE Hong Kong & Macao

    Present in Hong Kong since 1970, the UFE organises the community's big festive gatherings and represents the French in consular bodies.

  • Français du monde – ADFE

    Français du monde – ADFE Hong Kong

    The local Français du monde - ADFE section supports French residents of Hong Kong and Macau with their paperwork and relays their concerns.

The French business network

The local French chamber of commerce (CCI France International network) is a real asset for work: networking, job offers and help to restart a career or start a business locally.

CCI France International

French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hong Kong (FCCIHK)

One of the largest French chambers in Asia, with job listings, a member directory and networking evenings that help a spouse restart a career and the family build a network.

The online community

The Facebook groups to join

Before you even land in Hong Kong, Facebook groups are the best shortcut: ask your questions, find a flat, a nanny, a second-hand stroller, and often your first friends.

  • 🔥 Very active Public In English

    Expat Hong Kong

    👥 172,800 members · ≈ 140 posts/week

  • 🔒 Private In English

    Hong Kong Moms

    👥 111,400 members · ≈ 62 posts/week

  • Public In English

    Hong Kong Expats

    👥 90,000 members · ≈ 32 posts/week

  • 🔒 Private In English

    Hong Kong Expats

    👥 45,900 members · ≈ 1 posts/week

  • Public In English

    Hong Kong Expatriates

    👥 37,900 members · ≈ 10 posts/week

  • Public In English

    Hong Kong Moms

    👥 34,600 members · ≈ 27 posts/week

  • 🔒 Private In English

    Expats in Hong Kong

    👥 33,500 members · ≈ 1 posts/week

  • Public In English

    Living in Hong Kong

    👥 31,300 members · ≈ 13 posts/week

  • 🔥 Very active Public FR + EN

    French in Hong Kong

    👥 29,900 members · ≈ 72 posts/week

  • Public In French

    CFI - Français de Hong Kong

    👥 19,700 members · ≈ 18 posts/week

  • 🔥 Very active Public In English

    Expat Hong Kong

    👥 14,200 members · ≈ 153 posts/week

  • 🔒 Private In English

    Hong Kong Expats

    👥 9,100 members · ≈ 19 posts/week

💬 Explore the full group directory

Compiled from Facebook's public search, links checked in July 2026. Group sizes change all the time.

AEFE network

Accredited French schools

Schools accredited by the French Ministry of Education follow the French curriculum: your child can continue their schooling seamlessly, abroad and back in France.

💰 Compare school fees
  • AEFE partner

    Lycée français international Victor-Segalen

    Nursery to final year (ages 3 to 18)

    📍 Happy Valley (Blue Pool Road), several campuses · 1,440 pupils

  • AEFE partner

    Lou Pichoun French Kindergarten

    Preschool (ages 3 to 6)

    📍 Tseung Kwan O · 41 pupils

  • AEFE partner

    Les Petits Lascars (TKO)

    Preschool (ages 3 to 6)

    📍 Tseung Kwan O · 12 pupils

Source: official AEFE directory, verified June 2026. aefe.gouv.fr

Tutoring and private lessons

To support your children's schooling across two systems, two solutions designed for expat families.

  • Axiom Academic

    Private lessons and tutoring for expat families: French curriculum, IB and British curriculum, at home or online, with teachers who know the schools in your city.

    Discover Axiom Academic
  • IB Tutor

    Tutors specialised in the International Baccalaureate: online lessons in every IB subject, to aim for top grades from MYP to the diploma.

    Discover IB Tutor

Schools and education

The Lycée français international Victor-Segalen covers nursery to the baccalaureate, with a French and an international stream. Two accredited French kindergartens complete the network on the Tseung Kwan O side.

Good to know

  • Victor-Segalen (French and international streams) spreads its pupils across several campuses.
  • International schools and the ESF network sometimes require debentures: clarify this in the package.
  • Plan admissions a year ahead, especially for key entry years.
  • School buses are the norm: the commute weighs on the choice of neighbourhood.

Children's healthcare

Hong Kong combines a very cheap public system with excellent, expensive private care. Most expat families rely on solid health insurance.

Good to know

  • Public hospitals cost a handful of dollars but waits can be long outside life-threatening cases.
  • Private care (Matilda, Gleneagles...) is fast and excellent: check your insurance ceilings.
  • English-speaking paediatricians everywhere, French-speaking ones in Central and Mid-Levels.
  • 999 is the single emergency number.

French-speaking community

The French community in Hong Kong is one of the largest in Asia, organised and welcoming. Family neighbourhoods spread between the island and the New Territories.

Good to know

  • Hong Kong Accueil holds its Friday café every week in Admiralty.
  • Happy Valley, Pok Fu Lam, Sai Kung and Discovery Bay are the family favourites.
  • The UFE, present since 1970, organises the community's big festive gatherings.
  • The Alliance française offers a media library and activities in French for children.

Family outings and events

Hong Kong's best-kept secret: nature. Pram-friendly hikes, beaches, car-free islands and junk boats turn weekends into mini-holidays.

Good to know

  • Family trails (Bowen Road, Dragon's Back) offer spectacular views.
  • Repulse Bay and Sai Kung beaches are lifeguarded and well equipped for children.
  • A junk boat day with friends is the Hong Kong summer ritual.
  • Ocean Park, Disneyland and the Peak Tram complete the kids outing toolkit.

These landmarks change fast: the MumExpat community will keep them up to date.

The arrival reflex

The apps to download when you land

Drop your bags, download these and you're set: the apps everyone in Hong Kong uses to get around, get things delivered and organise daily life.

Getting around

  • Octopus

    The app behind the essential Octopus card: top up, track your spending and pay for the MTR, buses, convenience stores and school canteens.

    App Store Google Play

  • MTR Mobile

    The official MTR app: route planning, real-time schedules, disruption alerts and MTR loyalty points earned on your journeys.

    App Store Google Play

  • Citymapper

    The journey planner expats swear by: it combines MTR, buses, minibuses, trams and ferries, and works brilliantly in Hong Kong.

    App Store Google Play

  • Uber

    Uber works well in Hong Kong and also lets you hail a classic red taxi through the app's Uber Taxi option.

    App Store Google Play

Food delivery

  • foodpanda

    One of Hong Kong's two food-delivery giants: a huge choice of restaurants, plus express groceries through pandamart.

    App Store Google Play

  • Keeta

    The newcomer that now rivals foodpanda at the top of food delivery: aggressive deals and fast delivery, many locals compare the two before ordering.

    App Store Google Play

Groceries

  • HKTVmall

    Hong Kong's number-one online supermarket: groceries, fresh food, baby and household items, delivered in the time slot you pick.

    App Store Google Play

  • PNS eShop (ParknShop)

    ParknShop's online grocery app, one of the two big supermarket chains: handy for the big weekly delivery.

    App Store Google Play

  • Wellcome Online Shop

    The app from Wellcome, the other big supermarket chain: home delivery and in-store pickup all over Hong Kong.

    App Store Google Play

Everyday life

  • PayMe by HSBC

    Hong Kong's Venmo: the app everyone uses to pay each other back, among friends, school parents and helpers, whatever bank you use.

    App Store Google Play

  • OpenRice

    The local institution for finding a restaurant: reviews, menus, photos and bookings, far more complete than Google Maps in Hong Kong.

    App Store Google Play

  • MyObservatory

    The official weather app the whole city checks: typhoon and rainstorm alerts, essential for knowing whether school is cancelled.

    App Store Google Play

  • yuu HK & Macau

    The loyalty programme everyone scans at checkout: earn points at Wellcome, Mannings, 7-Eleven, IKEA and plenty of restaurant chains.

    App Store Google Play

Coming soon: the full Hong Kong guide.

Verified addresses, paediatricians recommended by mums, a family agenda updated every week. Join the waitlist to discover the Hong Kong page first.