Hong Kong, China

The main area of Hong Kong is divided by Hong Kong Harbor into two regions – Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Don’t worry about getting around because Hong Kong has an excellent public transportation system that is safe, clean, efficient, easy-to-use, and relatively cheap. 90% of the trips in Hong Kong are done by public transportation. See more below about buying an Octopus card for easy use.

Travel tip: There are many interesting neighborhood to explore. If you want to get a great introduction to Hong Kong, try the hop-on hop-off Big Bus. We normally pass on the city tour buses but this is good one. It seems a bit pricy (HF$400 – $52US), but it’s a pretty good deal. They offer three different routes through Hong Kong, one in Kowloon and two on Hong Kong Island including round trip fares on the Star Ferry, Peak tram, a Sampan ride in Aberdeen Harbor. We did all 3 routes as well as all three of the optional trips. We found it great fun and a wonderful experience in Hong Kong. On a nice day, you can ride on the open-air top deck. If there are sites you want to visit, just hop-off and get back on the next bus. 

Among many of the places in Hong Kong to explore, here are some interesting ones (many can be accessed from the Big Bus tours):

Don’t miss a ride on Hong Kong’s iconic Star Ferryoffering wonderful views of Hong Kong’s skyline. It is a great and cheap way to get across to the harbor and never much of a wait. If you are on the Big Bus tours, connect to “Central” to Hong Kong Island. You can book a Star Ferry ride to witness the Symphony of LightsLaser Show.

Make sure you include watching the Symphony of Lights Laser Show that happens every night at 8PM and is simulcast to music. It is in the Guinness Book of world records. We watched it on the Aqua Luna junk boat harbor cruise for the 7:30PM sailing. It is a nice way to do it and you get one drink. Dress warm if it is cool and book online.

The 125-year-old Peak Tram on Hong Kong Island is a not-to-be-missed experience. The views of Hong Kong from the top at Victoria Peak are spectacular (see photo). Don’t miss going up to the upper observation deck where the views are the best and there is interesting commentary about Hong Kong. For hikers, there are some beautiful paths to explore. There are also view restaurants if you want to have lunch or dinner with amazing Hong Kong scenery below you.

Next to the Peak Tram on Hong Kong Island, a beautiful retreat from the bustling Hong Kong streets can be found at Hong Kong Park (see photos). There is a lovely lake and garden. The walk up to the conservatory is worth it and definitely do not miss the Edward Youde Aviary (see photo) that is home to more than 600 birds. We enjoyed our elegant vegetarian dim sum lunch at the Lock Cha Tea Shop.

If you like temples, check out the Taoist Man Mo Temple (see photo) on Hong Kong Island. It is one of Hong Kong’s oldest temples and we found it interesting. You can have your fortune told here by shaking a canister to produce a stick that can be interpreted for the fortuneteller.

The Man Mo Temple a great place to start exploring the Hollywood Road & Soho area with its interesting art galleries, shops, and restaurants. We liked this neighborhood very much. Stroll the art galleries and shops along Hollywood Road. If you decide you are up for a wild night or at least willing to observe, head out to LKF (Lan Kwai Fong) that is near this area. You can have a taxi drop you at the LKF Hotel on Wyndham Street and you will be right in the heart of it. Everyone is there to party and there are numerous bars and restaurants.

On south Hong Kong Island, we liked the half-hour Sampan Tours of the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter where you can see people living the old way on their boats in the shadows of modern high rise condos (see photo). We stopped for lunch at the touristic Jumbo Kingdom Floating Restaurant - a bit pricy (what isn’t in Hong Kong) but fun. Wayne tried the 1000-year-old egg(see photo). Actually the process to make it takes several weeks to month depending of the method. The yolk becomes dark green to grey with a creamy consistency with a taste more complex than regular egg.

You may want to consider a visit to the famous Stanley Market while on the south side of Hong Kong Island. It is a nice place to sit outside on the water for lunch and watch the day go by. 

Remember to negotiate at the market. For the temple lovers, you will also get to see the Tin Hau Temple. For amusement theme park lovers, check out Ocean Park with its rides, world’s largest aquarium, and cable-car ride. During the warmer Summer month, Hong Kong’s south island beaches are popular – see the photo of Repulse Bay and the ‘Lilly’ hotel.

There is so much shopping to be done all around Hong Kong. People in Hong Kong love to display their success. The Tsim Sha Tsui area north of the Star Ferry pier in Kowloon is famous for its upscale shopping. Near here you can visit the beautiful Peninsula Hotel(see photo). Just north we liked the Kowloon Park (see photo).

Also in Taim Sha Tsui in Kowloon is the Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade along the Avenue of the Stars (like the one in Hollywood USA but with Hong Kong movie stars). It is an excellent place to view the beautiful Hong Kong skylight during the day or lit at night. You can also watch the nighty laser show from here. It is one of the best places to stroll day or night.

On the Hong Kong Island side, you can ride the Central-Midlevels Escalator, one of the world’s longest outdoor covered escalator systems in the world. It is fun to ride and watch the neighborhoods below. Near here you can visit one of the most expensive and amazing buildings in the world (HSBC Building) famous for its unique Fung Shui design.

Before our visit to Hong Kong on the beautiful island of Boracay in the Philippines, we had the pleasure to meet Danielle & Burt Baptiste, a wonderful couple who live in Hong Kong. Danielle was so kind to write to us about some fun things to do in Kong Hong. We took many of her suggestions and they were great. Here are some of her additional comments:

- Best view of Hong Kong on a clear night is the top of the ICC building (see photo of building) at Ritz Carlton’s Ozone bar on the 118th floor. 

- Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddhaon Lantau Island) & Po Lin Monastery. I usually take the MTR metro to the cable car. Buy tickets online the day before and have your hotel print out the tickets. This will save you tons of time completely skipping the line.  

- Jade Market on Kowloon side. Don’t pay more than $75US for a carved jade bracelet. There are some beauties and they go for far more other places. They tried to charge my mom $2000 but I got them down to $75. Mine was $60 from my fav guy and I trust what he tells me.

- Other funny stuff – Near Times Square (yup, it’s really called that) bring a picture or write down the name of someone or something who is really wreaking havoc on your life. The folks there will beat it out and put curse on them. You’ll find them under the overpass adjacent to Tiffany’s. I haven’t messed with karma on this one. 

Travel tip: Octopus card!– Be sure to pick one up at the airport. You can use it on the MTR metro, buses, trams, Star Ferry, etc. It is great because you don’t have to worry about purchasing tickets and it figures out how much to charge depending on your trip. You can also charge the airport bus on it. Any left over balance and the deposit is refunded to you at the airport when you leave.

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