Asia's world city- Hong Kong
Hong Kong is correctly known as the Asia's world city. I have traveled to few countries and for various reasons Hong Kong has been one of my top few favorites. I love its fast pace, vibrancy, seasons, night life, food, its markets and of course its cosmopolitanism. You can find people with various ethnic background ,all living in harmony and peace.
The spoken language is Cantonese but most of the people understand and speak good English.
I personally believe,if you are good at explaining what you want using good gestures then you can very well get your point across.
I remember an incident which I would like to quote here in this context.
Once I was ordering tomato noodle soup and I needed extra tomato soup.
I mentioned to the hawker "I want more soup" , he gave me puzzled expressions and spoke something back to me in Cantonese. I then said, "I want extra soup" hoping "extra" might just work but it did not.
Gave it yet an another try.I pretended having a serving spoon in my hand and gestured as if I was pouring the soup in the bowl and started counting 1, 2 and 3 giving more stress on number '3'. To this he said "Aaaaaa.., you like tomato soup, OK no problem. Understand" :) I felt accomplished and the "extra" soup satisfied me "more" ;)
Moving on, Hong Kong is made up mainly of the New Territories, Kowloon, and Hong Kong Island.
As you can see in the map, the New Territories covers most of the area, adjoining Shenzhen on the north.
The well-known locations, such as Central, Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei, mainly distributed by the Victoria Harbor.
The Lantau Island is the biggest outlying island of Hong Kong, where the Hong Kong International Airport is located.
Hong Kong apart from being the concrete "Jungle", also harbors beautiful beaches, bays, fishing villages, mountain hills, hiking tracks and much more.
There are several touristy things to do in Hong Kong.I bet everyone who visits the country will enjoy and treasure the experience.
Things to do in Hong Kong
To help you plan a "free and easy" trip to Hong Kong,I am laying out several details covering accommodation,eateries,transport,places to explore and the approximate cost.
Accommodation - Staying in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is known for its very small sized apartments and hotel rooms. We do call it as living in a "Match Box" but if you can shell out more $$$ you will definitely be able to find fair sized accommodation.
My recommendation for people travelling to Hong Kong is to visit www.agoda.com for booking hotels, service apartments, hostels etc. You might get good hotel deals and it is easier to make a choice based on price, stars, public's review and agoda recommendations.Find the best that suits your budget and preferences.
Transportation - Moving around.
Hong Kong has a sound public transport system ranging from MTR (Mass Transit Railways), public buses, tram and cabs.
It is a good idea to get an Octopus card whilst your stay in Hong Kong. You can pretty much use the card in buses, trams, trains as well buying stuff from shops and markets by just placing it near the octopus card scanner.
You can buy tourist octopus card at MTR information centers,7-11 and CTS (HK) for about 39 HKD and top it up with $$ or can buy a loan card.
Refer http://www.octopus.com.hk/get-your-octopus/choose-your-octopus/limited-edition-octopus/tourist/en/index.html for more details.
MTRs are the fastest commute with frequency of only few minutes.It might get crowded over weekends or during peak hours,so just be mindful of that.
Keep the Hong Kong subway map handy.You can always find the printed map at the MTR information centers.
Taxis in Hong Kong varies based on the operating location. Urban Red taxis are available throughout Hong Kong including airport and Disney land. The Green taxis operates in new territories and the blue taxis in areas of Lantau Island.
Most drivers are able to understand little English but my advice is to always carry a print out of the maps in Chinese\English or show them the Google maps on androids or iPhone specially when the destinations are not well known to avoid any confusions.
As a tourist, we always are on a budget constraint and do not want to feel ripped off or do not want to keep guessing if we have been charged fairly or not.
Taxi auto fare is a good fare calculator to check the approximate cost and KMs from a source to a destination.
Link to the fare calculator : http://www.taxiautofare.com/hk/156/Hong-Kong-Taxi-fare-calculator/loid.
There are several buses that runs across Hong Kong.The below Wikipedia page covers all routes giving details of bus numbers and its path.
Hong Kong also have ferries as the mode of transport that run across harbors. Details in the link below.
Hope this helps in getting the transport sorted. Go Go Go !!!
Explore Hong Kong
After catching up the much needed rest,its time to get dressed,put your shoes on,pick up the cameras and explore the amazing Hong Kong.
I am creating an itinerary that covers most of the tourist places in Hong Kong. Feel free to juggle the places between days as per your convenience and the length of your stay in Hong Kong.
DAY 1 : This is the day of getting out the explorer in you.
In here, I am trying to cater tourists who arrive in Hong Kong either previous night ( T-1) or just today (T) in the early\late morning.
You should take it easy today as you will be spending some time to understand the logistics as well getting hang of your surroundings.
The day starts with the exploration of the City.The following are the places to cover today.
The Peak : Visit to Hong Kong is not complete if you do not take a tram to the peak. It is the highest point in Hong Kong from where you can see the concrete Jungle and admire the amazing view of the skyline.
Though you can take the bus or a taxi but its more fun and touristy to take the tram to the peak.
Peak tram operating hours are 7 am to 12 pm midnight all days with a frequency of about 20 minutes and the tickets prices are as per the table below.
Recommendation is that you travel there in mid afternoon to enjoy the best of both views the day as well as the night.
There are lot of eateries and shops at the Peak to satisfy your stomach monsters.
If you end up in Hong Kong in a foggy weather, it will be difficult to see any skyline view but you can still enjoy the tram ride,Madam Tussaud and restaurants at the peak.
There are few cameramen around the walk way who provide their service of clicking and printing your photo as a souvenir for few bucks $$$.
DAY 1 : This is the day of getting out the explorer in you.
In here, I am trying to cater tourists who arrive in Hong Kong either previous night ( T-1) or just today (T) in the early\late morning.
You should take it easy today as you will be spending some time to understand the logistics as well getting hang of your surroundings.
The day starts with the exploration of the City.The following are the places to cover today.
The Peak : Visit to Hong Kong is not complete if you do not take a tram to the peak. It is the highest point in Hong Kong from where you can see the concrete Jungle and admire the amazing view of the skyline.
Though you can take the bus or a taxi but its more fun and touristy to take the tram to the peak.
Peak tram operating hours are 7 am to 12 pm midnight all days with a frequency of about 20 minutes and the tickets prices are as per the table below.
| Peak Tram tickets | ||
| Return | Single | |
| Adult | HKD 40 | HKD 28 |
| Child (aged 3-11) Senior (aged 65 or above) | HKD 18 | HKD 11 |
Recommendation is that you travel there in mid afternoon to enjoy the best of both views the day as well as the night.
There are lot of eateries and shops at the Peak to satisfy your stomach monsters.
If you end up in Hong Kong in a foggy weather, it will be difficult to see any skyline view but you can still enjoy the tram ride,Madam Tussaud and restaurants at the peak.
There are few cameramen around the walk way who provide their service of clicking and printing your photo as a souvenir for few bucks $$$.
Sky terrace 428 is the highest 360 degree view terrace in town. It offers stunning panoramic views at any time during the day or the night.You will have to buy a single ticket to Sky Terrace or a combo package with the peak tram.
Madam Tussaud
For the wax statue lovers and those who have not been to any other Tussaud, the Peak also offers you a "Click with the celebrity (of course wax celebrity) experience.
The museum is opened from 9 am to 10 pm all days and you can buy tickets either online or as a combo package with tram.
Refer http://www.madametussauds.com/HongKong/en/BuyTickets/Default.aspx for further information and online booking.
You can easily spend around 5 hours of your day at the Peak right from taking the tram to covering the Tussaud and the scream.
Total Cost on an average should be 270 HKD to enjoy everything that peak offers.
Mid Levels,SOHO and LKF.
Now that you are back in Central at the tram station after exploring the highest point in Hong Kong, you should not miss out on the very famous "Mid Levels escalator" and a trip to Soho followed by enjoying the night life in Hong Kong at the famous Lan Kwai Fong (populartly known as LKF ).
Mid levels escalator is the world's longest outdoor covered escalator system and starts from 100,Queens Road Central.
From 6 am to 10 am the escalator direction is downhill to allow people to come to work from mid levels in the mornings and it switches to uphill from 10 am to midnight daily.
On your way up you would see lots of small street food shops, spas , restaurants etc.
If you keep going uphill via escalators , you will reach south of Hollywood road popularly known as "SOHO".
SOHO is famous for restaurants,cafes,bars.
You will find all types of cuisines from Italian,Nepalese,Mediterranean,Thai,Spanish etc.
There are various boutiques too in case you wish to shop around.
If you get down at Wyndham street from the escalators there are many Indian\Italian\Thai restaurants.If you fancy Indian food,my favorite till date is "Bombay Dreams lunch buffet" Its a bit expensive but worth it.Also, pizzas at Paisanos located at the corner of the street are delicious and satisfying.
If you keep walking ahead on the Wyndham street you will hit Lan Kwai Fong,you would know when you start seeing all the pubs and clubs.
In the night all the pubs\bars are super crowded and you can enjoy drinking and dancing with the amazing crown around. LKF goes crazier in the midnight when all the people are on the streets having fun with friends and family.The atmosphere is worth enjoying.
If you are into live bands my recommendation is "Insomnia". Note, at most of these places you need to buy entry drinks per person.
People who land in Hong Kong in the afternoon can start there exploration from mid levels and end it in LKF.
Hope you have an eventful first day before heading back to your hotel.
DAY 2 : This is the day to bring out the inner kid in yourself and have the most amazing day with Disney characters and few thrilling rides.
You can spend the whole day at Disney land.
All the information about tickets and reservations, maps, daily calendar for events like stage shows,parade etc. can be found in the official link below.
Do not miss the Fantasy parade and the fireworks, they are worth it.
Now, if you have been to any other Disney earlier and you want to give it a miss or you are not accompanied by kids who are crazy about Disney,I would highly recommend to visit "Ocean Park" instead.
If you are in Hong Kong for a bit longer then you may cover both the destinations over a period of TWO days.
Ocean Park has lot of crazy rides to pump up your adrenaline.
Official website is http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/html/en/home/ and you can get all details of how to get tickets, shows, events, rides etc. in here.
Ocean Park is full of attractions from cable car,polar adventure,marine world, dinning and shopping.
.jpg)
Ocean Park ticket price is around 320 HKD for an adult and 160 HKD for a child within 3-11 years range whereas Disney Land ticket price is 499 HKD for an adult and 355 HKD for a child within 3-11 years range.
Its important that you take note of all the show timings you want to experience to avoid any disappointment of missing the show.
Hope you have a wonderful fun filled day.
DAY 3 : This day is to bring out the spiritual side in yourself with a bit of adventure.
Its the day to travel to Lantau island to witness amazing Tian Tan Buddha statue commonly known as "Big Buddha".
Opposite to the statue is the Po Lin monastery hosting the pleasant garden and you can also buy vegetarian lunch at their famous vegetarian restaurant.
Po Lin Monastery is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm and the entry is free.
The Vegetarian restaurant is open from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm daily.
Opposite to the statue is the Po Lin monastery hosting the pleasant garden and you can also buy vegetarian lunch at their famous vegetarian restaurant.
Po Lin Monastery is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm and the entry is free.
The Vegetarian restaurant is open from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm daily.
Please find the visitor information on how to get there at http://www.np360.com.hk/en/visitors-information/np360-transport-info.html
So how do you add the adventure to your day? I highly recommend to take 360 Sky-Land-Sea day pass for an amazing Lantau experience.
The below link detail out all the ticketing options and its prices.
Choose the one that suits you the best but my recommendation is to take Sky-Land-Sea adventure anytime :) it includes a tour bus , a Tai O fishing village boat excursion and round trip cable car.
Get all your details in here http://www.np360.com.hk/en/
Please note Ngong Ping to Tai O bus operating hours are 7:30 - 17:15 (Mon-Sat) and 7:30-18:30(Sunday) and Tai O to Ngong Ping is 7:45-16:45 ( Mon-Sun).
I would recommend to take Bus 21 from Ngong Ping bus station to Tai O village as the first leg. Once you complete your excursion of stilt houses and boat ride in Tai O then take the cable car to Big Buddha and spend as much time at big Buddha keeping in mind the operating hours of cable car (its around 9 am to 6 pm)
.jpg) |
| 268 steps to the amazing Statue Of Big Buddha. |
 |
| Tai O Stilt houses tour. A new experience. |
 |
| Ngong Ping Cable Car |
Another tip to end this day is to explore Citygate outlets at Tung Chung station. It is a home to more that 80 international brands and discounts ranging from 30-70% all round the year makes it a most rewarding shopping place you can find under one roof.
DAY 4 : Wondering what this day unfolds for you. Its Shopping time!!!
Its not unknown that Hong Kong is a shoppers paradise and there are many malls and great places to shop around be it you are interested in real shopping or just window shopping. It is definitely a must thing to do.
In Hong Kong Island the place to go for shopping is causeway bay.There are various malls like Times Square,Fashion Walk,Hysan Place,SOGO to satify the shopaholic in you.
Causeway bay is definitely an overwhelming experience.It is full of crowd and here you can really feel the pulse of the city.
You can take the island line from Central MTR station to reach the causeway bay station.
Wan Chai is another popular destination in Hong Kong which is full of pubs and restaurants and known for its night life. You will also note few curtain bars in the district which had earned Wan Chai a seedier reputation.
Wan Chai harbors Wan Chai Computer center where you can get hold of cheaper electronics in comparison to Fortress or Broadway.
In Kowloon, Tim sha Tsui is the place to go crazy. Its like a world bazaar with awesome malls like Harbour City, 1881 Heritage, iSquare, The One etc to explore.
Note : Chung King mansions at Nathan Road is although considered as a notorious place but at the money exchanges inside you can get good currency exchange rates .On the ground floor,you can find lot of counters selling international calling cards too in case you need one.
Also,you will see few people around Chung King mansion and Mirador mall selling fake watches etc. Best is to ignore them.
Apart from shopping experience,there are lot of restaurants in Tsim sha Tsui to look out for.
My favorite Indian restaurant in the locality is Gay Lord. It has amazing ambiance and good food along with live music. Its pricey but again worth it.
If you want to try some south Indian food then Brantos,Woodlands and Sangeetha are most famous in the area.
There are many other cuisines to try out and you can pick up the restaurants as per your desire. Below site can help you to look for a place based on your taste and the budget.
After you have spent the day with some real shopping, some window shopping and exploring the amazing malls, I recommend to take a walk to the TST (Tsim sha Tsui) Promenade.
The Promenade has the cultural and space museum and also offers spectacular and breath taking night view of the amazing Hong Kong skyline.
Do notice the oldest luxury hotel "The Peninsula" on your way to the Promenade. It looks beautiful in the night time.
 |
| The Peninsula |
Avenue of Stars is the best attraction of this place. You will see celebrity hand prints in the walk way with there signature and also statue of Bruce Lee doing a Kung Fu move.Try and find out the hand prints of Jacky Chan,Bruce Lee etc.
There are lot of photo opportunities.
The award winning attraction and unique to Hong Kong is Sympony of lights show.It is the worlds largest permanent light and sound show ( laser show) and is a must watch if you have not seen anything like that before.
It starts at 8 pm daily and lasts for about 10-13 min so be there earlier.
You can walk along the promenade,explore the Avenue of Stars and then get ready for the laser show. It gets crowded so prefer coming a bit early and leaving a bit late :)
In the list of shopping stops I have to include Mong Kok Ladies market.
There are around 100 stalls of clothing,accessories,souvenirs in a stretch of ONE KM and if you are good at bargaining skills you can be the proud owner of good bags,watches,cosmetics etc. at the cheapest price. Please make sure you start with the lowest price (around 50% less than the quoted price.) and stop at the price you think is fair.
Be mindful of your wallets and purses, the area is quite crowded.
 |
| Mongkok Ladies market - Best place to shop souvenirs |
DAY 5 : Depending on the season you are visiting Hong Kong, You can surely hit the beach or go for water sports like wake boarding,kayaking etc.
Stanley main beach is the popular beach and it is easily accessible by bus from Hong Kong station. You can take 6,6 A,66 etc from Exit D of Hong Kong station and get down at Stanley market.
The water and the beach itself is fairly clean.
Stanley market is famous for various shops and stalls selling apparel,shoes,toys etc.It is open from 10 am to 6:30 pm.
There are lot of restaurants at the breezy seaside strip of waterfront promenade.
If you want to enjoy some water sport, just laze on the sandy beach or just shop around and dine,Stanley has surely lot to offer.
DAY 6 : The visit to Hong Kong is incomplete if you do not give a $$$ chance to your gambling skills.
Yes,you guessed it right,its time to head to Macau,the gambling capital closest to Hong Kong.
There are several transportation mode from HK to Macau including ferry,helicopter and airplane but the most preferred mode is to take the ferries.
You can select one of these providers based on the availability,TurboJet or CotaiJet. The ferry takes around an hour from HK ferry terminal to Macau or Taipa ferry terminal.
The HK-Macau Ferry terminal is located at Shun Tak Centre in Sheung Wan. You can either go to Cotai or Turbojet counter at level 3 to book your tickets based on the preferred departure time.
Please note, if it is your birthday month, you can get a discount at Cotai Jet by showing your passport.
For your visa requirements and entry to Macau please refer http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/macau.htm
Once you clear Macau immigration at the terminal you will find lot of tourist guides offering some packages for City Tour.If you can strike a deal it would be most optimal to explore what all Macau has to offer otherwise you can always hop on and hop off the free bus services which runs from the ferry terminal to various Casinos and back.
If you want to do it free and easy then my recommendation is to board on the free bus from Macau terminal to the Sands in Macau.(note there is another Sands in Taipa).
Just opposite to Sands there is Fisherman Wharf. It is a beautiful place overlooking friendship bridge (Macau-Taipa bridge) and gives you some good photo taking opportunities.
From the Fisherman's wharf take a taxi to Senado Square. This square harbors beautiful colorful buildings and churches and leads you all the way to the ruins of St. Paul which is the most popular landmark and sightseeing attraction.
 |
| Senado Square |
 |
| St Paul ruins |
Another top attraction of Macau is the Macau Tower.
It is famous of lot of adventurous activities like Bungy jump,sky walk,tower climb,sky jump which is facilitated by AJ hacket. AJ Hacket have multiple sites around the world and is very popular.
Prices for various sky activities are as mentioned in here https://www.macautower.com.mo/adventure/price-list
Also, refer https://www.macautower.com.mo/plan-your-visit to plan your adventure at Macau Tower.
The observation desk at the Tower offers 360 degrees panoramic views of Macau and its neighboring islands.
Prices for visiting the observation desks are as mentioned in here https://www.macautower.com.mo/observation-decks/opening-hours-and-price-list
Please note MOP is currency of Macau but you can use HKD pretty much everywhere in Macau.
If you are not into touring the city and want to head straight for gambling,I recommend The Venetian at Cotai strip. You can hop on the free bus at the ferry terminal to the Venetian.
It is the seventh largest building in the World by floor area and the World's largest Casino and hence it is a must see.
It is also a hotel resort and has various things to boast of.You can enjoy gondola ride,eat at several restaurants or at the Venetian food court and do duty free shopping at the various shops around while taking a break from Gambling.
 |
| The Venetian |
If you are a tourist who is not too much into gambling,I would suggest to do the City tour and then visit the Venetian for exploring the magnificent building and do try few hands on Sic Bo(dice game) Roulette or Black Jack just for fun.
Macau is full of Casinos.If you are going only to gamble you might want to do casino hopping :). Note that you need to show your ID as an age proof to enter these Casinos.
Macau also offers lots of unique shows like "The House of Dancing Waters". It is very spectacular and breath taking.
Find the information about the show here http://thehouseofdancingwater.com/en/
If you are buying the HK-Macau return tickets make sure to pick up the return time slot after giving a thought on how you want to spend your day at Macau.
You can stay overnight at Macau or come back to Hong Kong the same night, choice is totally yours.
Cost Estimates
Budget as you all know depends on personal choice and preferences but I would still like to give you a rough estimate on Costs per adult,if you follow the Itinerary listed above.
Accommodation : it is totally personal, but if preference is a 4**** hotel then you will find the hotels in the range of 1000-1200 HKD.
Day 1 : Avg. will be around 500 HKD per adult including peak tram\Tussaud\clubbing\dinning etc.
Day 2 : Avg. will be around 500-650 HKD depending upon your choice of Disney Land or Ocean Park,dining out,buying souvenirs etc.
Day 3 : Avg. will be around 400 HKD depending upon what choice of package you take to visit Big Buddha
Day 4 : It depends on how much you spend on shopping today but apart from that its just you food and commute cost. Please note budget travelers, eating at subway and Mac Donald is far more cheaper comparatively to dinning in restaurants.
Day 5 : Same as Day 4.
Day 6 : Totally depends on what you do in Macau. Gambling\Touring\Bungy etc.
This is just a tentative and a rough estimate.
This is just a tentative and a rough estimate.
Hope all the details provided here help you to plan your HK and Macau trip.Though there are many more things to do but I have highlighted "not to miss" ones in this blog.
Bon Voyage and Happy Stay !!
