This guide will be ideal for you if you only have a few days in Hong Kong!
Find out everything you need to know about Hong Kong!
Getting around Hong Kong
What to see and do in Hong Kong
Tips and recommendations
Video
Getting around Hong Kong
Hong Kong consists of 3 main parts: Hong Kong, Lantau Island (where the airport is) and Hong Kong Island. The best way to travel throughout the whole of Hong Kong is by the Subway (Metro), as it is the cheapest transportation and the only way to avoid queues because as you can see in my video, you will queue everywhere!
Google Maps
First Steps
Get your Octopus card! You can get it at the tourist desks at the airport. With this card, you will be able to travel easily with everything, everywhere!
Wherever you decide to go, once you land you have three options:
Use the ‘Airport Express’ which takes you to all the main locations, it will cost you more but it is very fast and direct.
Take bus number ‘S1’ to nearby city Tung Chung, which will take you approx. 5min. Get out on the last stop and from there with the Subway, you can get almost everywhere cheap and fast. The S1 bus was merely cents so a cheap option.
Take a normal bus to the main Hong Kong locations, which is a cheap option but can take you up to 3h, depending on your final destination. It is actually not that bad of an option as you will see a lot on your way, and again this is a cheap option.
What to see and do in Hong Kong
Tian Tan Buddha
There is only one airport in Hong Kong so everyone starts their journey on Lantau Island. Lantau Island is famous because of the Tian Tan Buddha, which is one of the biggest Buddha in the world, it symbolizes the harmonious relationship between people and faith. It stands at 34m high, it’s made of bronze and is one of Hong Kong’s most popular sights. You can get there by first taking the S1 bus to Tung Chung and from there take a cable car which is an amazing experience because the bottom is see-through! Unfortunately, during my visit, the cable car was under maintenance and I had to pass on this experience. Make sure when you’re planning to visit, double-check if the cable car works. If you are not a fan of see-through bottoms or it’s closed you can take a bus number 23 up there or a taxi.
In general, wherever you go - bus stations, subway, taxi stations - everything was always close to each other, so don’t worry about finding a bus or taxi in case of plan changes.
While on Lantau Island you can try to visit ‘Tai O’ city, which is a very popular fishing town, where you can try local food and really feel the history. I, unfortunately, didn’t have enough time to visit it but it is highly recommended by my other travel blogger friends.
Hong Kong Island
Next stop … Hong Kong Island! The main attraction on Hong Kong Island is Victoria Peak and for a reason, the views from the top are incredible!! It is the highest hill on Hong Kong Island with many walking tracks so you can really find spectacular views of Hong Kong from different perspectives. The fastest way to get to Hong Kong Island (you will need the main stop called Hong Kong Central) is by subway. So if you are following my trip plan then from big Buddha you get the taxi or bus back to where you started at Tung Chung and from there take a subway to Hong Kong Central. Once you are in Hong Kong Central (Hong Kong Island) you go to the Central Bus Terminal, again don’t worry everything is very easy to find, just follow the directions, and find bus number 15, which will take you up to the top! It cost cents, so again a cheap option, but there is always a taxi and the local taxis in Hong Kong are quite cheap. We took the taxi down as we were running out of time, but a really cool way to get down is by ‘The Peak Tram’, for all the info you need regarding travelling by it you can find here: https://www.thepeak.com.hk/en , this link offers other good information about activities up the top too.
Hong Kong Mainland
Let’s move to the mainland! You can take a subway but I definitely suggest that you take a Ferry from Hong Kong Island to Hong Kong. There is the main company ‘Star Ferry’ that operates as public transport, it goes very often and is cheap, for more about fares and times take a look here: http://www.starferry.com.hk/en/Fares Again, the harbour is not far from the subway and bus terminal, it is all within walking distance. The Ferry will take you to Tsim Sha Tsui, which is the busy city centre of Hong Kong with a massive modern harbour from which you can watch the famous light show that happens every day at 8 pm. For more details about the light show: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/seasia/see-do/highlight-attractions/harbour-view/a-symphony-of-lights.jsp
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui, in my opinion, has two faces! One is the posh harbour-side with the main street full of high-class brand shops and hotels and then by walking a little bit more toward the North you find this busy crazy night market full of street food and buzz. It is in the area of ‘Temple Street’, which is a great example of a busy Chinese market atmosphere. I really can’t describe the feel of this place, so check out the video below!
If you are travelling with kids a great stop is Hong Kong Disneyland! I didn’t have time to go there, but all the necessary info you can find here: https://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/?located=true
A great thing I discovered but had no time to try myself is the ‘Hong Kong hop-on, hop-off’ bus! This is something when I was preparing for this trip, I didn’t find on any other travel blogs or videos, but if I had known I would definitely have got a ticket, because after checking their route I realized how good this tour is, not only for viewing the city but as transportation too, it literally takes you everywhere you should go to get to places. So I haven’t tested it myself but I highly recommend that you look into it when travelling to Hong Kong. More info about the routes, schedule, etc. find here:
Tips and recommendations
1. Prepare cash money! First of all, the Octopus card you can only charge with cash money, and many places outside the centre only accept cash
2. Prepare to queue a lot! At bus stops, shops, street food stands … everywhere!
3. Make sure you have the correct adapter, for your gadget charging. In Hong Kong they use UK one:
4. Hong Kong is quite expensive so plan out your trip smart and be prepared to spend
5. Travel around by subway, take the bus only to places you can’t reach by subway
I tried to include all the necessary info in this blog, but there are things you would better understand by watching this video:
More articles about South East Asia countries:
Sagada & Banaue Rice Terraces: https://www.alikitravelblog.com/post/sagada-banaue-rice-terraces