Hong Kong: Itinerary Suggestions

June 2020

I  once met someone who said he was from a small fishing village in Hong Kong. It was hard for me to fathom that such a thing existed in the ultimate urban center, jam packed with skyscrapers, that is called Hong Kong. Hong Kong is actually comprised of the Kowloon peninsula, Hong Kong Island, New Territories, and over 260 islands (these are technically part of New Territories). Well over half of the 7.5 million total population live in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, and that’s where most tourists visit. Apparently, there still are fishing villages in some of the Outlying Islands.

So how many days should one plan to spend in Hong Kong? It depends on what you want. You can see the highlights of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island in a day, or you can spend days exploring all the alleyways and backstreets lined with interesting shops and cafes and restaurants and trying out all the locals’ favorite meals and snacks – then hike all the trails around town to shed off the calories. You can visit an outlying island or two or New Territories, or Macau, or even Shenzhen, a super modern Chinese metropolis of 12 million people right on the other side of the border.

Isn’t Hong Kong part of China now? Yes, it is, but, it has its own governing and economic systems as a Special Administrative Region & there exists a border.  As a former British colony, English is an official language along with Chinese. However, there are people who do not speak much English in Hong Kong, and this can be true at some local restaurants as well.

Doing it in one day:

Doesn’t matter in which order, but I suggest your day should include the Star Ferry, Victoria Peak, streets of Hollywood/Cat/SOHO, the lobby bar at the Intercontinental Hotel, Nathan Road, Symphony of Lights, Temple Street Market, and a dim sum meal.

This is how I would take a friend around:

If we are staying in Kowloon side, we will go to the Star Ferry terminal and get on the next ferry going to “Central.” Arriving on the other side and stepping outside of the ferry terminal, we will catch #15 bus to the “Peak.” If we are staying in Hong Kong Island, we will catch the bus at a stop nearby.

Victoria Peak: the highest hill on HK Island at 552 meters/1,811 feet. There’s the Sky Terrace with an admission fee, but most people say this is not necessary. We have never done it.

Take the Peak Tram down. If my friend likes animals and flowers, we will make a quick stop at Hong Kong Zoological & Botanical Garden (free) next door. On the way down, we can step into St. John’s Cathedral, the oldest Anglican church in the Far East, if so inclined.

Now we have to decide how hungry we are. We can walk down to the City Hall (Maxim’s Palace) or IFC Shopping Mall (Tim Ho Wan, the cheapest Michelin star restaurant in the world – often with a long line) to have a dim sum lunch. If my friend wants a fancy dim sum, we will get a cab and go to Fook Lam Moon in Wan Chai. Or we will go to the next destination, Central-Mid-Levels Escalators, and eat at one of the little noodle shops around there. (Get off after the first section at Wellington Street & go to Mak’s Noodle Shop, supposedly one of the best won ton noodle shop in HK.)

Now we will pretty much just wander around the area on Hollywood/Cat Streets and SOHO (South of Hollywood) area. We can stop for drinks at a cafe or a bar if we need a break. This article has pretty comprehensive directions about using the Mid-Level-Escalators and navigating the area.

Now we really need a nice break. Hop on the Star Ferry heading out to Tsim Sha Tsui/Kowloon, turn right when we get off, and walk over to the Regent Hotel. Their lobby bar serves top notch cocktails (they charge you for that!) and the Victoria Harbor on the plate. First time we were there many years ago, we liked the view and the cocktail so much that we each had a second drink even though their drinks cost more than the nice dinners we were having in HK.

All refreshed, walk slowly up Nathan Road on the right-hand side of the road and take in the bullseye view of this humongous urban center. Stop in Chungking Mansions to witness what the word “multi-culture” was invented for. Turn back at Austin Road and walk back toward the waterfront through Kowloon Park where the city suddenly looks not as hectic.

Here we will make some decisions: have a quick meal (at Mak’s Noodle in Ocean Terminal or similar) now and eat more later at the night market or have a nice dinner now. A full dinner can be at a busy local restaurant (Spring Deer Restaurant for Peking duck) or a fancy place with a view (Hutong). In any case, we will have to head out to the waterfront by 8 PM to see the Symphony of Lights, the world’s largest permanent light and sound show (if we miss it tonight, we can come back tomorrow – it’s on every night).

Then take #2 bus from Star Ferry Terminal & get to Temple Street Night Market. If we still have energy after browsing this area, we will hop on another #2 bus and go to Mong Kok Ladies Market, which is open till 11 PM.

Second Day: If there is one, we will go to Lamma Island. Go to the pier #4 in Central (same general area where Star Ferry was yesterday) and get on the next (runs every 30 minutes, under US$ 3) ferry to Yung Shue Wan.

Walk onto their Main Street, stroll around. Stop to refuel if thirsty or hungry because you may need it (a couple of possible places are marked on the map above). 6,000 of 7,000 total population of this island live in Yung Shue Wan. Notice no cars? That’s right. Only way to travel on this island is to walk or bike. What difference a 30 minute ferry ride makes!

Our lunch will be at the other major town on the island, Sok Kwu Wan (population: 500), and we will have to walk there. It will be a 90 minute hike (we will do the other way around from this linked article). A hike? Right. It will not be a flat walk. You will enjoy the view, and it will be a relatively easy hike.

Sok Kwu Wan is a fishing port, and this means great seafood. Tai Yuen or Rainbow Seafood? You will have to decide.

From the ferry port here, we will go to Aberdeen Port on southern Hong Kong Island. You will have to watch the time because the ferries don’t run as often in this route. In fact, it will make sense to plan the whole day keeping this ferry schedule in mind.

In Aberdeen, you will see the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, and you can eat there if you want to. Otherwise we will take any bus that goes to Stanley Market.

Walk around Stanley area. There are beaches, shopping, restaurants etc. Dinner?  Lots of restaurants to choose from. You can eat in the market area or at a nicer place such as Henry’s, Boathouse, or Ocean Rock Seafood & Tapas.

Next we will get on #260 bus, get off at Statue Square & go to Lan Kwai Fong district to witness the night life of HK. Wander as much or little as your heart’s content.

Third day on, these would be my choices:

• Macau: Another of Special Administrative Region of China, Macau deserves to be visited: this not-too-huge town of 630,000 people has two UNESCO World Heritage sites (1) (2). Fairly easy to get there either by the bus or ferries, you can make a nice day trip out of it for under $70 per person including all the transportation and a lunch. Bring your passport & avoid holidays – we ended up on a Chinese holiday, and it was so crowded we could barely walk!  These are pretty comprehensive write-ups: how to get there, what to see

• New Territories: We have not tried this, but we’d like to do it next time.                      (1) Kowloon bus #53 from Tsuen Wan to Yuen Long (83 minutes) – a quotation from an article in South China Morning Post (SCMP):

The number 53 takes a long and winding route between Tsuen Wan and Yuen Long, avoids the highway and stops at every stop along Castle Peak Road.

The route is long, but worth the ride – there are some great views and scenery to ‘gram along the way. Make sure to get the bus from Tsuen Wan, as you’ll get a sweeping view of the Tsing Ma Bridge and Ting Kau Bridge. If you’re lucky enough to ride the bus on a day without smog, you might even be able to see Lantau Island, and the planes landing at and taking off from the airport

(2) visit Yuen Long town, have lunch

(3) go to HK Wetland Park (transportation link)

(4) visit other attractions in the area as we see fit especially the Maipo Nature Reserve (click “sightseeing” list to see all the options; Maipo is under “The Maipo”) if possible (need to sign up for a tour). 

(5) Head back on metro, which would be faster (30 minutes) than the bus              

(6) if feasible, we will try to fit in Chi Lin Nunnery and Kowloon Walled City Park (a 3 minute cab ride from the nunnery).

• HK Tramway self guided tour of HK Island: This is another one that we have not tried even though we’ve used the trams at times. In operation since 1904, the Tramway runs between the east and west along the north coast of Hong Kong Island on a total of 30 km (19 mi) of track. Its website has an extensive information about what to see along the tram stops, and we’d try to follow the suggestions and see as much as we want of the city. Each ride costs only HK$ 2.6 (30 cents in USD), thus, we will carry lots of coins for the rides and get on and off as needed. We will try to include Hong Kong Park along the way. And, if we still have energy after this tour, we will go to West Kowloon Cultural District Art Park to see what’s going on there.  More restaurant ideas.

• You can always go to mainland China. Shenzhen is just a metro ride away. Guangzhou is only 50 minute away on high speed rail. I’d go to Guangzhou for shopping and food, and Shenzhen for food. (We’ve had the best Peking duck in Shenzhen, not in Beijing. The fact is, high-end restaurants in Beijing or Shanghai are no longer bargains, but that still can be so in Shenzhen and Guangzhou.) We’ve done a trip to Yangshuo and Guilin from Hong Kong via Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Getting in: Hong Kong International Airport is on Lantau Island, and the best way to get into town is the Airport Express train (20-24 minutes to downtown). Buying round trip doesn’t save much, but their “group travel” rate applies to 2 to 4 people traveling together and it saves quite a bit. (example: one way adult ticket to HK Island would be HK$ 115, but as a couple you would pay only HK$ 85 per person.) Another nice service they offer is free shuttle bus to major spots in Kowloon and HK Island.

Taxi would cost about HK$ 250 – 300. Without much luggage, buses would be the cheapest way to get to downtown in 30 to 45 minutes at HK$ 40.

Getting around: Walk. Tram. Walk. Ferry. Walk. Bus. Walk. MTR. Hong Kong public transportation system is excellent and cheap (mostly under 50 cents in US$ per ride). We tend to prefer above the ground transportation so that we can see more of the city, but MTR is the fastest was to move around. HK’s integrated transportation payment system, Octopus Card, is convenient & a must have if staying for more than 3 days. But for 1-3 days, carrying enough cash (exact change required or no change given) will work well if you want to avoid dealing with getting the deposit/balance refunded at the end of your trip.

Cabs are not too expensive. Uber is available but not cheaper than taxi.

Stay: Any where close enough to public transportation will be good, and this means pretty much any where in Kowloon or northern HK Island. There are lots of hotel and Airbnb options. Don’t be surprised if your room feels tight, though. HK downtown is one of the most densely populated places on the planet, if not THE most. We tend to stay in Tsim Sha Tsui because it’s convenient to the kinds of things we want to do, and the HK Island is only a lovely ferry ride away. But things may feel cleaner on the HK Island side if that’s important.