Top Ten Things To Do In Hong Kong

Top Ten Things To Do In Hong Kong

While Hong Kong is bristling with skyscrapers and bursting with investment bankers, it is much more than a business hub. From the magnificent view of Victoria harbor by night to the packed markets and alleyways of Kowloon. Shifty street-side astrologers vie with gleaming multi-storey malls, and busy beaches compete with cut-price electronic stores in town and at the glitzy Hong Kong Airport. Fairy-tale turrets and green hiking trails beckon you out of town, while steaming dim sum carts and harbor-view sundowners tug you back.
Whatever you need, Hong Kong has the goods. Here are the top ten things to do while you’re here.

Best of Hong Kong – An Interactive Map

Stunning View of Hong Kong Skyline from Victoria Peak

• Catch a tram to the top of Victoria Peak (HK Island)

If a single image could encapsulate Hong Kong, it would be the panorama from Victoria Peak. Victoria Peak’s Chinese name(太平山), Tai Ping Shan, means Mountain of Great Peace, and it certainly seems to inspire momentary hushed awe in visitors at the viewing point, Named after the British monarch Queen Victoria, this hilly landmark is visited by every tourist to Hong Kong. Looking down at the city from this famous vantage point, you’ll see one of the finest harbors on Earth and a skyline so improbable, audacious and lofty that Manhattan’s looks provincial by comparison. Beyond the mountains to the north of the city, the rest of China simmers and strains. Everything you’ve heard about Hong Kong’s restlessness and energy is dramatically reaffirmed by the view from the Peak. Even the most cynical locals never tire of visiting. It reminds us why we live here.
You can reach the peak via the Peak Tram, the 120-year-old funicular railway that departs from its terminus on Garden Road (nearest MTR: Central). Plan to arrive a half-hour before sundown and watch as the city lights come on in their varicolored brilliance. You can travel up the peak by bus too, but the funicular is more exciting. Your journey aboard the tram will take eight minutes and upon reaching the summit you will see a seven storied building in the shape of a ship. On Level 4 there’s an outpost of Madame Tussauds, with eerie (and often creepy) wax likenesses of international stars, as well as local celebrities such as Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Michelle Yeoh and Kelly Chen. Also on the Peak are shops, restaurants, and  multimillion-dollar mansions, glimpses of which can be had on a circular 1-hour walk around the Peak. Check the weather, however, before making the trek – hazy skies can render views disappointing, if nonexistent.
The Peak Tower, 126 Peak Road, Hong Kong, China
Website: thepeak.com.hk
Entrance Fee: HKD 45 (one-way ticket for the Peak Tram); HKD 56 (round ticket for the Peak Tram)
Opening Hours: 07:00-24:00
How to get there:
Take a bus from the following places to the garden:
1. From Central: Buses No.3B, 12, 13
2. From Admiralty: Buses No.12A, 12M, 40M, 40P, 40
3. From Causeway Bay: Buses No.23A 23B
4. From North Point: Bus No.23
5. From Lok Fu: Bus No.103

Hong Kong Disneyland

• Visit Hong Kong Disneyland (Lantau Island)

Opened in 2005 on Lantau Island (Chinese: 大屿山), just a 10-minute ride from the airport, this Disney venture (Chinese:香港迪士尼乐园)was Asia’s second (the first was Tokyo Disneyland; the third will be in Shanghai). Re-creating many of the exact features of the original Disneyland in California but on a much smaller scale, the 22.4 hectare (55-acre) theme park contains the usual four Disney themed lands — namely, Main Street U.S.A., Fantasyland, Adventureland, and Tomorrowland — along with such classic rides and attractions as Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Tarzan’s Treehouse, and the Jungle River Cruise, as well as high-caliber performances and shows, parades, and an evening fireworks extravaganza. Unique to the park is the world’s only Fantasy Gardens, where Disney characters hang out to meet their fans. An expansion of the park, scheduled for completion in 2014, will add 30 more shows and attractions and enlarge the park by almost 25%. You can purchase tickets at the gate, in advance online, at Circle K convenience stores in Hong Kong, Peak Tower on Victoria Peak, and at the Hong Kong Disneyland Ticket Express counter at Hong Kong Station (Tung Chung Concourse) in Central.
Hours vary; in summer, usually 10:30am-8pm daily
Location: Lantau Island
Transportation: MTR: From the Tung Chung Line, transfer at Sunny Bay for the Disneyland Resort Line
Phone: 52/1 830 830
Web site: www.hongkongdisneyland.com
Prices: Admission HK$350 adults, HK$170 seniors, HK$250 children

Hong Kong Ocean Park

• Trip to Ocean Park and Waterworld (Hong Kong Island)

Situated along a dramatic rocky coastline on the island’s southern shore, the park is divided into two areas: a “lowland” and a “headland,” connected by cable car (and, in 2012 — after a massive redevelopment that will double the number of its attractions — an underground funicular). Because of the wide range of attractions, Ocean Park is interesting for children and adults alike. Facilities are first class, and Ocean Park (Chinese: 香港海洋公园) is Asia’s first accredited member of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

The lowland is subdivided into several areas and attractions. The most popular residents of Ocean Park are An An and Jia Jia, a pair of pandas presented as gifts from China. Kids’ World has kiddie rides, playgrounds, remote-control cars and boats, shows geared toward children, and shooting-games arcade. Swimming with the dolphins is available at Dolphin University (applications must be made at least 5 days in advance).

From the lowland, visitors board cable cars for a spectacular 8-minute ride over a hill to the headland, while being treated to great views of the coastline and the South China Sea along the way. The headland area, situated on a peninsula that juts into the sea, is also subdivided into several areas and attractions. The marine life section includes an artificial wave cove that is home to sea lions; an aquarium housing more than 1,000 jellyfish and complete with theatrical lighting, multimedia sound, and visual special effects; and a tank with more than 200 sharks and rays representing more than 30 species, viewed from an underwater tunnel. Ocean Theatre features shows by talented dolphins, sea lions, and a killer whale. But my favorite is the Atoll Reef, one of the world’s largest aquariums, with 2,600 fish of 200 different species. The observation passageway circles the aquarium on four levels, enabling you to view the sea life — everything from giant octopi to schools of tropical fish — from various depths and from different angles. Thrill rides include a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster that turns upside down three times, a rather wet ride on a “raging river,” and a ride in a giant helium balloon that goes 100m (328 ft.) in the air. Other exhibits include a Japanese Garden; a 69m-high (226-ft.) Ocean Park Tower offering revolving, panoramic views of Aberdeen and outlying islands; and an aviary with 750 birds.

Hours: Daily 10am-6pm
Location: Aberdeen, Hong Kong Island,
Transportatio: Bus: Ocean Park Citybus 629 from the Central Ferry Pier no. 7 or Admiralty MTR station every 10 to 20 min.; you can buy round-trip tickets that include park admission. Or take 70 from Exchange Square in Central, 72 from Causeway Bay, or 973 from Tsim Sha Tsui (get off at the 1st stop after the tunnel and then walk 20 min.)
Phone: 852/2552 0291
Web site: www.oceanpark.com.hk 
Prices: Admission HK$250 adults, HK$125 children

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

•  Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre

Land is so scarce that developers usually only build skyward, but the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC, Chinese: 香港会议展览中心) is an exception. It sits on a spit of reclaimed land jutting into the harbor. Its curved-glass walls and swooping roof make it look like a tortoise lumbering into the sea or a gull taking flight, depending on whom you ask. Of all the international trade fairs, regional conferences, and other events held here, by far the most famous was the 1997 Handover ceremony. An obelisk commemorates it on the waterfront promenade, which also affords great views of Kowloon.
Outside the center stands the Golden Bauhinia. This gleaming sculpture of the Bauhinia flower, Hong Kong’s symbol, was a gift from China celebrating the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR in 1997. The police hoist the SAR flag daily at 7:50 am.
Address: 1 Expo Dr., Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Phone: 2582-8888
Website: www.hkcec.com.hk
Metro Wan Chai, Exit A.
Location: Wan Chai

Repulse Bay

• Repulse Bay (Hong Kong Island)

Repulse Bay (Chinese: 浅水湾) is an area in the southern part of Hong Kong Island, located in the Southern District, Hong Kong. Among all the Hong Kong beaches, Repulse Bay is most famous. The Repulse Bay” is a residential apartment nowadays, and it was built on a former hotel site. “The Repulse Bay Centre” in front of it is a very elegant, beautiful European building built during the colonial era. Expected to be completed this year, 129 Repulse Bay looks like an opening white lily. According to some news articles, 129 Repulse Bay was originally built as residential apartment.
Entrance Fee: free
Opening Hours: the whole day
How to get there: There are shuttle buses with air-conditioning between the city center and
Repulse Bay

Avenue of Stars

• Avenue of Stars
  

The Avenue of Stars (Chinese: 香港星光大道), modelled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It honors celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry.
The Avenue of Stars is Hong Kong’s monument to its stars of the golden screen. Bruce Lee, Michelle Yeoh and Jackie Chan all have a star on the avenue, as well as numerous other lumineries. Apart from a shrine to the stars, this harborside walk also affords the best views around of Hong Kong Island’s famous skyscrapers. Check out this picture gallery of the street and the views it offers.
Entrance Fee: free
Opening Hours: the whole day
How to get there: take Tianxing Boat from Wanchai Pier to Tsim Sha Tsui, then Avenue of Stars
is on the right

Wong Tai Sin Temple

• Check out the Taoist Wong Tai Sin Temple (Kowloon)

Wong Tai Sin Temple (Chinese:黄大仙祠) is the most well known Taoist temple in Hong Kong. Ornately decorated with red pillars and a golden roof, Wong Tai Sin is always crowded with worshipers. It is dedicated to a famed healer and Taoist disciple, whose portrait adorns the main altar. Today, people pray at the temple for help with their health and money, and come to have their fortunes read.
You can have your fortune read by one of the many clairvoyants located at the temple entrance. They read faces and palms and draw up Chinese astrological charts. Not all speak English, though. Also, you can find a Chinese herbal medicine seller in the temple grounds.
Location: Wong Tai Sin Estate
Transportation: MTR: Wong Tai Sin (exit B2) and then a 3-min. walk (follow the signs)
Phone: 852/2327 8141
Web site: www.siksikyuen.org.hk
Prices: Free admission to temple, though donations of about HK$2 per person are expected at
the entrance to the Good Wish Garden

Tsim Sha Tsui

• Visit Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon)

At the southern tip of Kowloon Peninsula is Tsim Sha Tsui (also spelled “Tsimshatsui” Chinese: 尖沙咀), which, after Central, rates as Hong Kong’s most important area for tourists. This is where most visitors stay and spend their money, since it has the greatest concentration of hotels, restaurants, and shops. It boasts a cultural center, a great art museum, Kowloon Park, one of world’s largest shopping malls, a nice selection of international restaurants, a jumping nightlife, and Nathan Road, appropriately nicknamed the “golden mile of shopping”
Entrance Fee: free
Opening Hours: 09:00-23:30
How to get there: take Bus No. K568 to Luohu, then take East Subway to Tsim Sha Tsui.

Causeway Bay

•  Shopping in Causeway Bay (Hong Kong Island)

The most popular shopping district on Hong Kong Island, Causeway Bay (Chinese: 铜锣湾) is a heavily built-up area on the Hong Kong Island, and covering parts of Wan Chai and Eastern districts. The Chinese name is also romanized as Tung Lo Wan as in Tung Lo Wan Road (铜锣湾道). The rent in the shopping areas of Causeway Bay is ranked as the second highest in the world, with New York’s Fifth Avenue being the first, but the rent of first two places are quite near. The rent of Causeway Bay is near a double of the third place’s Tokyo’s Ginza.
Causeway Bay or East Point is one of Hong Kong’s major shopping districts. It includes the 13-storey Japanese department store Sogo and Times Square, an indoor shopping complex. There are also smaller malls such as World Trade Centre, Windsor House, Hang Lung Centre, Fashion Island, Fashion Walk, Lee Gardens and Lee Gardens Two. Causeway Bay is one of the most crowded areas in Hong Kong since it contains many trendy shops carrying both locally made fashion and products from Japan, Europe and the United States. As such, it is a popular social spot for young people.
Transportation: The most convenient and fairly inexpensive would be the MTR. Causeway Bay is on the blue line (Hong Kong Island). Just get off at the Causeway Bay stop and follow the signs in the station to where you want to go.

Tiantan Buddha

• Climb 268 steps to see Big Buddha  (Lantau Island)
  

The main reason people go to this island is to visit the largest Buddhist Po Lin Monastery in Hong Kong located on the Ngong Ping plateau on Lantau Island (Chinese: 大屿山). Walk up 268 steps to the 100 ft tall seated statue of Tiantan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha (Chinese:天坛大佛), and take in the breathtaking view of the surrounding hillsides. You can even stay at the monastery and sample some of the delicious, yet simple vegetarian fare.
Address: Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Phone: 2109-9898 Ngong Ping hotline
Cost: Monastery and path free. Walking with Buddha: HK$35
Hours: Buddha daily 10-5:30. Monastery and path daily 8-6
Website: www.plm.org.hk/eng/home.php
Metro Tung Chung.
Location: Lantau Island