I have wanted to visit Hong Kong, ever since I fell in love with its skyline on a postcard calendar someone gifted me in high school. I don’t know what it was about tall buildings on the waterfront with shimmering neon signs, but it spoke to me.And just before the pandemic hit the world, we finally made a trip to Hong Kong, a place one needs to experience to experience to even begin to understand.
Our plan was for three-day stay, as we flew back from attending a summer wedding in India. It was late July – the worst time to visit this coastal city.Hong Kong in July is humid, stuffy, and sweltering. The temperature is in the mid-90s and the humidity is close to 100. I don’t exaggerate when I say a few minutes outside will leave you completely drenched in sweat and dehydrated. With typhoon season, the days go from hot, and humid to rainy in a few hours.
As I said, the worst time to visit Hong Kong. And we loved it anyway!
We totally fell in love with this mega-city, with a very much like New York-on-steroids feel. On one hand, the weather tested our resolve and stamina to cram as much as we could cover in three days. On the other, bad weather meant tourist spots were not super crowded! While we managed to hit some of the highlights, I would love to go back to experience the non-touristy parts -just walk the streets and neighborhoods, eat amazing food, and go hiking.
But that’s for next time. Here’s what we managed to do on our very first visit- but before we get started here’s some useful info to know.
Getting Around:
For getting around HK, a city of vast distances, the HK metro system is your best friend. Grab their Octopus card – which can be used on the underground, bus, and ferry fares throughout Hong Kong. The MTR map in every station and on every train has English translations and is color coded to help you find your way around.
Day 1 – Sunset at Victoria’s Peak
We chose to stay in Tsim Sha Sui which is the heart of the business & shopping district and it’s got great connectivity to both Hong Kong Island and the mainland part of the city.
The first thing on the agenda was visiting Victoria’s Peak at sunset. This is the most touristy thing and the only place to get that iconic Hong Kong skyline shot that you see all over the internet. Also, Victoria Peak is arguably the most popular place to watch the sunset in all of Hong Kong so expect the crowds. As the lights of the city came up and the famous view came to life, there was quite a bit of pushing and jostling to get that clear view above the heads of the crowd.
Apart from the staggeringly beautiful, extremely instragrammable views from the observation deck (which is a ticketed entry), there is a much-hyped 8.00 PM daily Light show – where you basically see the skyscrapers come to life with lights in some sort of vaguely coordinated show. The already crowded gets even worse. Honestly, we were a little underwhelmed by the whole thing.
When to get there: Head up to the Peak in the early afternoon and plan to spend a few hours exploring Hong Kong’s highest mountain before checking into Sky Terrace 428 around half an hour before sunset. I recommend spending time in the outdoor areas, walking around, doing min-hikes, and taking in the views. Or you could do what we did, which was escape the sweltering heat by chilling and drinking beer at one of the indoor restaurants. While there are restaurants in the complex that offer the same reviews, you are going to shell out about the same money in drinks and food and may not get the best view in the house.
Ways to get to the top: You can take a funicular ride all the way to the top where you’ll find observation platforms, restaurants, and even a mall (what else)! With an elevation of over 1,800 feet, it’s the highest hill on Hong Kong Island. Buses run frequently, or you can catch an Uber for around $10 USD. Or you can hike down all the way to the bottom of the hill.
Ways to get down: Due to its popularity, the line for the tram gets super long in the evening. We chose to take the bus down.
Protip: Stay after the crowds leave after the 8.00 PM show and take as much time to get that perfect nighttime shot. After the light show, the crowds drop dramatically.
Lantau Island is famous for many things and almost a tourist trap, if not for the daunting, towering Buddha statue nestled in its hills making it also a place of pilgrimage.
Also known as Big Buddha, the Tian Tan Buddha is a popular tourist destination in Hong Kong. This massive bronze statue is located on Lantau Island and is easily accessible via the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car. If you are not afraid of heights and don’t mind being suspended mid-air for 3Kms, the ride itself is worth the price of admission.
Tian Tan Buddha statue (informally known as the Big Buddha) was erected in 1993. Sitting 34 meters high and facing north to look over the Chinese people, this majestic bronze Buddha draws pilgrims from all over Asia. This giant statue took almost 12 years to build, and to get to its base one has made a trek of 268 steps which is totally doable if you are not dying in 99% humidity. Once at the top, the views of the statue and the island are simply breathtaking.
You also get a bird’s eye view of the Po Lin Monastery which is considered an important Buddhist place of worship and has been dubbed ‘the Buddhist World in the South’. The monastery’s main sanctum is adorned with colorful decorations wood carvings, and colourful manifestations of Buddhist iconography. Photography is only allowed in limited places as this is a functioning place of worship. Believer or not, there is no harm in asking for blessings and good wishes by lightening incense in the large earthen pots placed outside.
The monastery’s vegetarian restaurant with its simple food is highly recommended.
There is a lot more to do in this part of Lantau Island – you can spend time in the little touristy Nyong Ping Village, take hikes around the area, or make a short trip to one of the traditional villages on the island.
We wanted to head back to the city before sunset, so we did a short trail (Wisdom Steps) and took the cable car back. The Wisdom Steps are located near the base of Tian Tan Buddha, and the path takes you through some nice wild trails up to a short path where one can find wooden steles containing verses from the centuries-old Heart Sutra — one of the world’s best-known prayers revered by believers of several religions.
Evening At Kowloon Public Pier
With the heat bearing down, we returned from Lantau Island around 4.00 PM. This gave us enough time to head back into the hotel, rest up, and head out for dinner and a walk around the Kowloon Public Pier. Highlights were:
- The Clock Tower – The Clock Tower is located right on the waterfront near the Kowloon Public Pier. A simple structure, quite lovely with even lovelier backdrop. The entire area around the pier is constantly streaming with people so it’s a great place to see the Central Hong Kong skyline and do some people watching while you’re at it. We actually took a meandering route from our hotel to get here and also did some window shopping on Nathan Road.
- See the Nightly Skyline Light Show from the other side – We also caught the same Skyline Night show, that we had seen the first day from the opposite at Victoria’s Peak. This was definitely more enjoyable and it was nice to sit along with tourists and locals and take in the atmosphere! The area right by the Clock Tower or along the Avenue of Stars Bridge are the best places to watch the show. Be sure to arrive about 20 minutes early to secure a place right on the water for the show.
- From the Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade, you’ll get another stunning view of the Hong Kong skyline, which has also been dubbed one of the most amazing skylines in the world. Another place where one can spend the day exploring is the Garden of Stars, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and Hong Kong Space Museum. We didn’t have time for the museum but we spent time walking in the vicinity.
- Avenue of Stars reminds me a little bit of the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles – for Bruce Lee fans a picture with his in-fight pose statue is a must!
Day 3: SOHO & More
For true city lovers, the only way to get a vibe of how the city lives, breathes, and works spend some time exploring its streets. There is nothing to do as such but walk between skyscrapers or its street markets or the little corners in town where only the locals go. That’s what we decided to do on our last day in Hong Kong.
We first decided to take the Star Ferry towards SOHO to experience the world’s longest escalator ride. The Star Ferry is a cheap mode of transportation from the Kowloon Peninsula to Hong Kong Island. Ferries run frequently throughout the day. If you want to take more photos of the HK skyline, I recommend these over the pricier tours.
The ferry dropped us at the Central Pier, and we made our way to the start of the escalator system in SOHO. So what it really is, is a large interconnected series of buildings and malls through the length of SOHO. Due to the hilly terrain, the escalator system helps you navigate the area without a giant uphill workout.
It’s not one continuous escalator (because people want to get off) but the entire thing covers a length of 2,625 feet and climbs 440 feet in elevation. If you were to ride the entire thing, it would take you about 20 minutes from the bottom to the top.I don’t know why people make reels or videos about it, it’s unique but for me, the vibe of SOHO was more fun than the actual escalator system.
Our walk around SOHO was pretty aimless, and we just did some street photography, and souvenir shopping and then headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool.
Evening was reserved for exploring the famous Night Markets. More on that below.
Make Time For These Experiences In Hong Kong
Hong Kong's Street Markets - A Walking Tour
I have put this in its own section as you could spend an entire day exploring the street markets or just an evening. There is a lot of opportunity for shopping, eating, and photography. One could also spill out the market exploration over multiple days as something to unwind in the evenings. For a three-day itinerary, I recommend covering the markets in one day or over two evenings. We made a walking tour of this and spent around half-day exploring the markets.
Street Photography & More
Like any buzzing, modern metropolis Hong Kong is a street photographer’s playground. It’s also a favorite with Instagrammers and certain things have become insta hot spots with people queuing up to get the perfect ‘gram shot (for example the famous Monster Building).
With just three days, we really did not have the time to hunt down those specific instafamous facades and buildings just for that one shot. What we did instead was focus on things that caught our eyes and spoke of the quintessential city life in Hong Kong. See below for some of our favorite city shots.
We took loads of pictures of the red taxis snaking their way between skyscrapers.
Nights in Asian cities are ubiquitous with neon lights and a stroll down Nathan Road guarantees some good shots. The nearest way to neon-lit streets is from exit E, N5, A1 or A2 at Tsim Sha Tsui Station.
Other Things To Do
3 days is not enough time to even scratch the surface of this mega-city. We would have loved more time to explore the food scene, in places like One Dim Sum or The Jumbo Floating Restaurant, go hiking on nearby islands, visit more Buddhist temples or just visit traditional fishing villages. The weather did get to us eventually and we were limited by the heat and humidity.
There is something for everyone and if I were to go back to Hong Kong, I would add a whole new bunch of things to do for next time.
