Craft your ideal Hong Kong adventure with pro tips on the Peak Tram, Star Ferry, and must-visit night markets. Photo / 123rf
Flying to Europe? Hong Kong makes an exciting stopover, and it’s surprisingly inexpensive. Ewan McDonald offers some ideas — and pro tips — on what to see and do.
They’ve both been around since the 1880s but the Peak Tram and Star Ferry remain target="_blank"> Hong Kong’s top two must-do experiences — and with good reasons. You’ll see some of the city’s most famous sights in a few minutes.
The Peak Tram shuttles passengers 1.4km from the teeming Central area to the highest point on Hong Kong Island, Victoria Peak. Millions ride the recently renovated trams each year, taking in the famous skyline of high-rises, harbour and islands.
Pro tips: 1, book the Peak Tram Skypass for return tickets, access to Sky Terrace panorama in the Peak Tower; 2, best to go early morning when queues are smaller.
It takes only five minutes but the cross-harbour commute must be one of the world’s most stunning rides to work. For visitors, it’s a must. Sure, there are road tunnels and a metro line connecting Kowloon’s peninsula and Hong Kong Island, but millions prefer to criss-cross Victoria Harbour on the graceful, old-school, green-and-white ferries - the cheapest and most spectacular cruise you’ll ever take.
Pro tip: check out our After Dark section.
Causeway Bay (aka Tung Lo Wan) in Wan Chai is Hong Kong’s answer to Fifth Avenue in New York or Rodeo Drive in LA. Expect the same glitz, glamour — and prices!
Times Square is one of Hong Kong’s most popular malls, the nine-storey plaza featuring global uber-fashion brands alongside more accessible labels and cafés, bookstores and restaurants. If you prefer to smash your credit card at street level, check out designer-label boutiques along Kingston and Patterson roads, known as Hong Kong’s Fashion Walk.
The largest mall lies at the tip of Kowloon Peninsula, conveniently five minutes’ stroll from the ferry pier. Harbour City is a vast shopping centre made up of three malls: Gateway Arcade, Ocean Terminal and Ocean Centre.
Be prepared to get lost, because it can be tricky to navigate. But that’ll allow more time to browse everything from luxury brands and must-have electronics to homeware and everyday outfits.
Pro tip: Approximately 300,000 people visit on weekends. If you can, go on a weekday!
You’re in one of the world’s top food cities, and the best thing about it: you don’t have to pay a fortune for the privilege. Hong Kong’s cuisine can be summed up in two words — dim sum, that roll-call of more than 1000 small steamed, deep-fried or pan-fried dumplings, rolls and buns that have been perfected to high art here. So high, in fact, that several — we’d call them cheap ’n’ cheerfuls — have Michelin stars.
Wellington St in Central is one of the world’s best food alleys, sweet and savoury aromas wafting to the footpaths from places like Mak’s Noodle, famous for its signature wonton noodle soup, and Tsim Chai Kee, a traditional noodle shop whose signature dish combines fish balls, shrimp wontons, thinly sliced beef and hand-pulled noodles. Butao Ramen limits itself to creating 300 bowls of ramen each day; get there early.
To drink in Hong Kong’s colonial past, slip around the corner for afternoon tea at Luk Yu Teahouse, sliding back 100 years to appreciate the Art Deco interior with stained-glass windows and rich wooden panels, Chinese teas – and yes, dim sum.
In Kowloon, Mong Kok buzzes at every hour of the day and night. Mak Kwai-pui opened Tim Ho Wan in 2009, quickly recognised as the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred eatery. That’s closed but there are two newer locations in Olympian City mall and and Fuk Wing St. Lei Garden is another Michelin-starred Cantonese favourite in the neighbourhood.
Pro tip: Dive into any random place you like the look — and aromas — of. You’ll be surprised and won’t be disappointed.
Don’t go to bed early. The city lights up at 8pm every night with the free Symphony of Lights – lights, lasers and music – lasting about 10 minutes. Best place to watch is Tsim Sha Tsui promenade in Kowloon; arrive early because it gets crowded. You could push the boat out and view from the water, on the Star Ferry or traditional Chinese junk cruise.
The night is young. From the waterfront, walk along Nathan Rd, neon lights blazing, to Temple St Night Market, a dense rabbit-warren of stalls peddling everything from clothing and designer (?) handbags to cassettes and long-out-of-date electronics. The market is known for great seafood restaurants and food stalls (some ingredients, live and otherwise, will be for sale in front of you). The Ladies Market is just off the opposite side of Nathan Rd; way bigger than Temple St and open during the day.
In Central, head to LKF (Lan Kwai Fong) — literally Party Central with streets full of restaurants, bars and clubs.
Pro tip: Walk out of Temple St’s tourist zone and through the park to find more stalls where everything is half the price.
Hong Kong is a great destination for families, whatever their interests.
Hong Kong Disneyland is home to old favourites such as Dumbo and It’s a Small World but also new immersive excitements - the recently opened World of Frozen, Ant-Man & the Wasp: Nano Battle! and Iron Man Experience. At Madame Tussaud’s on Victoria Peak, pop-culture junkies can shake hands with the Windsors, Ariana Grande and Bruce Lee as well as Marvel heroes. Also on the Peak, the first Monopoly-themed attraction. We’ll let you roll the dice on that one.
Ocean Park remains a family favourite, the sprawling park allowing guests to get close to sharks in a 360-degree aquarium, pandas and penguins. Thrills, too: the floorless rollercoaster and hair-raising turbo-drop.
The Big Buddha statue is one of Hong Kong’s most famous attractions, and the best way to reach it is by air - the Ngong Ping Cable Car. Opt for the glass-bottomed crystal cabin for panoramic views. Get off at Ngong Ping Village — a Chinese-themed tourist attraction — a stone’s throw from the statue and century-old monastery.
Pro tips: 1, Book attractions ahead to avoid disappointed small faces. Talk to your travel agent. 2, Hong Kong is not a concrete jungle — there are walking and cycle trails close to town.
On 40ha of reclaimed land, Hong Kong is creating one of the world’s largest and most ambitious cultural projects, West Kowloon Cultural District. Complete, the vibrant new quarter will pulse with 17 venues including museums, theatres and art galleries and provide 23ha of open space, including the 2km waterfront promenade.
For today, M+ is stunning — its facade is covered in thousands of LED bulbs that come alive as night falls, visible across the harbour — its displays focusing on work from the 20th and 21st centuries. Expect architecture sketches and models, cinema, interactive and immersive experiences, graphic design, industrial goods, album covers, posters, video games and more.
The Hong Kong Palace Museum derives from the Palace Museum in Beijing — aka the Forbidden City. Its Hong Kong branch is a stunning building that combines traditional Chinese architecture, contemporary aesthetics and innovative technology. Many precious objects on display originate from the Forbidden City and are displayed in Hong Kong for the first time. Others have never been shown to the public before.
Pro tip: Choose carefully. You’ll need a full day to explore each of these jewels.
Tucked away in sleepy Ma Tau Kok, Cattle Depot Artist’s Village is one of Hong Kong’s most precious artistic hubs, a colonial-era animal quarantine depot and slaughterhouse renovated into a free art community. Also free, Tai Kwun is one of the city’s biggest creative hubs, consisting of heritage buildings, art galleries, bars and restaurants in the former Central Police Station compound.
Checklist
GETTING THERE
Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific fly direct from Auckland to Hong Kong. Cathay also flies direct from Christchurch.
From skipping the queues to planning your parade spot, here's all you need to know.