Hong Kong – quick travel guide

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SAR…vibrant crowded hilly city spread across many islands, with amazing fusion food influenced by both west and east culture. (Arguably world’s best foodie destination.)

First thing to know is Hong Kong is NOT mainland China…and for HK people, Hong Kong is NOT China! Get that into your head when talking to the locals. They are NOT Chinese, they are HongKongers or Hong Kongese. Different language, different history, different culture. As a tourist, you’ll find English is widely spoken in HK (much like Taiwan) and even at fluent level. You can almost stop and talk to anyone in the street.

Appearance-wise, Hong Kong really looks like a Chinese version of London, New York, and San Francisco all mixed together.

  • British red phone booths (like London)
  • Hilly city (like SF)
  • Dense city with many skyscrapers (like NY)
  • Double-decker trams similar to both London double-decker buses and SF historic tram
  • Hong Kong was occupied by the British for 150 years, in case you didn’t know.

Yes, I think HK is the best foodie city in the world. I said it and I meant it with every ounce of my heart. This is due to the multicultural influence, and high standard for food, AND expectation. No doubt about it, Asians know how to eat and prepare food to a wider range of flavors than anybody else. Other countries might have good food but only when you pay a lot of money, or find the right restaurants, or they’re only good in a few dishes. But here…seems like tons of amazing restaurants are packed in every corner.

Known for tall beautiful city skyline (both day & night)

You could see the main tourist things and get a sense of Hong Kong within 3 days. But the city is really a nice enough vibe to sit out here for a week, a month, or a year. Don’t forget that Hong Kong Island is not the only place to see.

Where to stay:

  • Hong Kong Island
    • Central – big business skycrapers, big label shopping stores. Lots of big city downtown type of life during the day. Then young rowdy nightlife at night. Probably most expensive to stay right in the action here and you really don’t have to.
    • Wan Chai – a nice balance between business but also residential and local life. Go west for big city stuff in Central. Or east for more local vibe in Causeway Bay.
    • Causeway Bay – much more of a local life vibe, also cheaper. Still very vibrant and fun to stay.
    • Kennedy Town – too quiet for my taste
    • Happy Valley
    • Uphill
  • Kowloon – seems many wealthier HK crowd lives here. But it’s a bit farther off from HK island so I don’t recommend it for first time visitors.
  • Discovery Bay – nice but more for families, kids, dogs. That kind of place.
  • Lamma Island – across the water and also nice, but also more for families, kids and dogs. But gets annoying fast as you have to take ferry to reach HK island.

All tourists or foreigners should start with somewhere on Hong Kong Island. It’s the main island of Hong Kong’s 263 islands (most of them uninhabited). And most travel guides will only cover the most popular 5-10 islands.

And on Hong Kong Island, I’d say the most central tourist parts are from Central, Wan Chai, and Causeway Bay. Those are the busiest and most vibrant and closest to most things you’d visit.

Hostels & Hotels:

  • iClub Fortress Hill Hotel – awesome cheap hotel right in the city center. Cheap hotel and small space, but well-designed modern rooms with all necessary amenities (laundry and common areas), excellent service. Internet sucks though; practically unusable. Excellent location near everything, lots of food options, and things stay open late night. I understand the Google reviews are not great but I loved it from the very moment I saw my room.

Neighborhoods, walking areas, public squares:

  • Central – busiest and most downtown type of energy. Think Manhattan in New York.
  • Wan Chai –
  • Causeway Bay –

These are the main 3 areas to wander around for me. They’re next to each other and convenient.

Activities to do:

  • Hong Kong tram:
    • Iconic skinny double-decker trams called “ding ding” by the locals. They used to have a more iconic traditional old school look but today is mostly mobile billboards covered with advertisements. These trams, along with the hill streets, and “look left, look right” crosswalk signage reminds me a lot of San Francisco and London.
    • I LOVED these trams. Such a great experience because you get to see the city and take nice photos from an elevated viewpoint. They cover all touristy areas of Hong Kong since busy areas of Hong Kong island are the main streets running along the water. So you can ride one tram from one end to the other (~80 mins each way). And they come very often (every 2 mins). Think of it as a very cheap and frequent hop-on hop-off tourist tram. Much more fun than metro or bus.
    • It’s very cheap (like $0.35 cents USD), and you can pay with card (VISA, Apple Pay). You get on from the back, go upstairs for better view, and then pay when you exit from the front.
    • During rush hour…the ding ding might actually be faster than car/taxi because it has its own dedicated lane.
  • Viewpoints, landmarks, sunsets, hikes:
    • Victoria Peak**:
      • Main & most popular tourist thing in HK. It’s the name of the top of a mountain in western part of Hong Kong and close to the city. From here, you have 360-degree panoramic view of Hong Kong Island and surrounding areas, most notably the Victoria Harbor. Shops, restaurants, and family activities for all ages.
      • Getting there – cheaper and most annoying way is to get to Peak Tram stop (lower terminus), wait in line to buy tickets, then take tram up the hill. Going back down is still a pain and waiting in line. More convenient and “expensive” way is to just call a taxi to go up (really doesn’t cost much). For anybody with the idea of the hiking up through the neighborhoods, I’d rather save time and do that on the way down so you can enjoy the view as you descend. Going down, I would call taxi as well.
      • At the top – walk around and go upstairs the structures to get a view. Or go eat or do some family-fun activity. Victoria Peak could really be a 1-hour or half-day activity.
      • Sky Terrace 428 – nice restaurant with view on top of Victoria Peak.
      • Chater Garden is at the bottom of the hill somewhat near the Peak Tram stop if you wanted to check that out as well.
    • Dragon’s Back Viewing Point – easy 2 hour hike with a view. Probably the only high point of Hong Kong.
  • Buildings & architecture:
    • Central District –
    • Promenade
  • Parks, gardens, green spaces, waterpoints:
    • Waterfront promenades* – underrated unique feature of Hong Kong…all the waterfront areas. Very nice & relaxing, instead of annoyingly crowded & overly-commercialized. I prefer the waterfronts over parks because 1) they’re built similar to parks already, 2) amazing views of the city across the water and sunsets, 3) usually lit at night, 4) no rats running around, 5) very peaceful and quiet away from the city noise. I highly recommend visiting waterfront parks both at day and night. Bring some drinks/food with friends and see for yourself. I’ll list my favorite ones below…
      • Belcher Bay Promenade – nice chill one if you’re on this side of town (Kennedy Town). Not much shade, but it’s peaceful. The park across the street is ok, too.
      • Fung Mat Road Promenade – kinda big empty space but does get crowded. Was under construction when I went and kinda dead.
      • Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park – one of the nicer ones. Big grass area with tall buildings across the street, has trees for shade and nice views across the water.
      • Central & Western District Promenade (Sheung Wan)– this is a big commercialized one. Popular for jogging, fishing, sunset views across Victoria Harbor. Not my favorite because of the industrial/commercial vibe.
      • Central and Western District Promenade (Central)* – nice big one, has everything, seating areas, activities, incredible view and sunsets. The most popular one. Many tourists. Nice and busy at nights as well.
      • East Coast Park Precinct* – my favorite one. Surprisingly peaceful and not crowded at all, even during sunsets. At night, very few people and you have the whole space to yourself. I’d guess it’s never crowded because the park is all the way in Causeway Bay away from the busier Central District. Not as many people come all the way over here. Walk to the vent shaft “egg” and take nicer photos without railings. I came here several nights to enjoy the moon and city lights across the water.
    • Chater Garden* – nice open square with trees and water fountain, many seated areas. Located right in the middle of Central district skyscrapers. Some nice photo ops here at day or night while you take a break from all the city-walking. Not really a park, in case you’re looking for grassy areas.
    • Hong Kong Park – I haven’t been but I feel it’s a good option if you wanted a big park in the middle of the city.
    • Victoria Park – main park and recreation area for Causeway Bay or Lee Garden district. This park often has big events going on. Many activities, lots of trees for shade. Not particularly beautiful IMO. Also not the best place to hang out at night…no lights, it’s super dark (but maybe you want that) and rats running around.
  • Beaches, bridges, water-points:
    • Promenades
  • Arts, museums, culture:
  • Markets, shopping:
    • Hong Kong is very well known for shopping. Tons and tons of options from lowend to highend.
  • Tours:
  • symphony of lights

Restaurants & Cafes:

  • Causeway Bay
    • Mirror Burger – kinda pricey but super amazing burgers! Hottest beef blue cheese & soft shell crab were my favorites
    • 紅葉冰室 – fast casual place. simple but good comfort food
    • Pasta & Donut – I didn’t try but was super curious
    • Malacca Cuisine – fast casual with awesome malaysian food! super busy so they seat you with other people

Many other good places but their names were in Chinese so I couldn’t find it.

Bars, clubs, and nightlife:

  • Lan Kwai Fong – this is the young people rowdy party area. Busy enough on weekdays but crazy packed streets on weekends. Lots of foreigners as well.

Miscellaneous tips:

  • China – quick travel guide
  • Transportation:
    • Public transportation – it’s amazing, fast, reliable, cheap. Open up Google Maps for easy routing.
      • Metro – super fast and easy to use. Takes VISA cards. But I much prefer to stay above ground to enjoy city sights from the classic Hong Kong trams.
      • Tram – classic Hong Kong trams. Very cheap and efficient, also fun way to see the city. Cash or Octopus cards. I think it does take VISA as well. Can actually be faster than car during traffic hours since it has a dedicated lane.
      • Bus – also great way to get around and go longer distances. You need exact change or Octopus card. No VISA accepted.
      • Taxi/rideshare – you can use Uber or Hong Kong taxi app. Hong Kong has lots of traffic during certain hours that metro or even the tram would be faster. You can call taxi on the street and use the meter, it’s fine…they’re mostly honest. I’ve had instances where the meter said $36.50 but the driver read it as $39.50 hoping I wouldn’t notice (argh).
      • Airport transfer – transportation to/from the airport is so convenient. From airport, go to the bus terminal and look up where you where you want to go. Chances are, there’s a bus going almost directly to the place you’re stay. No more than 3-5mins walk tops. From the city, you can look up directions on Google Maps for the nearest bus and it will be just 1 bus straight to the airport. HK airport transfer is so easy and cheap!
  • Payment:
    • Cash preferred – unlike mainland China where everything is digital, HK is opposite. Many places are cash only. If they do accept alternate forms, it’s only for the Octopus card or with Alipay (HK version). VISA cards are least likely to be accepted.
    • Octopus Card – preload debit card where you charge it with cash and use it to pay for public transportation or at stores. Very handy and easy to get around. Although, I also
  • Mid-Autumn Festival – aka “Moon Festival” or “Mooncake Festival” happens on mid-September. The nearby weekend will feature many shows and cultural events throughout the city. Victoria Park is lit up with lights and decorations. Very festive and fun to see. Is it the most epic thing you’ve ever seen in your life? No, but it’s nice to see if you’re around during that time.
  • Barbershops – very easy to get a haircut in Hong Kong, even without appointment. Look in the cheap shopping malls for a fast/cheap one. Or look around for fancier shops with many reviews on Google. Either way, HK people are very stylish so the haircut standard is very high.
    • Flavour Barber (Merlin Garden) – very nice guy. I walked in without appointment on a Saturday afternoon and was out the door looking sharp within 20 mins. He was very detailed and nice.

Itinerary:

  • DAY 1 – go up Victoria Peak morning or afternoon, then descend and hang out in Central district…get food here. Ride the green tram towards Causeway Bay, get off and walk to East Coast Park Precinct for (sunset if you can) but it’s also great to be here at night.
  • DAY 2 – ding ding, shopping eat, lan kwai fong and late night in Central if you wanna party.

Nearby towns:

  • Macau – nice but small. Can be a day trip if you just want to see the vibe and take some photos. Can stay a night if you don’t want to be rushed, or spend 2 nights if you want to enjoy the nightlife.

Unfiltered notes:

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