Hong Kong

Hong Kong:

Things To Do:

  • Take the Star Ferry across the river to experience both parts of Hong Kong. It costs about $.40 one way.
  • Hong Kong Observation Wheel: a nice view of the city for only $2!
  • Ladies Market: the place to go for knock-offs and trinket souvenirs.
  • Temple Street Night Market: similar to the Ladies Market but at night, the best time to go is around 8:30pm.
  • Suicide Cliff: approximately a 1 hour hike to the absolute best view of Hong Kong. A 360 degree view of the city and not crowded with tourists. The hike is strenuous (a lot of stairs), but worth every step. Make sure to bring a lot of water and be very cautious at the top, as accidents have happened. This is where you should tell the taxi to take you:
    • IMG_7664
  • The Peak Tram: pretty views of the city, not necessary to pay more to go to the sky deck. Note: if you do the suicide cliff hike, I wouldn’t pay to do this.
  • The Monster Building: a shooting spot for part of the Transformers movie and an Instagrammer’s heaven, this building is a massive and colorful apartment structure. Located in Quarry Bay, you can get there by plugging in 1028 King’s Road into Google Maps and heading to the second courtyard to take pictures. Note: make sure to be quite and respectful as you are standing outside of people’s homes.
  • Ngong Ping 360 Glass Bottom Gondola and Tian Tan Buddha: more pricey than the other activities, but there’s a reason why the glass bottom gondola was voted top 10 gondolas in the world! The 25 minute ride gives nice views of a different part of Hong Kong.

Accommodation:

  • Stanford Hillview Hotel: nice rooms and great staff. Also a very good location, ~15 minutes walk to the Star Ferry

Food / Drinks:

  • Din Tai Fung: delicious dim sum restaurant, try the noodles with onion, the bok choy, and the dumplings with soup in them!
  • Yum Cha: dim sum restaurant, where many of bun options have cartoon faces on them. Not the best dim sum, but a fun experience!
  • Emack & Bolios: great ice cream in a fancy cone.
  • Grassroots Pantry: healthy vegan restaurant if you’re needing a salad and a break from noodles, rice and dim sum!
  • Dim Sum Square: more of a hole in the wall dim sum place, really tasty!
  • Ozone Bar: famous for being the tallest bar in the world, I recommend going at night to see the city all lit up. Note: the drinks are very expensive but worth getting one to hang out and see the views.

Notes:

  • If you are visiting Hong Kong in the summer months, it is VERY hot and humid. Make sure you dress accordingly and drink a lot of water (not tap water).
  • When you’re getting a taxi, if you have to use the tunnel or the bridges to go from one island to another, make sure you ask the price ahead of time.
  • Although Hong Kong is a territory of China, they have their own currency, the Hong Kong Dollar.

Background photo taken on the suicide cliff hike. 

DIm Sum at Yum Cha
Emack & Bolios ice cream