Hong Kong is a buzzing international hub city in Asia. It used to be independent but in recent years has become part of China again.
I have been to Hong Kong three times myself - twice whilst connecting to other places in Asia and staying a night and once with work. At first, I did not fall in love with Hong Kong, but after visiting it for the third time I feel like I am starting to have a feel for it.
Why Hong Kong? Vibrant city in Asia with many islands, beaches and hikes.
Top Things to see - Kowloon island, Lantan Island and Tian Tan Buddha statue, Tim Sha Tsui, Victoria Promenade, Nathan Road, Hollywood Road, Victoria peak, temples.
Best time to visit - October to December.
Safety - Safe.
Costs - Quite expensive.
There is so much to do and see in Hong Kong and it has everything - skyscrapers located in between mountains, beaches, Asian culture (that I absolutely love), delicious food and many temples to see.
It is a perfect place to stay a night at if you are connecting to other places in Asia or you can certainly make a week’s holiday in Hong Kong.
The city consists of several islands, main being Kowloon and Hong Kong island. The airport is located on Lantan Island that is home to Tian Tan Buddha Statue.
There are many hiking opportunities, however that is something I have not explored yet.
THING TO SEE
Kowloon island
Tim Sha Tsui area is very popular amongst tourists and hosts famous shopping street Nathan Road and Victoria Promenade. There is a light show every evening starting at 8pm at Victoria promenade. You can take a Star ferry across to Hong Kong island from ''Star Ferry Pier'' and back during the light show for only less than £1 to see it from the water. I do not want to compare, but I did not find the light show very impressive (especially seeing one in Singapore) but it is still nice to see Hong Kong skyline at night.
''Nan Lian'' is Chinese botanical garden located on Kowloon island.
Not for from Nan Lian is famous ''Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple'' shrine complex.
Hong Kong island
Hosts many popular tourists sights such as Hollywood Road that is one of the oldest roads in Hong Kong. Nearby is also Cat Street and Antiques Street that has street art and many interesting buildings.
There are many temples in Hong Kong Island such as ''Man Mo'' built in 1800s known for insence coils, ''Hung Shing'', ''Wan Chai Pak Temple'' and many more located amongst the busy streets.
Nearby is popular dining and nightlife area Soho.
A few streets from Hollywood road you will see signature trams called 'Ding Ding' by locals. They are all in different colours and very narrow. The journey prices start from HKG $3 (£0.20).
Popular ''Hong Kong Observation Ferris Wheel'' and promenade overlooking Kowloon island.
Victoria Peak - you can take a tram from Hong Kong Island that goes all the way up for HKG $88 (£9) return and has stunning views to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. To visit Sky Terrace the price for tram and visit is HKG148 (£15). Or you can opt for a hike that will take around 2 hours return. Located in Hong Kong Park - where you can also hide from hustle and bustle.
Wan Chai is a popular neighbourhood where you can see how locals live. It also has a popular photo spot in ''Quarry Bay''.
You can also hop on a local bus and visit ''Stanley'' that is a seaside village and hosts some of Hong Kong's beaches - St. Stephens Beach and Stanley Beach.
Lantan Island
Home to Big Buddha (Tian Tan) statue. To get to Buddha from Lantan you will either need to take a bus for £2, a taxi for about £20 or a cable car for £40 return. When I went there, the plan was to take a bus one way and a cable car on the way down but unfortunately cable car was under the maintenance. The bus ride is very windy through mountain roads and if you get motion sickness (like me) it is not a great journey. Which bus to take will depend on where will you arrive to the island. One option is by metro to Tung Chung station (1 stop from the airport) and to take bus 23 (about an hour to Buddha) or if you arrive by ferry from Hong Kong island, there is also a bus that you can take to Ngong Ping village which is where Tian Tan is located.
Op on a bus from Ngong Ping to visit local Tai O Historic Fishing village.
TRANSPORTATION
Getting around Hong Kong is very easy. Main transport mode is metro that is also very affordable and connects different islands. Ticket price per journey varies between £2-4. Other public transport modes are buses, tram and ferries.
I used tram in Hong Kong island and it only cost £0.30 per ride.
Ferry is a great way to see Hong Kong from the water and is equally affordable. A journey between Kowloon and Hong Kong island costs around £1 and takes 10min.
Airport is also connected by the main islands by metro. It is one stop from Lantan Island (Tung Chung stop) and Disneyland too.
To pay for the public transport in Hong Kong you can either use cash, Visa card (no other payment cards are accepted) or Octopus card (a local card that can be also bought on Apple store and added to your wallet). It can also be used in many shops and restaurants. I opted for using my Visa card and I was mostly fine. The only place I had to use cash was Lantan Island bus.
EAT
''Tim Ho Wan'' is the only place I can recommend so far. It is famous Hong Kong Dim Sum restaurant that has gained 1 Michelin star. It has now many branches across the world and has even reached New York. The pricing, of course, is much more affordable in Hong Kong. I tried steamed shrimp dumplings and deep fried prawn sandwich and they both were very delicious. The bill was only HKG $88 (£9) with jasmin tea.
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