day in Hong Kong

Status
Not open for further replies.

parsonstrish

Active Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2005
Posts
728
Qantas
Platinum
Can anyone suggest the best options to see some of the sights in HK as I have a full day.
I will be travelling alone and although am comfortable in this situation, this is somewhat out of my comfort zone.
I saw Ernie Digley doing the train, escalator and cable car to the Peak on Getaway, unsure if I'm ready to tackle this :)
I've learned so much through this board, many thanks,
trish
 
If it is your fisrt time to Hong Kong then they are some good things to see. Take the train to the Island and then there are buses to the cable car. Or a short taxi ride. Taxis are very safe in HK.
Another way to see the hustle and bussle of the island is to walk out from th station inland and take a tram ride to either end of the line. Sit up top and see Hong Kong pass by. A great way to spend an hour or two.
 
This is what I would do.

From airport, hop on the Airport Express to the Central Station. You can then walk from there to the Star Ferry on the harbour. It's a ciuple of minute walk.

On the way over to Kowloon, you can either be on the top or lower deck (I think there's about a $HK1 difference in fares.

Find a seat at the front or edge of the boat and go harbour watching.

Over on Kowloon, you could go for a walk down their "path of stars" (can't remember the real name) - basically HKG equivalent of the Hollywood stars.

Walk back the path and start heading up Nathan Street for a look around.

Back to the star ferry and the trip back.

From the ferry, you can either walk or catch a bus to the tram terminus for the Peak. (5mins walk roughly, maybe 10 or 15 if my memory is bad!). Catch the tram up to the Peak and walk around and enjoy the sights.

You can either catch the tram back, or a bus back down the mountain. I'd recommend a bus for the way down - get the front top seat for a good view!.

The escalators are an ok distraction. You can catch them one way but have to walk the other. I think it's downwards till about 11am, then upwards. Not entirely sure. Can't remember their exact location, but it's 10 or 15 mins walk again from the Star terminal (probably one MTR stop).

That would be a 3 hour, maybe 4 hour trip to do all of those things for most people.

Other options include Disneyland (been there, ok, but nothing over special), the cable car (want to go, but it's only been open for less than a month), street markets (either food or fashion etc), one of the big shopping centres in HKG etc.

It is also nice to do the Star ferry/Peak at night.

I wouldn't be overly concerned about safety, language or other issues like that in HKG. I've always found it to be a safe city and just about everything is dual signposted.

Easiest way to use public transport in HKG is via a Oyster card. I think there is a tourist one available for a day's use. Taxis are relatively cheap and efficient as another option.
 
My moneys on Octopus Card as well.

The Oyster card is a similar thing that works in London.
 
The Frequent Flyer Concierge team takes the hard work out of finding reward seat availability. Using their expert knowledge and specialised tools, they'll help you book a great trip that maximises the value for your points.

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

Mal said:
On the way over to Kowloon, you can either be on the top or lower deck (I think there's about a $HK1 difference in fares.

Don't think that's an option any more. When I was there a few weeks ago it was a standard $2.20HKD fare (no mention of upper or lower deck), and on both times we caught the ferry there was only one deck.

parsonstrish said:
I saw Ernie Digley doing the train, escalator and cable car to the Peak on Getaway, unsure if I'm ready to tackle this :)

The Peak tram is good, and despite the pollution you can still get a reasonably good view of HK Island (and Kowloon, to a lesser extent). There's a fairly new complex on the peak too - with shops, restaurants and a great lookout.

I'd recommend the Peak and a night ride on the Star Ferry if you can fit it in. Temple St Markets (Mongkok) and/or Ladies Markets are good too...but depending on when you fly out you may not be able to fit it in.

Heh, Ernie Dingo. We saw him at our hotel in Canberra one night a few months ago. Seemed to be enjoying himself very much. :mrgreen:

All the best, let us know how you go. :)

Cheers,
- Febs.

PS: Duty Free alcohol at "Free Duty" in HKIA can be very cheap. 1L of Bombay Sapphire - $22AUD. Same with any of the Absolut Vodkas. Some of the better spirits (eg: Chivas 18) didn't seem to be any cheaper than Dan Murphy's here, though.
 
Febs said:
Don't think that's an option any more. When I was there a few weeks ago it was a standard $2.20HKD fare (no mention of upper or lower deck), and on both times we caught the ferry there was only one deck.

Not sure what's going on with that. Their website still says that there are 2 decks betwen Central and Tsim Sha Tsui
The "Star" Ferry Co. Ltd and fares of $2.20(U/D) vs $1.70 (L/D) - the last time I caught the ferry was in April this year, so it may have changed around since then. I think sometimes the ferries are in for a service, so they may have substitute craft.

And, yep Octopus is the stored value card in HKG - not Oyster (which is London of course). some further details on the MTR system is here:
MTR

I really like HKG as a destination, and try to go there for a visit as often as possible. HKG has a great vibe to the place, friendly people and good food.
 
Mal said:
I really like HKG as a destination, and try to go there for a visit as often as possible. HKG has a great vibe to the place, friendly people and good food.

Brilliant. Off there next weekend for a few weeks, with a high liklihood of moving there for a year or so.
 
This is what I would do.

Catch the AEL from the airport to Kowloon station. Walk down Nathan road from Jordan to Tsim Tsa Tsiu and enjoy the advances by the "genuine" copy watch sellers.

At the end of Nathan road turn right onto Salisbury Road and walk past the Peninsula Hotel and see everyone getting their photo taken.

At the end of Salisbury Road you will find the Star Ferry. The Second Class deck is still there (you just need to know where to go) but be a big spender and splurge for first class :).

When you arrive at Central you can either take the dedicated bus or walk to the Peak Tram station. Take the tram up to the Peak (this time of year is probably better than any other) and enjoy the view.

Then take the bus down the backside to Stanley and Repulse Bay. Have a look around (its very touristy but worth a look) then jump on the bus back to Central.

Jump back on the AEL at the Hong Kong station to the airport and you have toured Hong Kong.:mrgreen:
 
Once again, many thanks. Feeling a bit more confident now re day in HK. I actually have the full day there.

I especially liked the specific details as supplied by Bravoecho1. Fits my female brain perfectly :D
cheers, trish
 
My recommendation is to collate all the goo suggestions here, and then when you arrive at HKG and after passing immigration and customs, visit the Tourist Information people that are always waiting in the corridor between Customs and the open arrivals area of the terminal.

They are very helpful and will provide you with a map and can point you at the right public transport options etc.

When I arrived at HKG with my family and a full day to see a few sights, these lovely tourist information people planned out whole day ion about 5 mins, marking their suggested route on the map for us, complete with which trains, buses etc to take and which ones will use the Octopus card etc.

We took the airport train into Hong Kong island, and from there took a bus to a large shopping mall (can't remember its name now) with a large food court. From there a walk through a magnificent park to the Peak Train to the top, and then caught a bus back down.

There are lots of great suggestions already in this thread, so decide what appeals to you and ask the Tourist Information people at arrivals to plan out a route for you. It will be a very good investment of 5-10 mins upon arrival at HKG.
 
I agree with others that the Tourist Information desk on the left as you exit the terminal and head to the Airport Express are extremely helpful, and you can buy your Octopus card there for HK$300 (AUD$52) which provides you with return airport express transport and free transport on the MRT which I suggest is one of the best transport systems you will use, and you can travel from one end of Kowloon to the other end of HK Island, including changing trains, in 10-15 minutes. The escalator ride up to Conduct Road is interesting, but as others mentioned it only travels down in the mornings for the business people and up in the afternoons/night. Interesting but not much to see. The bus ride from to Stanley and Repulse Bay is quite good, and the Stanley markets are good to walk around (the upper deck of the bus is a good thrill when the bus negotiates those tight bends) Kowloon, Nathan Road are also interesting, but don't expect to get any cheap deals on goods in Hong Kong any more. With the exception of eating, it is quite expensive in most other aspects.
 
Walking down thru the streets next to the esculator can be interesting, but not recommended for vegatrians, my daughter almost killed me for walking her down them with the meat and fish all about.
 
All suggestions are good; here is a little more info ...

The Octopus card is your friend. Generally no change is given when boarding busses so the ability to use the card is a godsend. Note that you pay a deposit with your card and you can get a refund of this (and unused credit) when you have finished (less a small fee if you have card for less than 1 (or maybe 3) months).

Day return on Airport Express is HKD100; don't need octopus card here really; just buy at airport.

The main bus station in Central is at Exchange Square. It's like a huge road level 'garage' underneath a building with a dozen or more separate island stops. Buses queue up and come in and out of here all the time during the day. Identify your bus stop using the #number or ask at the customer service booth.

Bus #15C from Central station to Peak tram lower station. Peak Tram now costs HKD22 (~AUD4) oneway (IIRC no Octopus). Check out the views north of the peak Galleria out across Central, Admiralty and the mainland.

Take bus #15 from Galleria basement back to Central; ensure you get top deck front row seats to maximise experience as you travel down off the peak. (Unless you get vertigo, in which case what are you doing at the peak anyway?) Wait for the next bus if you need to so to get to the front of the queue.

Catch Bus #6, #6X, #6A or #260 express from Central to Stanley Market. The 260 is the quickest but costs the most.

Stanley market is a bit touristy these days but ok.

When you have finished with Stanley you might like to visit Aberdeen and its floating restaurants, take #73 from Stanley. (#973 will get you there as well but somewhat more for the fare) To skip Aberdeen, #260 from Stanley will take you straight back to Central.

Bus #70 from Aberdeen to Central is one of the better ones of the many options to get back to Exchange Square.

Just for fun, walk from Central across Connaught Road using the overpasses to Des Voeux Road and take a Tram to the Western Markets for a look around there (Just about any tram will get you there, including "Western Markets".) It cost HKD2 per ride, payable on exit. (use Octopus) Take a tram back (any east bound tram will do).

Walk from Central to Star Ferry as mentioned and head to Kowloon.

More info on Buses (including times / fares): Citybus - Bus Route Search.

Peak Tram: The Peak Hong Kong

I'm there in two weeks taking family for Whirlwind Visit including Disney.
 
Last edited:
serfty said:
Day return on Airport Express is HKD100; don't need octopus card here really; just buy at airport.
In April when I bought a return Airport Express ticket at the information desk at airport I was only charged HK$90 for the return trip. Has this happened to anyone else or is it just my imagination?
 
JohnK said:
In April when I bought a return Airport Express ticket at the information desk at airport I was only charged HK$90 for the return trip. Has this happened to anyone else or is it just my imagination?

Airport-Kowloon same day return in $HK90. Maybe you were charged for that rather than the $HK100 to town and back.

There is also a special Cathay Pacific discount on a return ticket of something like $HK150 for the return. Can't find the reference or voucher at the moment though.
 
Mal said:
Airport-Kowloon same day return in $HK90. Maybe you were charged for that rather than the $HK100 to town and back.
Definitely Airport-Central and was charged HK$90 for same day return! I was going to use the ticketing machine but went to the information desk as I wanted to be 100% certain I was on the right track. I was prepared to pay HK$100 but the officer charged the lesser amount for same day return.
 
A heads up to say thanks for this thread. I'm going to hong Kong for the first time on Sunday for a few weeks before most likely being based out of there, so I'm printing this one off and keeping it in the diary!

Cheers
 
JohnK said:
Definitely Airport-Central and was charged HK$90 for same day return! I was going to use the ticketing machine but went to the information desk as I wanted to be 100% certain I was on the right track. I was prepared to pay HK$100 but the officer charged the lesser amount for same day return.
Definitely HKD100 for same day return AIR<->HOK; I am looking right now at a ticket I used 22 August.

More here: Tickets and fares

Often, there are some good discounts/promotions available. It is possible JohnK stumbled across one of these. Next week I am planning to use a "Group of 4" ticket" to Hong Kong for HKD250.
 
SeatBackForward said:
A heads up to say thanks for this thread. I'm going to hong Kong for the first time on Sunday for a few weeks before most likely being based out of there, so I'm printing this one off and keeping it in the diary!

You'll love it. I always have. :)

The Wikitravel.org links pages may help you too...I found they had a fair bit of valuable information:
Kowloon travel guide - Wikitravel
Hong Kong travel guide - Wikitravel

Also, if you're there for a few weeks, I highly recommend you check out the horse racing at Happy Valley on a Wednesday night. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to rain when we were in HK, but I hear it's quite a spectacle. :)

Cheers,
- Febs.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Enhance your AFF viewing experience!!

From just $6 we'll remove all advertisements so that you can enjoy a cleaner and uninterupted viewing experience.

And you'll be supporting us so that we can continue to provide this valuable resource :)


Sample AFF with no advertisements? More..

Recent Posts

Back
Top