Travel Guide to Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a wild, wild city. It’s a place that is buzzing with excitement similar to New York but has more depth and culture. Where New York has endless opportunity and saying goodbye to the old, Hong Kong vibrates with innovative leaps while holding on to endless culture.
I absolutely loved my time traveling to Hong Kong and I’d love to share my experience with you all so that you can have an awesome time too when you go to Hong Kong! It’s a bit of a crazy city when you first arrive, but my hope is that in reading my blog you’ll have a smoother journey in this beautiful city.
By no means do I think that this travel guide is an exhaustive list of everything you can do in Hong Kong. There is so much to do that it would be impossible to do so in a short time! I definitely want to visit again some day. But for the meantime, here is my journey in Hong Kong!
Getting Around
Hong Kong’s train system might look a little intimidating at the beginning but it is actually quite simple to use. There are different coloured lines that you can follow and go throughout the city and if you ever get lost there are many friendly people that can help out. Just make sure that you don’t stay out too late as after midnight the trains stop running and the taxi fees can be quite steep!
Food That You Must Try
There are so many places that you can eat in Hong Kong because it is such a dense city. Where does one even start? With a simple Google Search, I say! But where do you begin? Well. These are the cuisines and things you must try in Hong Kong.
- Dim Sum (known as Yum Cha) — this is the most famous one in Hong Kong: https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g294217-d1527741-Reviews-Lin_Heung_Tea_House-Hong_Kong.html
- Roast Meat (depending on what meat you like!) — throughout Hong Kong you can see these hanging ducks in the windows. They might not be the most attractive things in the world but they sure are delicious!
- Fish ball noodles — yum! There is something so fresh and amazing about the way that they prepare their noodles in Hong Kong.
- Wonton noodles — noodles for days! They really know how to do noodles here in Hong Kong.
My Activities in Hong Kong
Victoria Peak
Spoiler Alert!!!! This is the awesome view from the top of Victoria Peak.
If you’re visiting in the summer, make sure you get up an early before the day gets too hot and hike up Victoria Peak. There’s a couple of entrances, but I found that the entrance near Hong Kong University is one of the best. Here’s a link to it: http://www.hongkonghikes.com/2015/10/hku-to-victoria-peak-garden.html
If hiking is not your thing, don’t worry! There is a tram that goes up there as well. I recommend walking up and then taking the tram down.
Near Victoria Peak there’s also a cool exhibition with lifelike images: http://trickeye.com/hongkong/whats-inside_eng/
And also there is a Madame Tussauds museum. I had a lovely dinner with Audrey… haha: https://www.madametussauds.com/hong-kong/en/
I recommend spending a couple of hours up at Victoria Peak! It really is nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong and its busy business. I recommend grabbing lunch at Bubba Gump at the peak! https://www.bubbagump.com/locations/hong-kong/
Hong Kong Disney
What is a trip somewhere without Disney? I loved Hong Kong Disney as it was cool to see an American invention in an Asian country done so differently and with such a respect to the culture in Hong Kong. I didn’t feel like it was just copy and pasted into Hong Kong — I really feel like there was a connection to Hong Kong in the lovable Disney character stories and rides. You can see that even in the food it’s not your typical American hot dog! They have rice! Definitely a yummy thing to have after sweating it out in the line.
Bruce Li Statue
Hong Kong has sometimes been called the Hollywood of Asia with so many famous movies coming out of Hong Kong. Many American writers and directors get some of their ideas from old Hong Kong films! In the spirit of pride for what has come out of Asia, there is a dedicated statue here in Hong Kong dedicated to Bruce Li. It is definitely worth a visit as he is a cultural icon that has really put a spotlight on Asia for the rest of the entertainment industry to see.
City-gazing at Kowloon Island from Tsim Sha Tsui
In the evening, you have to check out Kowloon Island from Tsim Sha Tsui. It’s one thing to be in the midst of the crazy busy and its another thing to gaze upon it. There’s a beautiful calmness and quietness about looking at it from afar. It feels like a futuristic modern city that you can really fall in love with.
Other things to do
Like I said, I didn’t think I could give you a complete rundown on what Hong Kong is like. You really do just have to visit on your own! But if you do find yourself visiting and you have a lot of time, then I recommend checking out these spots!
- Mong Kok–it’s apparently one of the densest parts of the world! Make sure you check out Sneaker Lane for some awesome shopping.
- Avenue of the Stars Hong Kong
- Stroll around Tsim Sha Tsui
- Visit Victoria Harbour (sometimes there are amazing light shows in the evening!)
- Head to Tian Tan Buddha for a huuuuge Buddha statue (and a lot of stairs)
- Dessert/ Beverage at Central in the evening (night life in Hong Kong never stops!)
I hope that you enjoyed reading this and that you yourself can go to Hong Kong one day if you haven’t been! If you do end up going, please make sure that you let me know how your time was!
– Anam