Hong Kong is a unique city located at the heart of Asia. As a former British colony (until 1997) Hong Kong is a special region of China and a major port city in Asia – it is truly where east meets west. In Hong Kong you will find a multicultural experience full of colorful sights and delicious cuisines. Even though I am native to Hong Kong, I always enjoyed my visits there because the city is so full of life and is ever changing.
There is so much to do in Hong Kong! Below is a list of places I usually recommend my friends go to during their visits to Hong Kong.
Where to eat
Hong Kong is known for its world-class Cantonese cuisine. Eating is a must do and should be top of your list for your visit to Hong Kong! Here are a few places to check out…
1) Budaoweng (不倒翁中日火鍋料理)
Dim sum by day and hot pot by night, Budaoweng is located at the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon. Located at the top of a high rise building, you will get a very nice view of Hong Kong while having delicious food in this clean and tranquil setting. Service is also excellent!
2) Jasmine Place (怡翠軒)
I really enjoyed my dinner at the Jasmine Place, located in a convenient location by the MTR station in Central. Menu was extensive, food was excellent, and presentation was great. I would classify this as one of the fancier Chinese restaurants at a reasonable price.
3) Sai Kung Seafood
Sai Kung is located by the sea and is known for its fresh seafood, available at the many restaurants on the same street. On this street you will see a wide variety of live seafood stored in large tanks (fresh from the sea!) just outside of the restaurants. When you are ready to pick you can ask the server to fish out the seafood of your choice and ask them to cook them the way you prefer. With the seafood being caught from the sea every morning, it can’t get any fresher than this!
Sai Kung is a village outside of the city, so you will need to allow yourself enough time to get there.
The restaurant I went to is called Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant (全記海鮮菜館), although there are many choices on the street with similar services/food.
After dinner you may want to grab some dessert at Honeymoon Dessert nearby. It is a chain with stores around Hong Kong, but the one in Sai Kung is the original store.
4) Hong Kong cafes
Experience traditional Hong Kong cafes – if you do make sure you drink the milk tea or even the Hong Kong style drink mix of milk tea and coffee. The Hong Kong style deep-fried french toast is a typical dish for Hong Kong cafes that is highly addictive (but not very healthy). Other traditional dishes include macaroni with ham in soup broth or instant noodles with spam and egg.
A popular chain is called Tsui Wah (翠華) – there are many stores so you can easily find this place and try it out.
If you are in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area, you should visit Australian Dairy Company. As with many restaurants in Hong Kong, they are focused on quick turnover, so service isn’t great. There is always a long line but they are “efficient” in rushing you out of there to make room for others, so the wait isn’t too bad. If you do wait in line make sure you know what you want to order ahead of time because they expect you to order when you get to the front of the line. At Australian Dairy Company you can order the usual HK style cafe food, but please make sure to save room for dessert. They are known for their “cold steamed milk” dessert. It is a sweet custard dessert and is worth a try!
5) Yung Kee (鏞記酒家)
This restaurant is a tourist destination. It is located in Hong Kong Island’s Central and is known for its goose. This is a bit touristy and overpriced, but the food is pretty good, so it’s worth checking out if you are in the area.
6) Tim Ho Wan (添好運)
Hong Kong’s most famous dim sum restaurant. It is a one star Michelin restaurant and although it’s not the cheapest dim sum place in Hong Kong, it is the cheapest Michelin star restaurant in the world!
Its original location was in Mongkok, but due to its popularity (and long lines of course) it has expanded to many other locations including Sham Shui Po, Central, and overseas (Australia, Taiwan, etc.). If you do go, expect long lines (so try to go before it opens) and be sure to order its famous baked char siu bao!
7) Tai Cheong Bakery
A local bakery that is known for its famous egg tarts. It’s been around for 60 years!
8) Jenny Bakery
This bakery is famous for its butter cookies packaged in bear-themed tin cans. There are only two locations in Hong Kong – one in Sheung Wan and another one in Tsim Sha Tsui. Just look for the long lines!
What to do
1) The PEAK
A must do while in Hong Kong. The PEAK is one of the most popular attractions in Hong Kong. Take the tram up to the top of the hill and enjoy a nice view of Hong Kong. The PEAK is also accessible by hiking up the hill, if you want to do something more active.
A good time to go is right before twilight so you can get a view of Hong Kong in the day time and then see the night view as well. If you want a 360 degree view of Hong Kong, you can go a little bit higher by paying to enter the Sky Terrace. There are plenty of restaurants and shops there for you to relax and enjoy the view.
2) Shopping everywhere!
Hong Kong is known for its shopping. No matter where you go, you can always find a good shopping scene. For general shopping, there are many MTR stations inside shopping malls, so you would even have time to doing some speed shopping before getting to your destination.
For electronics (Cell phones, laptops, cameras, video games, accessories, etc.), Mongkok is the place to go. At MTR’s “Mongkok station” go to Exit E to find the whole street are full of big electronics chain stalls, such as Broadway and Fortress, which are reliable places to shop. There are also buildings full of electronics and accessories in the area.
For clothes, check out Sogo (Causeway Bay one is bigger than the Tsim Shai Tsui one) , or Times Square in Causeway Bay or Habour City in Tsim Sha Tsui. On the streets in Causeway Bay you will find many branded shops such as G2000.
For souvenirs or cheap accessories/clothes (not branded, probably fake), go to Temple Street in Jordan, Ladies’ Street in Mongkok, or Fa Yeun Street near Mongkok.
3) Nightlife in Lan Kwai Fong (蘭桂坊)
Experience nightlife in Hong Kong. This is a very western area in Central, and it has a very lively party scene full of westerners and ex-pats. On Halloween they hold a Halloween parade here. English is widely spoken here.
4) Visit Macau
If you have time, you could go to Macau by taking the turbo jet or driving over the world’s longest sea crossing bridge (34 miles!). It is a good day trip or quick overnight trip. There you will find casinos, shows (Vegas style!) and a place full influenced by its Portuguese heritage. Be sure to try the Portuguese style egg tarts there!
5) Ride the Star Ferry
Instead of taking the MTR, consider taking the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbor. Star Ferry has been part of Hong Kong’s history since 1888. It is an iconic ferry that carries passengers to/from Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. At nights you will see the Hong Kong skyline as you cross the harbor.
6) Ride the tram (香港電車) or the “ding ding”
The Hong Kong trams can be seen all around Hong Kong Island. It is one of the earliest forms of public transportation in Hong Kong, and due to its historic significance, it is also a tourist attraction. It is often called “ding ding” because of the noise it makes as it goes down the streets of Hong Kong. Fares are the cheapest out of all the different modes of transportation in Hong Kong.
7) Visit Big Buddha
The Big Buddha is located in Lantau Island and is a popular tourist destination. You can either take the local bus/shuttle or take the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car to get there.
8) Watch “Symphony of Lights” with Hong Kong’s skyline
A free attraction every night at 8PM. This multimedia light show is named the “World’s Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show” by Guinness World Records. View the light show with music and narration from the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront.
9) Cruise around the harbor on DukLing, a traditional Hong Kong “junk”
DukLing is a “junk” boat that has become an icon of Hong Kong. This junk will take you around the harbor and provide narration on the history of Hong Kong and sights to see around the harbor.
10) World’s tallest “Guan Yin” statue
This is a new-ish attraction, completed in 2013. Entrance is free, but you will need to make a reservation to go. The reservation website is in Chinese, so it is best to ask someone who knows Chinese to help.
11) Wishing trees
Popularized by Hong Kong soap operas, you can write down your wish and throw it up into the trees so your wishes will come true!
12) Che Kung Temple (車公廟)
A popular temple in Hong Kong. People say this place brings you good luck/fortunes. Thousands of locals go to this temple for worshipping, especially during Lunar New Year. Buy a “wheel of fortune” (it’s a windmill) here and change your luck.
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