Hong Kong, with its dizzying skyscrapers, cheap and efficient public transportation, and mouthwatering food is the perfect place to stopover on a longer trip. As part of our flight from the US to Singapore on Cathay Pacific, we added four days in Kong Kong to our itinerary.
We visited in January, taking advantage of the mild and dry weather and low crowds. We think four days gives you the perfect amount of time to explore Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, and Lantau Island.
Hong Kong Map
Below is a map of our trip including points of interest, activities, and restaurants. Toggle the sidebar for details.
Arrival & Helpful Tips
Octopus Card
The Octopus card is a rechargeable contactless card that you can use not only to travel around Hong Kong on public transportation, but also to pay for shopping, dining, and activities. We found this a valuable tool and would recommend purchasing one upon arrival, too.
We used the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) a ton to get around Hong Kong and not only was tapping on and off with an Octopus card easy, but the fares were discounted too. The vast majority of stores and restaurants we went to accepted the Octopus as a form of payment. We bought everything from meals at Disneyland to souvenirs using our card.
Upon exiting baggage claim at the airport, we purchased our Octopus cards at what looks like an MTR ticketing stand directly outside the entrance to the Airport Express train line. Once you get close, however, you will see the signs for purchasing Octopus cards (see picture of the queue below).
Each traveler needs their own Octopus card. We paid the HKD 50 deposit fee and added HKD 200 to our cards to start, each spending around USD 30 total. Funds can be added to Octopus cards using the automated machines at any MTR station, but you must use cash.
Get a Klook Account & Download the App
Never heard of Klook? Does it sound fake? If so, I thought those same things but it turned out to be an invaluable tool during our time in Asia. Klook is an online travel company where users can book travel experiences, transportation, hotels, and tickets to attractions. Think of it like TripAdvisor, Viator, or any other third-party booking platform. In Hong Kong specifically, we were unable to purchase attraction tickets ahead of time using our US credit card directly on the attraction websites. Klook came to the rescue and we purchased our tickets there, never encountering any issues.
Getting to the City
By far the easiest and least expensive way to get to your accommodation will be the Airport Express train line. The entrance to the train platform is located directly across from the baggage claim exit. Note: There is no place to tap your Octopus card here, you only need to tap upon exit at your final destination station.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Golden Mile in the Tsim Sha Tsui, or TST, district of Hong Kong. We really liked the location for its proximity to an MTR station, the waterfront promenade, and a great choice of restaurants. Our premium king room was spacious, comfortable, and reasonably priced. We also used the small gym several times which met our needs.
Day 1 | Ngong Ping 360 & Temples
Hopefully your flight landed the night before and you’re fresh and ready to hit the ground running for your first full day in Hong Kong. If not, and you’re like us, our flight landed in Hong Kong at 5am, so unfortunately we had a whole day ahead of us during which we needed to stay awake!
No matter the case, we recommend fortifying yourself with a Hong Kong egg tart. These delicious treats are small, puff pastry tarts filled with sweet egg custard. You’ll see many variations in Hong Kong so don’t be afraid to sample! The first ones we tried were from a bakery near our hotel called Marouf, which also had delicious iced coffee, necessary to fuel us for the day ahead.
Ngong Ping 360
Rated as one of the best cable car experiences in the world, Ngong Ping 360 is a whopping 3.5 miles in length. The entire gondola journey from the base station in Tung Chung on Lantau Island to the top at Ngong Ping takes 25 minutes. We were lucky to visit on a clear day and had views of Tung Chung Bay, the South China Sea, and the valley below. Unique to any gondola we’ve ever ridden, this one changed direction twice throughout the journey by making a turn at what are called “angle stations”.
Once at the top, you exit into Ngong Ping Village which has many shops and restaurants. We walked through and directly to the highlight of any visit, the Big Buddha. Presiding over the countryside, this impressive bronze image of Buddha is enthroned on a lotus. To get to the Buddha, you must walk up 268 stairs which, trust us, are well worth the effort. At the top, there are also six smaller bronze images (The Offering of the Six Devas) making offerings to the Buddha.
Next, walk over to the other main site at the top, the Po Lin Monastery. Established in 1906, both the exterior and interior are beautiful and worth spending ample time exploring. Don’t miss the Grand Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas!
Once you’re done exploring, head back down on the gondola which runs continuously. When we went, there was no wait to return and we actually had a car to ourselves.
Need to Know
- Hours: Generally open 10am-6pm weekdays and 9am-6:30pm weekends, but check the website for current hours and for any planned closures.
- Tickets: Roundtrip adult tickets in a standard cabin are HKD 270/pp. Visiting the Po Lin Monastery and the outside of the Big Buddha are free (you must pay if you want to go inside the Big Buddha (we did not)).
- Our Experience: While you can book tickets online ahead of time, unsure of our exact plans we purchased tickets on site the morning of our arrival. While the gondola does not begin running until 10am, we arrived at 9:30am and were able to purchase our tickets (using credit card) at a temporary kiosk set up outside the entrance. Then, we joined the line of about 30 people or so in front of us to gain access to the station which opened at 9:40am. As some of the first people in line, we boarded our gondola shortly after 10am.
- Pro tip!: As the #1 attraction in Hong Kong, lines can be very long to both purchase tickets and board the gondola. On weekends, we’re talking hours! For this reason, we recommend visiting in the morning and arriving before the gondola starts running so you don’t waste precious time and have a much more enjoyable experience.
Lunch
If you didn’t eat lunch at the Ngong Ping village, we can recommend the Food Opera on the 7th Floor of the Citygate Outlets mall right across from the gondola base station. This food court had a ton of delicious choices. We got a hot rice kimchi steak dish from Pepper Lunch Express that was fantastic. Note they only accept cash or Octopus.
Chi Lin Nunnery & Nan Lian Garden
Nestled among the surrounding skyscrapers this complex is an oasis of peace. It is a prime example of Tang Dynasty–style architecture and landscaping. The Chi Lin Nunnery has a stunning handmade (with no nails!) wooden building completed in the 1930s. We loved wandering around the temple halls and admiring the surrounding lotus ponds.
The Nan Lian Garden is adjacent and accessed by a small footbridge. Here there are immaculately-manicured bonsai trees, a koi pond, and a golden pavilion.
These sites are free to visit and generally open 9am-4:30pm daily. We took the metro from the Tung Chung to Diamond Hill station, with the complex then being just a short walk away.
Wong Tai Sin Temple
The Wong Tai Sin Temple is a Taoist temple famed for fortunes that can be bestowed upon worshippers. The ornate structure was buzzing with people when we arrived thanks to the upcoming Chinese New Year. All of the bridges and walkways within the complex and over the water were really fun to explore. Near the back, there was a beautiful “wishing garden” and a large koi pond.
This temple is free to visit and is generally open 7:30am-4:30pm daily. We took the metro from the Diamond Hill to Wong Tai Sin station, but alternatively it is about a 20-minute walk between the two.
We ended our day with dinner at Pakeeza Food Restaurant which serves Pakistani food, a short walk from our hotel. While it was slightly difficult to find and involved walking through a maze of a building to get there, it was so worth it!
For HKD 150/pp we had a three-curry dish set with rice, naan, roti, salad, water, a mango lassi, and a sweet treat at the end. And, the rice and curry were unlimited! The owner was extremely friendly, there was no wait, and they accepted credit cards. This was one of our best meal experiences in Hong Kong.
Day 2 | Food Tour & Kowloon Sightseeing
Sham Shui Po Foodie Tour
We love doing food tours in cities and countries that are new to us, so we joined Hong Kong Foodie’s Sham Shui Po Foodie Tour and had the best experience! Our 3.5-hour tour had us tasting dishes at six different locations in the working class neighborhood of Sham Shui Po. So many of the places we visited have been in the neighborhood for decades and the love and care put into their dishes was evident. We were eating right alongside the locals who come here as a matter of routine. We also appreciated the cultural information we learned between food stops. This was a fantastic way to try some great dishes and explore an area we likely wouldn’t have otherwise known about. Our tour guide was superb and there were only two other people on our tour.
As part of our tour, we ate:
- Pineapple bun and Hong Kong-style milk kea at a Hong Kong-style cafe [we loved this so much we went to the same restaurant later in the trip!]
- Rice rolls, a Chinese-style breakfast food
- Cabbage & pork and watercress & pork dumplings, pan-fried and in soup
- Walnut, almond, and sesame cookies from a traditional Chinese bakery
- Crispy egg noodles with shrimp roe
- Tofu dessert which was silken tofu with ginger syrup
Che Kung Temple
This temple is dedicated to Che Kung, a military commander, and inside you’ll find an imposing statue.
The temple is free to visit and is generally open 8am-6pm, daily. To get here, we took the MTR from the Sham Shui Po to Tai Wai station.
Hong Kong Heritage Museum
A short, scenic 10-minute walk along the river will take you to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. This is designed to showcase the country’s art, history, and culture. It is huge with many exhibits that frequently change.
When we visited, the highlights for us were those exhibits dedicated to Cantonese Opera and the Chinese New Year. We also explored exhibits on post-1960s pop culture, a worldwide poster content on varying topics, and even an exhibit devoted to Bruce Lee.
Entrance to the museum is entirely free and the museum is open every day, except Tuesday, at 10am.
Drinks, Dinner & Symphony of Lights
Always in search of craft beer, we had a delicious pint at Zhang Men Brewing. We particularly enjoyed their sour IPA on offer.
Judging by our dinner, you wouldn’t know we went on a food tour in the morning! We devoured handmade cheeseburgers and truffle fries from Burger Mate. Yum!
To work off those burgers, we made the 15-min walk through TST to the waterfront and its Avenue of Stars. Here we found statues of Hong Kong celebrities like the great Bruce Lee. The bigger draw for us was the fantastic views of Hong Kong Island’s iconic skyscrapers across Victoria Harbour.
This area is also one of the top spots to watch the Symphony of Lights show. Held every evening at 8pm, this is a free light and sound show that illuminates the skylines on both sides of the water.
A heads up, the crowds along Avenue of the Stars can be pretty intense and people stake out their viewing spots over an hour ahead of time! We thought the show was neat, but not worth it to try and get the best possible viewing spot on land. Instead, we recommend taking it in from a boat cruise. More on that tomorrow!
Day 3 | Victoria Peak & Hong Kong Island Sightseeing
Victoria Peak
For the absolute best views of the Hong Kong skyline, make a beeline for Victoria Peak on a clear day (or night). On a gorgeous Sunday morning, we took the MTR to Central station and walked about 10 minutes to the tram base.
The Peak Tram is an iconic form of transportation in Hong Kong. The funicular railway has been in operation since 1888, although it underwent an extensive renovation in 2022. The tram climbs up about 1,300 feet above sea level and at times is so steep the buildings you pass look like they are leaning. Going down, we actually had to brace ourselves against the handrails so we didn’t fall out of of our seats! Pro tip: When traveling up to The Peak, sit on the right side of the tram for the best views.
At the top, you’ll have reached The Peak Tower where you’ll find a shopping mall, a selfie studio, even a Madame Tussauds Hong Kong! We grabbed a coffee at Pacific Coffee, sitting by the windows in the sun to enjoy the view. You should know there is a Sky Terrace, touted as the highest viewing platform in Hong Kong, that you can pay to access. However, we think a more enjoyable way to take in the views is by completing the Peak Trail.
The Peak Trail is a 2.4-mile panoramic loop around the peak. It’s fairly flat and entirely paved. To get to the starting point, walk out of The Peak Tower to the Lion’s Pavilion and look across the way for the intersection of Peak Road and Harlech Road. Here you will see the signboard below with information and a map of the walk. We chose to do this hike clockwise, walking on the Harlech Road trail first in order to save the stunning views, aka the best part, for last.
As we walked along we went through what felt like a forest, some small waterfalls, and past a lot of rock formations. Every intersection is signposted so you don’t have to worry about getting off track. Near the end of the walk we reached the Lugard Road Lookout which has famous views of the skyline. After snapping lots of photos we headed back down on the tram. The entire walk took about an hour and all told we spent about 2.5 hours visiting The Peak, including the tram ride.
Need to Know
- Hours: Trams run every 15-20 minutes between 7:30am-11pm daily, but check the website for current hours and for any planned closures. Note that certain attractions, including the Sky Terrace, do not open until later in the day.
- Tickets: Roundtrip adult tickets for the tram ride only are HKD 108/pp. When purchasing tickets you can add on other experiences like the Sky Terrace, if you like.
- Our Experience: While you can purchase tickets online ahead of time for a specific day, we purchased tickets on site the morning of our arrival. We arrived at 8:30am on a Sunday morning and there was no line to purchase tickets, or to board the tram.
- Pro tip!: Lines can be very long to purchase tickets at peak times. At the base terminal there are different queues for different payment methods. One is devoted specifically to paying by Octopus and our understanding is that it is always very short. You might want to consider having sufficient funds on your Octopus to avoid wait times if you think you’ll visit later in the day.
Hong Kong Park
Virtually across the street from the tram terminus lies a true gem. Hong Kong Park!
Covering nearly 20 acres, this park has walking paths that wind through a serene green space in the heart of the city. We particularly enjoyed the walk-through aviary in which you start at the top of a hill and once inside walk down along boardwalks with birds zooming around everywhere. Don’t skip the smaller caged aviary where you have the chance to see a hornbill up close.
We also really enjoyed the conservatory with its plant displays. Just outside is a gorgeous waterfall and a pond, home to many turtles. For our water lovers, there is a free water bottle fill station right here. Our visit lasted about an hour.
The park is free to visit and the grounds are open 6am-11pm daily, with the aviary and conservatory open 9am-5pm.
Explore Central
Staying in TST, we hadn’t explored much of Central yet and it felt like a totally different world with a very upscale vibe. Spending some time here is very worthwhile for eating, shopping, or just exploring. We first picked up a quick lunch at bibigo bapsang where we had delicious Korean beef and rice bowls. Some other sites to consider:
Ride the Mid-Levels Escalator
Hong Kong’s terrain is incredibly hilly, especially around the Central area. The mid-levels escalator is one solution for transporting people, as opposed to walking up incredibly steep roads. Billed as the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world, the escalators and walkways cover 2,600 feet in length and 443 feet from top to bottom! This was something fun and quick to do, just to say we did it.
Tai Kwun Complex
At the top of the mid-levels lies Tai Kwun. A former prison site that has been reimagined into a heritage-arts venue and a living record of the legal, judiciary and penal system in Hong Kong. Dominated by an airy courtyard, it is comprised of 16 heritage buildings such as the former Central Police Station, Central Magistracy, and Victoria Prison. You can go inside these buildings and there are informative historical exhibits. We definitely thought this was worth a walk through and everything was free to visit.
Man Mo Temple
Man Mo Temple is one of the oldest temples in Hong Kong, having been constructed in the mid-1800s. It is about a 10-minute walk away from Tai Kwun, making it an easy stop. You may smell it before you see it as this was the most incense-laden temple we’ve ever visited. We took a quick spin through but couldn’t take it too long because our eyes were watering!
Yardley Brothers Taproom
The best beer we had in Hong Kong was from Yardley Brothers and conveniently their taproom is located in Central, less than a 10-minute walk away from the temple. We definitely recommend stopping in here for a pint or two!
If you read our blog on Japan, you know we love ramen. So imagine our surprise when we discovered an Ichiran branch less than five minutes from our hotel. We tucked into our warm pork ramen from the comfort of our bamboo cubbies and felt right at home!
Junk Boat Cruise
Walk down to the water on any given night and you’ll see scores of boats crisscrossing Victoria Harbour. We opted for the quintessential red-sailed junk boat vessel, taking a Symphony of Lights evening cruise with Aqua Luna. Our boat boarded on the TST side at 7:30pm where we settled into lounge chairs on the deck, were handed blankets to keep warm, and ordered our complimentary drink.
Being on the water to take in the skyline at night was truly amazing, and seeing the Symphony of Lights show was the icing on top. This was one of the best things we did in Hong Kong and highly recommend the excursion.
Need to Know
- Tickets: Our cruise was HKD 330/adult. We were not able to purchase tickets directly via Aqua Luna’s website as our US credit card would not get processed. Instead, we booked our ticket through Klook. We simply showed our mobile voucher to board and everything worked perfectly.
- Dress warmly! When we took the cruise in January, it was quite chilly at night. We were glad we had warm jackets, a hat, and gloves, even with the blankets provided.
- Pro tip!: Whichever pier (TST or Central) you are departing from, make sure you book the cruise that picks up your pier first. Almost all the outdoor (i.e. prime) seats were taken by the time our boat got to the second pickup location. We also recommend getting in line 10 minutes before departure to secure good seats.
Just a short walk away from TST Pier No. 1 is Mammy Pancake. These delightful treats are egg puffs, made-to-order in different flavors and unlike anything we’ve ever eaten. We had to wait about 15 minutes for our order to be ready, but our banana and lemon egg puffs were worth the wait!
Day 4 | Hong Kong Disneyland
An hour’s MTR ride from TST will drop you off at the gates to Hong Kong Disneyland. As the smallest Disney theme park, it’s also known for being the least crowded. We visited on a Monday and that was certainly our experience, with wait times in the morning never more than 20 minutes. Unheard of!
We had an absolute blast at this park. Here is what we did and ate during our eight hours at the park. This list really highlights all that you can see in the course of a day.
- Rode Frozen Ever After and Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs in World of Frozen, then the Winnie the Pooh ride (all <5-minute waits!)
- Saw the 11:15am live stage show, Mickey and the Wondrous Book (this was so much fun and all the singing was in English with subtitles on a large screen when the actors were speaking)
- Rode It’s a Small World which felt so much newer and fresher than its US counterparts
- Ate lunch at the River View Cafe (the butter chicken sets we had were probably the most delicious Disney dining food we’ve had in years)
- Hopped on the Jungle River Cruise, whose narration included a bit of a chaotic mix of English and Cantonese
- Experienced our first real wait of the day (~25 minutes) for the Hyperspace Mountain rollercoaster
- Saw an afternoon showing of the Festival of the Lion King (another great stage show with fantastic singers)
- Rode Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! (a very fun shooter game that we rode twice)
- Rode Mystic Manor (our favorite ride of the day and unique to this park)
- Rode Iron Man Experience (a very cool simulator ride that included a flyover of Hong Kong)
Our visit to Hong Kong Disneyland reinvigorated our love for Disney parks. This park felt like the olden days when a reservation was not needed for every ride or dining experience and your day didn’t need to be planned down to the microsecond. If you’re a Disney fan and in Hong Kong, we definitely recommend a visit.
Need to Know
- Tickets: We bought 1-day park tickets through Klook (an authorized ticket seller for the park) as once again our US credit card would not get processed via the Hong Kong Disney site (apparently this is a common problem). When purchasing our tickets via Klook they were for a specific day, thus fulfilling the requirement to “make a reservation” for our visit. We were emailed our tickets from Klook and they worked perfectly. We paid USD 95/ticket.
- Getting There: There is an MTR line on Lantau Island that goes directly to the Disneyland Resort Station.
- Pro tip!: We arrived at 9:30am, half an hour before the park opened. We were at the front of the line for the security check and ticket scan, allowing us to get through very quickly and start riding rides. You may want to do the same, especially as this park opens later in the day, so time feels more limited.
Once back in the city, we stopped at the Michelin-reviewed Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan-Fried Buns stand. We couldn’t believe our luck as there was virtually no line. These tiny pork buns are renowned for being perfectly crispy on the outside and outrageously juicy on the inside. Amazing!
Looking for a quick and easy dinner, we stopped in at Ebeneezer’s for lamb gyros before calling it a night.
Onward Travel
And with that, you’ll have seen the top highlights of Hong Kong. We felt four days was the perfect amount of time.
Our flight to Singapore was early the next morning. So early, in fact, that we needed to leave our hotel before the MTR began running at 6am. Our cab from TST to the airport cost HKD 300 (or near USD 40). While it was certainly more expensive than the Airport Express, it was much quicker, taking only about 20 minutes door-to-door.
