Hong Kong

Heading to Hong Kong for the first time ever with the family! We are staying in the Cultural District and will be there the 27th through the 3rd. Any tips or recommendations on things to do, places to see and food to eat?

 

Hong Kong Science Museum

sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck

Victoria Harbour

Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre

Hong Kong Museum of History

Macau Fisherman's Wharf

Ruins of St. Paul's

Macao Science Center

Macao Tower Convention and Entertainment Center

Times Square Hong Kong

Po Lin Monastery

Gotta go to Ocean Park. Spend the day there. Its amazing

Gotta go to Ocean Park. Spend the day there. Its amazing

Thanks. Added it to the list.

Check out all the street food!

And Victoria Peak.

And Victoria Peak.

 

Awesome thanks!

Let's narrow it down to what's your fancy first: shopping, sight-seeing, eating? The obvious answer is all of the above . But let's focus on the main goals first. And on shopping, how fancy? I.e. French/Italian famous name brands, "regular people's" brand or "fancy"-knock-offs or "goofy"-knock-offs? Feel free to PM me if needed.

 

You do realized that from you list above, it's 2 separate places --- Hong Kong & Macau which are 75mins apart by jet foil or speedy catamarans.

Let's narrow it down to what's your fancy first: shopping, sight-seeing, eating? The obvious answer is all of the above . But let's focus on the main goals first. And on shopping, how fancy? I.e. French/Italian famous name brands, "regular people's" brand or "fancy"-knock-offs or "goofy"-knock-offs? Feel free to PM me if needed.

 

You do realized that from you list above, it's 2 separate places --- Hong Kong & Macau which are 75mins apart by jet foil or speedy catamarans.

 

Always appreciate your willingness to help me out with my world adventures! The main goal is site seeing the tourist and cultural attractions. The wife and I can shop any time but we can only visit cool places with the kiddos every once in awhile. So I guess consider the trip an educational one from that aspect. Our goal is to plan at least 1 thing every morning and a 2nd thing every afternoon so that we don't exhaust the kids but we still get the most out of the trip.

 

I do realize that Macau is 75 minutes from HK but we would love to spend a day out there. Any leads on the Jetfoil would be greatly appreciated as the kids would love that and it would make it easy to get there and back.

 

 

Ok. The first thing you should do is to get an "Octopus" card, one for every member of the family. Basically, it's a stored-value card used for all public transportation (except taxi). They are good for trains, subway, tram, mini-buses, regular buses and can even purchase groceries at the 7-11 stores. It would save you a ton of trouble on changes and bills for transport. I am quite sure that you can get a "tourist" version which offers discount (and you can keep the card as a souvenir) but not entirely sure if it would last for 8 days though. Just visit your subway station customer service and they can help you get the card. And you can charge and recharge the card at the same place or at any 7-11 store as well.

 

As others had said, visit Ocean Park with the kids. It's basically a Marine World and an amusement park together along with some nostalgia displays of Hong Kong. It would take a full day to go through everything.

 

Do not go to Disneyland Hong Kong. Way too small and no comparison to either of the 2 US versions or the one in Tokyo. Complete waste of time.

 

From the Central District, take the Peak Tram to Victoria Peak. The ride, literally climbing the hill on a steep angle via a cable car, is pretty cool. And when you get to the peak, go up to the observation deck and you can see the entire Hong Kong Island (Victoria Harbour) as well as the Kowloon harbour (hopefully, the weather would cooperate). That should take half a day or a good 3 hours.

 

You can then take a bus down from Victoria Peak back to the Star Ferry Terminal in Central. (There are mini buses too but going on the upper deck of a huge double decker bus while winding through the narrow roads down the island is a bit of an adventure itself.) You can try the newest attraction --- the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, a harbour view Ferris wheel there if you like. Take the ferry across the Victoria Harbour (yes, the Octopus card will buy you the ferry ride) where you will end up at the Tsim Sha Tsui district. A stone throw away and you will find the Space Museum, the Science Museum and the History Museum all within the relative same distant within each other. The History Museum is good but not sure about the Space/Science museums. The kids may find them fun but, IMHO, you've been to one space/science museum, you virtually been to all of them as everything is about 80% overlapping. That should take care of day 2.

 

Take the subway/train to Ngong Ping, Lantau and from there you can take a gondola (the sky type, not the boat type) to the Tian Tan Buddha. That is a site to behold and you can visit the Po Lin Monastery at the same time as it's less than 0.5mile away. That should take up a good 3/4 of the day.

 

You should try to have a meal at the "Jumbo Floating Restaurant/Jumbo Kingdom". It's not too far from Ocean Park but I don't think you would have the energy to do both on the same day. Basically, it's a floating structure which is also a restaurant that's decorated to resemble an ancient Chinese imperial palace. Not surprisingly, it doesn't have the best food but it's a sight to behold for tourists. It's prettier at night as all the fancy lights illuminate the place. Ask the hotel concierge what's the best public transport to get there but you really can't go wrong by taking a taxi.

 

Jetfoils to Macau are available every hour and I believe they operate about 18hrs a day. So it's not a big deal. Just go to the pier and get your tix there. Jetfoil is likely the funnest for the kids but if you just need to get to Macau, there are several other options available: high-speed catamaran, regular boats (relatively high speed) and even helicopters. All can be boarded at Shun Tak Centre at the Sheung Wan district (west of Central District.) It's a major local transport hub so every form of public transport stops there.

 

As for Macau, honestly, you can go through your tourist thing in 3/4 of a day if not just one afternoon. As a start, it's the Las Vegas of the Orient. Casinos such as the Venetian, Wynn, MGM etc... it's all there. Casino Lisboa would be the one to visit as it's owned by a "local tycoon" so it has the cultural thing. But you have young kids so that would substantially limit access. And, unfortunately, that's what today's Macau is basically about --- gambling and...let's just call it "adult entertainment"... You had listed basically most of the "traditional" tourist points already. I would only add Senado Square and A-Ma Temple for the cultural thing. Returning back to HK is just as easy via boats.

 

Back to HK. If you don't mind the crowd --- and I do mean inundation of people, go visit Mongkok (subway will get you right in the thick of it). Hang around Fa Yuen Street and Sai Yeung Choi Street. There, you will find a place call "Women Street" which consists of stalls after stalls after stalls of all kinds of "stuff" from clothing to electronic goods etc... All are low-quality stuff but they are fun to see. Now, a caution --- this place is the shady part of HK, literally ALL kinds of people are there. Most "entertainment" stuff are run by gangs and there will be people propositioning you to buy fake watches, jewelry, for gambling, for massages etc... Try to stick together as a family. Don't bring and/or show expensive items and be extremely careful with your wallet. Leave your travel documents in the hotel --- money & credit cards you can replace with relative ease. Travel documents can be a hassle, so beware. There are plenty of other tourists around as well, particularly from Mainland China. I guarantee you the place is a zoo and it's an absolute chaos; but it's also quite fun to behold so long as you keep an eye on your valuables.

 

If you really have time to kill and don't mind a cheap crash course tour of HK Island, go to the Western District (in where else but the west side of HK) and find the "Kennedy Town" tram terminal. Board the tram and go to the upper deck and find 4 seats. Then just sit back and enjoy the slow ride all the way from Kennedy Town (west) to Shau Kei Wan (east). That is the entire route of the tram and would take up at least 2 or 3 hours (just make sure the sign says Shau Kei Wan as even though there is only one track, different trams ends at different stops). You would then go through the extreme west of the island to the extreme east and you will witness plenty of interesting districts of HK. Some are modern, some are nostalgic and there are plenty others in between. It's a good way to have a glimpse of the actual life in Hong Kong.

 

For the remaining time, there are plenty of shopping malls to hang around. As you mentioned Time Square is one (in the Causeway Bay district; the entire Causeway Bay is a huge shopping area), Pacific Place is another (Admiralty district), there's Central (Central district), of course. On the Kowloon side, Ocean Terminal and Harbour City (Tsim Sha Tsui district) is a huge complex the interweaves through several malls. If you want a taste of the British Colonial era, go and have afternoon high tea at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Central on the HK Island side, or at the Peninsula in Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side. You will find the service and the decadence are still there (you can check out the fleet of dark green Rolls Royce's the Peninsula uses for the hotel transport at the main entrance as well). High tea starts at 3pm although you might want to get there about 20mins earlier as there could be a line-up especially on the weekends.

 

Well, I think that should be sufficient info. for now. Let me know if you have any question or PM me if needed.

Oh, lastly, the subway in HK is called the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) and it intersects with the regular train line as well as the Airport Express. The MTR is likely the only transportation which you can calculate your ETA almost precisely as there won't be any traffic jam along the way. All the other on-road form of transports are subject to traffic jams and rush hours and those can literally be gridlocks.

VCR seriously thank you!

VCR delivers, once again! Helped me a lot when I went to HK. Victoria Peak is AWESOME and the road is pretty nice!

 

As far as I remember, street food is pretty poor in HK

VCR delivers, once again! Helped me a lot when I went to HK. Victoria Peak is AWESOME and the road is pretty nice!

 

As far as I remember, street food is pretty poor in HK

VCR is the man! I am so excited for this trip!

VCR seriously thank you!

 

 

VCR delivers, once again! Helped me a lot when I went to HK. Victoria Peak is AWESOME and the road is pretty nice!

 

As far as I remember, street food is pretty poor in HK

 

 

VCR is the man! I am so excited for this trip!

 

 

Thank you guys for the kind words; just passing on the info. that I know...

 

Hannibal, you may want to pick an evening to hang out at the harbour front on the Kowloon side, i.e. have a view of HK Island from the Kowloon water front. The best area is likely the "Avenue of Stars" nearby the Space Museum at the Tsim Sha Tsui district (yes, most of the tourist things are at Tsim Sha Tsui). That is the equivalent of the Hollywood Walk of Fame in LA except the hand and shoe prints are that of the SE Asian stars. But the real deal is at 8pm every night. The skyline lights up and you get a huge display of fancy lights and lasers shooting off from the buildings. Added that it's X'mas/New Year's time, you will have festive lights as well. I believe there is even a narrated version along with music that goes in sync with the light show and it's being simulcasted on a FM station (sorry, don't know the frequency though but I am sure the hotel would know). HK is known as "The Pearl of the Orients" for a reason and although it's all man-made, the show is pretty impressive and worth a look.

 

As for street food, I would pass. It's somewhat fun to look at but I would advise against it especially with young kids. We North Americans are used to too clean of everything. Although you are currently staying in the UAE and likely had all the immunization already, certain hygiene criteria in SE Asia just aren't too compatible with North Americans. Most restaurants, fast food chains and establishments in brick and mortar are fine, but I would avoid the street vendors in rolling carts on the streets. It's simply not worth spoiling the holidays especially when you factor in the young children.

Ok. The first thing you should do is to get an "Octopus" card, one for every member of the family. Basically, it's a stored-value card used for all public transportation (except taxi). They are good for trains, subway, tram, mini-buses, regular buses and can even purchase groceries at the 7-11 stores. It would save you a ton of trouble on changes and bills for transport. I am quite sure that you can get a "tourist" version which offers discount (and you can keep the card as a souvenir) but not entirely sure if it would last for 8 days though. Just visit your subway station customer service and they can help you get the card. And you can charge and recharge the card at the same place or at any 7-11 store as well.

 

As others had said, visit Ocean Park with the kids. It's basically a Marine World and an amusement park together along with some nostalgia displays of Hong Kong. It would take a full day to go through everything.

 

Do not go to Disneyland Hong Kong. Way too small and no comparison to either of the 2 US versions or the one in Tokyo. Complete waste of time.

 

From the Central District, take the Peak Tram to Victoria Peak. The ride, literally climbing the hill on a steep angle via a cable car, is pretty cool. And when you get to the peak, go up to the observation deck and you can see the entire Hong Kong Island (Victoria Harbour) as well as the Kowloon harbour (hopefully, the weather would cooperate). That should take half a day or a good 3 hours.

 

You can then take a bus down from Victoria Peak back to the Star Ferry Terminal in Central. (There are mini buses too but going on the upper deck of a huge double decker bus while winding through the narrow roads down the island is a bit of an adventure itself.) You can try the newest attraction --- the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, a harbour view Ferris wheel there if you like. Take the ferry across the Victoria Harbour (yes, the Octopus card will buy you the ferry ride) where you will end up at the Tsim Sha Tsui district. A stone throw away and you will find the Space Museum, the Science Museum and the History Museum all within the relative same distant within each other. The History Museum is good but not sure about the Space/Science museums. The kids may find them fun but, IMHO, you've been to one space/science museum, you virtually been to all of them as everything is about 80% overlapping. That should take care of day 2.

 

Take the subway/train to Ngong Ping, Lantau and from there you can take a gondola (the sky type, not the boat type) to the Tian Tan Buddha. That is a site to behold and you can visit the Po Lin Monastery at the same time as it's less than 0.5mile away. That should take up a good 3/4 of the day.

 

You should try to have a meal at the "Jumbo Floating Restaurant/Jumbo Kingdom". It's not too far from Ocean Park but I don't think you would have the energy to do both on the same day. Basically, it's a floating structure which is also a restaurant that's decorated to resemble an ancient Chinese imperial palace. Not surprisingly, it doesn't have the best food but it's a sight to behold for tourists. It's prettier at night as all the fancy lights illuminate the place. Ask the hotel concierge what's the best public transport to get there but you really can't go wrong by taking a taxi.

 

Jetfoils to Macau are available every hour and I believe they operate about 18hrs a day. So it's not a big deal. Just go to the pier and get your tix there. Jetfoil is likely the funnest for the kids but if you just need to get to Macau, there are several other options available: high-speed catamaran, regular boats (relatively high speed) and even helicopters. All can be boarded at Shun Tak Centre at the Sheung Wan district (west of Central District.) It's a major local transport hub so every form of public transport stops there.

 

As for Macau, honestly, you can go through your tourist thing in 3/4 of a day if not just one afternoon. As a start, it's the Las Vegas of the Orient. Casinos such as the Venetian, Wynn, MGM etc... it's all there. Casino Lisboa would be the one to visit as it's owned by a "local tycoon" so it has the cultural thing. But you have young kids so that would substantially limit access. And, unfortunately, that's what today's Macau is basically about --- gambling and...let's just call it "adult entertainment"... You had listed basically most of the "traditional" tourist points already. I would only add Senado Square and A-Ma Temple for the cultural thing. Returning back to HK is just as easy via boats.

 

Back to HK. If you don't mind the crowd --- and I do mean inundation of people, go visit Mongkok (subway will get you right in the thick of it). Hang around Fa Yuen Street and Sai Yeung Choi Street. There, you will find a place call "Women Street" which consists of stalls after stalls after stalls of all kinds of "stuff" from clothing to electronic goods etc... All are low-quality stuff but they are fun to see. Now, a caution --- this place is the shady part of HK, literally ALL kinds of people are there. Most "entertainment" stuff are run by gangs and there will be people propositioning you to buy fake watches, jewelry, for gambling, for massages etc... Try to stick together as a family. Don't bring and/or show expensive items and be extremely careful with your wallet. Leave your travel documents in the hotel --- money & credit cards you can replace with relative ease. Travel documents can be a hassle, so beware. There are plenty of other tourists around as well, particularly from Mainland China. I guarantee you the place is a zoo and it's an absolute chaos; but it's also quite fun to behold so long as you keep an eye on your valuables.

 

If you really have time to kill and don't mind a cheap crash course tour of HK Island, go to the Western District (in where else but the west side of HK) and find the "Kennedy Town" tram terminal. Board the tram and go to the upper deck and find 4 seats. Then just sit back and enjoy the slow ride all the way from Kennedy Town (west) to Shau Kei Wan (east). That is the entire route of the tram and would take up at least 2 or 3 hours (just make sure the sign says Shau Kei Wan as even though there is only one track, different trams ends at different stops). You would then go through the extreme west of the island to the extreme east and you will witness plenty of interesting districts of HK. Some are modern, some are nostalgic and there are plenty others in between. It's a good way to have a glimpse of the actual life in Hong Kong.

 

For the remaining time, there are plenty of shopping malls to hang around. As you mentioned Time Square is one (in the Causeway Bay district; the entire Causeway Bay is a huge shopping area), Pacific Place is another (Admiralty district), there's Central (Central district), of course. On the Kowloon side, Ocean Terminal and Harbour City (Tsim Sha Tsui district) is a huge complex the interweaves through several malls. If you want a taste of the British Colonial era, go and have afternoon high tea at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Central on the HK Island side, or at the Peninsula in Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side. You will find the service and the decadence are still there (you can check out the fleet of dark green Rolls Royce's the Peninsula uses for the hotel transport at the main entrance as well). High tea starts at 3pm although you might want to get there about 20mins earlier as there could be a line-up especially on the weekends.

 

Well, I think that should be sufficient info. for now. Let me know if you have any question or PM me if needed.

Oh, lastly, the subway in HK is called the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) and it intersects with the regular train line as well as the Airport Express. The MTR is likely the only transportation which you can calculate your ETA almost precisely as there won't be any traffic jam along the way. All the other on-road form of transports are subject to traffic jams and rush hours and those can literally be gridlocks.

 

 

yup great post, well said!!!

 

HK is great i could live there and be VERY happy. i'd never come back to America

 

 

Everything in life should work as efficiently as MTR and Airport Express LOL

 

after thought, the end of the line past Disney is the sky buckets to the Giant Buddha and a fishing village. I didnt take the buckets we didnt want to wait in the que but its a nice place to go, for a short 1/2 day trip.

 

also went to another island took 35? minutes by ferry that was fun as well. I cant recall the name of it.

 

IMO HK is the best city in the world-period. Tokyo is great as well but HK wins by a hair. The only think missing are hot girls from Brazil lol

yup great post, well said!!!

 

HK is great i could live there and be VERY happy. i'd never come back to America

 

 

Everything in life should work as efficiently as MTR and Airport Express LOL

 

after thought, the end of the line past Disney is the sky buckets to the Giant Buddha and a fishing village. I didnt take the buckets we didnt want to wait in the que but its a nice place to go, for a short 1/2 day trip.

 

also went to another island took 35? minutes by ferry that was fun as well. I cant recall the name of it.

 

IMO HK is the best city in the world-period. Tokyo is great as well but HK wins by a hair. The only think missing are hot girls from Brazil lol

 

Thanks!

 

The giant Buddha & fishing village is at Ngong Ping which has been mentioned on the 6th paragraph of my post.

 

The other island you referred to is likely Cheung Chau. Not much to see during the time when Hannibal & family are there. It's only fun during the annual Bun Festival. Typical stereotype Asian fishing village with folklore temples and live seafood.

 

HK was great; unfortunately, the key word here is "was". It's still a fantastic place to visit but it's no longer as great as it was. Extreme high cost of real estates really killed everything (high rent = high retail pricing) and greatly divided and fractured the society. And unlike the old days when people just band together to make HK a better place to be; nowadays, there are way too many people sweating over their own political views and agendas stirring up storms. I would agree that HK wins by a hair over Tokyo if it was 5 years ago or earlier. For today, Tokyo wins by an arm's length.

Quick question on Taxis in HK. Are they cash only like here in the UAE or do they take plastic like the cabs in NYC? I am trying to determine how much cash I need to bring vs how much I can rely on my plastic. Thanks!

Still have to flesh it out including transportation (sounds like MTR and the Octopus card are the way to go as much as possible) but.....

 

27th

Land

Check in to the Hotel in the Tsim Sha Tsui area

Heritage Museum

Tram to Victoria Peak

Bus to Observation Wheel

 

28th

Po Lin Monastary

Tian Tan Budda

Space Museum (if we have time once we get back to the hotel) Closed 1 Nov 2015 to 1 March 2016

 

29th

Macau via Jet Foil

Fisherman's Wharf

Ruins of St. Paul's

Sendo Square

A Ma Temple

Macau Tower

 

30th

Kennedy Town Tram to Shau Kei Wan (following VCR's guide above)

Times Square Hong Kong

 

31st (stay close to hotel as I assume the New Year will be NUTS)

History Museum

Science Museum

 

1st

Ocean Park

Jumbo Floating Restaurant

 

2nd

Mong Kok

Hong Kong Museum of Art Supposedly is closed until 2018

 

3rd

Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck

Fly out at 18:00 Local Time

 

 

Cash for the taxis. They do have print out receipts if needed. Getting taxis 3:30pm to 4:45pm would be challenging as that's when they change shifts. So keep that in mind please. MTR is the way to go, it's fast, convenient and no traffic jam.

 

I would swap the 28th & 1st itinerary around if possible. Tourists from Mainland China is going to inundate HK around the holidays and Ocean Park is considered one of their "must see". Better off to go on a Monday to avoid the major crowd (it'll still be very crowded but it will have less people). There is no way we North Americans can compete with some of the ruthless Mainland Chinese mob as far as line-up is concerned.

 

You can judge from your tram ride to see which districts seem interesting. Note the tram stop and you can revisit there if time permits. Sounds like you are a cultural guy. Wanchai district on the HK Island may fit your bill. Middle to middle-lower class district so you will see "real" people and how they live. It has a couple of small temples and it's where HK's first post office was (it's now a museum). Open market nearby and when you walk towards the water front around Lockhart Road, you will see the old red light district (kids will be ok). Decades ago, it was the district that catered to the US navy for shore-leave. Now, you'll likely see bars that cater to expats. On the same street, you will also see lots of shops that sell construction furnishing materials (tiles, wood and aluminum boards, kitchen & bathroom hardware etc...). Go beyond Lockhart road further towards the water front and you will see a number of car dealerships: Porsche, Toyota, Jaguar etc... There's a Lambo showroom too but it's hopelessly small (1 car) and not very exciting at all.

 

When you are at the airport, look for display and tourism staffs that have "tourist package". There will be tourist guidebooks and discount coupons inside. Most, of course, are advertising and directly catered for tourists. But it would serve as a basic reference.

 

Good luck and hope you will enjoy your visit. Any other question, please just ask away.

Cash for the taxis. They do have print out receipts if needed. Getting taxis 3:30pm to 4:45pm would be challenging as that's when they change shifts. So keep that in mind please. MTR is the way to go, it's fast, convenient and no traffic jam.

 

I would swap the 28th & 1st itinerary around if possible. Tourists from Mainland China is going to inundate HK around the holidays and Ocean Park is considered one of their "must see". Better off to go on a Monday to avoid the major crowd (it'll still be very crowded but it will have less people). There is no way we North Americans can compete with some of the ruthless Mainland Chinese mob as far as line-up is concerned.

 

You can judge from your tram ride to see which districts seem interesting. Note the tram stop and you can revisit there if time permits. Sounds like you are a cultural guy. Wanchai district on the HK Island may fit your bill. Middle to middle-lower class district so you will see "real" people and how they live. It has a couple of small temples and it's where HK's first post office was (it's now a museum). Open market nearby and when you walk towards the water front around Lockhart Road, you will see the old red light district (kids will be ok). Decades ago, it was the district that catered to the US navy for shore-leave. Now, you'll likely see bars that cater to expats. On the same street, you will also see lots of shops that sell construction furnishing materials (tiles, wood and aluminum boards, kitchen & bathroom hardware etc...). Go beyond Lockhart road further towards the water front and you will see a number of car dealerships: Porsche, Toyota, Jaguar etc... There's a Lambo showroom too but it's hopelessly small (1 car) and not very exciting at all.

 

When you are at the airport, look for display and tourism staffs that have "tourist package". There will be tourist guidebooks and discount coupons inside. Most, of course, are advertising and directly catered for tourists. But it would serve as a basic reference.

 

Good luck and hope you will enjoy your visit. Any other question, please just ask away.

 

Your advice and your help continue to be greatly appreciated. I am very excited for this trip and just as excited to share it with the LPers.

Night life in LFK in HK

 

Egg custard and steam milk jello in Venetian food court in Macau

 

I had a good time last year.

Off to Hong Kong tonight! Downloaded the MTR map and told the hotel not to pick us up. The adventure starts when we land as I find us Octopus cards and we make our way to the hotel via 3 trains and 5 stops.

Hope you will have a great time there.

 

Safe travels.

Rolling! So nice to fly out of Abu Dhabi instead of Dubai. 13 min drive to the airport in the Etihad limo and 40 min from sitting on my couch to sitting in the Etihad Premium Lounge.

 

Kiddos are snacking on chocolate cake...lucky them!