Hong Kong (SAR) 7 Days

Day 1

-   (1 1/2 hours) take a stroll around HSBC building on Des Voeux Road.  Walk into the square in front of that building.  Take a look at the former Supreme Court (now the legislature) building, and the square that commemorates the war dead.  Opposite the legislature building is a garden, walk in and explore a bit.  Then walk up Battery Path on the slope opposite HSBC to the St John's Cathedral compound, where you can feel the days when the British were around.

-   (2 hours) take the peak tram opposite St John"s Catheral to the Victoria Peak; find a spot around the tram terminal where you can have a commanding view of the harbour and enjoy the view below.  Later, take a walk along Lugard Road, the path which circles the peak and starts from and ends just outside the tram terminal, to have a 360-degree view of Hong Kong.  Make sure you enter Lugard Road on the right side of the terminal, so that you can have a good view of the harbour.  The walk takes one hour to complete, but if you have seen enough, you can turn back.

-   (1 1/2 hours) go inside the two shopping malls: Peak Tower and Peak Galleria nearby.  There are several restaurants which have a good view of the harbour, pick one and have lunch there.

You can go up to the observation deck of the Peak Tower, but it charges a fee and the view there is no better than what you can see from the restaurants that overlook the harbour.

-   (2 hours)  after lunch, take the tram or a bus (the bus terminal is on the ground level of Peak Galleria) back to Central.  Then walk around Admiralty, where you can see several impressive glass office towers, including the new Bank of China building.  Do some window shopping at Pacific Centre nearby; this is a modern shopping mall with well laid out shops on 4 levels.

-   (2 hours)  take the escalator on the west end of Pacific Centre up to Supreme Court Road, cross the road into Hong Kong Park, which is built on a slope.  Surrounded by several hotels, office towers and the Victoria Peak, the park has lots of plants and flowers on display.  You may see brides and grooms posing for pictures because the Marriage Registry is within the park.  You can enter the tea museum where you can learn the art of Chinese tea appreciation.  Further up the slope is a large aviary where a variety of birds are kept which is well worth visiting. 

-   (2 hours)   walk back to Pacific Place and then enter the MTR station to go to Causeway Bay (2 stops) for shopping and for food.  In that district are many shops selling fashion, jewelry, camera and handphone equipment, and much more.  Shop around, but check the quality of what you buy and bargain.  For dinner, you will find many buildings with many restaurants in one building.  So, it should be easy to find a restaurant that serves the kind of food you like.

If not, take the MTR back to Central, get off at the Pedder Street stop, and walk to nearby Lan Kwai Fong, where there are many restaurants and bars.  Often by 7:30 pm, that area is crowded with patrons.  So, time yourself.

Day 2

-  (morning)  find your way to Ocean Park on the south side of Hong Kong.  It is worth visiting because it has many different forms of entertainment all wrapped in one location.  Near the entrance are the giant panda dens, and other animals on display.  To go into the park proper, visitors have to take the cable car which gives you a view of some of the most beautiful bays in Hong Kong.  When you get off the cable car, visit the multi-storey indoor aquarium (Atoll Reef) where one can see surface-feeding and deep-water fish at various levels as you walk down the circular path fringing the aquarium.  At the Ocean Theatre are dolphin and sea lion performances.  There are many other things you can see and do in this park, including hair-raising rides.

-  (afternoon) after Ocean Park, go to Aberdeen which  is 15 minutes' away by bus.  It used to be a fishing village.  There, you can see the bay which also serves as a typhoon shelter.  By noon time, the fishermen would have sold their catch and closed for the day, but if you are there before 1:30 pm, you can visit the wholesale fishermen's market where live fish is being sold, but be prepared to get wet.  Hire a boat which offers guided tours to explore the area.  Go across to the floating restaurant moored in the middle of the bay where you can enjoy some refreshments and at the same time observe the life style in the bay which has been around for over a hundred years.  

-   (evening)  take a bus or taxi to Stanley (about 40 minutes).  Stanley is a small bay, which used to be a fishing village, but now has shops, restaurants and boutique hotels for people to go there and have a good time.  You can walk around the area, go inside shops which sell art pieces, clothing and souvenirs, and walk along the moon-shaped bayshore.  If you like, you can drop in one of the food outlets facing the bay and have a drink while enjoying the view and sea breeze.  Go to the far end of the bay where Murray Building is situated.  In front of it is a pier where you may see people fishing or simply having a good time.

-   for dinner, go inside Murray Building, which was dismantled and rebuilt stone by stone from its previous site in Central.  There are several restaurants on the upper levels serving western and Asian food.  After dinner, you will have to take the long ride of about one hour back to Central.

Day 3

-  (2 1/2 hours)  ride the Escalator which climbs from the Central District up the slope of Victoria Peak through streets lined with shops, cafes, restaurants and houses (the Escalator normally only goes uphill; it is only during early morning hours that it goes downhill).  Get off at any exit point, one of which is SOHO, take a walk, have a drink or meal somewhere, and get back on until you reach Robinson Road.  From there, walk back down through the Botanic Gardens to Central (a half an hour walk).

-  (2 hours)  go from Central to the Star Ferry pier and  cross over to Kowloon.  Get onto the upper deck of the ferry so that you will have more comfortable seats and a better view of Kowloon ahead of and Hong Kong Island behind you.  Try to take some pictures during the less than 10-minute ride.  Once you land on Kowloon side, spend some time taking a stroll along the seafront and admire the view of Hong Kong Island.  It will give you a different perspective of Hong Kong. 

You are now in Tsim Sha Tsui.  Near the ferry terminal are the historic Clock Tower, formerly part of the railway terminal which was relocated many years ago, the Space Museum, the Cultural Centre, the Meuseum of Art and the Avenue of Stars (i.e. movie stars).  At least try to visit one of them.  Afterwards, walk from the seafront to the world-renowned Peninsula Hotel, which has a long history in Hong Kong and still projects an atmosphere of the times gone by. 

-  (2 hours)  next visit the "bird street", the Flower Market and the Goldfish Market in Kowloon.  "Bird street" is the place where bird lovers gather and where "bird-ware" such as crafted cages and grasshoppers and other food for birds are sold.  The Flower Market has over 100 shops spanning several streets where you will find an amazing display of brightly coloured flowers and potted plants, large and small.  The Goldfish Market has stores which sell tropical fish and accessories.

To get there, take the MTR (subway) from Tsim Sha Tsui and get off at the Prince Edward station.  You will find "bird street" on Yuen Po Street.  Some distance away is Flower Market Road, and Goldfish Market is on Sai Yee Street.

-  (evening)  take a bus to Lei Yue Mun fishing village, which is on Kowloon side at the eastern end of the harbour.  You will find a seafood bazaar with a wide choice of live fish and shell fish swimming in tanks.  You can choose your seafood from different stalls and then hand them over to the restaurant of you choice for preparation.

Day 4

-  (whoe day)  take a tour of Lantau Island, the largest island in Hong Kong, to experience traditional Chinese culture and the lush greenery and rural life on that island.  Lantau can be reached by either sea or road (coach).  If you do not suffer from sea-sickness, you may consider a scenic ferry ride to the picturesque village of Mui Wo.  The easiest way to enjoy yourself hassle-free is to join a local tours, which will provide transport and possibly meals.  Generally the tours will include the 25-minute, 5.7 km cable car ride on the “Ngong Ping 360” cable car system up the mountain to Ngong Ping Village.  The ride will give you a panoramic view of the airport, South China Sea, lush surroundings, and the Giant Buddha statue at the top of the mountain.  When you arrive at Ngong Ping Village on the plateau, you can visit attractions such as Walking with Buddha, Monkey's Tale Theatre and the Ngong Ping Tea House.

Near the village are Po Lin Monastery, which has a long history, and the world's tallest seated bronze Buddha sitting atop 268 steps.  Some tours offer a vegetarian lunch at the Monastery.  The Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car system is sometimes closed for maintenance.  When this happens, you will go up the mountain using other means.  So check with the tour company before booking.

Other stops during the tour depending on the program you choose may include a visit to the Tanka boat people’s fishing village at Tai O, or a stop at the beautiful Cheung Sha Beach.

Day 5

-  (morning)  visit the 61-acre Hong Kong Wetland Park in Tin Shui Wai in the New Territories.  The park was built to continue to provide a sanctuary for birds on their annual migration when parts of Tin Shui Wai was developed into a new town.  It is also home to a wide variety of wildlife including dragonflies, amphibians, mammals, reptiles, butterflies and fish.

The park is open 10:00 am to 5:00 pm everyday except Tuesdays (unless the Tuesday is a public holiday, in which case the park will be open), and is closed during the Chinese New Year holiday (check before you go). 

Take the MTR to Tin Shui Wai Station interchange for the Light Rail (Route 705) and get off at Wetland Park Station, the Park is a 5-minute walk ahead.

The main part of the park is a reserve with mangrove swamps and boardwalks, bird hides and stream walks which allow visitors to get close to the wildlife.  Also within the park is the Ma Po Marshes, which has been designated as Wetlands of International Importance.  There are also exhibition galleries for educational and entertainment purposes.

-  (evening)  join a harbour cruise.  Several companies offer such cruises, which may or may not include dinner (talk to your hotel to locate them).  Dinner may be taken on the boat, at the Victoria Peak or Lei Yue Mun.  Look at the various options available; one of them is the cruise which lasts for two hours offered by Star Ferry every night on the “Shining Star” ferry; it starts at around 7:00 pm every night from the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier.  The “Shining Star” takes a circular route around Victoria Harbour and at 8:00 pm, you will see the Symphony of Lights on display.

Day 6

-  (whole day)  take a trip to the New Territories between Kowloon and mainland China.  Although some parts of the land have been urbanised, many areas still retain their natural beauty, tradition and architecture, especially in the more remote places.  Plan your trip with a tour company which can provide transportation.  Points of interest to consider:

-   the Yuen Yuen Institute, a large monastery housing the three religions of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

-   Tai Mo Shan ("Shan" means mountain), Hong Kong’s highest peak, which provides a panoramic view of the city to the south and land and rivers in the New Territories to the north.

-   the Fanling Walled Village with its old village wall and ancestral hall, which was first settled in the 12th century by descendents of the eldest princess of the Southern Song Dynasty.

-   the bird sanctury around Luk Keng Road, which runs along the coastline of Mainland China opposite an inlet.

-   a fish farm around Sam Mun Tsai.

-   Bride's Pool Fall.

If time permits, visit Sai Kung on the eastern side of the New Territories, which has been less affected by urbanisation.  In here the landscape is dominated by rolling hills, walking trails, beaches and the sea.

Day 7

-  (morning)  visit the Kowloon Walled City Park, at Tung Tau Tsuen Road.  For directions to get there, it is best to call the Park Office at 27169962.

Located in north-eastern Kowloon, the site was used by imperial officials in the 15th century.  After the British occupied Hong Kong Island in 1841, China completed a walled garrison city there with 6 watchtowers and 4 gates in 1847.  When the New Territories were leased to the British in 1898, Qing officials still remained there until they were driven out by the British in 1899.  This somehow resulted in the walled city becoming a semi-lawless den for criminals of all sorts and high rises with shaky foundations, until 1987 when the British and Chinese governments agreed to clear the area.  In the meantime, the Japanese tore down the wall during WW II and used the stones to extend the (old) Kai Tak airport.

The park was completed in 1995, with the help of artisans from China who incorporated remnants that had been salvaged and reproduced the new structures in line with designs in the Qing period.

When you visit the park, you will feel that you are going back in time as you will be in a Qing period setting and find carved granite plaques from the original South Gate, the foundation of the former wall, the foundations of the South and East Gates, and a flag-stone path next to the drainage ditch running along the foot of the inner wall, old cannons, stone lintels and couplets, and column bases.

Near the park are many food outlets which serve traditional Chinese food at reasonable prices.

-  (evening)  if the weather is fine, go back to the Victoria Peak and have another look at the city below you.  It could appear a waste of time to go back to the same place twice in 7 days, but it is not.  There are visitors who repeatedly come back to the Peak during every visit.

Particularly, what you see during the day on the Peak on Day 1 and now is literally as different as night and day.  The view will be even better if you are there around 8:00 pm (for the Symphony of Lights display) or when firework displays are on during festive seasons,

It is guaranteed to be an unforgettable sight because what you will see in front of you is a giant live show of a bustling city in motion, brightly lit by millions of lights, making the night view of Hong Kong absolutely the best in the world. 

 

 

Last edited Nov 22, 08 8:52 PM. Contributors: Andrew W.