Hong Kong Travel Wiki

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Travel to Hong Kong

Hong Kong is quite unique for China. Administered under a framework of one nation, two systems, it is a city that retains a separate economic and political system from the rest of the country. Partly because of its long-term status as a colony before 1997 and partly because of its significance as a financial center, visitors will find a stay here to be an intriguing way to begin getting to know the Chinese culture.

At the same time, the entry requirements for Hong Kong for visitors are different than they are for China. Hong Kong provides a culture that keeps you moving. There are very few benches or seating arrangements to be found in the public areas of the city. Even the cafés and restaurants want a fast turnover of tables, so rest is infrequent and rare. Bring a comfortable pair of shoes.

Be sure to reserve time to enjoy the views that are offered at Victoria Peak. There is a shopping area and an observation platform at Peak Tower that provides a stunning view of the city. The Trick Eye Museum is another place you won’t want to miss. Filled with 3-D artwork, you’re invited to interact with the exhibits during your stay.

You can also find many locations in Hong Kong that celebrate the regions traditional heritage. From stilt houses to the Tian Tan Buddha and other various temples, you can immerse yourself as deeply as you wish. Hong Kong may be an international city with a diverse culture, but it also provides a very personal, intimate experience for visitors. It really is the perfect holiday destination.

Best of Hong Kong.

Below you find some recommendations to the best sights and attractions in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Museum of Art

Located at 10 Salisbury Rd Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, the Hong Kong Museum of Art is open to anyone who wants to take a glimpse of Hong Kong’s culture and history through its large collection of over 14,000 items ranging from calligraphy, paintings, Hong Kong treasure, art objects, antiques, and lithographs. Website

Hong Kong Space Museum

See what’s in store for you in the future at Hong Kong Space Museum. The complex offers hundreds of displays ranging from telecommunications, robotics, energy, computers, and physics with hands on experience that will keep you interested. Website

Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery (Sha Tin)

Located at New Territories, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery features Buddha in different poses and colors.

Victoria Peak

Soaring 1810 feet above sea level, the Victoria Peak is premier destination for tourists who want to take a birds eye view of downtown Hong Kong, Kowloon, and Victoria Harbour. Go another step higher and take a 10-minute hike to the actual Victoria Peak.

Ocean Park

Visit Ocean Park. This is one Hong Kong attractions where you and your kids will have a great fun. The park is one big oceanarium containing Lowlands Gardens where pandas live, goldfish pagoda and butterfly house are located, Marine Land where atoll reef and shark aquariums are found, and Headlands amusement park where you can go and take a ride with cable cars and roller coasters. Website

The Central district

If you love to shop, you better go to the central Hong Kong district where big shopping malls and several Western designer and signature boutiques are located.

Lamma Island

For a different Hong Kong experience, try Lamma Island. It hosts several outdoor activities such as swimming and hiking. And if you love to taste fresh Hong Kong seafood in great dining ambiance, Lamma Island is still the preferred place to go.

New Year’s Parade

The New Year’s parade in Hong Kong is an event not to be missed! The city is dressed up with bright decorations and colorful lights for its biggest celebration of the year, and thousands pour into Hong Kong to take part in the festivities.

Winding along Hong Kong’s picturesque waterfront, the New Year’s parade is filled with colorful, lavishly decorated floats. Representatives from Hong Kong and countries all over the world sing, dance and play music. The songs of marching bands fill the air along the parade’s route as performers in bright costumes prance along the streets.

No matter which zodiac animal is being celebrated for the coming year, there are always plenty of lions and dragons in the parade. Energetic dancers wearing giant lion heads leap in the air as long dragons held aloft by more than twenty people snake past the enthralled parade watchers.

The New Year’s parade is the biggest event of Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year celebration. Close to 300,000 people attend the parade and millions more watch it on television. In recent years the parade has taken place in the evening, featuring vivid, dazzling light displays.

The Lunar New Year is one of Hong Kong’s most important and well-loved holidays. Each year one of twelve different animals is celebrated, according to the Chinese zodiac. Many of the city’s towering skyscrapers are decked out in glittering lights for the holiday. Throughout the three-day celebration, dancers in colorful costumes perform lion and dragon dances in the streets, malls and hotel lobbies. Traditionally, people exchange small, red envelopes filled with money as gifts. Flower markets show up all over the city during the holiday, selling plants and flowers with special significance, and stores and restaurants display flowers meant to bring immortality and good luck.

The New Year celebration usually begins anywhere from January 21 to February 19, depending on the year. While the holiday officially lasts fifteen days, in Hong Kong it is celebrated for three days, with the New Year’s parade taking place on the first day. January 29, 2006 is the first day of the forthcoming new year.

The day after the New Year’s parade a brilliant display of fireworks lights up
Hong Kong’s famous Victoria Harbour. The fireworks can be viewed from the waterfront or from boats cruising the harbour. On the third day of the celebration a large horse race takes place at the Sha Tin racetrack. This lively race is a favorite for gamblers and horseracing enthusiasts.

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Kowloon

There are some destinations which offer excitement while others bring you serenity. Kowloon is one of those rare places that offer both, and if you’re visiting for the first time you will be blown away by the sights and sounds of this wonderful locality. This understandably popular area of Hong Kong is packed to the rafters with skyscrapers, shops and markets, yet it’s still home to tranquil little parks and a peaceful waterfront. Holidays here are sometimes exciting and sometimes reflective, but you can rest assured that they are never likely to be boring.

When the time comes to search the various Kowloon accommodation options, you will be amazed by the amount of choice that you have. There are hotels, bed and breakfasts and guesthouses aplenty, especially in the area around Kowloon Cricket Club. Whatever your budget might be, you will find something to match it here. Thanks to the geographical layout of the region you will never be far away from the waterfront, so if you enjoy sea views and a delightfully fresh morning breeze, you might find by the end of your holiday that you really don’t want to leave.

If you ever thought Hong Kong was just a collection of skyscrapers and very little else, it’s time to think again. Many first-time visitors are surprised by the number of superb beaches that are to be found here. Some are extremely popular and likely to be teeming with tourists, while many more are located at secluded inlets which are relatively unknown. Peace and quiet is never very far away when you’re in Kowloon and the surrounding area.

Even those who are yet to visit Hong Kong are aware of the stunning skyline that always takes the breath away. One of the best ways to experience it is from the Sky100 observation deck at the International Commerce Centre, a hugely impressive skyscraper that offers a bird’s eye view of this stunning locale from 393 metres up. Bring your camera with you and take some of the most stunning photos you will ever have in your collection.

Sometimes the best days out are to be enjoyed at a theme park, and the fun-packed Ocean Park is perfect for visitors of all ages. It’s located on Hong Kong Island, just a short trip from Kowloon, and if you have children with you this really is a must-visit attraction. Spread over an area of more than 90 hectares, you’ll find plenty to see and plenty to do here. The Hair Raiser rollercoaster is a particular favourite if you have the courage to try it.

If you’re keen to get to the very heartbeat of Kowloon, a trip to Nathan Road is a must. This is the main thoroughfare in the district, and it plays host to a number of shops, restaurants and famous landmarks, including Chungking Mansions, Kowloon Park and the Miramar Shopping Centre.

City life

Big bustling city life is the norm in Hong Kong. Staggeringly tall skyscrapers are jam packed into a glowing cityscape that pulsates with the life of its 1.3 million residents. Life moves fast in Hong Kong, but if you stop in the middle of the hustle and bustle to take in the sights you will find one of the most interesting and wonderful lifestyles there are. Just outside this are beautiful mountains and quaint fishing villages that are a joy to experience.

All that you’d expect from a world city in terms of Hong Kong accommodation is right here, from ultra-luxurious hotels to backpacker hostels. If it’s your first time in the city, you might want to stay on Hong Kong Island and explore from there. On Hong Kong Island, Central and Wanchai are good choices, and also Causeway Bay to the east of the island. There you’ll find big department stores, and the huge Times Square shopping mall. Kowloon is another popular area for visitors, but because the territory is so compact and the public transport so good, you can stay anywhere and be in the midst of it all.

Hong Kong is a fragmented collection of islands and the Kowloon peninsula. In all, there are 263 islands in this special administrative region of China that was once under British rule. The largest islands are Lantau and Hong Kong Island, which is the heart of the territory and where its commercial and political centres are located.

There’s so much to do in Hong Kong that it can be hard to know where to start. A good place to begin your adventure is The Peak, where you get a stunning panorama of the entire territory. Take The Peak Tram to this highest point in Hong Kong and view the city from The Peak Tower’s observation deck. Up there, you’ll also get a breather from the humidity down below.

Make sure you see one of Hong Kong’s many temples. Among the most popular is the Wong Tai Sin Temple in Kowloon. Three religions are represented at the temple – Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. The temple’s popularity with tourists and locals lies in its claim to “make every wish come true upon request”.

There’s also Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park Hong Kong and the organised chaos of Temple Street Night Market, where you can pick up almost anything.

Take a one-hour cruise around Victoria Harbour in one of the many ferries plying the routes; or hop aboard a traditional Chinese junk for that authentic feel.

Visitors to Hong Kong certainly cannot leave without having dined in the profusion of Chinese restaurants – there are 11,000 to choose from! You must try Hong Kong’s dim sum, Chinese barbeque, fusion dishes and seafood, not to mention some of the best fine dining in the entire world.

Island life

Visit the diverse and lovely Hong Kong Island- a popular getaway for mainland Hong Kong locals and beautiful destination for foreign travellers. The island is a wonderful mixture of futuristic buildings broken up by peaceful gardens and natural landscapes, perfect for any type of holiday. Here you can relish breath-taking views from Victoria Peak, mingle with the locals on the shores, and take part in cultural festivals all year round. There are child-friendly attractions, like Ocean Park and Hong Kong Park, which even the parents will enjoy.

For a leisurely holiday centred on beach activities, Repulse Bay and Shek O are the places to stay. City-lovers will find the urban-natural fusion of the north coast and its oases of Hong Kong Park and Victoria Peak more than enough reason to stay in Central.

Hong Kong Island is the second-largest island of Hong Kong, off the southern coast of China. The island is easy to get around, via the MTR underground, making it possible to explore the entire island on your holiday to Hong Kong Island. Ride a tram to Victoria Peak for incredible panoramic views of the city, but make sure your camera battery is fully charged for postcard-worthy photos!

Central Hong Kong Island is full of high-end restaurants and pubs for a wonderful gourmet night out, as well as three huge shopping centres. This area is also great for antique shops along Cat Street and Hollywood Road.

For a laid back afternoon head to Admiralty and explore Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens and Hong Kong Park, a natural respite from the city equivalent to New York City’s Central Park. . The Museum of Tea Ware is another popular spot and displays the millennia old infatuation with tea, complemented by the K.S. Lo Gallery tea house.

The Southern District is home to many beautiful beaches on the South China Sea and is popular with the Hong Kong locals in summer. Take a stroll along beautiful Repulse Bay – don’t let the name fool you, or Deep Water Bay and Stanley for sparkling seas and sunbathing opportunities. For excellent surfing and archaeology, Big Wave Bay Beach in Shek O is the place to be.

Stanley, like Hong Kong r, has been transformed into a modern area with lovely bay side, eateries and hotels. The most famous attraction around, Stanley Market is best known for its bargain prices.

Take the kids to explore Ocean Park, home of many marine life attractions, including performing seals and dolphins at Ocean Theatre. Gaze at swimming inhabitants of the enormous Atoll Reef fish tank from several floors, excite over the Giant Panda Habitat and stand in awe at the shark aquarium.

Don’t forget to visit other parts of Hong Kong Island, like the famous fishing village of Aberdeen, the floating junk-dwelling community and Happy Valley for exciting horse racing: the season goes on for most of the year.