Things I did in Hong Kong
Here's my itinerary of the things I did in Hong Kong. Hope this helps you plan for your own Hong Kong getaway.
Eds and I started the day early since we booked an early flight. The trip wouldn't be possible without the promo fare that we got from Cebu Pacific. RJ was already on her way since she took the first flight going to Hong Kong. We met RJ already waiting at the terminal and we were on our way. We made sure to get maps at the airport to help us. We also made sure to go to the foreign exchange at the airport. While waiting in line at the airport to get an Octopus card, we were advised by one of the airport personnel that we can already ride the MTR and just purchase the card when we changed trains to our destination. We booked our hotel through Agoda and is located in Kowloon. From the airport, we had to transfer to different trains to reach our destination. Good thing our hotel was near the MTR so it was just walking distance already. Check in was easy, we just presented our voucher and we were able to have an early check in. First thing on our minds was to eat lunch since all of us were super hungry. We walked around and when we saw KFC, it was done. We got a meal that was good for three already so we just split the bill among ourselves. After lunch we went back to our hotel to change and start our itinerary.
Day 1
The Peak
First on our agenda was to go to The Peak. It was fairly easy to get there, we just rode the MTR from Yau Ma Tei station (where our hotel, Kings De Nathan is located) to Central station. From there, it was a few minutes walk to the tram terminal. Going to the terminal, we already started taking some pictures.
There's quite a line since its a popular tourist destination. We waited for I guess almost an hour to ride the 10 minute tram ride going up to Victoria Peak.
It was a foggy day when we went there, we can tell since the buildings had an overcast of fog and you can't see the top. Once we got to the Sky Terrace, which was the top of The Peak, it was so foggy that we can't see anything.
It was a cold day and with the fog, we decided to come back inside after taking some pictures and warm up by buying some coffee at Pacific Coffee. It helped keep us warm, and keep us awake because we still had a lot of sightseeing to do that day.
After resting our feet, we came back out to the cold to take more pictures. Since it was getting late and there was a long line again for the tram going back down, we decided to head out to our next destination, The Avenue of the Stars and to watch the Symphony of lights.
Once we got back to the terminal at the bottom, there was a cab station so we got one going to the ferry terminal so we can ride the Star Ferry going back to Kowloon.
The Octopus card is very handy since you can use it at the ferry. We went to the upper deck so we can see the city at night (the fee is different between the upper and lower deck) and take some pictures.
Travel Tip: Make sure that its a clear day when you visit The Peak. There was an overcast when we were there so we wen't really able to see any views from the top.
Symphony of Lights
Once we got back to the ferry terminal, we walked to The Avenue of the Starts (around a 10 minute leisurely walk) to watch the Symphony of Lights.
At exactly 8PM the music will queue and the show will start. There's a lot of people as well anxiously waiting for the spectacle, good thing I found a nice spot where I can see the buildings at Hong Kong island. Since it was a foggy night, the top of the buildings weren't really visible, but nevertheless, it was still a nice show. After the spectacle, we headed back to the terminal where we rode bus number 2 back to our hotel. The bus stops a few steps away from the hotel so it was very convenient. Again, the Octopus card can be used at the bus.
Travel Tip: There is a tourism office at the ferry terminal, make sure to drop by and get fliers and pamphlets.
Temple Street Night Market
After a tiring day of sightseeing, we went back to the hotel to rest for a few minutes, grabbed a late dinner at the noodle house near the hotel, then headed back out to the Temple Street night market. Good thing the market was just near our hotel so it was a 3 - 5 minute walk away. Its a lively street full of stalls selling different items from souvenirs to toys, apparel and even CD's. There's also an area where you can grab a bite and fill your stomach after all the shopping. Make sure to haggle to get a good price on the things that you like. After scouting the stalls, my friend and I came out empty handed, but it was OK since we still had 3 days to shop.
We had to wake up early since our agenda for today was to go to Macau. We woke up before 5AM and had to be on our way to catch the earliest ferry going to Macau. Read all about it here -
http://weekendeuphoria.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-day-trip-to-macau.html
Canton Road
After our day trip to Macau, we got back at the China Ferry Terminal and made our way back to the bus/MTR station. The terminal is along Canton road, which is famous for the designer brands that line up the street. You have top luxury brands like Emporio Armani, DKNY, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Dior to name a few. There's aslo Silvercord Mall where we ate our late dinner at the food republic. After dinner, I got my souvenir from G.O.D (Goods of Desire) which was beside the food republic. For fans of H&M, there's also a store at Silvercord. After all the walking, we got back to the ferry terminal where we rode a bus again going back to our hotel.
Hong Kong Disneyland
This was an exciting day for us since we'll go to Disneyland. Again, it was quite easy going there since you can just ride the MTR. From our station at Yau Ma Tei, we changed lines at Lai King to reach Sunny Bay and from there, we rode the Disney resort line. The Disney resort MTR was outfitted for Disney, the windows were shaped like Mickey's head as well as the handle bar rings. There are also statues of the characters inside.
We got there just before opening time, around 9AM and there were already a lot of people lining up. We were so excited to get inside and the first thing we did was to fall in line to have a picture with Mickey and Minnie mouse. Unfortunately, the line was a little long and we decided to just take pics with them some other time and start exploring the park already. There were just 3 things I wanted to see: the parade, watch the Festival of the Lion King and ofcourse, see the fireworks. The parade was scheduled at 3:30PM so we had ample time to explore the different lands and try the rides. It was a cold day at the park but that didn't stop us from having a good time. We tried different rides, the most exciting for me probably was Space Mountain and it gave a nice adrenaline rush. Another ride that I enjoyed was the Toy Soldier Parachute Drop, which was worth the wait since there was quite a line for it. Before 3:30, we headed to the parade route and there were already a lot of people waiting for it to start as well. It was also drizzling (maybe because of the foggy weather) but that didn't stop us, especially the eager kids to see the parade. We were lucky enough to get a nice spot at the front and we shared it with a little kid and his mom who asked us a favor if they can sit in front us and we gladly agreed, hey, Disney is for kids anyway. The parade started and the music was contagious, it was a nice feeling seeing the kids smiling and having a good time, I was having a good time as well. After the parade, we had more exploring to do, as well as shopping. Before 6PM, we headed out to the venue to watch The festival of the Lion King. This was another attraction I enjoyed thoroughly since it was a nice musical depicting the tale of the Lion King. There was singing, dancing, fire dancers as well as acrobatics. It was also a nice relief from the cold being inside the theater since it was warm. After the show, I had to do some shopping since I haven't bought anything yet. I just got myself a nice shirt, a mug and a picture holder so that I'll always have a memory of my visit at Hong Kong Disneyland. After all that shopping, my friends an I headed to Sleeping Beauty's castle t watch the fireworks display. It was awesome, and visually stunning. You know everyone appreciates the fireworks because you can hear the crowd cheer when they see an awesome display of lights in the sky. After the fireworks and when the lights went back on, it was time to head home, together with the hoards of people that were in the park too.
Tip: Ask your hotel if they sell Disney park tickets. If they do, you can purchase from them so that you don't have to fall in line anymore to buy ticket when you get there.
Ladies Market
After a tiring day at Disney, you'd think we went directly back to the hotel, but being the spontaneous people that we were, we stopped at Mongkok station (1 station away from Yau Ma Tei where our hotel is located) to check out the ladies market. Just like the the market at Temple Street, it was a long array of stalls selling different products from apparel, to accessories, bags, jewelry, souvenirs and the racy costumes for the ladies. My friends got a lot of things, me on the other hand, just got a coin purse for myself and chopsticks as a gift to someone when I come back home. From the market, it was another MTR ride, good thing it was just one station away since we were all tired already.
Jade Market
On our last day after breakfast, my friend and I decided to check out the Jade market since I wanted to get my mom a nice jade necklace as a gift. Good thing the market was near out hotel and just a block away from Temple street. The market opens at 9AM and we were there at around 8:30AM so we had to wait. 5 minutes before opening time, there was a stall open already and the shop keeper was happy to show us her items. What we wanted was quite expensive but since we were her first customers for the day, we go our stuff for almost 50% off. My friend got 2 bracelets while I got a necklace for my mom and a pendant that signifies long life.
Citygate Outlets
Last thing on our itinerary for our trip was to drop by Citygate outlets before heading out to the airport. Even with all our bags and luggage in tow, that didn't stop us for a busy day of shopping. Shops at Citygate ranged from Nike, to Samsonite, Coach, CK and Tommy Hilfiger to name a few. I was able to buy a nice bag, a necklace, a belt, 2 shirts and an umbrella. I was trying my best to control myself because if not, I wouldn't know how to pack all the stuff I'll be buying. After all the shopping, we grabbed a meal at the food republic, after which we were on our way, riding a bus from Citygate going back to the airport.
Travel Tip: There's a bus from Citygate outlets going to the airport. Again the Octopus card can be used to pay for the fare.
Additional travel tips -
Eds and I started the day early since we booked an early flight. The trip wouldn't be possible without the promo fare that we got from Cebu Pacific. RJ was already on her way since she took the first flight going to Hong Kong. We met RJ already waiting at the terminal and we were on our way. We made sure to get maps at the airport to help us. We also made sure to go to the foreign exchange at the airport. While waiting in line at the airport to get an Octopus card, we were advised by one of the airport personnel that we can already ride the MTR and just purchase the card when we changed trains to our destination. We booked our hotel through Agoda and is located in Kowloon. From the airport, we had to transfer to different trains to reach our destination. Good thing our hotel was near the MTR so it was just walking distance already. Check in was easy, we just presented our voucher and we were able to have an early check in. First thing on our minds was to eat lunch since all of us were super hungry. We walked around and when we saw KFC, it was done. We got a meal that was good for three already so we just split the bill among ourselves. After lunch we went back to our hotel to change and start our itinerary.
Day 1
The Peak
First on our agenda was to go to The Peak. It was fairly easy to get there, we just rode the MTR from Yau Ma Tei station (where our hotel, Kings De Nathan is located) to Central station. From there, it was a few minutes walk to the tram terminal. Going to the terminal, we already started taking some pictures.
There's quite a line since its a popular tourist destination. We waited for I guess almost an hour to ride the 10 minute tram ride going up to Victoria Peak.
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| Waiting for the tram |
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| Waiting for the tram |
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| Sky Terrace |
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| The Peak |
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| Warming up |
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| The Peak Galleria |
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| The tram terminal at night |
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| Inside the cab going to the ferry terminal |
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| The ferry ride back to Kowloon |
Symphony of Lights
Once we got back to the ferry terminal, we walked to The Avenue of the Starts (around a 10 minute leisurely walk) to watch the Symphony of Lights.
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| Add caption |
Travel Tip: There is a tourism office at the ferry terminal, make sure to drop by and get fliers and pamphlets.
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| Symphony of lights |
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| Symphony of lights |
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| Symphony of lights |
After a tiring day of sightseeing, we went back to the hotel to rest for a few minutes, grabbed a late dinner at the noodle house near the hotel, then headed back out to the Temple Street night market. Good thing the market was just near our hotel so it was a 3 - 5 minute walk away. Its a lively street full of stalls selling different items from souvenirs to toys, apparel and even CD's. There's also an area where you can grab a bite and fill your stomach after all the shopping. Make sure to haggle to get a good price on the things that you like. After scouting the stalls, my friend and I came out empty handed, but it was OK since we still had 3 days to shop.
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| Temple Street during the day |
Day 2
We had to wake up early since our agenda for today was to go to Macau. We woke up before 5AM and had to be on our way to catch the earliest ferry going to Macau. Read all about it here -
http://weekendeuphoria.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-day-trip-to-macau.html
Canton Road
After our day trip to Macau, we got back at the China Ferry Terminal and made our way back to the bus/MTR station. The terminal is along Canton road, which is famous for the designer brands that line up the street. You have top luxury brands like Emporio Armani, DKNY, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Dior to name a few. There's aslo Silvercord Mall where we ate our late dinner at the food republic. After dinner, I got my souvenir from G.O.D (Goods of Desire) which was beside the food republic. For fans of H&M, there's also a store at Silvercord. After all the walking, we got back to the ferry terminal where we rode a bus again going back to our hotel.
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| Silvercord mall |
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| Buying my souvenir |
Day 3
Hong Kong Disneyland
This was an exciting day for us since we'll go to Disneyland. Again, it was quite easy going there since you can just ride the MTR. From our station at Yau Ma Tei, we changed lines at Lai King to reach Sunny Bay and from there, we rode the Disney resort line. The Disney resort MTR was outfitted for Disney, the windows were shaped like Mickey's head as well as the handle bar rings. There are also statues of the characters inside.
 |
| On our way to Disneyland |
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| My ticket |
We got there just before opening time, around 9AM and there were already a lot of people lining up. We were so excited to get inside and the first thing we did was to fall in line to have a picture with Mickey and Minnie mouse. Unfortunately, the line was a little long and we decided to just take pics with them some other time and start exploring the park already. There were just 3 things I wanted to see: the parade, watch the Festival of the Lion King and ofcourse, see the fireworks. The parade was scheduled at 3:30PM so we had ample time to explore the different lands and try the rides. It was a cold day at the park but that didn't stop us from having a good time. We tried different rides, the most exciting for me probably was Space Mountain and it gave a nice adrenaline rush. Another ride that I enjoyed was the Toy Soldier Parachute Drop, which was worth the wait since there was quite a line for it. Before 3:30, we headed to the parade route and there were already a lot of people waiting for it to start as well. It was also drizzling (maybe because of the foggy weather) but that didn't stop us, especially the eager kids to see the parade. We were lucky enough to get a nice spot at the front and we shared it with a little kid and his mom who asked us a favor if they can sit in front us and we gladly agreed, hey, Disney is for kids anyway. The parade started and the music was contagious, it was a nice feeling seeing the kids smiling and having a good time, I was having a good time as well. After the parade, we had more exploring to do, as well as shopping. Before 6PM, we headed out to the venue to watch The festival of the Lion King. This was another attraction I enjoyed thoroughly since it was a nice musical depicting the tale of the Lion King. There was singing, dancing, fire dancers as well as acrobatics. It was also a nice relief from the cold being inside the theater since it was warm. After the show, I had to do some shopping since I haven't bought anything yet. I just got myself a nice shirt, a mug and a picture holder so that I'll always have a memory of my visit at Hong Kong Disneyland. After all that shopping, my friends an I headed to Sleeping Beauty's castle t watch the fireworks display. It was awesome, and visually stunning. You know everyone appreciates the fireworks because you can hear the crowd cheer when they see an awesome display of lights in the sky. After the fireworks and when the lights went back on, it was time to head home, together with the hoards of people that were in the park too.
Tip: Ask your hotel if they sell Disney park tickets. If they do, you can purchase from them so that you don't have to fall in line anymore to buy ticket when you get there.
Ladies Market
After a tiring day at Disney, you'd think we went directly back to the hotel, but being the spontaneous people that we were, we stopped at Mongkok station (1 station away from Yau Ma Tei where our hotel is located) to check out the ladies market. Just like the the market at Temple Street, it was a long array of stalls selling different products from apparel, to accessories, bags, jewelry, souvenirs and the racy costumes for the ladies. My friends got a lot of things, me on the other hand, just got a coin purse for myself and chopsticks as a gift to someone when I come back home. From the market, it was another MTR ride, good thing it was just one station away since we were all tired already.
Jade Market
On our last day after breakfast, my friend and I decided to check out the Jade market since I wanted to get my mom a nice jade necklace as a gift. Good thing the market was near out hotel and just a block away from Temple street. The market opens at 9AM and we were there at around 8:30AM so we had to wait. 5 minutes before opening time, there was a stall open already and the shop keeper was happy to show us her items. What we wanted was quite expensive but since we were her first customers for the day, we go our stuff for almost 50% off. My friend got 2 bracelets while I got a necklace for my mom and a pendant that signifies long life.
Citygate Outlets
Last thing on our itinerary for our trip was to drop by Citygate outlets before heading out to the airport. Even with all our bags and luggage in tow, that didn't stop us for a busy day of shopping. Shops at Citygate ranged from Nike, to Samsonite, Coach, CK and Tommy Hilfiger to name a few. I was able to buy a nice bag, a necklace, a belt, 2 shirts and an umbrella. I was trying my best to control myself because if not, I wouldn't know how to pack all the stuff I'll be buying. After all the shopping, we grabbed a meal at the food republic, after which we were on our way, riding a bus from Citygate going back to the airport.
Travel Tip: There's a bus from Citygate outlets going to the airport. Again the Octopus card can be used to pay for the fare.
Additional travel tips -
- The foreign exchange at the airport will charge a fee of $40 HKD that will be deducted from the converted amount.
- Maps are available at the airport, make sure to get one.
- From the airport, we already rode the MTR without purchasing a ticket or getting an Octopus card. We only got one when we transferred trains at Tsing Yi.
- The Octopus card is handy, and is accepted at the MTR, bus and ferry. You can get one for $150 HKD, the $50 HKD is deposit for the card. At the airport before leaving HK, you can get back your deposit as well as the remaining balance in the card.
- Make sure to bring an adapter for your devices.
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