How to make the most of your Hong Kong stopover

Hong Kong is the ideal location for a stopover when you’re heading anywhere in the Far East or the Pacific. We stopped for 24 hours in Hong Kong on our way from Europe to Australia – it was the perfect way to break up two 10 hour flights!

Speed your way to the city

Our trip to Hong Kong began with incredibly fast and efficient transport into the city via the airport express. It takes only 24 minutes from the airport to the city, and the train leaves every 10 minutes from 05:50 to 01:15 daily. As you’re exiting the terminal you’ll see a stand selling train tickets, and once you’re out the arrival gates there will be another ticket stand.

Best view

Victoria Peak is the obvious place to experience the best view in Hong Kong. Even locals visit Victoria Peak regularly, the view is hard to tire of. Try to go up on a clear evening before 11pm, when many of the tall buildings turn off most of their lights.

You can reach the peak via the Peak Tram, the 120-year-old funicular railway that departs from its terminus on Garden Road (nearest MTR: Central). Plan to arrive half an hour before sunset so you can see the spectacular city lights turn on. Every night at 8pm is the symphony of lights, a spectacular light and laser show synchronized to music, and the Peak is one of the best views in town.

Best deal in Hong Kong

The Star Ferry is a Hong Kong institution – running since 1880, after all these years it still only costs you HKD$2 (US$0.26) to cross one of the busiest stretches of water in the world, between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

Best way to get around

The skyscrapers on Hong Kong Island are built on a very small patch of land, and most of it is super steep. The big office skyscrapers are found mostly down the bottom, with apartment buildings spreading up the hill. To encourage people to walk to work and avoid the extremely congested roads, you can go from the bottom of Hong Kong Island to the top of the built-up area entirely on a series of escalators. We managed to zoom up from the bottom to the top in about 5 minutes flat when we discovered we were late to meet a friend. But usually it will take you about 10-15mins at a leisurely pace.

Another awesome thing about the escalators is that in the morning they go downwards, to get everyone to work, and then in the afternoon and evening they change directions – to get everyone back to their homes up the hill.

Best place to get lost

Hop off the escalators half way up the hill on Hong Kong Island and wander around the small busy streets. You’ll find great restaurants, food markets, local hangouts and cute stores. Just be careful of the zooming red taxis on the streets!

Most unexpected sight

By far the most unexpected sight in Hong Kong was the flock of bright pink flamingos in Kowloon Park. The park is a lovely green tropical escape from the masses of humanity, and an easy walk from the star ferry terminal. It was interesting to see locals doing their daily exercise in the park – not the exercise you might expect to see at home though – an entirely Asian version of it. You will have to see it to understand! Then, strolling off to the side of the park, we found a pond with a large flock of bright pink flamingos chilling out in the water.

Now flamingos are not native to this part of the world, but they are certainly a fun, brightly colored experience in the middle of a densely populated city.

Fun out-of-the-city experiences

For a fun market experience, head over to Stanley Market – a huge market on Hong Kong Island. It’s a bit of a trip from the center, so it’s only possible to head there if you’re in Hong Kong for a few days.

If you’re staying longer than a couple of days, take a bus to nearby beaches or a boat to check out some of the outlying islands. There are over 200 islands in the bay, and it’s such a contrast to see white sandy beaches on deserted islands after the people-overload of the city.

Great accommodation

For great accommodation in Hong Kong, try a home exchange. Hong Kong is a hive of expats wanting inexpensive ways of travelling home and to nearby countries, so your home in the suburbs of London could be exactly the ticket for them to visit family but keep their own space. A decent hotel in a good location in Hong Kong will set you back at least US$150 a night, so a home exchange will save you lots of money that you can spend instead on the fabulous food to be found throughout the city. You’ll also enjoy a lot more space than a tiny hotel room, and get an idea of what it’s like to live like a local in this bustling city.

Getting away

Even leaving Hong Kong is simple – check in your luggage in the middle of the city, then enjoy the city some more (including its myriad of tasty restaurants), before making your way on the fast train to the airport knowing your luggage is already safely on its way to your plane.

Your Hong Kong stopover map!

We asked our readers what they’d like to see on this blog, and they said a map of all the places we mention - so here it is! It will help you find your way around the city no matter how short a time you have to spend there.

View Hong Kong Stopover in a larger map

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