Skip to main content

Experience Hong Kong in 2 days

You are on business or stopping over on your way to Japan / Australia / New Zealand / Mainland China / Europe. You have one or two days in Hong Kong. What to do? Here is a short itinerary for those who want to get a feel for this exciting city.



Day 1:

Morning - Take the Peak Tram on Garden Road to Victoria Peak where you will find high rise apartment blocks along Mid-Level on your way up. Enjoy the view of the Victoria Harbour and the picturesque south side of Hong Kong Island (take the well sign-posted circular walk if you have the time). To get back to the city centre, take the Peak Tram back to Garden Road, or if you are particularly energetic, walk down Old Peak Road (shoes with good grip advised), past Canossa Hospital,  onto Albany Road, then turn right onto Upper Albert Road where you will see Government House (where British Governors lived), then onto Garden Road via St John's Cathedral and eventually Queen's Road Central.

Lunch - Have a dim-sum lunch at City Hall Maxim's Palace in City Hall, Central. Matronly ladies push dim-sum carts around - a traditional way to sample this Cantonese delight. This is one of the many places where you will find office workers in Central get their hot lunch. So do get there before 12:00 or after 14:00 otherwise the queue could be very off putting.

Afternoon - Take a taxi to Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road - it's quite a small but characterful temple (15 minutes will do) - then walk along Hollywood Road to look at the myriad of antique and knit-knack shops - and eventually you will come to Tai Kuan: this used to be the Police Headquarters and now transformed into an arts and open-space. Spend time exploring the colonial Victorian jail or check out some contemporary art installations.   Alternatively take a taxi to Hong Kong Park and spend time in the aviary to be in touch with nature.

Evening - if you are sticking around the area, check out Lan Kwai Fong (some not-so-hip haunts for ex-pats and party-goers) or walk towards Star Street to the relatively new French quarter (there are over 25,000 French citizens living here) and check out funky new watering holes and eateries.

Day 2:

Sunny weather

Hit the beach - hop into a taxi and get to Repulse Bay, walk along the promenade and grab a bite to eat along The Pulse. For a more secluded experience, go to South Bay (beyond Middle Bay and Repulse Bay) where you will find an idyllic little beach away from the noise and crowd of the city. There is one small cafe, changing room and lifeguard. Very safe but you might have to walk a bit to find a taxi or bus on Repulse Bay Road back to Central.


Visit one of the islands. Try Lamma Island (by ferry from the terminal in front of the International Finance Centre) for a bit of local village cum seafood fest, or Lantau Island to see: Giant Outdoor Buddha at Po Lin Temple, Ngong Ping 360 (new attraction  re-creating Hong Kong's past), and one of many beautiful beaches such as Silver Mine Beach (popular with locals) or Cheung Sha (quieter, but taxis required).

Rainy weather or toxic smog
Go shopping (even if you don't like it) at one of the gleaming shopping complexes - such as International Finance Centre in Central or Time Square in Causeway Bay. A nice and comfortable way to observe the locals (and tourists). Also, the posh shops in Central are all interconnected by air conditioned foot-bridges. The best thing to do on a rainy day is to enjoy afternoon tea at one of the following establishments: Peninsula Hotel Lobby (frequented by Japanese and Chinese tourists), Clipper Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental (a de rigeur for the local lunching ladies), or Verandah at Repulse Bay Hotel (fewer tourists, laid back decor means you can actually enjoy the tea and read a good book). All have dress code and booking advised.

Dusk/Evening - A must-do is to cross the harbour on Star Ferry (service between Central Piers and Tsim Sha Tsui) - if you time your crossing around sunset, it could be a magical experience with shimmering building lights reflected from the water. If you don't have vertigo, go to Ozone for a sunset cocktail (taxi or MTR to Kowloon Station, head to the Ritz Carlton Hotel through the Elements shopping mall, get to the hotel lobby on 102th floor, then change lift to Ozone at 118th floor) with a truly spectacular view of the harbour. For a free experience, visit bell tower of the Kowloon Canton Railways - the elevated walkway there offers a breathtaking view of the harbour. Please DO check sunset times!!!

Additional activities:
  • For weather reports, see Hong Kong Observatory
  • For a bit of colonial history, visit: Murray House (Stanley), Tea Museum in Hong Kong Park and Western Market.
  • For a bit of nature, visit: Wetland Park or one of the many walking trails, the Botanical and Zoological Garden, and the Aviary in Hong Kong Park.
  • Of course, you may actually want to take a guided tour if you are really pressed for time. Check out the Hong Kong Tourism Board website where you will find recommendations.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hearing the Berlin Philharmonic at the Philharmonie

Those of us London-centric folks easily forget there are great concert halls in other parts of the world. I remember as a young kid buying DG LPs with von Karajan on the front cover conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. So as my first visit to the city, a visit to the Philharmonie to listen to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra was a must. Ivan Fisher started the evening's concert with Haydn Symphony 88. A light and delightful work. As I'd expected, the acoustic of the hall was amazing - probably a good 2.5 second of reverberation - and much more generous than the Royal Festival Hall in London. The strings sounded sweet and the timpani came through clearly with definition. The audience was then treated to Béla Bartók's Seven Pieces for Choir and Chamber Orchestra: the Berlin Phil reduced in size occupying only half of the stage while the Netherlands Youth Choir took the other half. These young performers (all female) sang in Hungarian from memory - not easy at all - and rea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Will the swish looking Princi become the hottest thing on Wardour St?

This site on Wardour Street in Soho had seen many bars and restaurants come and go. The latest occupant is Princi, an up market Italian bakery brought to London by Alan Yau (of Hakkasan, Yauatcha fame). Natural stones, polished brass and water reflections dominate. The long communal tables ( de rigeur for any Soho eatery), leather upholstered chairs and perfect lighting make this a stylish choice for a slice of cake (made from organic "00" flour) and a caffé machiato from the Italian barista (yes he is, I talked to him in Italian). They seem to have an alcohol licence - so perfect for an early evening spritz , or a late evening caffé correto . The downside is that this is a self-service joint.  While everything is stylishly done, all eating implements are disposable. So never mind the side plate.
1 comment
Read more

Fidelio at the Royal Opera

Fidelio comes around to the Royal Opera only once in a while. With Lise Davidsen as Leonore, there was much to look forward to. The overture sounded firm at the beginning, but there were minor ensemble issues - the strings just didn't sound tight enough. Lise Davidsen was phenomenal. From the "fake" flirting with Marzelline (sung by Amanda Forsythe), "man to man" talk with Meister Rocco (sung by Georg Zeppenfeld) to the true Leonore in emotional turmoil - whe tackled them all with gusto. Her stature and firm voice also added further conviction to the role, but never too forthright to be forced.  We were lured in the a sense of security with the naturalistic stage set reminicent of Figaro in Act I. That was all knocked back with Act II - Florestan was on a stone island surrounded by a non-descript chorus sitting down in front of a doorway - all starkly lit. The stage set bore no relation to the scenerary to Act I. Set and costume designer Rainer Sellmaier ...
Post a Comment
Read more