Hong Kong stopover itinerary?
March 11, 2015 10:44 PM Subscribe
The SO and I'll have three days in Hong Kong in June. What must we see/do/eat?
We travel a bit, but have never been to HK. We'll be in between Rome and Melbourne, so probably won't be running any marathons or climbing any mountains.
Things we like: scenic boat trips, spicy food, open-air markets, beer with a view.
We travel a bit, but have never been to HK. We'll be in between Rome and Melbourne, so probably won't be running any marathons or climbing any mountains.
Things we like: scenic boat trips, spicy food, open-air markets, beer with a view.
Best answer: It doesn't matter really where you get i, but for the love of god, please get yourself some BBQ goose and plum sauce. It's like the bbq ducks we get here but a hundred times more awesome!
Also, congee somewhere for breakfast. Yum.
Cable train up to the peak look out is cool and you get a great view of the island. Consider the cable car to lantau island - but do not go on a weekend or public holiday, it gets crazy.
posted by smoke at 12:30 AM on March 12, 2015
Also, congee somewhere for breakfast. Yum.
Cable train up to the peak look out is cool and you get a great view of the island. Consider the cable car to lantau island - but do not go on a weekend or public holiday, it gets crazy.
posted by smoke at 12:30 AM on March 12, 2015
Best answer: Definitely ride on the Star Ferry to get to/from Hong Kong Island and Kowloon at least once.
posted by xtine at 9:40 AM on March 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by xtine at 9:40 AM on March 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I enjoyed going up to the top of Lantau island (Big sitting buddha and a temple) and I particularly enjoyed the walk down, but then again I like hiking mountains, so YMMV. In Kowloon definitely check out the street markets in Tsim Sha Tsui. Overall I really enjoyed HK, as it felt like China with English subtitles on every sign.
posted by furtive at 3:01 PM on March 12, 2015
posted by furtive at 3:01 PM on March 12, 2015
Best answer: Drink (if you aren't into Club 7-11):
Quinary- Great cocktails
Lily and Bloom- Great cocktails and Western food
The Woods- Great cocktails
The Globe- Great pub food + best selection of beers in Hong Kong
Eat:
One Dim Sum- Located in Prince Edward. It's next to the bird market, flower market, and Mongkok Ladies Market. If you go on the weekend, you may have to wait 30 minutes to an hour for a table.
Maxim's in City Hall- Another dim sum place. This one has the traditional trolley carts. It's a bit pricier than One Dim Sum (I'm more partial towards the food there too) but you do get a nice view of the Hong Kong harbor.
Lin Heung Tea House- Great dim sum, chaotic place. You'll also have to mime your way through this one because the staff only speaks Cantonese.
Kwun Kee- Claypot rice
Kau Kee- Amazing beef brisket noodle
Tsui Wah- 24 hour diner place that serves just about anything you can think of, from fish ball noodles to baked pork chop
Yat Lok- Probably my favorite roast goose place in Hong Kong. They do a great bbq roast pork and pork belly too. I'd go to this place around lunch time since they tend to close a bit earlier on Sundays.
Cafe Hunan- Super spicy. Great for burning taste buds off (or if you enjoy spicy food like me)
Islam Food- Great Xinjiang place. They do halal Chinese food. Kind of a mix between middle eastern/Indian and Chinese.
See:
Victoria Peak- You can take the Mid-Levels escalator all the way up then follow the signs for Old Peak Road (or just head up). The walk takes 30-45 minutes up. You can take the tram down because it's a pretty cool tram, and there's no wait at the top. There's a nice trail on the top too.
Temple Street Night Market- It's a night market on Temple Street. Temple Street also has restaurants serving chili crab, which apparently is a Hong Kong thing.
Ladies Market, Flower Market, Bird Market--All in Prince Edward/Mongkok area
Golden Computer Arcade and Golden Computer Centre, Wanchai Computer Centre- You can buy anything you wanted electronics related.
Stanley- Nice little place on the south of Hong Kong Island. Has a waterfront walk with shops and nice cafes/restaurants/pubs. There's also a beach.
Sai Kung- Probably best beach place in Hong Kong. You can easily hike to the first of a series of three. If you want, take the 101M minibus out of Hang Hau station. That will drop you off in Sai Kung Town. From there, take a white (unmarked) minibus that leaves right in front of the McDonald's. That bus will drop you off at the trail head. I'm not sure when the last bus is (I want to say 4:30 but don't take my word on it). If you guys do go and end up getting stranded, I think the guys at the surf shop may be able to call you a speedboat.
posted by astapasta24 at 9:16 PM on March 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
Quinary- Great cocktails
Lily and Bloom- Great cocktails and Western food
The Woods- Great cocktails
The Globe- Great pub food + best selection of beers in Hong Kong
Eat:
One Dim Sum- Located in Prince Edward. It's next to the bird market, flower market, and Mongkok Ladies Market. If you go on the weekend, you may have to wait 30 minutes to an hour for a table.
Maxim's in City Hall- Another dim sum place. This one has the traditional trolley carts. It's a bit pricier than One Dim Sum (I'm more partial towards the food there too) but you do get a nice view of the Hong Kong harbor.
Lin Heung Tea House- Great dim sum, chaotic place. You'll also have to mime your way through this one because the staff only speaks Cantonese.
Kwun Kee- Claypot rice
Kau Kee- Amazing beef brisket noodle
Tsui Wah- 24 hour diner place that serves just about anything you can think of, from fish ball noodles to baked pork chop
Yat Lok- Probably my favorite roast goose place in Hong Kong. They do a great bbq roast pork and pork belly too. I'd go to this place around lunch time since they tend to close a bit earlier on Sundays.
Cafe Hunan- Super spicy. Great for burning taste buds off (or if you enjoy spicy food like me)
Islam Food- Great Xinjiang place. They do halal Chinese food. Kind of a mix between middle eastern/Indian and Chinese.
See:
Victoria Peak- You can take the Mid-Levels escalator all the way up then follow the signs for Old Peak Road (or just head up). The walk takes 30-45 minutes up. You can take the tram down because it's a pretty cool tram, and there's no wait at the top. There's a nice trail on the top too.
Temple Street Night Market- It's a night market on Temple Street. Temple Street also has restaurants serving chili crab, which apparently is a Hong Kong thing.
Ladies Market, Flower Market, Bird Market--All in Prince Edward/Mongkok area
Golden Computer Arcade and Golden Computer Centre, Wanchai Computer Centre- You can buy anything you wanted electronics related.
Stanley- Nice little place on the south of Hong Kong Island. Has a waterfront walk with shops and nice cafes/restaurants/pubs. There's also a beach.
Sai Kung- Probably best beach place in Hong Kong. You can easily hike to the first of a series of three. If you want, take the 101M minibus out of Hang Hau station. That will drop you off in Sai Kung Town. From there, take a white (unmarked) minibus that leaves right in front of the McDonald's. That bus will drop you off at the trail head. I'm not sure when the last bus is (I want to say 4:30 but don't take my word on it). If you guys do go and end up getting stranded, I think the guys at the surf shop may be able to call you a speedboat.
posted by astapasta24 at 9:16 PM on March 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
Eep, few things I forgot:
Chi Ling Nunnery's pretty, and there's a vegetarian restaurant attached to it.
June in Hong Kong is also prime junk boat season (you and 20-30 other people charter a boat and drink all day) if you'll be there in the weekend. It might be tough since you won't know any people there who are organizing one, but there are quite a few Hong Kong expat Facebook groups that'll organize this sort of thing if you want to join and keep an eye out.
posted by astapasta24 at 9:19 PM on March 12, 2015
Chi Ling Nunnery's pretty, and there's a vegetarian restaurant attached to it.
June in Hong Kong is also prime junk boat season (you and 20-30 other people charter a boat and drink all day) if you'll be there in the weekend. It might be tough since you won't know any people there who are organizing one, but there are quite a few Hong Kong expat Facebook groups that'll organize this sort of thing if you want to join and keep an eye out.
posted by astapasta24 at 9:19 PM on March 12, 2015
And a few more things:
You can take ferries out to outlying islands of Peng Chau and Cheng Chau. Both are less hectic than Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
There are also boat tours you can book to go watch for rare pink dolphins.
And there's also the Tai O village on Lantau Island that has the houses on stilts.
Hiking to around Lion's Rock will also give you the best view of Kowloon (you'd be looking south on to Kowloon and Hong Kong island) if the air's good.
posted by astapasta24 at 9:23 PM on March 12, 2015
You can take ferries out to outlying islands of Peng Chau and Cheng Chau. Both are less hectic than Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
There are also boat tours you can book to go watch for rare pink dolphins.
And there's also the Tai O village on Lantau Island that has the houses on stilts.
Hiking to around Lion's Rock will also give you the best view of Kowloon (you'd be looking south on to Kowloon and Hong Kong island) if the air's good.
posted by astapasta24 at 9:23 PM on March 12, 2015
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Well I think you've come to the right the place.
Scenic boat trips: easily accomplished through the commuter ferry system. All the things you like can be combined in a single trip from Sai Wan Ho pier (get there by metro or tram) to Lei Yue Mun, a fishing "village" with a scenic boat trip there, an open-air fish market, spicy food at a number of restaurants inside, and a beer with a view back at Hong Kong island.
There are also plenty of open air markets in TST and Kowloon worth checking out, particularly at night. Beer with a view? Why not a cold Harbin beer at any one of the open air restaurants in the middle of the street (Temple Street Night Market). If you really want a beer with a view, you can toast the city at OZONE, the "highest bar in the world" atop the International Commerce Centre. TST is otherwise very walkable, somewhat touristy, and there are plenty of things to see in the area.
Nightlife is everywhere. There are all kinds of bars, pubs, clubs, in the LKF area, and all kinds of demographics hanging and partying in and outside them. The best spot in LKF? Well that would be Club 7-11.
What to eat? Where to start. I have a fondness for "Islam Food", 3am dim sum at 新兴食家 (in Kennedy Town), or "Under Bridge Spicy Crab". But there's countless places to eat.
If you're in town on a Wednesday, go and see the races at the Happy Valley Racecourse. Great time.
As for other must see sights? There is a high speed train leaving from the airport that will take you to Central on Hong Kong island in 25 minutes. Obvious stops include Victoria Harbour and Victoria Peak. The peak is nice for a good panoramic view of the city and surrounding islands. It is very easy to travel to the peak from the train station. A walk would take about 10 minutes, and provides a good opportunity to see some of the modern (e.g. Bank of China building) and historic (e.g. Court of Appeal) architecture in Hong Kong’s financial district.
posted by ageispolis at 11:29 PM on March 11, 2015 [2 favorites]