I’m heading to Australia later this year, and as I am a frugal (read: cheap-ass) traveler, I have opted to take the cheapest, longest, most circuitous route possible. Although this leaves me with a fantastic opportunity to test my skills at whiling away countless hours in-flight, it also provides me with an eleven-hour layover in Hong Kong.
My question is this: What should I absolutely not miss while briefly in HK? I’m not a big people watcher, but I don’t mind crowds. I like cultural sites and museums, btut if the focus is too narrow, I’ll probably get bored. And, of course, shopping is never out of the question.
You’re in luck - HK has an MTR (subway) line running out to the airport, so you can hop on it and then change lines to practically anywhere worth going as a tourist.
If I were you, I would look at two major things:
Victoria Peak. Take the tram up to the top and enjoy the spectacular view looking down on the skyscrapers and urban jungle of Hong Kong. It can be crowded/touristy, but there’s plenty of parkland up there you can walk through to get away from other people.
Then, you can ride back down the hill, walk to the ferries, and catch a ferry to Kowloon. Right near where you disembark is the Hong Kong Museum of Art. It’s a well-done museum that covers all the major bases of Chinese art and culture, but there’s also plenty of modern art and more groundbreaking stuff as well. I’m not a huge museum person, but I really enjoyed it. If that doesn’t museum you out, the Hong Kong Museum of History is right nearby as well.
Those two stops plus transportation should kill 6-7 hours, at least. I’d spend the rest of your time just wandering around Central and taking in the atmosphere, and digging in to a nice Cantonese meal somewhere. The tourist board website is well stocked with online maps and info, and make a stop by the info kiosk they’ve got right at the airport as well…I found the staffers at their tourist offices to be extremely helpful sources of information.
Oh, and under no circumstances should you shop at the stores along Nathan Road or the surrounding side streets, unless you’re looking to get fleeced and scammed.
Hey, drop me an email if you’re in the mood for company,Elle Toupee!
ooga booga covered the main points. Victoria Peak, I highly recommend you go there. In addition to the view (which should be great since it’s hardly cloudy these days) there’s a huge shopping complex, restaurants and a walking trail. Bring your camera!
Take some time to walk around Central and grab the Star Ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon), walk around and do some shopping (and yes, be on guard if you intend to buy any electronic stuff whilst on Nathan Road).
If you have time and energy, check out the temple street night-market for things like cheap apparel, souvenirs, watches and sunglasses.
The local people here usually mind their own business but they will offer help to tourists when asked. It’s more than likely that they’ll speak some English.
You don’t need to worry about transportation in Hong Kong, its infrastructure is one of the best in the world. If, however, you’ve got any questions about transport routes, which buses to take from the airport and so on, I insist that you drop me a line.
This is true, although you’re probably safe enough buying some cheap trinket if you make it further up Nathan Rd towards Mong Kok or somewhere. But Tsim Sha Tsui (the touristy bit where the ferry comes) is legendary for scams - especially camera shops and the like). And don’t let the Indian tailors try to steer you inside their shops. You’ll find there are tourist alerts for this sort of stuff (but they probably always need updating). The train from the airport is high tech and fast, but if cost is a big factor, you can jump a bus into Kowloon (route A21, from memory). The train is more fun though.
If it gets too hot and sticky for you, jump on a ferry to the outlying islands. The ferry rides are good ,cheap fun (Victoria Harbour is fascinating), and there are some lovely, cool, green, hidden places you’d not normally associate with the average person’s mental picture of HK.
You know, this is what I love about this place - You ask a simple question, and get no less than five interesting, intelligent answers. If only the rest of my life were as informative!
ooga booga, thanks for the suggestion about the HK tourism board’s website. They have a great pdf that’s aimed specifically at people with time to kill on layovers. The pdf also features a map of the airport ayout, the MTR, the shopping districts… It’s a really helpful little resource.
Thanks also for the caveats and warnings, TheLoadedDog; That’s the sort of info you can ony get from people who’ve been there (Indian tailors! Who knew?). I’m also grateful that you included pointers on how to find quiet green space - After a twenty-hour flight, I don’t think it would be such a bad thing to be able to stretch out, chill out, and watch the world go by.
Oh, and I’d love to hit the night market, green_bladder, but my layover is a strictly daytime thing - eight am to seven pm. That might change, though, if my travel agency mucks me around some more… :smack: The offer of your company was very kind of you as well.
I don’t get out much, so I can’t help that much, but whatever you do, if you see a restaurant with ducks and other assorted slabs of meat hanging in the window, go in there and get yo’self a big plate of duck 'n pork, that’s good eating. Almost any restaurant in any place you’ll end up in half a day will have either an English menu or somebody who will struggle to take whitey’s order… or even somebody who does actually speak English. Honestly, I don’t see much, but just a good look around the city will probably be of interest, though I can’t really recommend Central as a destination. Depending on where you’re from and when you’re going, though, be warned that all that time on the street with no base of operations for cleanup could be a trial for you.
TST is not the worst place in the world if you are in fact the group it’s geared towards, tourists. Just don’t get talked into buying anything you don’t want to, and try not to look like too much of a mark. The area isn’t so bad outside a couple key spots. Don’t worry about being polite to anyone who tries to get you to buy something, as rude as it might feel, just keep walking, that’s the routine here.
But further north along Nathan Road- get off at Jordan, Yau Ma Dei or Mongkok- things are a little more “real,” with less aggressive tourist-grabbing, while you can still probably get shaky English-language service anywhere you actually want it.
