Hong Kong is an amazing destination to visit, and there are so many things to do in such a small area. I had never considered visiting, but we decided to end our China trip in Hong Kong and then my family joined us for that section. We only had three days in the city, but here are my top things to do in Hong Kong.
Click the links below to skip to any of the following sections:
Food
Victoria Peak
Tian Tan Buddha
Hong Kong Waterfront
Hong Kong’s Beaches
Shopping Markets
Bruce Lee
Food in Hong Kong
One of the best things about visiting China is the food. Whether it’s a classy hot pot dinner or some random meat on a stick at a street market, everything you eat while you are there is pretty amazing.
Make sure you check out the street markets in Hong Kong, where you can try things that are common to you — like noodles or rice — and some not-so-common things.
I would recommend setting one night aside for a nice meal, specifically hot pot. You will be able to choose your meats or vegetables, and they will boil it right there in front of you.
Not only is hot pot delicious, but it’s a fun time you can share with your whole family.
Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak is a must-see in Hong Kong for a few reasons. The first is the most obvious: it is the best view of Hong Kong.
You can hike or take the tram to the top, and once you are up there, you will find a shopping mall. The mall may seem out of place, but we found there are malls at most every tourist site in Hong Kong, no matter how remote or old.
There are various levels of the shopping mall, and you can see out to Hong Kong from many of them — you can even eat at once of the many restaurants with a view.
The downside: We were in Hong Kong in April and it was fairly overcast every day we were there. When we finally made it to Victoria Peak, it was completely foggy so we couldn’t even see a few feet in front of us. But it was still worth the effort.
Here is the view we saw from the top of Victoria Peak on a very foggy day.
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- Our view from the top of Victoria Peak on a very foggy day.
Many people hike up to Victoria Peak, and others even jog up the mountain. We ended up taking a bus up, but we took the skytram back down.
The skytram is such an amazing experience, I would recommend doing this both ways to see the best views you can.
Tian Tan Buddha
The Big Buddha is one of the highlights of a trip to Hong Kong. Although the Tian Tan Buddha is not ancient, it’s still quite a sight to see.
The Big Buddha was completed in 1993, as an act of goodwill toward the Chinese retaking of Hong Kong from the British. The buddha is bronze statue of Buddha Shakyamuni.
When visiting the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island, you can also visit the Po Lin Monastery, which is a beautiful building and surrounding area. Although the entire area has become overrun with tourists, you can find some peaceful spots to really think about what buddhism is about and why this is all there.
To visit the Big Buddha, you can take a bus or taxi, but I would recommend taking the gondola. It takes you over the way and the mountains leading up to the Tian Tan Buddha. However, we went one day and the gondola was closed due to storms (probably for the best), so make sure you look at the weather if you only have one day to go. We ended up having to go a different day.
Hong Kong Waterfront
The Hong Kong Waterfront is another must-see in the city of Hong Kong. Whether you are on the Kowloon side or on Hong Kong Island, you will be facing an amazing view.
I would also recommend taking a boat tour, which will take you around the area and give you history as well.
Visit a Beach
There are many beaches in Hong Kong, and you can’t really go wrong with any of them. The waters are blue, the sand is white, and most days it will be warm enough to sit out and relax.
We ended up going to a beach that was far away from civilization — we had to take a bus pretty far into the mountains and then hiked down to the beach. We were hoping to see the waterfall, but it was just a little further and we were on a time crunch to get back to the last bus of the day.
Shopping Markets
Whether or not you enjoy shopping, the shopping markets ended up being one of the most fun parts of visiting Hong Kong. The Hong Kong shopping markets are scattered throughout the city and include items from all over.
You can walk through the markets, negotiate, and weirdly, spend time with your loved ones. There are food markets in between so you can go for shopping and stay for dinner.
Even if you don’t buy anything, the shopping markets in Hong Kong are just a good time.
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was raised in Hong Kong and spent a lot of his life there. You can find many landmarks that were important to him in the city, including: 218 Nathan Road, Kowloon: the house Lee grew up in.
