My last trip to Hong Kong way approximately 10 years ago, it was my first trip to an Asian country, and I remember that I was pretty amazed as soon, as I sat foot on Hennessy Road in Wan Chai. This time the “wow” effect was gone, however I was glad to make it back to this fabulous city.
Useful informatios about the city.
What was different this time? Obviously traveling with a kid, turned the wandering around to a slower pace, however not really easier, as pushing a stroller in the streets of Central uphill, was quite exausting. Nightlife wasn’t part of our trip, and to be honest, we weren’t missing it, as we were usually very tired at the end of the day, due to the high temperatures mixed with higher air humidity.
I revisited previously seen tourist places, and discovered newer ones.
Hong Kong is a very photogenic city, it gives you endless opportunities to take lots of great photos. The mix of old and new architecture, vintage neon signs, old taxi cars, the diversity of people in the streets, makes it a playground for photographers.
The subway in Hong Kong must be the best railway system that I’ve witnessed so far of all the cities I’ve visited. It’s fast, convenient, and the waiting time is usually less than 3 minutes. It was also funny to do all the trips with our daughter Valentina, as she loved swiping the railways Octopus card to open up the gates.
There are endless shop opportunities underground, from fancy pastry shops to cute asian souvenir shops. However no coffee. Consuming food and drinks is prohibited on the subway. So most buys are for take-away.
Prior our trip, we weren’t sure if she should chose an accommodation on the site of Kowloon or on the side of Wan Chai / Causeway Bay. Kowloon was cheaper. But I remembered that Wan Chai was more entertaining back then in 2014. As far as it today, I’d say there’s barely no pro & cons for these two locations… every part of the city, is easily and quickly reachable by subway. Mong Kok is lively and offers lots of shopping and dining opportunities, but so does Causeway Bay on the other side of the city. Changing sides across the river, is doable by subway or by boat, both fares are easily payable with the Octopus card.
Now that we’ve seen most part of the cities, I’d recommend choosing the cheapest option for a hotel, even if it’s further op north and not really central. Paying more for a centrally located hotel isn’t really worth the money, as most neighborhoods offer plenti’s of dining options.
My favorite spots during this trip
Tai O - Fisher Village
Let’s start with a town, that’s an hour busride away from the Big Buddha in Hong Kong. It’s a fisher village called Tai O. It takes you away from the hustle & bustle of the modern city center of Hong Kong.
Tai O feels like you’re thrown back in time. Almost no cars, mostly bikes, people cooking in front of their houses, selling fruits and veggies, sourrounded by canals and boats. It’s a very photogenic town. Nice to walk around, have a tea or coffee, take some photos, relax, and enjoy the scenery.
Is it worth the time and distance? Yes definitely! Especially if you haven’t been to any smaller town in China or Hong Kong.
Mong Kok
Mong Kok is busy and lively like most areas in Hong Kong. However it offers numerious photospots, endless shopping opportunities, and fancier dining options. After sunset, it felt like an asian version of New York, without the sky scrapers. But I did love the vibe of that neighbourhood.
Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery
It was my second time visiting this temple, located further uphill in the mountains. The way leading up there is packed with golden statues of monks. However those “10.000 buddhas”, where the monastery got its name from, are located inside the temple. The way uphill is kind of exausting, depending on the temperatures outside. However it’s worth the tiny hike, it’s all stairs and concrete.
The view on top, the golden statues, the 10.000 miniature buddhas… all worth it.
At the bottom town, when you get out of the station, there’s a big shopping mall with lots of japanese food options. Gotta get some proteins, before making it on top!
Quarry Bay - Monster Building
The “Monster Building” became very popular because of one of Tranformers movies. It was my first time to visit this impressive place. It’s just local buildings, built very close to each other, nothing pretty, but the architecture is quite unique. Definitely a nice photospot, however it’s mostly packed with lots of tourists. Even the surrounding areas, are very photogenic.
Choi Hung Estate - Colorful Basketball court
Another tourist magnet, but definitely a must visit, if you wanna bomb your instagram account with colorful photos. Actually it’s just a basket ball court of a neighborhood outside of the center of Hong Kong. We took a taxi from the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, as we tired of the long subway rides, to make it to these places outside of the center. When we got out of the taxi, we weren’t sure if we were at the right place. You gotta walk a little bit. Once we made it on top, on the roof of a parking lot, we saw at least 50 people, taking photos and selfies.
I guess it’s the colors, and the symmetry & alignement, and the palmtrees, that make the whole a very cool place for photos. If the basket court would be all gray, I guess there wouldn’t be any tourists.
Causeway Bay at night
We visited Causeway Bay at night. It looks the same, like any other modern neighborhood in Hong Kong, lots of LCD displays, huge billboards, thousands of shops. It’s lively at night. It was the place, where I had one of the best sushis I ever had. As soon as the staff greeted us “Irrashaimase”, we started laughing, as it reminded us of Japan. A cool neighborhood, to walk around, jump a ding-ding train (which we gotta do next time), and enjoy the scenery.
CENTRAL
Somehow we mostly landed back in Central, it’s the bustling core of Hong Kong. The tiny alleys, the escalators, the mix of european brick buildins and sky scrapers, gives this part of the city a certain edge. Lan Kwai Fong, which used to be the party square, the first time I visited Hong Kong, was much quieter this time. We did however enjoyed our dinner at a fancy italian restaurant in Lan Kwai Fong. Their pizza was pretty good, for an asian country.
Disney Land Hong Kong
When you’re traveling with kid, you gotta think about how to make them happy as well. Our daughter usually adapts very well to our needs and interests while traveling, as we try to make it enjoyable for her as well. Adding some playground time, shopping time for kids (asia is a wonderland for them), or socialising with locals kids. Even though verbal language is not possible, they do manage somehow to get along.
While being in Hong Kong, we decided to visit Disney Land. I never was a fan of it. My first Disney Park visit was in Los Angeles 2023. I kind of enjoyed it, even though it wasn’t my cup of tea. One year later, we did Disney Land Hong Kong and Tokyo.
It’s definitely cheaper in Asia, than in the US.
Worth visiting, while being in Hong Kong.
There are endless options in Hong Kong, especially if it’s your very first time. One week might not be enough, to see everything the city has to offer. I can imagine that they do have a great nightlife as well, you just gotta find the right spots.
Fancy or no a budget, everything is possible in Hong Kong. Subway is fantastic, always use the subway, it’s fast and reliable.
The only negative point I have to mention, was the weather. When we were visiting it was mostly foggy, every single day. That’s why we weren’t visiting Victoria Peak. However once we were getting out of the city, and visited Tai O, we had a fantastic clear blue sky. I guess the city has its own micro climate, because of the surrounding mountains.
This wasn’t our last time in Hong Kong.