Recently I put together a travel guide to Hong Kong for my friend, I figure I'd put it up here in case any of you would go to HK anytime soon...I love Hong Kong. Can you tell? ;)
Tourist info:
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/usa/
Transportation:
The subway is called the MTR and it's the easiest way to get around HK. You can hit most of the popular spots there.
http://www.mtrcorp.com/eng/train/intro.html
You might want to get a souvenier day pass when you're there. Taxi's are expensive but if you want to get somewhere fast and is willing to dish out the dough, taxi's are the fastest and the easiest. There's minibuses and buses but I don't recommend them for you.
Shopping:
If you want to shop in a rather cozy and convenient environment, go to "Festival Walk" off the "Kowloon Tong" MTR exit. Basically, they have all the major stores there and also some funky ones. Definitely go check out G2000, Giordano, Bossini, UVN for clothes, PageOne for books, plus there's a lot of other jewelry, beauty, sports, and bakeries there. Here's the link with a map:
http://www.festivalwalk.com.hk/floorplan/floor_index.html
This is in Kowloon side. If you're in Hong Kong side you can go to "Pacific Place" in Admiralty. They're similar and is run by the same company.
Or if you want, you can try to haggle over in "Mong Kok". I personally stay away from those places since the stuff isn't all that special, but hey, sometimes there's good finds.
Other than those places, there's Harbor City in "Tsim Sha Tsui". That's more upper class shopping but there's nice things there. They have a "GOD: Ju Ho Di" Store there, GOD sounds like Ju Ho Di, which means live better. It's a very nice ikea/design store with a lot of local designs. If not, there's also a "Muji" store there. "Muji" is a japanese store with branches in HK and it has a lot of cool stuff for your house, from clothing to albums to candies to utensils.
Other shopping places include Times Square and the area right above the Wan Chai MTR exit. That will pretty much get you covered.
Places to eat:
In terms of places to eat, if you like try to get a chinese breakfast there with chinese donut and congee. But the places are usually dirty looking so I'm not sure if you're into that, but that's where the good food is. On the streets, especially in "Mong Kok" area, there's usually shops that sells fried calamari, and curry fishballs in a skewer to passerbys. Again, if you don't mind that it looks like it's a dirty place, get those, especially the curry fishballs in a skewer. That's probably the best street food ever. Another good street food would be "Hong Kong cakes", which is sweet pancakes with stuffing inside. They usually come out fresh and in a waffle and they hand it to you in a brown bag, all nice and warm.
I would also recommend going to a wonton place and get wonton noodles or fishcake noodles, or "yu dan fun". The places to get that type of stuff would definitely be anywhere between "Mong Kok" to "Tsim Sha Tsui" as you walk along "Nathan Road".
I would also recommend getting good dimsum in HK. Don't go to the old plain ones, but places where they have dimsum that you didn't even know they exist. It'll be a bit pricey, but it'll be worth it. Get a good chinese dinner in "Tsim Sha Tsui" or "Admiralty".
If you want something special, you can go to the "New Territories" and get fresh Roasted Goose. Mmmm....it's so good! There's a place called "Sum Zheng", meaning Deep Well, that's famous for it.
Finally, buffets are really good in HK because you can have the best of Chinese, Japanese, and western food. The best ones I think are at hotels, like the Marriot in Hong Kong. They're expensive though.
Places to see:
The harbor view on Tsim Sha Tsui. Take the "Tsim Sha Tsui" exit on the MTR and walk towards the harbor. You can't miss it. Go there at night and it is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. Around there you can also go to "Harbor City" mall, go up Nathan Road for some more shopping and eating, or cross the harbor on the Star Ferry, which I recommend because it's my next suggested attraction.
Take the "Star Ferry" across the harbor to "Central". It's the best spent $2HK or 25cents anywhere in the world. :) It's so peaceful. Get a seat by the window.
Go to the Peak to enjoy the panoramic view of HK. Here's a link:
http://www.thepeak.com.hk/tower/location.html
I would take the peak tram up. Daytime or nighttime it's still a good lookout, as long as there's no fog. Don't go if there's fog. As you go to the peak from "Admiralty" station you'll probably see nice skyscrapers along the way, like the Bank of China tower and the Bank of Hong Kong tower. They're really famous buildings so it's worth taking a look.
Walk around Nathan Road at night so that you can see those famous glowing neon signs jutting out above you. There you can also shop or eat street food.
Other attractions include Hong Kong park, taking a tram ride to "Wan Chai", shopping at "Lui Yun Gai" in Mong Kok, barhopping at "Lan Gwai Fong" link: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/touring/district/ta_dist_hong3.jhtml
These next three attractions are famous, but I think they're a bit touristy.
Big Buddha in the Po Lin Monastery. It's huge and sits on top of a mountain and personally, it's ok. But everyone who comes to Hong Kong checks it out...kinda like fisherman's wharf and alcatraz. Link:
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/touring/hkiidistricts/ta_dist_isla1.jhtml
On a similar note, Ocean Park is nice and I had a lot of childhood memories there, but compared to Magic Mountain it's ok. They do have some interesting things there like riding a gondola on the edge of Hong Kong Island and a Shark Tunnel, and it's away from the bustling center of the city, so it's a toss up.
Jumbo Restaurant in Aberdeen. Go there and you will think you're in some Hong Kong action movie or a James Bond movie. I haven't been in years but it's a sight to see, a floating restaurant with lights all over it. Again, it's like fisherman's wharf.
Aside from these things to do, you really have to just be not afraid to walk around and go to unknown buildings to explore. In Hong Kong roads go all over the place and the city is densely populated, so at every corner you might find something interesting so just go with your curiosity and take a look. If you get lost, you can always get a taxi. People usually speak a little english so it's ok. Alright, have fun and enjoy the experience!
Dave
Tourist info:
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/usa/
Transportation:
The subway is called the MTR and it's the easiest way to get around HK. You can hit most of the popular spots there.
http://www.mtrcorp.com/eng/train/intro.html
You might want to get a souvenier day pass when you're there. Taxi's are expensive but if you want to get somewhere fast and is willing to dish out the dough, taxi's are the fastest and the easiest. There's minibuses and buses but I don't recommend them for you.
Shopping:
If you want to shop in a rather cozy and convenient environment, go to "Festival Walk" off the "Kowloon Tong" MTR exit. Basically, they have all the major stores there and also some funky ones. Definitely go check out G2000, Giordano, Bossini, UVN for clothes, PageOne for books, plus there's a lot of other jewelry, beauty, sports, and bakeries there. Here's the link with a map:
http://www.festivalwalk.com.hk/floorplan/floor_index.html
This is in Kowloon side. If you're in Hong Kong side you can go to "Pacific Place" in Admiralty. They're similar and is run by the same company.
Or if you want, you can try to haggle over in "Mong Kok". I personally stay away from those places since the stuff isn't all that special, but hey, sometimes there's good finds.
Other than those places, there's Harbor City in "Tsim Sha Tsui". That's more upper class shopping but there's nice things there. They have a "GOD: Ju Ho Di" Store there, GOD sounds like Ju Ho Di, which means live better. It's a very nice ikea/design store with a lot of local designs. If not, there's also a "Muji" store there. "Muji" is a japanese store with branches in HK and it has a lot of cool stuff for your house, from clothing to albums to candies to utensils.
Other shopping places include Times Square and the area right above the Wan Chai MTR exit. That will pretty much get you covered.
Places to eat:
In terms of places to eat, if you like try to get a chinese breakfast there with chinese donut and congee. But the places are usually dirty looking so I'm not sure if you're into that, but that's where the good food is. On the streets, especially in "Mong Kok" area, there's usually shops that sells fried calamari, and curry fishballs in a skewer to passerbys. Again, if you don't mind that it looks like it's a dirty place, get those, especially the curry fishballs in a skewer. That's probably the best street food ever. Another good street food would be "Hong Kong cakes", which is sweet pancakes with stuffing inside. They usually come out fresh and in a waffle and they hand it to you in a brown bag, all nice and warm.
I would also recommend going to a wonton place and get wonton noodles or fishcake noodles, or "yu dan fun". The places to get that type of stuff would definitely be anywhere between "Mong Kok" to "Tsim Sha Tsui" as you walk along "Nathan Road".
I would also recommend getting good dimsum in HK. Don't go to the old plain ones, but places where they have dimsum that you didn't even know they exist. It'll be a bit pricey, but it'll be worth it. Get a good chinese dinner in "Tsim Sha Tsui" or "Admiralty".
If you want something special, you can go to the "New Territories" and get fresh Roasted Goose. Mmmm....it's so good! There's a place called "Sum Zheng", meaning Deep Well, that's famous for it.
Finally, buffets are really good in HK because you can have the best of Chinese, Japanese, and western food. The best ones I think are at hotels, like the Marriot in Hong Kong. They're expensive though.
Places to see:
The harbor view on Tsim Sha Tsui. Take the "Tsim Sha Tsui" exit on the MTR and walk towards the harbor. You can't miss it. Go there at night and it is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. Around there you can also go to "Harbor City" mall, go up Nathan Road for some more shopping and eating, or cross the harbor on the Star Ferry, which I recommend because it's my next suggested attraction.
Take the "Star Ferry" across the harbor to "Central". It's the best spent $2HK or 25cents anywhere in the world. :) It's so peaceful. Get a seat by the window.
Go to the Peak to enjoy the panoramic view of HK. Here's a link:
http://www.thepeak.com.hk/tower/location.html
I would take the peak tram up. Daytime or nighttime it's still a good lookout, as long as there's no fog. Don't go if there's fog. As you go to the peak from "Admiralty" station you'll probably see nice skyscrapers along the way, like the Bank of China tower and the Bank of Hong Kong tower. They're really famous buildings so it's worth taking a look.
Walk around Nathan Road at night so that you can see those famous glowing neon signs jutting out above you. There you can also shop or eat street food.
Other attractions include Hong Kong park, taking a tram ride to "Wan Chai", shopping at "Lui Yun Gai" in Mong Kok, barhopping at "Lan Gwai Fong" link: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/touring/district/ta_dist_hong3.jhtml
These next three attractions are famous, but I think they're a bit touristy.
Big Buddha in the Po Lin Monastery. It's huge and sits on top of a mountain and personally, it's ok. But everyone who comes to Hong Kong checks it out...kinda like fisherman's wharf and alcatraz. Link:
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/touring/hkiidistricts/ta_dist_isla1.jhtml
On a similar note, Ocean Park is nice and I had a lot of childhood memories there, but compared to Magic Mountain it's ok. They do have some interesting things there like riding a gondola on the edge of Hong Kong Island and a Shark Tunnel, and it's away from the bustling center of the city, so it's a toss up.
Jumbo Restaurant in Aberdeen. Go there and you will think you're in some Hong Kong action movie or a James Bond movie. I haven't been in years but it's a sight to see, a floating restaurant with lights all over it. Again, it's like fisherman's wharf.
Aside from these things to do, you really have to just be not afraid to walk around and go to unknown buildings to explore. In Hong Kong roads go all over the place and the city is densely populated, so at every corner you might find something interesting so just go with your curiosity and take a look. If you get lost, you can always get a taxi. People usually speak a little english so it's ok. Alright, have fun and enjoy the experience!
Dave
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