Last updated on February 23rd, 2021 at 09:21 pm
Visiting Hong Kong for our surprise is one of the most diverse countries that we actually loved while traveling to in Asia. During our travel to Hong Kong and Macau, we were able to not only see the grandeur of the city. But we were also able to see much of its local side – something we love to see in any part of the world we travel to.
Read here Budget travel in Hong Kong and how much do you need per day and how to get to Macau from Hong Kong!
Read here how to get from Hong Kong airport to city center, Hong Kong tourist sim card and 5 Days Hong Kong itinerary!
Flying to Hong Kong
If you are coming from Asia, traveling to Hong Kong may be one of the cheapest flights you can ever have. This is why a lot of people come to travel here. In Hong Kong, shopping is tax free, and there are actually a lot of brands ranging from small to the most luxurious brands.
For us we paid a really cheap ticket from the Philippines $25 for one way ticket two hours flight carrying just hand luggage. A perfect place to do a visa run!
Things to do while visiting Hong Kong
Visit the Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak is the highest point in Hong Kong island, and one of the most popular places when visiting Hong Kong. There are different ways to reach to the top. You can go by tram around $10 one way, by bus $2 and you can go hiking for free as we did.
Good to know that there are plans for free in Hong Kong to enjoy. Our hike took us over an hour and it was warm, that´s why we decided to do first thing in the morning.
Once we reached to the top we took a few pictures. The view is really nice and it´s full of tourists trying to take their best photo. It was my second time going there and I ahve to say the weather was great this time and the views were more clear than my first time.
Go to Mong Kok
It´s located in Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. It´s one of our favorite parts to visit. You can find street markets, street food and also cheap accommodation if you are planning to stay around this area. The first day we were guided for our friends of @explore_hongkong. Angel and Andy introduced us to local street food.
We went to the most popular place and we tried all their recommendations. Prices are very affordable for food in Hong Kong. Totally recommended to meet these guys, they will show you the best parts in Hong Kong, those parts that you don´t usually find in the travel guides.
Cruise through the harbor
One thing that we loved in Hong Kong, there are many different ways of transportation and the cruise was great. Angel and Andy explained us that people were living in the boat and they never go overland. There are floating restaurants and even the possibility of buying food from the water. For just a few cents of dollar and a few minutes you will cross to the other part of the island.
Ride a tram and watch the city’s bustle
Did you know that there is a tram in Hong Kong? We rode the tram and there are two stores inside the tram. The speed is very low and it´s perfect for sightseeing. Prices are around 20 cents of dollar.
Visit the local area of the city
We enjoyed visiting Hong Kong areas that they aren´t so touristic. You can find real local food, and their customs. We got surprised that even in local areas there were Filipino shops where you can buy all the things that you can imagine from the Philippines.
Visit Temples
A new country and a new religion. Taoist is the main religion in Hong Kong. It was really nice to visit temples and get the explanations of their rituals in the temples. And they explained us about the food offerings. We love the vibe in the temples is so quiet!
Trying Local food
Everything go really fast in Hong Kong and lunch time is the same. They will attend you fast and they are expecting that you finish your food as soon as possible. Restaurants are very small and they share the space in the most efficient way. We liked so much the local food. As you can see in the pictures, you have to get use to use chopsticks. We liked so much the food that our friends @explore_hongkong recommended to us!
Ozone Bar
Visit the topmost bar, pool and highest building in the whole of hotel and the world. We had an amazing experience and we will write about this soon. We enjoyed our dinner and drink with amazing views. Our dinner? A mix of Spanish and local delice with cold beer.
Visit Local Markets
For us was a crazy experience, many shops selling dry fish. They covered the fishes eyes in the shop, dry fruits and products that we don´t exactly find out what was that ha!
Where to Sleep
When visiting Hong Kong the main problem if you are on a tight budget is the accommodation. We stayed in different places while visiting Hong Kong and we can recommend all of them. Depends on your budget and also the location:
L´Hotel Island South
If you want a luxury experience in a the business area, you will enjoy this place. L´Hotel South Island has amazing views of the city in both sides, to the mountain and to the Aqua Park. We enjoyed a suite for 3 nights and the staff was very friendly. The internet was working great to do our online job and the facilities are great. Gym and pool to relax after doing the tourist thing in Hong Kong.
Lis Cafe
We tried there buffet for breakfast and dinner. And we loved so much the variety for dinner, Western and local dishes. All the dishes that you can imagine, juices, you can order your own dish and they will cook for you. If you are fun of desserts you would love to come here. They are amazing and there is a lot of variety of cakes and even sweets for the little ones.
Eco Tree Hotel
The hotel is great located near city center, you can go even go walking or just two metro stops. The room was big enough for the two of us with a really nice view. The staff was helpful and friendly with maps and directions and it was perfect for our firs stop in Hong Kong.
There are a lot places for local food around the area. And it´s not far from The Peak, we even go walking from the hotel doing a productive morning.
Campus Hong Kong
If you are on a budget and you don´t mind sleeping in a quiet area this a great place. From $25 per night you can get a bed in a dorm with kitchen and enough space for yourself. The place is very stylish, there is a gym, library and an outdoor pool perfect to socialize with other students or travelers. There are affordable options in the restaurant and a comfortable lobby if you have to do online job. Campus Hong Kong provide transportation for free every half and hour to the metro station where you will reach the city in 20 minutes.
There are many things to do in Hong Kong, let us know in the comments if we miss one of your favorite plans in Hong Kong.
Read here a Hong Kong backpacking itinerary.
And read here if you are planning a day trip to Macau!
Happy Travels!
Ruben Arribas is a Spanish traveler who has traveled more than 70+ countries around the world. Now based in the Philippines!
Thanks for sharing. I have not been to HK in a very long time and look forward to visiting again. Your pictures brought back some good memories of my first overseas trip. Mong kok, Victoria Peak – great times. Does the ferry still shuttle you between Kowloon and HK Island?
Rindge Leaphart
Thanks Rindge, glad to hear that you liked it! We really enjoyed the experience and we took the shuttle between Kowloon and HK Island, still working 🙂
Twenty cents for a city transport and a quick sightseeing? That sounds quite reasonably priced 🙂
Hong Kong has a few cheap things, this transportation was the cheapest. And really interesting for a big city like Hong Kong 🙂