Top attractions in Hong Kong and Macau
Hong Kong and Macau
How to get from Hong Kong International Airport to
Hong Kong Island
We arrived in Hong Kong
very early in the morning, and after activating our E-Sims and exchanging some
money to HKD (Hong Kong Dollars), we looked for a Service Counter to ask and purchase
Octopus transport cards and train tickets to downtown. There are quite a few
ways to get to downtown Hong Kong. We used the Airport Express train. Trains
depart every 10 minutes and the ride is only 24 minutes. The price for a ticket
to the city is 120 HKD if you pay with Octopus card and 130 HKD if you pay
cash. But we were advised at the ticket counter to use the “Ride Together”
promotion, so we paid just 170 HKD for both of us.
Another (cheap) way to
travel from the airport to the city is by city bus. As we only found out about
it few days later after our arrival, we took advantage of it at the end of our
vacation. We used Bus A11, which goes all the way from North Point Ferry Pier
to the airport and paid 42 HKD each, so half price than the train. Other than
by Bus A11 you could also take N11 or NA11 buses to and from the airport.
Public transportation in Hong Kong
Starting with the
conclusion, the transportation is one of the best, among the countries we
travelled so far. Everywhere we travelled, to the islands or in the city, to
Macau, to attractions on the mountains or to villages by the seaside, there was
always a reliable way of public transport and with a good frequency. The fastest
is the MTR, and Hong Kong has 8 lines serving most of the city. Buses are
plenty and the majority of them are all double decker buses, you get a British
feeling in the city. In addition to metro and bus, there is the Ding Ding tram,
a very inexpensive way to travel on the northern part of Hong Kong Island. On
the water, between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, you can take the scenic Star
Ferry across Victoria Harbour.
To pay for the fares on
public transport, the best is to buy an Octopus Tourist card which is accepted
on all public transport, dining, entertaining and more. We had to choose
between the Tourist Octopus card and Tourist Octopus-China T-Union card and
upon advice from the Service Desk we purchased the latter, being told we could
use in Macau as well. The other one can be used only in Hong Kong. We paid 170
HKD for each card, 42 HKD initial stored value and 128 HKD loaded value to use.
To top up the card you can do it at a ticket vending machine in any metro
station or in some designated stores, like 7-Eleven, Circle K, McDonald’s,
Starbucks and more. We just went to a 7-Eleven for top up and also at the end
of our vacation when we had some money left on each card and wanted to spend it
all. Other than through the Octopus App if you link your account, the Octopus
card can only be topped up cash.
Our Accomodation in Hong Kong – Eco Tree Hotel Sheung Wan
Our hotel was located on
Hong Kong Island, in walking distance to the main attractions on the island and
to the ferry terminals. The service was very good and we even had a view of the
harbour. At first we thought maybe it would have been nice to have
accommodation in Kowloon, across the harbour. But by the end of our vacation,
after visiting most of the attractions on both sides of the harbour, we were
happy with our hotel’s location and will probably choose the same side if we
had to.
Top attractions in Hong Kong
This waterfront park was
close to our hotel and we got to explore it while waiting to check in to the
hotel. The park is dedicated to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the founding father of modern
China and offers scenic views of Victoria Harbour, has wide open lawns, sports
facilities, and a pleasant seaside promenade for walking, jogging, or relaxing.
Located on Hollywood Road
in Sheung Wan, this is one of Hong Kong’s oldest and most famous temples,
dedicated to Man Cheong, the God of Literature, and Mo Tai, the God of War. The
temple has beautiful ornate architecture, coils of burning incense, and a peaceful
interior.
Finding murals in Hong Kong
A great way to experience
the city’s creative side is by taking a leisure walk to find murals and street
art. Among the top places to find murals are Hollywood Road, Tank Lane, Graham
Street, the PMQ area, Square Street.
Tai Kwun is one of Hong
Kong’s most vibrant cultural landmarks and a beautifully restored heritage site
in Central. Dating back to the 1800s, it was once the Central Police Station,
Central Magistracy, and Victoria Prison. You can walk through the 16 restored
colonial-era buildings, the prison cells, courtyards and old courtrooms. The
admission is free.
Stone Slab Street
This street paved with
uneven granite slabs is one of the oldest in Hong Kong. The granite steps, the
views of Central’s skyscrapers and the colourful market stalls selling
souvenirs, costumes, seasonal decorations, located in the lower section of the
street, make it a popular spot for visitors.
One of the most unique and
fun attractions while visiting downtown is riding these escalators. The
Central-Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System is the world’s longest outdoor
covered escalator system, stretching 800 meters through the heart of Central
district. Locals use it for daily commute to work, school or home and to travel
up and down the steep hills between the Mid-Levels residential area and the
Central. Tourists, like us, just use it as a fun, easy way to explore the area.
Victoria Peak is a must do
in Hong Kong as it is one of the city’s most iconic sightseeing spots. To get
to it we took the Peak Tram, a historic funicular railway dating back to 1888.
The funicular climbs the steep hillside and provides a unique, steeped-angle
ride with views of the city and skyscrapers. The price for a return ticket was
108 HKD.
The area around the Peak has lots of nature trails and viewpoints providing for a nice hike. We started with Victoria Peak’s Lion Pavilion, which is just a short walk behind the Peak Tower. Here is where the majority of visitors come to take pictures of the city, so it tends to be crowded, unless you go early in the morning. By walking a bit to the right of the Pavilion, on Findlay Road, we had equally stunning views of the city. One of the most popular nature trails is the Peak Trail, on Luggard Road, a very peaceful circular trail which will take you almost back where you started. The trail is a bit less than 4 km long and takes about 1 hour at a leisurely pace. A nice sidetrack from this loop trail, once you get to the Harlech Road Pavilion fitness area, is to climb to Mount High West. Even though this trail segment includes hundreds of stairs, the reward is well worth it, we got breathtaking panorama views of Hong Kong. Hiking down we followed the loop trail again and passed by many scenic viewpoints and even a nice waterfall. We continued our trek with the Governor’s Walk trail and visited Victoria Peak Garden, a secluded park and gardens with nice views of the city.
Hong Kong Park was just
beside the Peak Tram Station, so after returning from Victoria Peak it made
sense to visit the park next. The visit was a very nice surprise, very different
from what we expected as Hong Kong Park is one of the city’s most beautiful
urban green spaces with plenty of attractions to see for free. The place has
beautifully designed gardens with ponds, waterfalls, rock formations, and
tropical plants. A Tai Chi Garden and a Conservatory-large greenhouse with
themed zones, can also be found here. Within the park, we visited Edward Youde
Aviary, one of Asia’s largest walk-through aviaries, home to over 600 birds
from more than 80 species, many native to Southeast Asia.
Golden Bauhinia Square and The Symphony of Lights
Golden Bauhinia Square is a
symbolic Hong Kong landmark featuring a giant golden bauhinia sculpture, marking
the 1997 handover and serving as a site for daily flag-raising ceremonies. We
walked here during the day and at night, the Square being a nice spot to view
the Symphony of Lights in the evening.
Symphony of Lights
This event combines
interactive lights of 43 buildings and two attractions on both Hong Kong Island
and Kowloon, with musical effects to showcase the vibrancy and glamorous night
vista of Victoria Harbour. The show is staged every night at 8:00 p.m. and the
best viewing locations are either the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, outside the
Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the Avenue of Stars, or the promenade at Golden
Bauhinia Square.
This Mid-Autumn Festival
was held at Lee Tung Avenue and ran from October 1-26, so we were lucky to be able
to see it. The event features over 800 traditional Chinese lanterns, including
many special shapes, notably goldfish-shaped lanterns with flowing tails,
hanging along the walkway, and symbolizes family reunion and the full moon. The
pictures don’t do justice to the feeling you get walking underneath the
multicolour lanterns at night.
Crossing Victoria Harbour by Star Ferry
Crossing the harbour by
this ferry might be viewed by locals as a means of transportation only but for
us and probably for most of the tourists, the trip by Star Ferry was a scenic,
budget-friendly ride across Victoria Harbour, between Hong Kong Island and
Kowloon. The ferry sails daily, with a good frequency, between Central Star Ferry Pier and Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier. The cost of a ride is 5 HKD for
Upper Deck and 4 HKD on Lower Deck, Monday to Friday and 6.50 HKD/5.60 HKD
respectively on weekends.
The first thing you see as
soon as you step on the Kowloon ferry pier is this historic Hong Kong landmark
located on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. Built in 1915, it was part of the old
Kowloon Station of the Kowloon–Canton Railway and now is all that remains of
that station. The 44-metre-tall red-brick and granite tower, topped with a
lightning rod and clock faces on all four sides, has become a symbol of Hong
Kong’s railway heritage and its colonial past.
Harbour Promenade and Avenue of Stars
The Harbour Promenade combines
spectacular views, culture, and local celebrity history along Victoria
Harbour’s iconic waterfront and is ideal for spending some relaxing time by the
water. The Avenue of Stars is Hong Kong’s Walk of Fame that honors Hong Kong
film legends like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, with handprints and statues along
the walkway.
Located on the Harbour
Promenade, this museum displays a mix of Chinese and Hong Kong art including
Chinese paintings and calligraphy, antique ceramics but also modern and
contemporary art. We especially enjoyed the unique Fuyuan Xuan Collection of
Snuff Bottles. The museum has free entry.
1881 Heritage used to be the Marine Police Headquarters. After extensive renovation and conservation works the place became a hip shopping and dining spot, with a heritage hotel and a Heritage Hall where you can learn about the history of the place. Located within the site, the Time Ball Tower, built in 1884 was used at the time, to drop a ball daily at 1 p.m. allowing captains to synchronize their ship’s chronometers.
The public park is located
in Tsim Sha Tsui district and is the
perfect place to spend a few hours away from the busy city. Part of the park is
Bird Lake where you can see lots of pink flamingoes and was initially the
reason for our visit. But being there we discovered that the park had a lot
more to offer. In the center of the park is a small Aviary that houses around
20 species of exotic birds, among them macaws and even Rhinoceros Hornbill
which I had never seen before. At one of the park’s exits, we found a nice
heart-shaped tree and near the Park Lane Shopper’s Boulevard entrance is the Avenue
of Comic Starts, a walkway where you can see life-size statues of famous Hong
Kong characters.
Located by the Tsim Sha
Tsui waterfront and close to Hong Kong
Museum of Art, Hong Kong Space Museum is
dedicated to astronomy and space science. Inside, similar to other space
museums, there are interactive exhibits, planetarium shows and multimedia
displays about space exploration, the
solar system, and the universe. The museum has free entry.
Even though is a functional
judicial building, its rich history and neoclassical architecture made it a
popular attraction in Hong Kong. The building dates back to 1912, when it was
originally the Supreme Court of Hong Kong under British colonial rule and it
was designed by the same British architects behind Buckingham Palace’s facade
in London.
Spiral Staircase and Chater Garden
Chater Garden is a public park in the heart of
Hong Kong’s Central district, tucked in between the Court of Final Appeal and
Hong Kong Park. At one corner of Chater Garden there is a spiral staircase that
connects the garden area up to an elevated footbridge or pedestrian walkway,
and given its position amidst skyscrapers, makes it a great location for some
nice pictures.
Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware
Located in Hong Kong Park, this is a charming
museum that displays antique tea ware from
the Tang to the Qing dynasties, porcelain cups, and brewing tools. The entry to
the museum is free.
The Park is located along the harbour
front, in the Fortress Hill-Tin Hau area of Hong Kong Island. The
promenade and the 100-metres breakwater, that allows for almost 360° views of
Victoria Harbour, make it a nice spot to view the Hong Kong skyline.
Yick Cheong Building, nicknamed Monster
Building, is a popular attraction in Hong Kong. The residential complex
consists actually of five interconnected buildings: Fook Cheong Building, Montane Mansion, Oceanic
Mansion, Yick Cheong Building and Yick Fat Building. The “monster” nickname
refers to the visual impression you get, of being enclosed by towering, tightly‑packed
facades, when standing in its inner courtyards. After appearing in
international films such as Transformers: Age of Extinction, it became an
instant photography hotspot.
A trip by Ding Ding Tram
No vacation to Hong Kong feels complete unless
you take a trip with the iconic double decker Ding Ding Tram. We got on the
tram at Finney Street Station, after a whole day walking across the city, and
alighted at Kennedy Town Station. The scenic ride was a bit more than one hour
and its slower pace allowed us to
absorb the surroundings, an even better experience than the
Hop on Hop off buses and for a fraction of the cost. A tram ticket costs only
3.30 HKD. As one of the oldest modes of
public transport still in service in Hong Kong, riding the colourful Ding Ding is a way to experience a piece of the city’s history.
Day trip to Ngong Ping Village
Located on Lantau Island, Ngong Ping Village is a scenic village and a cultural destination. To get there we embarked first on Bus E11 from Hong Kong to Tung Chung Station. From here there are two options to get to the village. One option is to ride the scenic Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car, which is a 25-minute cable-car ride from Tung Chung. The second is to take city bus 23. The price for a round trip with the gondola is 295 HKD and the price of the bus ticket is 20.4 HKD, so we chose the bus. Even though it takes about 60 minutes, riding the bus to Ngong Ping can be as fun as riding the gondola. The bus route winds through Lantau’s mountainous terrain and coastal roads so you get scenic views of mountains, the South China Sea and various outlying islands.
Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddha) is probably the biggest attraction in Ngong Ping. As
soon as you get off the bus and walk through the Ngong Ping Archway, you can
steal a peak of the 34-meter bronze statue. The statue is one of Hong Kong’s
most recognized landmarks and is reachable by climbing 268 steps. At the top
you get a panoramic view of Lantau Island and the South China Sea.
Founded in 1906, Po Lin
Monastery is often called the “Buddhist Heart of Hong Kong”. Located just below
the Tian Tan Buddha, the monastery has traditional
Buddhist architecture, halls adorned with intricate carvings and the
surrounding gardens and courtyards provide perfect spots for reflection and
relaxation. The monastery could provide also a culinary experience, as it is
renowned for its vegetarian meals,
served in a simple, traditional style that offer a taste of Buddhist dietary
culture.
Ngong Ping Village
After we finished the main
attractions in Ngong Ping, we strolled through the cultural-themed village, lined
up with souvenirs shops, cafes and local snacks before heading to the bus
station towards our next destination: Tai O Village.
We got to Tai O Village
with Bus 21 from the bus stop in Ngong Ping Village. The ticket cost was 7.90
HKD and we paid with the Octopus card. Visiting
Tai O Village is one of the most authentic and culturally rich experiences
you can have in Hong Kong. The village has been home to Tanka fishing families for centuries. These
families built their houses on stilts over tidal flats, creating a unique
waterfront community. Today, it’s one of the few places in Hong Kong where you
can still experience the city’s fishing heritage and old village life. Wandering its streets, you can try snacks like fish balls, grilled squid, shrimp toast, and mango mochi from the street stalls.
A great add-on to a Tai O
visit is the Fu Shan Viewing Point Hiking Trail, a short and easy scenic walk that offers some of the best coastal views in Hong Kong. Starting from the
village and going around, the trail is about 2.5 km and takes about 45 minutes
to an hour depending how often you stop for photos. From its viewing points you
can have amazing views of the South
China Sea, the Tai O
fishing village, and the Hong
Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge.
Day trip to Shek O Village
A nice day trip from Hong
Kong is to Shek O Village, a charming
seaside village located on the southeastern
tip of Hong Kong Island, known for its laid-back atmosphere, colorful houses, beach culture, and scenic
coastal views and it is very easy to get to it from Hong Kong. We travelled first
by metro to Shaw Key Wan Station and from there got on Bus 9, which took us to
the heart of the village. The main attractions here are the Shek O Beach, one
of Hong Kong’s most popular public beaches, Shek O Lover’s Bridge, a small
blue-and-white bridge connecting the headland to a rocky islet and Tai Tau Chau Pavilion, which offers breathtaking
coastal views of the South China Sea, rocky cliffs, and waves
crashing below.
Among Hong Kong’s famous
street markets, this 1-kilometer stretch is packed with bargains on clothing,
phone cases, toys, and cheap gifts and is one of the best places to shop for
souvenirs.
One of Hong Kong’s most famous and beloved tourist attractions, Temple
Street Night Market captures the energy,
culture, and street life that defines the city. The street is
packed with stalls selling clothing, accessories,
electronics, souvenirs, trinkets, watches, and antiques and is known as a street
food paradise.
Set amidst the busy urban
surroundings of Diamond Hill in Kowloon, Nan
Lian Garden is one of Hong Kong’s most beautiful and peaceful attractions we
visited in the city. The garden has Tang Dynasty–style architecture and is
beautifully landscaped with lotus ponds, bonsai trees and water features. The
garden’s most iconic feature, the Golden Pavilion, connected by two beautiful red wooden bridges, is one of Hong Kong’s most
photographed landmarks. The entrance is free.
Directly connected to Nan
Lian Garden by a pedestrian bridge, Chi
Lin Nunnery is a large Buddhist
complex with golden statues of Buddha, lotus
ponds and traditional wooden halls. Being an active
Buddhist temple, home to nuns and
devotees who practice meditation and chanting, visiting adds a
peaceful spiritual feel.
Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple
The temple is a living
cultural site, combining Taoist rituals, Buddhist
traditions, and Chinese folk customs. The colourful
architecture is visually striking, the temple’s roofs are decorated with dragon and phoenix sculptures and the red pillars,
gold accents, and intricate carvings make the temple highly photogenic. At the time of our visit, the
temple was really busy with visitors offering incense and praying for health, wealth, and luck.
The park has a very rich
and interesting history. Originally
a military outpost during the
Qing Dynasty, around the 19th century, it became a densely populated settlement, especially after the
British leased the New Territories in 1898. By the mid-20th century, it had
turned into an unregulated urban enclave,
notorious for its crowded, maze-like buildings,
poor sanitation, and criminal activities. It was demolished in 1993, when the site was converted
into a public park, opening in 1995.
Hung Hom Promenade and Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade East
The two promenades actually
blend seemingly into each other and offer iconic
views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island’s skyline, during the day and especially at
night. Lined up with landscaped gardens, seating
areas, and sculptures, the promenades are popular for leisure strolls, jogging and photography.
Visiting Macau from Hong Kong
How to get to Macau from Hong Kong
While getting to Macau by
bus is the most budget-friendly option, getting there by high-speed ferry is
the most popular option. When we planned for the trip, we found out about the
Macao Government Tourism Office’s promotional campaign, which offers
complimentary one-way ferry ticket, exclusively for international visitors and
we made reservations online, before arriving in Hong Kong. You just have to
present a valid foreign travel document and your boarding pass showing proof of
your arrival in Hong Kong within the seven days preceding the intended arrival
in Macau.
There are two ferry
companies enrolled in the program, Cotai Water Jet and Turbojet. Because we
made the itinerary to visit first Taipa area and then the Macau urban center on
Macau Peninsula, we booked our free tickets with Cotail Water Jet. The route
was between Hong Kong Macau Port and Taipa Ferry Terminal and the ride was
about one hour. We returned from Macau with Turbojet Ferry from Outer Harbour
Ferry Terminal. The returning tickets were 220 HKD each because we took the
18:00 a clock ferry and was considered night sailing. The price also varies
depending the ticket class, we choose Economy Class.
The boarding procedure in
Hong Kong was in this order: at first checking point we showed the paper
tickets and passports and received real tickets, at second checking point we
got through the gates, similar to any border gates, where our passport and
faces were scanned, and finally we got at the desk where we showed the tickets,
received the final seat numbers and then waited in the seating area for our
departure. We passed through a similar procedure upon returning to Hong Kong.
Upon arrival in Taipa we
went through passport control and then outside to look for the free shuttles to
the Cotai Strip. Many major hotels in Taipa offer free shuttles for everybody,
you do not have to be a client of the hotel. From the Ferry Terminal we took
the Parisian shuttle but got off at the Londoner.
Taipa attractions
Macau is often called the
“Las Vegas of Asia” but with a
unique East-Meets-West cultural twist, thanks to its Portuguese heritage and
Chinese influences. We visited most of the resorts on and near the Cotai Strip
and were amazed at the similarities with Las Vegas. The resorts have the same
look, same name, and were built on a strip of reclaimed land between the
islands of Taipa and Coloane. One difference we noticed was regarding the size,
with many of the hotel-casinos being larger in size than those in Las Vegas.
Actually, the Venetian Macau is the largest casino in the world. It seemed also
that Macau was getting fewer visitors than Las Vegas, we did not see as many
people as in Las Vegas. Wandering the
strip and exploring the resorts was very interesting, each resort offering its
own themed world of opulence and spectacle.
Top landmarks in Macau
The “Old Macau” was a
Portuguese colony for over 400 years until 1999 when was returned to China as a
special administrative region. Therefore, the area is a unique blend of
Portuguese and Chinese influences. From architecture to streetscapes, its
attractions are a blend of heritage sights, Chinese temples and modern mega
casinos.
This historic Chinese
temple is dedicated to Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea. Built in the 15th
century, it features traditional Chinese architecture with ornate roofs,
incense halls and stone carvings and is one of Macau’s oldest and most
culturally significant landmarks, symbolizing the city’s maritime heritage.
The historic residential
complex includes courtyards, halls, and private quarters spread over more than
4,000 square meters, making it one of the largest family homes in old Macau.
Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, open to the public as part of the
Historic Centre of Macau, offering insight into the lifestyle of wealthy
Chinese families in the 19th century.
Rua da Felicidade and Senado Square
Walking in Macau you will
always discover interesting places. Once the city’s main red-light district,
Rua da Felicidade is a very well-known old street that used to be a place of
prostitution, gambling, opium and drinking.
Senado Square is one of Macau’s most famous and vibrant tourist attractions and a symbol of the city’s blend of Portuguese and Chinese cultures. The Portuguese-style buildings, with pastel-colored facades, arched arcades, and mosaic-tiled pavements that surround the square create the feeling of being in one of Lisbon’s squares.
To reach the historic site,
if you start from Senado Square, you just have to follow the crowds and walk up
through streets filled with shops and food vendors, all inviting you to try
free samples of beef jerky, almond cookies or other delicacies. The ruins of
Saint Paul’s are in fact the façade of the old Church of Mater Dei and the
ruins of St. Paul’s College which stood adjacent to the Church, both destroyed
by fire in 1835. Today, they are one of Macau’s most famous and iconic
landmarks, a must-see for visitors to the city. This UNESCO World Heritage Site
stands at the top of 68 stone steps busy with people taking pictures giving it
a “Spanish Steps” feeling.
The inclined street is
popular with tourists for its Portuguese-style colonial buildings painted in
bright colours and the cobbled pavement.
A peaceful place to take a
break when visiting Macau, Lou Lim
Ioc Garden features a Chinese landscape design, with moon gates, zigzag
bridges, lotus ponds, flowering plants and pavilions.
While not a tourist
attraction in itself, unless you like gambling, Lisboa Casino’s architecture
and design, with gold glass and shaped like a lotus flower blooming, is in
striking visual contrast with the dense, low-rise old apartment buildings that
surround it, especially when photographed from street level.
Macau Kun Iam Ecumenical Center
This bronze statue is
located on the Outer Harbour and is dedicated to Kun Iam, the Goddess of Mercy.
The dome base shaped like a white lotus flower is an ecumenical centre where
information is available on Buddism, Taoism and Confucianism.
Fisherman's Wharf and Roman Amphitheatre
Close to the Outer Harbour
Ferry Terminal we visited Fisherman's Wharf. Designed as a themed waterfront
village inspired by different world ports and cultures, it blends European,
Middle Eastern, and Chinese architectural styles that create a movie set
feeling. A highlight is the Roman Amphitheatre, a large open-air coliseum used
for concerts and cultural performances.
Visiting Macau from Hong
Kong is quick and easy, just an hour by ferry or bridge. The distinct mix of
East and West cultures, exciting casinos and the historic landmarks make it a perfect
short getaway.
Hong Kong is a vibrant metropolis that offers an irresistible mix of breathtaking skyline views, bustling street markets, and rich cultural heritage. Its iconic Victoria Harbour, scenic promenades, and hiking trails provide stunning urban and natural panoramas, while attractions like Ngong Ping, Ding Ding Tram and the Star Ferry make the trip memorable. The efficient and extensive public transit network, the ancient temples and lively neighborhoods will captivate every traveler. It definitely captivated us.
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