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Thanks for visiting Hong Kong
Hong Kong is really a town of contrasts, where certainly one of Asia’s greatest and tallest concrete jungles shares space with mountainous terrain, lush islands and pristine beaches, and traditional Cantonese culture continues to be infused with British influences. There’s a great deal to consume, so arrive once we explore a few of the city’s big stars and great finds.
The familiar side from the city
The Hong Kong of numerous a Hollywood movie looks nearly the same as Mong Kok, its most densely populated, neon-lit neighborhood.
Choose a ride
The Star Ferry continues to be taking passengers across Victoria Harbour between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon since 1888. While it’s now easy to mix over by vehicle or subway, because of a number of modern tunnels, the ferry remains a popular, especially for brand spanking new visitors. There isn’t any better place to absorb the views of Hong Kong’s two skylines.
Illuminate the night time
Victoria Harbour bakes an impressive sight anytime, however it dazzles at night throughout the nightly A Symphony of Lights multimedia show. This light show continues to be illuminating its twin skylines since 2004 and stays certainly one of its most beloved (and free) attractions.
Retail paradise
Hong Kong is really a shopper’s delight, with no retail therapy experience of the town could be complete without a trip to an evening market. The area of Mong Kok is one among the biggest outside shopping areas within the city, the place to find the women Market, Flower Market, Bird Market and Fish Market.
A town of seven million
Hong Kong is among the most densely populated metropolitan areas on the planet, especially in the Kowloon area. The immensity from the city’s human population is apparent only at that number of five interconnected residential towers, known with each other because the Monster Building.
Historic streetcars of Hong Kong Island
Among the best ways (or at best probably the most fun) to obtain around Hong Kong Island is aboard the historic double decker trams. These streetcars happen to be navigating the town for over a century, passing through Wan Chai, Happy Valley, Causeway Bay and North Point.
On the top around the globe
Visiting the top of the Victoria Peak to gaze lower around the toothy skyscrapers has turned into a essential Hong Kong experience. The greatest point around the island is obtainable through the Peak Tram, one of the world’s steepest funicular railways.
Choose your personal (cable vehicle) adventure
Fans from the cable vehicle in an effort to snag a bird’s eye look at a town have been in luck. Hong Kong has two. The Ngong Ping 360 cable vehicle on Lantau Island takes people to the Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, as the Sea Park cable vehicle (pictured) shuttles visitors between your Waterfront and Summit regions of the park.
Yuen Po Street Bird Garden
Hong Kong appears like an ultramodern city by its skyline, but walk its roads, and you’ll find little pockets of tradition dating back to centuries. One particular place may be the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden, where songbird enthusiasts gather using their finely feathered buddies. Vendors lining the park focus on exotic wild birds and complex bamboo cages.
A spiritual medley
Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism exist together in Hong Kong, and most residents recognize “Chinese folk religions” as opposed to a specific creed. One of many religious structures scattered over the city is Po Lin Monastery, certainly one of Hong Kong’s most significant Buddhist structures.
Abundant outside adventure
Outside adventure is definitely close at hands in Hong Kong, particularly inside the sprawling Tai Lam Country Park. A highlight from the park may be the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir, also referred to as the 1000 Island Lake, where hikers and bikers arrived at benefit from the numerous trails.
Go for a walk around the spiritual side
Lantau Island, the biggest island in Hong Kong, offers a mix of stunning natural scenery and cultural appeal. Nowhere is that this marriage more apparent than you are on the Knowledge Path, an infinity-formed pattern of 38 wooden monuments etched with verses in the Heart Sutra (a prayer utilized in Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism alike). Walkers across the path enjoy stellar views from the South China Ocean.
Sun, sand and ocean
Individuals not really acquainted with Hong Kong may not understand that the mega metropolis can also be the place to find some spectacular white-colored sand beaches. The best are available along Tai Lengthy Wan Bay, a place noted for its remote stretches of sand and ideal surfing conditions.
Hong Kong’s not-so-secret swimming place
Hong Kongers happen to be visiting the Sai Wan Swimming Shed to awesome served by a dip within the ocean for a long time. More lately, the Instagram crowd has discovered this scenic place, comprising a wood platform and staircase leading in to the ocean. On the obvious day, you can observe the skyscrapers of central Hong Kong within the distance.
A festival steeped in tradition
There’s more often than not a festival happening somewhere in Hong Kong, and lots of showcase its living culture. Probably the most visually interesting occasions may be the annual Hungry Ghost Festival. In line with the traditional practice of ancestor worship, this festival features Chinese opera performances, roadside fires for burning choices along with a flurry of activity in local temples.
A colourful event having a dark history
A brief history of dragon boat racing goes back greater than 2,000 years, whenever a man named Qu Yuan drowned themself within the Mi Lo River in Landmass China in protest against corrupt rulers at that time. Based on legend, local townspeople beat drums and put grain dumplings in to the water to help keep use eating his body. Festivals around the world, including that one in Hong Kong, commemorate your day with dragon boat races. Groups of 20 to 22 paddlers, frequently outfitted in outlandish costumes, race elaborate motorboats towards the beat of drums.
Sea food, Canton style
Central Hong Kong is encircled by numerous smaller sized communities and fishing villages. Sai Kung, nicknamed “Hong Kong’s backyard,” is better noted for its sea food restaurants, in which the fresh ingredients take a seat on display outdoors, lending it a fish tank-like feel.
Existence around the water
Another of those villages, Tao O, is made positioned on stilts. The city hosts the Tanka ethnic minority, who’ve fished the tidal flats of Lantau Island for generations. While merely a short bus ride in the Hong Kong MTR, Tai O feels worlds away.
Hong Kong’s giant Buddha
There’s nothing ancient concerning the Tian Tan Buddha statue – it had been built in early 1990s – however that doesn’t allow it to be less impressive. This Lantau Island landmark stands 112 ft tall, facing north toward the landmass. Pilgrims and visitors could possibly get a closer inspection by climbing the 268 steps to the bottom of the statue.
Make room, Golden Gate
The imposing Tsing Ma Bridge connects Lantau Island with the remainder of Hong Kong and it is a long suspension bridge on the planet that carries both rail and traffic. A viewing platform on Tsing Yi Island provides the best views from the bridge and also the perfect perch for photographing it.
