Travel to Hong Kong has change much in the past few years but still means arriving at Hong Kong International Airport, HKG, built on reclaim land on the island. It opened in 1998 to replace the much smaller and outdate Kai Tak Airport airport that was locate off Victoria Harbor and afford passengers hair-raising views of the city through skyscrapers and urban development (it was rank as the 6th most dangerous airport in the world) as planes lands on the airport’s single runway. The new airport is home to one of the world’s largest passenger terminal buildings.
While HKG offers travelers to Hong Kong plenty in the way of shopping and dining, it also offers some add entertainment amenities. Passengers with time to kill can catch a blockbuster film in full Imax brilliance in Terminal 2. The Imax theater can seat up to 350 customers and features the largest cinema screen in the city. Other passengers can work on their swing at GreenLive Air, an indoor golf club with golf simulation games for practicing putting performance in nine-hole and 18-hole course games. Flight enthusiasts will enjoy the free-to-enter Aviation Discovery Centre to learn all about the history of aviation in the region through interactive exhibits and graphics. The center also features a flight simulator where, for a charge, passengers can manager their own takeoffs and landings from the pilot’s seat.
Travel to Hong Kong
Food buffs will able to grab a last bite of celebrate Hong Kong Cantonese cuisine at the airport’s food court. Recommend: Tsui Wah’s signature beef brisket curry, pork cartilage with tossed instant noodles, and Swiss sauce chicken wings. Top it off with a crispy bun and Hong Kong-style milk tea. Fame restaurants, Yung Kee Restaurant and Ho Hung Kee, can also enjoy at the airport.
Business class passengers and various club members can avail themselves of a number of lounges, including Lounges: Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines, Emirates, Royal Orchid, Plaza Premium, SilverKris, SkyTeam, Centurion, Qantas and United
Travel to Hong Kong from the airport is best handled by the Metro or MTR. Smooth rides between the airport and Central Station in Hong Kong take 24 minutes on the Airport Express and happen in 10- to 12-minute intervals. Fares run around $14. The fare comes with special check-in privileges that allow passengers to collect their transport ticket and their boarding pass, and check in their luggage between 24 hours and 90-minutes ahead of their flight. Uber is also available in Hong Kong.
Travel to Hong Kong: Top Things to Do
Victoria peak
A popular location for post-war film scenes Victoria Peak is a must-visit in Hong Kong, if only for the views (and maybe the romance of it all). This very famous attraction can reach through the tram for the vistas and also offers a tower full of restaurants and eateries, tours, nature walks and a Madame Tussauds.
Lantau Island and Disneyland
Lantau Island is the largest of Hong Kong’s islands and is position at the mouth of the Pearl River. It has long been a fun destination with the Tai O heritage village – once a quiet fishing village and now a living museum – and what is fondly called The Big Buddha. The Po Lin Monastery was establish in 1906 and was a remote and peaceful in its practicing until 1993 when the bronze Tian Tan Buddha statue was built, towering over the land and people at more than 100 feet high. Today, the Buddha and monastery is a big tourist attraction and not missed by the many visitors to Disneyland Hong Kong that is also located on Lantau Island. The island and attractions can be reached by metro from Kowloon and Central Hong Kong.
Star Ferry
The star ferry has this amazing record of transporting 20 million people every year through the Victorian harbor. The ride is a delightful experience – allowing for cooling breezes in the area’s hot, damp climes, allows for sight-seeing and orientation and is very much a local form of transport for pocket change.
Hong Kong Street Markets
The streets of Hong Kong are always busy and bustling, day and night. A legendary take in is the Ladies Market on Tung Choi Street that has a kilometer-long pedestrian stretch with more than 100 stalls selling cut-rate clothing and accessories and fun souvenirs. It’s also a popular market for “fakes” and is open from 4 pm to midnight on all days other than Sundays and holidays. Other markets to consider: Temple Street Night Market, Cat Street Antique Market, Mong Kok Flower Market, Tung Choi Gold Fish Market, Yau Ma Tei Jade Market, and Chop Alley.
Hong Kong History Museum
If you can only see one museum, this is the one. It tells the natural, human and storied history of Hong Kong in life-size dioramas using mannikins, films and special effects, squeezing more than 400 million years of history into a 75,000-square-foot space. The permanent exhibit on view is free.
Day Trip to Macau
Travelling by ferry between Hong Kong and Macau by Turbojet hydrofoil is a great way to get two destinations out of a trip to Hong Kong. Macau is a formerly Portuguese island that is now a playland of colonial architecture (the city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and local Chinese design mixed with modern resort casino skyscrapers. The island sits some 37 miles away from Hong Kong. The ferries take approx. one hour and cost around $25. Most visitors will not need a visa (but will need their passports), and they may need local currency on the island. The Macau Pataca or MOP is pegged at approx. the same value as the Hong Kong Dollar and there are plenty of ATMs and exchange bureaus in the town.
Travel to Hong Kong: Expert Tips
Get the Octopus Card
The Octopus Card is a useful tool for transport in Hong Kong, helping with navigation through MTR stations, the Star Ferry, trams and the Airport Express. The versatile stored-value electronic card can also be used for purchases in convenience stores, fast food shops, supermarkets, cake shops, vending machines and more. The best card for visitors is the Sold Tourist Octopus card at HK$39 ($5) and On-loan Octopus card with a refundable deposit of HK$50 ($6). Visitors receive a refund handling fee for returning the On-loan Octopus card within three months from the date of issue.
Eat Dim Sum at Tim Ho Wan
Dim Sum is the dumplings and other steam food served in baskets which is very common in China. There is no place in the world where you will enjoy this dish more than you will do in China. Apart from Dim Sum, there are some other places as well which you should try as you will find some great food there. For instance, Mott 32, Tien Yi, Din Tai Fung, and Dim Sum Icon.
Hong Kong Taxi App
Hong Kong is a very advance city, but communicating in English can still be a problem in this Cantonese-speaking region. One solution is to download the Hong Kong Taxi Cards App. The application will translate everything which you say into Cantonese, allowing you to overcome communication barriers conveniently and speedily.
Travel to Hong Kong – Recent Note: In recent years aggressive moves by the Peoples Republic of China to assert greater authority in this once-designate special economic zone, have lead the arbitrary enforcement of local laws and sudden COVID-19-relate restrictions. Exercise increases caution in this city due to the potential for wrongful detentions.
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