Aleckii

I am a malaysian chinese, living in Russia right now. SO far, when it comes to holidaying, I tend to orient myself towards the west (been to dozens of countries in western europe). So now, finally- I get to travel to Hong Kong.

That's the problem, though, I know my friends watch lots of cantonese series, but tourism-wise, no one knows much about it.

Could someone help me with some suggestions? The places there, the must-sees? What to see and do if we have 3 days?

I was in Disneyland Paris, so I was adviced to skip the one in HongKong instead. Is it a wise idea?

rkkwan

Skip Disney unless you're the type that must visit every single Disney park in the world and compare the differences among them.

There are also lots of posts about Hong Kong on this board. Do a search, and you should find some answers. The Hong Kong Tourism Board also has a very nice website with lots of information: www.discoverhongkong.com

But just very briefly... There aren't a lot of "must sees" or "must dos" in Hong Kong. It's just an interesting place to just wander. Having said that, I'd suggest at least these stuff:

- Ride the Star Ferry across the harbor, including at night

- Ride the Peak Tram (one-way is fine; bus or walk the other)

- Ride the Hong Kong Tramway (perhaps between Central and Causeway Bay)

- Take the free "Duk Ling" harbor cruise on a Chinese junk. (Thursdays and Saturdays only, reservations at HK Tourism Board with passport).

- Spend about 3/4 of a day to Lantau Island, riding the new cable car and visit the Po Lin Monastery with the big buddha, and the fishing village of Tai O.

- Visit the History Museum

- Ride the bus to Repulse Bay and Stanley on the southside of Hong Kong Island.

You can more or less divide your days into one for HK Island (Peak, Repulse Bay/Stanley, etc); one for Kowloon (bird market, jade market, Chi Lin Nunnery, Wong Tai Sin temple, History Museum, etc); and one for Lantau.

You'll have plenty of time left in the evening for shopping, dining, and wandering around Central and Causeway Bay on HK Island; and Tsimshatsui and Mongkok in Kowloon.

Aleckii

Hey, thanks so much!

Say if my friend was really interested in visiting the studio where they shoot the series, I think some TVBS studio if not mistaken, are there such tours provided.

Thanks so much on the info, I will try my best to research on HongKong a little more too!

rkkwan

The TVB studios are near Clear Water Bay, on the east side of Kowloon. Accessible by bus. But I am not aware of any tours of the facilities.

Aleckii

what about accomodations? WHat's the best area to be staying in HongKong? Accesible by major tansporting systems and close to sights or popular eateries?

rkkwan

Hong Kong is a pretty small place. As long as you stay in Tsimshatsui, Central or Causeway Bay, you'll be close to transportation and all kinds of eateries.

Since hotel prices fluctuate greatly from week to week, I usually advise people to just search for the hotels within your budget for the <b>exact dates</b> you want, and then ask us which will be the best for you.

Aleckii

So I've confirmed my flight, 23rd (midnight) arrival in HongKong, and 28th morning, departure to Malaysia. Which gives me exactly 4 days to travel in HongKong.

So I should try to look for accomodations around Tsim Tsa Tsui, Central and Causeway Bay area? because I did a quick search on the internet and found places which gives description saying '40 minutes by bus to the central'. I was really just wondering wether it would be better to get a place to stay at the aforementioned 3 areas (where hotel prices are more expensive) than the ones cheaper but located further away from the centre.

How about attractions? Are they very spread out in HongKong, or more concentrated at one area?

rkkwan

With 4 days, you'll be going all over Hong Kong, so exact location isn't important. But you want some place with good access to the MTR (subway), and plenty of restaurants nearby. Central, Tsimshatsui and Causeway Bay are the best areas for a visitor.

I don't know what hotel tells you it's 40 minutes by bus to Central. But if it really means that, don't stay there.

abc88

I ditto what rkkwan suggests.
HK is a compact city so as long as you are in one of the main areas you will find it easy to get to the other places. I always try to pick a hotel near the MTR as this can usually get you to most places. Even if you think you may spend alot of time on the HK island eg seeing the Peak, Stanley, Aberdeen, RepulseBAy area, Central,Causeway Bay, Western District etc. you can just as easily get there from Kowloon side if you decide to stay there. If you are staying near the Star Ferry in Tsim Sha Tsui, you can take the ferry across the harbour to get to Central (a must do in HK), then walk through Central to get to the Peak tram terminus (or you can catch the bus from near the Central Ferry pier to take you there). Buses (6 and 6A) go from from Exchange Square Bus station to Repulse Bay and Stanley. This is a scenic journey - get a window seat on the right hand going there, on the top of the double decker bus - but, this ride can get a bit scary as it winds around the hills and seemingly narrow roads. With 4 days only you probably only have time to explore the city areas of HK and maybe Lantau island, but if you want to get out of busy city you can escape to Lamma island or perhaps SaiKung (both areas have nice outdoor seafood restaurants).
Also if you are interested in museums, the Heritage museum in ShaTin is quite interesting.
The shops are open till late at night mostly to 10 or as late as 11pm in some areas, so you can pack in a lot sightseeing during the day and if you need/want to shop you can fit it in at night if you want to.