Hong Kong Day Trip - Please help with Itinerary
 

Hello All,

Thank you in Advance for helping out. My son 11 year old and I have a transit stop of 14 hrs staring 7:05 am(arrival) to 11:05pm (departure). We have lounge passes so will head there and take a shower.

I would like to do the following if possible:

1. The Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car and Big Buddha
2. Kowloon Peninsula
a. Victoria Harbor (riding the famous Star Ferry)
b. Avenue of Stars (views of Hong Kong Skyline)
c. Peninsula Hotel Lobby (Afternoon Tea)
d. Tsim Sha Tsui (great shopping scene in Kowloon)
e. Hong Kong Museum of History and Science Museum
f. Chi Lin Nunnery and the Nan Lian Garden
3. 1.) Hong Kong Island
a. Victoria Peak (visited by the Peak Tram)
b. Hong Kong Park (several nice attractions here)
c. Ding Ding Tram

This is to do list not must, I would like to throw in some fun for my 11 year old, any suggestions and help with Itinerary is much appreciated. Also please suggest some good vegetarian restaurant,

Thank you.
Kumar

Before someone say trying to all these are crazy - which I agree - it is not impossible. Whether you have the energy is another question, which I cannot answer.

First, about the lounges. You cannot get to the regular lounges in the departure areas without some major hassles. So, unless you have access to one of the arrival lounges (CX/KA or Plaza Premium), you won't be able to take a shower right after arrivals.

Second, the part of your itinerary that will take up the most time is the Big Buddha/NP360. It's near the airport, but they open late and closes early. So, you really have to do it first. If you skip this part, the rest of your itinerary will be much relaxed.

Third, two of the places you are going will have vegetarian meals. At the Po Lin Monastery (where the Big Buddha is) with basic servings from 11:30a. Or the fancy and modern cuisine at the Chi Lin Nunnery/Nan Lian Gardens from noon (M-F) or 11:30a (weekend).

Now, the possible, but crazy, itinerary:

- Head to arrival lounge (if you have access) or have breakfast at one of the eateries at HKG.

- Take Bus #S1 to Tung Chung. Switch to Bus #23 for Ngong Ping. (Or a blue taxi direct from airport for about HK$200, if money is no matter).

- Po Lin Monastery opens at 8a, but the Big Buddha at 10a. So, you should have some time to visit the monastery first. Then at 10a go straight up to Big Buddha.

- Take NP360 Cable Car down to Tung Chung. Cable car opens at 10a, so no problem there.

- MTR to Diamond Hill Station for Chi Lin Nunnery. After that, visit the attached Nan Lian Gardens. Vegetarian lunch at Long Men Lou inside Nan Lian. Reservations needed for weekends!

- Take MTR to Hung Hom Station for Museum of History. Forget the Museum of Science, unless your kid really cannot find anything similar at home.

- Stroll down Tsim Sha Tsui to the Peninsula (you won't have time to wait for tea. Just peek inside and move on); then cross the street to the waterfront for the view. Avenue of Stars is closed. But if you really need to see the statues, they are on a terraced garden which you'll pass by from Museum of History.

- Take Star Ferry across the harbor. Then Bus 15 (not 15C) all the way to the top of the Peak.

- There are plenty of eateries up there in the Peak Galleria. It should be time for dinner. And you'll see the lights from up there.

- Come back down to Central by the Peak Tram. If you still have energy, stroll through HK Park (some attractions will be closed by then). Down on Central, you can take a Ding Ding tram EAST to Causeway Bay (the Ginza of HK).

- From there to airport, you can take Bus A11 (stop in front of Park Lane Hotel, or just west of Excelsior Hotel); or take MTR and switch to Airport Express; or MTR to Tung Chung then S1 bus; or taxi directly. Depends on how much time you have left and your budget.

Again, it is absolutely nuts to do all these, and it's just touching all the spots. But if you decide to skip the Big Buddha, then you basically gain 4 hours to have time to enjoy Chi Lin/Nan Lian; or have time to actually see some things inside Museum of History; or perhaps try the tea at Peninsula. Though you still won't have time to enjoy ALL the above. So, decide what's important to you, and cross out those you don't need to do.

Post again and we can fine tune your itinerary and I can give more details.

Thank you...

I knew that It was a hectic and crazy so thank you for telling me, I will skip Big Buddha, and just do the the two places. I am not keen on any shopping but would like to soak up some culture. I can also miss the museum.

1. Kowloon Peninsula - again I am open to suggestion
would like to take the ferry across to Hong Kong
2. HongKong - Victoria Peak, Tram and Ding Dong Tram

My son would like to see some attractions at Hong Kong Park, any suggestions.

Thank you for taking time. really appreciate it.

Kumar

The best and main attraction inside Hong Kong Park is the Teaware Museum AND the building that houses it. The other things are not worth special visits, though you can climb to the top of the tower there for a good view of Central buildings.

Thank you.

Hi,

After we are done will we have to go thru the immigration again?


Thanks

Yes. Like for most (but not all) countries in the world.