NEED INFO ON VISITING HONG KONG
Jan 7th, 2010, 06:03 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
NEED INFO ON VISITING HONG KONG
My husband and I are considering spending some time in Hong Kong. We are both retired. How long is a sufficient time to spend in Hong Kong and what is there to do in and around the area. Is it expensive there. Last year we spent some time in Thailand and really enjoyed it. Is there any compairson from Hong Kong to Thailand? We would be going in late February. Is there a better time to visit? Any information we can get would be helpful. We have never been to China and know nothing about the area. If you stay for 2 weeks do you need any other documents other than a passport? /what is the weather like there - do you need warm clothes. If you have any more tips to add, please feel free to do so.
Jan 7th, 2010, 06:29 PM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hong Kong is a fascinating city. It's fairly expensive, especially in comparison to Thailand, for instance. To enter Hong Kong, you need only you passport if you are from the US, Canada, or an EU country. However, you cannot pass into China from Hong Kong without a visa (US$125). You can, however, visit Macau with just your passport.
I don't know that I'd stay two weeks in Hong Kong, I generally spend a week there. Rather than list things to do, I'd suggest that you get yourself a good guidebook and that you read posts here from Cicerone, who lives in Hong Kong and always has great advice for Hong Kong travelers.
I don't know that I'd stay two weeks in Hong Kong, I generally spend a week there. Rather than list things to do, I'd suggest that you get yourself a good guidebook and that you read posts here from Cicerone, who lives in Hong Kong and always has great advice for Hong Kong travelers.
Jan 7th, 2010, 08:21 PM
#3
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 833
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Comparing HK to Thailand is like comparing apples and oranges.
Two weeks in HK is too long. Weatherwise Fall is probably the best time to visit. February can be pleasant, sometimes it can be cold in Feb. If you are planning on travelling anytime during Chinese New Year, be warned, many things in HK close for a few days. Also, it is best to work out your accomodation before your purchase your airline tickets if travelling during the Chinese New Year holiday. (Based on your op it sounds like you are thinking of going in Feb and have not purchased your airline tickets).
I agree with kathie, you do need to get a good guide book and read about the destination.
Two weeks in HK is too long. Weatherwise Fall is probably the best time to visit. February can be pleasant, sometimes it can be cold in Feb. If you are planning on travelling anytime during Chinese New Year, be warned, many things in HK close for a few days. Also, it is best to work out your accomodation before your purchase your airline tickets if travelling during the Chinese New Year holiday. (Based on your op it sounds like you are thinking of going in Feb and have not purchased your airline tickets).
I agree with kathie, you do need to get a good guide book and read about the destination.
Jan 7th, 2010, 10:46 PM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I live in Hong Kong. My first suggestions would be as follows:
1. As you are retied and would hopefully have some flexibility with your schedule, I would strongly recommend that you not come to Hong Kong in February. The weather is generally not good then. See weatherbase.com and other websites. It tends to be cool to cold, foggy and damp with some rain. (Weatherbase.com does not give humidity, but the BBC weather website does, so check that as well. ) In February and March it can be foggy for days on end, which will obscure views. The only reason IMO to come in February would be to be here for the Lunar New Year (i.e. “Chinese” New Year), which this year is February 13-15 and in 2011 will be February 3-5 (roughly). Otherwise, I would strongly recommend November or December, when the days are warm but not hot, and it is sunny and dry. Christmas is particularly delightful weather-wise, and the skyscrapers are decorated as are the large malls. But November is good too, as is the latter half of October usually. (Caveat: this past December and part of November were cool to cold and we even had rain. In my ten years here this is the <i>only</i> time I can recall these months not being sunny and very pleasant. Let us hope it is not repeated.) The summer months (May – September) are hot and have a good bit of rain and the odd typhoon, but the air pollution is usually better, so it is a toss up. IMO, the worst months are (in the order stated): March, February and April.
2. Two weeks may be on the longish side to stay only in Hong Kong. While you could add an overnight trip to Macau, even with that I think 2 weeks may be a bit long. I love it here and there are still many places I have not been after 10 years; but unless you have a particular interest in something like the architecture of Buddhist temples, Chinese music or opera, birding, hiking, different types of Chinese cuisines, you may find two weeks to be too long. If you have 2 weeks, you could spend 5 days in Hong Kong and then add something like Beijing, Xian, Kuming/Lijiang to your trip. Or something like Singapore or Bali or a beach in the Phillipines or Malaysia depending on the time of your trip. Hong Kong is quite centrally located and has good air service. (Some train journeys into the PRC are also possible.) A stop in Japan on the way in or out is also quite possible. Your options are pretty well wide open. You could look into a “open jaw” flight which would allow you to fly into Hong Kong and out of another city (say Beijing) back to your home city. This would mean you would not have to come back through Hong Kong to get a flight home, saving you backtracking. These open jaw flights are generally not any more expensive than a round trip into and out of the same city.
3. I would say that there is very little comparison between Hong Kong and Thailand. Both are very safe in terms of crime. But the food and culture are quite different, as if the form of Buddhism practiced in both. I would not say that the Hong Kong people are as warm and friendly as the Thais, but they have their positive points. The level of English is better in Hong Kong than in Thailand I would say, and is on all signage on public transportation, in shops, etc. It’s very easy to get around by yourself without any guide either on foot or by ferry, bus, subway tram or when necessary a relatively short and cheap taxi ride. Without knowing where you have been to in Thailand, it is hard to even say how the geography compares. Hong Kong has mountains and is dominated by its harbour and seas, while Bangkok for example is very flat and is dominated by its river. While Cantonese food is quite plain compared to Thai, you can get virtually every cuisine on the planet here in Hong Kong, so you won’t have to worry if you like spicy food. (There are of course spicy Chinese options as well, including some spicy Cantonese.)
4. Hong Kong is on the expensive side for hotels. However, public transport is very cheap, efficient, excellent and goes to every corner of the place. There are hundreds of relatively inexpensive restaurants. Many of the best tourist sights, like the skyline of Hong Kong, are free. So outside of hotel costs, I think you will find that it is not an expensive city. There are also hotel bargains to be had, for a start try the Salisbury YMCA with a supberb location and great views, see http://www.asiatravel.com/hongkong/y...ury/index.html. Or the Bishop Lei for a great location on Hong Kong Island and some good harbour views, see http://www.bishopleihtl.com.hk. There are also serviced apartments which may be cheaper for a longer stay and would offer a kitchen which would allow you to cook some meals. If you search this board for a thread called “Hotel in HKK and BKK” you will see a list of reccos I have put together for budget hotels for Hong Kong, see http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...kg-and-bkk.cfm.
5. If you are US citizens, you do not need a visa to stay in Hong Kong for 90 days or less. If you decide to include a trip to China proper, you will need a separate visa for that. You can find downloadable forms on the the Chinese Embassy website at www.china-embassy.org. On the main page, click on "Visa and Passport" on the left, and read and follow the various instructions. You want a tourist visa, which is an L visa.
I would suggest that you get some guidebooks and do some reading on Hong Kong and what it has to offer, and focus on things like its weather to determine when and how long you might want to come for a visit. You can also search this board for my very long list of reccos called “Cicerone’s Reccos for What the Locals Do for Fun in Hong Kong (Hint: We DON’T Go to those Awful Night Markets....)” at http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...l-night-ma.cfm this should give you some ideas for what to do, including a list of walks and some sources for more walks. For a description of another of my favourite very easy walks on Hong Kong Island, see my posting called “Cicerone’s Favourite Hong Kong Walks II: Paradise Found! From Happy Valley to Stanley in High Heels! (Almost) The Tsz Lo Lan Shan Path” and “Cicerone's Favourite Hong Kong Walks III: The Dragon's Back”. At http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...eels-alm-1.cfm
and http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...agons-back.cfm. Also check the Hong Kong Tourism Board website at discoverhongkong.com for other ideas.
1. As you are retied and would hopefully have some flexibility with your schedule, I would strongly recommend that you not come to Hong Kong in February. The weather is generally not good then. See weatherbase.com and other websites. It tends to be cool to cold, foggy and damp with some rain. (Weatherbase.com does not give humidity, but the BBC weather website does, so check that as well. ) In February and March it can be foggy for days on end, which will obscure views. The only reason IMO to come in February would be to be here for the Lunar New Year (i.e. “Chinese” New Year), which this year is February 13-15 and in 2011 will be February 3-5 (roughly). Otherwise, I would strongly recommend November or December, when the days are warm but not hot, and it is sunny and dry. Christmas is particularly delightful weather-wise, and the skyscrapers are decorated as are the large malls. But November is good too, as is the latter half of October usually. (Caveat: this past December and part of November were cool to cold and we even had rain. In my ten years here this is the <i>only</i> time I can recall these months not being sunny and very pleasant. Let us hope it is not repeated.) The summer months (May – September) are hot and have a good bit of rain and the odd typhoon, but the air pollution is usually better, so it is a toss up. IMO, the worst months are (in the order stated): March, February and April.
2. Two weeks may be on the longish side to stay only in Hong Kong. While you could add an overnight trip to Macau, even with that I think 2 weeks may be a bit long. I love it here and there are still many places I have not been after 10 years; but unless you have a particular interest in something like the architecture of Buddhist temples, Chinese music or opera, birding, hiking, different types of Chinese cuisines, you may find two weeks to be too long. If you have 2 weeks, you could spend 5 days in Hong Kong and then add something like Beijing, Xian, Kuming/Lijiang to your trip. Or something like Singapore or Bali or a beach in the Phillipines or Malaysia depending on the time of your trip. Hong Kong is quite centrally located and has good air service. (Some train journeys into the PRC are also possible.) A stop in Japan on the way in or out is also quite possible. Your options are pretty well wide open. You could look into a “open jaw” flight which would allow you to fly into Hong Kong and out of another city (say Beijing) back to your home city. This would mean you would not have to come back through Hong Kong to get a flight home, saving you backtracking. These open jaw flights are generally not any more expensive than a round trip into and out of the same city.
3. I would say that there is very little comparison between Hong Kong and Thailand. Both are very safe in terms of crime. But the food and culture are quite different, as if the form of Buddhism practiced in both. I would not say that the Hong Kong people are as warm and friendly as the Thais, but they have their positive points. The level of English is better in Hong Kong than in Thailand I would say, and is on all signage on public transportation, in shops, etc. It’s very easy to get around by yourself without any guide either on foot or by ferry, bus, subway tram or when necessary a relatively short and cheap taxi ride. Without knowing where you have been to in Thailand, it is hard to even say how the geography compares. Hong Kong has mountains and is dominated by its harbour and seas, while Bangkok for example is very flat and is dominated by its river. While Cantonese food is quite plain compared to Thai, you can get virtually every cuisine on the planet here in Hong Kong, so you won’t have to worry if you like spicy food. (There are of course spicy Chinese options as well, including some spicy Cantonese.)
4. Hong Kong is on the expensive side for hotels. However, public transport is very cheap, efficient, excellent and goes to every corner of the place. There are hundreds of relatively inexpensive restaurants. Many of the best tourist sights, like the skyline of Hong Kong, are free. So outside of hotel costs, I think you will find that it is not an expensive city. There are also hotel bargains to be had, for a start try the Salisbury YMCA with a supberb location and great views, see http://www.asiatravel.com/hongkong/y...ury/index.html. Or the Bishop Lei for a great location on Hong Kong Island and some good harbour views, see http://www.bishopleihtl.com.hk. There are also serviced apartments which may be cheaper for a longer stay and would offer a kitchen which would allow you to cook some meals. If you search this board for a thread called “Hotel in HKK and BKK” you will see a list of reccos I have put together for budget hotels for Hong Kong, see http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...kg-and-bkk.cfm.
5. If you are US citizens, you do not need a visa to stay in Hong Kong for 90 days or less. If you decide to include a trip to China proper, you will need a separate visa for that. You can find downloadable forms on the the Chinese Embassy website at www.china-embassy.org. On the main page, click on "Visa and Passport" on the left, and read and follow the various instructions. You want a tourist visa, which is an L visa.
I would suggest that you get some guidebooks and do some reading on Hong Kong and what it has to offer, and focus on things like its weather to determine when and how long you might want to come for a visit. You can also search this board for my very long list of reccos called “Cicerone’s Reccos for What the Locals Do for Fun in Hong Kong (Hint: We DON’T Go to those Awful Night Markets....)” at http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...l-night-ma.cfm this should give you some ideas for what to do, including a list of walks and some sources for more walks. For a description of another of my favourite very easy walks on Hong Kong Island, see my posting called “Cicerone’s Favourite Hong Kong Walks II: Paradise Found! From Happy Valley to Stanley in High Heels! (Almost) The Tsz Lo Lan Shan Path” and “Cicerone's Favourite Hong Kong Walks III: The Dragon's Back”. At http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...eels-alm-1.cfm
and http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...agons-back.cfm. Also check the Hong Kong Tourism Board website at discoverhongkong.com for other ideas.
Jan 8th, 2010, 10:09 AM
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you so much for all the information. We will be in Honolulu from 1-11-to 3-2 and thought we might take some time to fly to Hong Kong. Since that is the worst month to visit I think we will stay in Honolulu and plan a trip for next year to visit Hong Kong along with some other places. That way we also will have time to do some research and some planning. Again thank you so much for all the suggestions!
Jan 8th, 2010, 10:28 AM
#6
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 833
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
kapstreak, have did you look at flight options for Feb, if you are in HNL anyway, maybe if you find a good airfare HKG and NRT (all flights to HKG from HNL will go via NRT) will be a nice two week combination.
Provided you don't mind travelling to Japan and HK when the weather is cold. I've been to both places lots of times and I don't mind being in either place in Feb/early March. Rembember, the weather isn't the best and days will be short in Tokyo. I'll admit I don't go sightseeing every time I travel to these places and that's what you will be doing. If you are trying to escape from cold weather when you are in HNL, don't bother with either HKG or NRT.
Provided you don't mind travelling to Japan and HK when the weather is cold. I've been to both places lots of times and I don't mind being in either place in Feb/early March. Rembember, the weather isn't the best and days will be short in Tokyo. I'll admit I don't go sightseeing every time I travel to these places and that's what you will be doing. If you are trying to escape from cold weather when you are in HNL, don't bother with either HKG or NRT.
Jan 10th, 2010, 07:10 PM
#7
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I would also agree that a side trip to Japan from Hawaii might be interesting, and even going someplace like north like Hokkaido to see the tons of snow might be interesting. As long as you are dressed for it, Tokyo would and certainly Kyoto would also be interesting. Cold weather is better than damp, foggy weather in Hong Kong, IMO.
I also have to say that flying to or from Hong Kong and Hawaii is a pain in the butt (I have done it). You have to go through Tokyo, as there are no direct flights. It takes quite a bit of time to make the journey, and actually I think it does not make a lot of sense to try to include Hong Kong as part of a trip to Hawaii. I would save Hong Kong for another time when you can take a non-stop from the mainland US.
I also have to say that flying to or from Hong Kong and Hawaii is a pain in the butt (I have done it). You have to go through Tokyo, as there are no direct flights. It takes quite a bit of time to make the journey, and actually I think it does not make a lot of sense to try to include Hong Kong as part of a trip to Hawaii. I would save Hong Kong for another time when you can take a non-stop from the mainland US.
