Tours in Hong Kong
Aug 28th, 2003, 07:10 AM
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Tours in Hong Kong
Can anyone recommend some memorable day tours offered within Hong Kong? My husband and I will have 6 days to tour around in December. We are very interested in the history and architecture of Hong Kong. Has anyone taken day tours offered by Splendid or Oriental Travel? Thank you very much for your responses.
Aug 28th, 2003, 08:18 AM
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I am not a fan of organized tours, as you spend too much time on a bus or at designated shopping stops, lunch, etc. Moreover, IMO you really do not need an organized tour for Hong Kong. Many of the main tourist areas are within walking distance of each other or a short bus or subway ride. Plus, English is spoken so widely and signs are in English so it is extremely easy to get around on your own, and the subway and bus system is excellent. With a good guidebook (Fodors is excellent for Hong Kong), or even just the Destinations guide printed on this site by Fodors, you can do it yourself.
In addition, I can't imagine that these organized tours would give you any in-depth discussion of architecture or history. There are numerous books on both Hong Kong history and architecture that would probably give you a better background than a tour. You can go into most of the main architectural gems; like the Bank of China Building (there is a sky lobby and observation windows on about the 60th floor), Central Plaza (sky lobby/observation floor about 70th floor), the Peak Tram Station, Peninsula Hotel, Hopewell Centre, etc. You don't need a guide, as entrance is free and with a guidebook or architecture book, you can see it yourself.
I used to live in Hong Kong, and can ask around about good guided historical walking tours. I am not aware of any. There are very few colonial era buildings left, so it is hard to do a walking tour that would be interesting. There are some old temples, like the one in the Hollywood Road/Cat Street area, but you can visit these yourself. The Wong Tai Sin Temple in Kowloon is an interesting collection of temples and gardens, and you can have your fortune told at one of the fortune teller's stalls there. (Easily reached by subway.)
There are actually very few buildings from before about 1980. The Furama Hotel which was a 1970's landmark was torn down about a year ago. The Hopewell Centre is a round skyscraper worth a look, in an interesting neighbourhood that is changing from traditional Chinese to modern Hong Kong; great people watching at the markets in the area. The Prince of Wales Building is still there and worth a look, but you can't go in as it is a Chinese Army barracks and headquarters. It is most new skyscrapers and apartment buildings, some of which are built in incredibly small plots on incredibly steep hills. Take a taxi ride up the (very hilly) Magazine Gap road area to see some of the buildings. Old Peak Road is basically vertical and yet apartment buildings rise up out of it. A walk along the entire length of Bowen Road in Mid-levels, which is flat and car-free (except for about a mile or so) will give you a great view over the city as well as give you a close-up view of some of the very tall apartment buildings built into the mountainsides.
Six days is great, you would have time to get to some of the outlying islands if you want as well as the New Territories. December is an absolutely excellent time to go, the weather is so mild, sunny and pleasant. Great for walking or more strenuous hiking. There are several good walks on Hong Kong Island itself, as well as a myriad of trails in the New Territories. Run a search here, as myself and others have posted on walks. . A helpful website run by an ex-pat hiking enthusiast in Hong Kong is hkcrystal.com/hiking (you can even join one of his hikes).
In addition, I can't imagine that these organized tours would give you any in-depth discussion of architecture or history. There are numerous books on both Hong Kong history and architecture that would probably give you a better background than a tour. You can go into most of the main architectural gems; like the Bank of China Building (there is a sky lobby and observation windows on about the 60th floor), Central Plaza (sky lobby/observation floor about 70th floor), the Peak Tram Station, Peninsula Hotel, Hopewell Centre, etc. You don't need a guide, as entrance is free and with a guidebook or architecture book, you can see it yourself.
I used to live in Hong Kong, and can ask around about good guided historical walking tours. I am not aware of any. There are very few colonial era buildings left, so it is hard to do a walking tour that would be interesting. There are some old temples, like the one in the Hollywood Road/Cat Street area, but you can visit these yourself. The Wong Tai Sin Temple in Kowloon is an interesting collection of temples and gardens, and you can have your fortune told at one of the fortune teller's stalls there. (Easily reached by subway.)
There are actually very few buildings from before about 1980. The Furama Hotel which was a 1970's landmark was torn down about a year ago. The Hopewell Centre is a round skyscraper worth a look, in an interesting neighbourhood that is changing from traditional Chinese to modern Hong Kong; great people watching at the markets in the area. The Prince of Wales Building is still there and worth a look, but you can't go in as it is a Chinese Army barracks and headquarters. It is most new skyscrapers and apartment buildings, some of which are built in incredibly small plots on incredibly steep hills. Take a taxi ride up the (very hilly) Magazine Gap road area to see some of the buildings. Old Peak Road is basically vertical and yet apartment buildings rise up out of it. A walk along the entire length of Bowen Road in Mid-levels, which is flat and car-free (except for about a mile or so) will give you a great view over the city as well as give you a close-up view of some of the very tall apartment buildings built into the mountainsides.
Six days is great, you would have time to get to some of the outlying islands if you want as well as the New Territories. December is an absolutely excellent time to go, the weather is so mild, sunny and pleasant. Great for walking or more strenuous hiking. There are several good walks on Hong Kong Island itself, as well as a myriad of trails in the New Territories. Run a search here, as myself and others have posted on walks. . A helpful website run by an ex-pat hiking enthusiast in Hong Kong is hkcrystal.com/hiking (you can even join one of his hikes).
Aug 28th, 2003, 09:59 AM
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The Hong Kong Tourism Board offers a free guided architectural walk which will take you to numerous notable 19th. and early-20th century buildings dotted around Central up to mid-levels and neighbouring areas, around which there is a swathe of lesser buildings from the first half of the last century. You'll probably see the Fringe Club, Foreign Correspondent's Club, French Mission Building, Police Station, some of the buildings around Statue Square, Flagstaff House (now an entertaining museum dedicated to tea), and so on.
For details of the free architectural walk, and to book, see
discoverhongkong.com.
If you do want to take one-day tours (which would be useful mainly for seeing preserved ancestral halls in the New Territories, many not reached easily by public transport) also look for links from this site. The HKTB used to run these tours but has now farmed them out to private companies. Nevertheless, it keeps an eye on quality control, so its approval is worth having.
You could also simply hop on the mid-levels escalator (and 800m-long collection of 20 escalators and 3 travelators linked by bridges and walkways) which zig-zags it's way up the hillside allowing you to look along the streets to either side often from an elevated position, and just jump off when you see something of architectural or other appeal. You might be interested in looking into the Good Spring Chinese herbalist, founded in 1916 (Stanley Street), the Sun Chau Book and Antique Co., at no. 32. which has Cultural Revolution and Great Leap Forward propaganda posters if you are interested in that kind of history (and you can pick up a vinyl recording of "Chairman Mao's Warm Concern Will Forever Live in Our Hearts"
, and drop in for a dim sum breakfast at the 80-year-old Luk Yu Tea House, at nos. 24-26, with its beautifully preserved interior.
Numerous similar pleasures lie in other battered old streets to either side as you rise up the hill, such as the bakery where last governor Chris Patten used to buy egg tarts, a place specializing in selling old Chinese railway share certificates, streets of antique shops (caution here), a shop selling beaded handbags (some more than a century old), and not least amongst ancient buildings, the Man Mo Temple of 1847, and the Jamid Mosque of 1849.
One other, more expensive option you might consider would be hiring a licensed private guide in Hong Kong. Have a look at www.nevinlim.com and drop him a line with a note of your interests, and he'll put together a tour exactly suited to you. There are few guides anywhere so knowledgeable, quirky, and thoroughly entertaining.
Peter N-H
http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html
For details of the free architectural walk, and to book, see
discoverhongkong.com.
If you do want to take one-day tours (which would be useful mainly for seeing preserved ancestral halls in the New Territories, many not reached easily by public transport) also look for links from this site. The HKTB used to run these tours but has now farmed them out to private companies. Nevertheless, it keeps an eye on quality control, so its approval is worth having.
You could also simply hop on the mid-levels escalator (and 800m-long collection of 20 escalators and 3 travelators linked by bridges and walkways) which zig-zags it's way up the hillside allowing you to look along the streets to either side often from an elevated position, and just jump off when you see something of architectural or other appeal. You might be interested in looking into the Good Spring Chinese herbalist, founded in 1916 (Stanley Street), the Sun Chau Book and Antique Co., at no. 32. which has Cultural Revolution and Great Leap Forward propaganda posters if you are interested in that kind of history (and you can pick up a vinyl recording of "Chairman Mao's Warm Concern Will Forever Live in Our Hearts"
, and drop in for a dim sum breakfast at the 80-year-old Luk Yu Tea House, at nos. 24-26, with its beautifully preserved interior.Numerous similar pleasures lie in other battered old streets to either side as you rise up the hill, such as the bakery where last governor Chris Patten used to buy egg tarts, a place specializing in selling old Chinese railway share certificates, streets of antique shops (caution here), a shop selling beaded handbags (some more than a century old), and not least amongst ancient buildings, the Man Mo Temple of 1847, and the Jamid Mosque of 1849.
One other, more expensive option you might consider would be hiring a licensed private guide in Hong Kong. Have a look at www.nevinlim.com and drop him a line with a note of your interests, and he'll put together a tour exactly suited to you. There are few guides anywhere so knowledgeable, quirky, and thoroughly entertaining.
Peter N-H
http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html
Aug 28th, 2003, 03:33 PM
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Many thanks to Cicerone and Peter N for the plethora of valuable information you each provided. I'm in the process of digesting all the great advice I received and your help will make our trip even more enjoyable. Many thanks for your time and your excellent tips.
Aug 29th, 2003, 09:11 AM
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Having only visited Hong Kong 3 times, I cannot claim to be anywhere near as expert as the previous posters, but even speaking as a relative novice, I would agree that for discovering Hong Kong island, Kowloon and even the popular outlying islands (Lantau, Cheung Chau and Lamma) there's no need for organised tours. Public transport around these areas is excellent and easy to use and a decent guide book will give you plenty of ideas for where you might like to visit.
A few of our favourite ways to spend a few hours are sitting on the top deck of the bus from Central to Repulse Bay and Stanley (v. touristy, but for us totally compulsive!), hopping on and off the tram between one end of the island and the other and walking up Nathan Road and taking detours up side streets to see all the various markets, Kowloon Park, etc.
The only two organised tours we have taken were day trips to mainland China and to the New Territories, both of which we thoroughly enjoyed. The mainland China trip would have been particularly difficult to arrange independently, mainly because of having to get visas and the lack of good transport links - although this was a few years ago, maybe things have changed now.
We did the New Territories trip on our last visit two years ago and it took us to a lot more places than we could have logistically seen in one day on our own - traditional market town, fishing village, Hakka village, temples, country park and race course - and no forced stops at any dodgy retail outlets! We booked it through the tourist office at the Star Ferry terminal near the Peninsula. We had tried to see something of the New Territories on our own on a previous trip, but only managed to get as far as a little fishing village, have lunch and a wander round and then negotiate the various different transport links back to HK island!
A few of our favourite ways to spend a few hours are sitting on the top deck of the bus from Central to Repulse Bay and Stanley (v. touristy, but for us totally compulsive!), hopping on and off the tram between one end of the island and the other and walking up Nathan Road and taking detours up side streets to see all the various markets, Kowloon Park, etc.
The only two organised tours we have taken were day trips to mainland China and to the New Territories, both of which we thoroughly enjoyed. The mainland China trip would have been particularly difficult to arrange independently, mainly because of having to get visas and the lack of good transport links - although this was a few years ago, maybe things have changed now.
We did the New Territories trip on our last visit two years ago and it took us to a lot more places than we could have logistically seen in one day on our own - traditional market town, fishing village, Hakka village, temples, country park and race course - and no forced stops at any dodgy retail outlets! We booked it through the tourist office at the Star Ferry terminal near the Peninsula. We had tried to see something of the New Territories on our own on a previous trip, but only managed to get as far as a little fishing village, have lunch and a wander round and then negotiate the various different transport links back to HK island!
Aug 30th, 2003, 03:49 PM
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Thank you also Xenos for the great information you provided. We shall definitely go to the tourist office at the Star Ferry terminal to see what tours they have to offer. We have decided that we can tour Hong Kong on our own after all the suggestions we received. Thanks to all.
