Hong Kong can be very overwhelming, even if you have a lot of travel experience. Just because it’s such a busy city. You can hardly walk normal, there are always 50 people crossing the road with you. Also, accommodation is really expensive. In comparison to other Asian countries.

Before I went to Hong Kong I searched for travel tips myself, to hopefully make my stay there a bit easier, being prepared and knowing how to get around. After being to Hong Kong, I would like to give you my personal 10 tips to help you on your way in Hong Kong.

1. Location: stay in Tsim Sha Tsui area

I highly recommend to book your accommodation in the Kowloon / Tsim Sha Tsui area. We had our accommodation on Nathan Road, right in the center of the district. Within 1 minute walking distance from Tsim Sha Tsui station, it was PERFECT! There are a lot of interesting points just within walking distance. And the MTR metro took us to all the other places we wanted to see. I really recommend this location, in stead of Hong Kong Island, where a lot of people go. You can just go to Hong Kong Island one time with the ferry, for the nice view and of course Victoria Peak. 

2. Accommodation: look into Airbnb!

Hotels are very expensive in Hong Kong. It really caught me off guard. Maybe that was naïve of me, but I had no idea that we had to pay that much money for such a small hotel room. 

So when I found out I had to pay $600+ for a 4 night stay in a hotel, I went on Airbnb. And we ended up renting a small apartment for less dan $400. Still a lot of money, but way cheaper than the hotels. And it had everything we needed.

If you’ve ever seen documentaries on tv about Hong Kong living conditions, you probably know that most of the people live in really small apartments. I mean, my living room alone is bigger than most apartments. But just because the apartments and hotel rooms are small, that doesn’t mean they’re cheap. Unfortunately.

Bathroom

An extra tip: when you’re booking your accommodation, pay close attention to the bathroom. Especially the shower.
We personally really don’t like to have to shower above/next to the toilet. Which is pretty common in Hong Kong hotels and apartments. That way everything will get wet and it’s just not comfortable in my opinion.
So we made sure we chose an apartment with a bathroom that had the shower behind a shower door.

Also, know that a lot of the showers come with an external water heater. You have to push a button (sometimes outside of the bathroom) to be able to get warm water and take a warm shower.

3. Take the A21 city bus or the Airport Express train

No need for expensive taxi rides, because getting from and to Hong Kong international airport is really easy with public transport. I was so glad I knew this before going there. Our Airbnb host was really helpful with supplying us with great directions how to get there.

If you’re staying in the Tsim Sha Tsui district, I can recommend taking the A21 city bus. It leaves from the airport every 20 minutes and you can buy a ticket straight from the bus driver (so make sure you have cash). In the middle of the bus there’s a convenient space to put your luggage, so you can just sit in a chair without worrying about holding on to your suitcase.

The bus has multiple stops throughout the city and it goes in a circle. So when you have to go back to the airport, you can take the same bus. We chose the city bus, because it literarily stopped right in front of our Airbnb accommodation, so that was really convenient.
Tickets for the A21 bus cost us 33 HK$ (about $4,20)

You can also choose the Airport Express. Within less than 30 minutes, you’ll get from the Airport to Kowloon and Hong Island. You can buy your ticket at the airport or you can buy them in advance, to avoid long lines at the airport.
You can buy them with Viator or at Klook. To/From Hong Kong Island costs $6 one way and to/from Kownloon is $8 one way. So the train is more expensive than the city bus, but leaves more frequent and is faster.

4. Get an Octopus card

When you’re visiting Hong Kong, the Octopus Card for Tourist is a must have! You can use it for all public transport, to get around Hong Kong. But you can use it for so much more.

The Octopus Card is a pre-paid card, which you can buy at the MTR stops at a staffed information booth. Or you can buy one immediately at the airport or from 7-Eleven stores. It will cost you HKD$50 and you can chose how much credit you want on it.

When you use it in public transport, for example the MTR metro, keep an eye on your balance when you check out. This way you know when you have to add more money to your Octopus card.

Like I said, you can use the card not only for getting around Hong Kong, but even if you just want to buy a bottle of water at the 7-eleven. You can use the Octopus card at:

• All MTR stations
• Peak Tram
• Star Ferry
• 7-Eleven
• Mc Donald’s

5. Take the MTR to get around Hong Kong

The easiest and most convenient way to explore Hong Kong, is by taking the MTR. It’s inexpensive, easy and gets you to all the interesting places around Hong Kong. From Kownloon to Hong Kong Island and even Lantau Island.

Navigating through the subway stations is also easy. The exits and platforms are marked in both Chinese and English. And the MTR map is easy to read. All the lines have a different color and interchange stations are well marked.

With your Octopus card, you can pay for your rides. But in case you do buy a single ticket, hold on to your ticket. Because you need the ticket to exit the platform/station.

For a map of the MTR railway, click here.

They also have a mobile app, which is extremely useful. I’ll recommend downloading in to your phone:
MTR Mobile for iPhone   
MTR Mobile for Android 

On the MTR website you can plan a trip. See where you have to enter the MTR station and which station to get of. Also they provide more information about ticket fares etc.

6. Victoria Peak: skip the line for the Peak tram and take the bus

Everybody who goes to Hong Kong, especially when it’s your first time visiting Hong Kong, wants to go to Victoria Peak. And they should. The view is amazing. Looking out over the harbour and the Hong Kong skyline. To get to Victoria Peak, there are several options. But if you want to take the Peak Tram and see a little bit of Hong Kong Island along the way as well, I have a tip for you: take the bus.

A lot of people take the Peak Tram upwards. This means long lines at the bottom. To experience the Peak Tram, without having to wait in long lines, I advise you to only take the tram downwards.

To get to the top of Victoria Peak, take the CityBus bus 15. The bus leaves regularly from Exchange Square bus station and takes you all the way to the Peak. We took the early Star ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon) to Hong Kong Island (don’t go in rush hour between 8 and 9.30 a.m.!) and walked from the pier to the Exchange Square bus station. Which is at ground level below the Exchange Square office towers. It’s a small walk. You can use Google Maps if you’re insecure where you’re going. You can also reach Exchange Square easily via taxi or MTR from anywhere in Hong Kong.

The bus rides takes about 40 minutes, but it will give you great views from Hong Kong Island. And since it’s a public bus, it’s also really cheap! I believe it was like HK$9.80 per person.

Also some advise: go to Victoria Peak early in the morning, because it will be a lot less crowded than when you go at 10 a.m. or something. You can walk around Victoria Peak at your own pace, take in the views, have a drink, take some pictures. And when you’re ready to go down, you’ll see there’s no long line at the Peak Tram. You can use your Octopus Card to pay for the Peak Tram.
Note: personally, I didn’t think the Peak Tram was all that special. I wouldn’t take the tram again. I had much greater views from the bus.

One extra tip: once you’re at the bottom of the Peak Tram, turn left and go see the Hong Kong Zoo & Botanical garden. Entrance is free! And they have a lot of beautiful gardens and animals to see. When you’re traveling with children, they will especially love this.

7. Best Hong Kong skyline view: Victoria Harbour

From Victoria Harbour, you’ll be able to see the beautiful skyline of Hong Kong. It’s pretty impressive to see during the day. But especially at night, when it’s dark, it’s a beautiful sight with all the lights of the skyscrapers.

Symphony of Lights

Every night there’s a light and laser show at 8.00pm. And ends about 15 minutes later. We went to see it on the on Tsim Sha Tsui side, on the Avenue of Stars at the waterfront.

You can just sit there, get a nice ice cream from the ferry terminal nearby and watch and enjoy the show. With narration and music. The light show includes projection lighting, search lights, LEDs and lasers.

It was fun to watch. Especially since it’s was free, on a evening with great weather and just sitting there and relaxing. But a heads up for people who’ve been to Singapore: in my personal opinion, it didn’t quite match up to the spectacular light show at Marina Bay in Singapore.

8. Egg waffles!!!!

Oh my god, how great they were! I was so happy with this tip I got from my colleague. The egg waffles in Hong Kong were amazing. So tasty. And cheap as well. I could eat them all day long. You can have them for breakfast, lunch and snack. I really loved them. You can find them at pretty much any corner. And even at Tian Tin Buddha. Everybody who goes to Hong Kong should try the egg waffles just once. And I know for sure you can’t resist them afterwards.

9. Go to Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddha) on Lantau Island

If you’re in Hong Kong, you must see the Big Buddha. It was on my bucket list, to see this specific buddha. And I’m glad I did. Even the trip there was an experience on it’s own. With great views. You can get to the Big Buddha by taking the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car. Which is a small walk from Tung Chung Station.

How to get to Tian Tan Buddha

If you’re traveling from Tsim Sha Tsui, you take the Red line (Tseun Wan Line) from Tsim Sha Tsui station and get off at Lai King Interchange. Where you get on the Tung Chung Line. At the end of this line, you get off at Tung Chung Station (last stop) and exit the station at Exit B. From where you walk to the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car ride. There are signs showing you the right direction to walk.

Once you’ve bought your ticket, the ride begins. It takes a while (I believe like 50min-1 hour or so), and gives you great views of Lantau Island. And once you’re at the big buddha, you have to take quit some steps to get to the top. But is totally worth the effort!

Also take a look at the Po Lin Monastery when you’re here. It’s a beautiful buddha temple complex.

10. Go to Nan Lian garden and Chi Lin Nunnery

Maybe this is not on everybody’s main list of things to see, but once I saw the pictures, it sure was on mine. So if you have the time, jump on the MTR Kwun Tong Line, get off at Diamond Hill station and take Exit C2. It’s about an 8 minutes walk from the station.

The nunnery has several courtyards. And in one of them there’s a Lotus Garden. It’s beautifully landscaped, with lotus ponds, bonsai trees, rockeries etc. There are several buddha statues in the main hall of the nunnery.

Nan Lian garden is next to the nunnery. It covers an area of 35,000 sq meters and I really thought it was beautiful. With a golden Pavilion with red Chinese bridges, bonsai trees, all types of big and beautiful rocks. It really was a colorful and amazing place to see, in the middle of the urban Kowloon. There was a great tranquil and serene atmosphere. And if Insta is your ‘thing’, there are lots of great pictures to take here.