What to do and see in Hong Kong

Suggestions by Sun Kwok

Sightseeing

• Harbor promenade: take the MTR to Central and take the Central Pier exit.  You should see the ferris wheel and walk east along the harbor front towards Tamar Park.  The Legislature building is on your right.  Walk along the promenade toward the HK Convention Center and take in the view of the Victoria Harbor along the way.
• South coast of HK island: take bus 73 from cyberport and sit on the upper deck.  The bus will go along the southern coast and ends up in Stanley.  You can get off the bus at Repulse Bay and visit the temples on the eastern end of the beach.  You can also start from the western end of the beach and walk along Seaview Promenade to Deep Water Bay.  At the end of the bus route in Stanley you will find many bars and restaurants on the waterfront as well as the Stanley Market where you can buy all kinds of souvenirs. 
• Victoria Peak: take the Peak Tram, bus, or taxi to Victoria Peak.   There is a viewing platform on top of Peak Tower.  There is a path around the peak along Lugard Road which will take about an hour.  The path will give you 360 degree views of Hong Kong.
• Big Buddha: take the MTR to Tung Chung.  Walk a few steps from the MTR station to the 360 cable car station.  The cable car will take you to the Big Buddha.  After viewing the statue, you can have vegetarian lunch in the Po Lin Temple.  From there take the bus to Tai O, a fishing village.  Return to Tung Chung via ferry.
• Lamma Island: from Central Pier 4 take ferry to Yung Shue Wan of Lamma Island.  From there hike up the hill for about 1 hour to Sok Kwu Wan.  There are many seafood restaurants in Sok Kwu Wan.  Take ferry from there back to Central.  (The Rainbow restaurant has frequent free boats from Central Pier 9 if you eat there).
• From Central Pier 7 take the Star Ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui.  Walk along the Avenue of Stars for views of the harbor.
• Hong Kong Park: a very nice urban park with a unique aviary.  Talk the MTR to the Admiralty station and follow the sign to Hong Kong Park through the Pacific Place Mall.  Next to Hong Kong Park is the botanical garden.
• Ocean Park: worthwhile to visit just to see the pandas.  Very popular with tourists and can be crowded at times.
• ICC: there is an observation deck on the 100^th floor.  On a good day you can have a good view of Hong Kong
• Harbor cruise: there are several operators of harbor cruises.  Some include a buffet dinner.
• Take the world's longest escalator from Central to the mid-levels.  You will pass Soho along the way.

Hiking

There are many hiking trails in HK.  I will only suggest two. 

• Dragon’s Back: take a taxi or bus to Shek O Road and walk from there along the ridge to Big Wave Bay.  You will find spectacular oceans views on both sides of the trail.
• Peak: from Robert Black College of HKU take the Hatton Road to the Peak (about 45 minutes)

Museums

The Museum of Art and Space Museum are in TST.  The Science Museum and History Museum are in East TST.  I recommend the History Museum.  You will find a reconstruction of old Hong Kong there.

Horse Races

Races are held every Wednesday evening in Happy Valley.  You can get into the membership area by showing a foreign passport and purchase a tourist badge for $130 HKD.

Night Life

There are many bars and restaurants in Lan Kwai Fong and Soho areas.

Culture

Check with the Hong Kong Cultural Centre for concerts, plays, and other cultural events.

Transportation

From the HKU MTR station, you can get to many destinations quickly on MTR.

An easy way to see Hong Kong is to take the hop-on, hop-off buses.  The Big Bus operates 3 routes: HK island, Kowloon, and Stanley. 

The tram line also offers a very cheap ($2.30 HKD) way of going through old Hong Kong slowly (from Kennedy Town to Shau Ke Wan).

You can find my pictures of Hong Kong at http://www.scifac.hku.hk/kwok/hongkong/