Hong Kong is somewhere that I feel is pretty iconic and well worth a spot on your Asian travel bucket list. Most people tend to only spend a few days and this is what I have done on both visits, not because it isn’t worth longer but I know for me that has been largely due to cost of accommodation and the fact that it is a major travel hub so I imagine a lot of people transit through Hong Kong and decide to add a couple of days layover. I definitely will return to Hong Kong again in the next couple of years and I 100% will spend at least a week as it deserves so much more than a few days, I do know the cost is a big factor because whilst do not get me wrong the prices of hotels certainly aren’t extortionate, if you are comparing prices to those of southeast Asia you are often doubling your hotel price if I’m honest. Anyhoo, let’s move onto the reason we are here, assuming we have 3 days in Hong Kong I am going to give you some great places to visit, some delicious eats, hotel options and basic information that will help your trip run smoothly. Lets jump in!
Essential Info and arriving in Hong Kong
Flights and getting there
There are plenty of airlines that will get you to Hong Kong from the U.K. The cheapest I have seen is a crazy £250 and that was with Air China (I’ve used a couple of times and they are absolutely fine as an airline if you are wondering). Now that going to be with a stop in China and often in Chengdu but thanks to the transit visa policy you can stay in many of China’s major cities for up to 240 hours so it is a good opportunity to see another city. You can also fly with airlines such as Finnair and Etihad which will be a little more pricey than Air China and you will still need to stop (In these cases Helsinki and Abu Dhabi). If time is of the priority and budget less of an issue then your options for direct flights lie with British Airways or Cathy Pacific. Flying direct is certainly more expensive and this usually comes in around £600-700 return with both flying out of Heathrow. Cathy Pacific also go from Manchester but you will be looking at around £900 return so definately the priciest option.
Apps and E-Sim
I would personally recommend downloading the Octopus app ahead of time (be sure to get the tourists version) and this is a useful app because it allows you to pay for things in various stores, you can use to pay on public transport (usually at a discounted rate) and its super easy you just preload it and top up as needed, you choose the amount you want to put on and just use apple pay to top up. I would recommend downloading an E-Sim ahead of time, so you have Internet when you arrive I use …………….. In terms of navigating I would reccomend Google Maps as generally it is very reliable, public transport options on there are accurate as are walking maps and if you want my Hong Kong google Map which has 100 pins of places to visit, eat and drink at and see then just drop me a comment or message on socials and I will send it over.
Currency
In Hong Kong the local currency is the Hong Kong dollar, it is currently 10.49 to the pound which makes conversions relatively simple, I rarely like to say somewhere is “cheap” as obviously that is very subjective and often said through a very privileged lens however I will say local food and transport is very affordable as someone visiting from the U.K. (Always comparing to British Prices). Generally and this is a very rough guide, I would pay around £12 for a 30-40 minute cab ride, public transport such as the metro would work out 50p-80p per journey, meals in local places would set you back around £3-£5 but again I do like to eat at more local places of course you can spend much more, a speciality coffee will set you back £3-£4 so similar to British prices, A milk tea will be anywhere from £1.50-£3 and most baked goods are relatively affordable usually under £2. Like many destinations in Asia you will find a 7-11 on most corners and drinks and snacks are mega afforable. Aside from Octopus card, Other payment methods I used are cash and I used my Revolut card. I would personally reccommend taking some cash for vendors, street food and markets and some locally owned restaurants are cash only. With my Hong Kong budget I took half cash and the rest was on my Revolut, I spent a total of £420 in Hong Kong which was over 5 days however £40 of this was on a skincare haul, £40 in Popmart and £130 at Disneyland (not all for me) …… Without the shopping this came to £210 on food, drink, groceries and transport so in my opinion a reasonably affordable destination and this was for me and the 2 kids. We did book the Cable car in advance but the Peak Tram did come out of the budget too. Neither of our hotels had breakfast so an average of £42 per day for 3 of us I think was pretty good.
Getting from the airport
Once you reach Hong Kong whilst the airport is a pretty huge hub it is generally easy to navigate and due to the unfortunate colonization by us Brits, English is widely spoken so you will find all signage very clear and they are a pretty efficient country in my opinion, everything makes sense and the different transport methods are easy to grasp. There are 3 main methods to get from the airport and they are: Busses, the Airport express train and taxis. In this instance I will always choose Taxi’s and the reason being, they are a good price and metered so no worries about being ripped off, you will get to your accommodation door to door and to be honest after a long haul flight I need to be able to just get there especially with kids. For us it was a no-brainer because the taxi cost me £19 from the airport to Kowloon and if I had got the airport express train it would have been 105 dollars for me and 52 dollars for each child which would have actually been more and that would have only taken us to Kowloon station which was still a 55 minute walk or 28 minute bus to our hotel. If you do choose the airport express then you can go to either Kowloon, Hong Kong or Tsing Yi Station and this is a speedy way of reaching those stations but I think if you are in a group it is better to get a taxi (and cheaper). If you do choose a taxi you will follow the signs for the Taxi rank and you choose a lane based on your destination, Urban taxis (red) operate in most areas in Hong Kong (except partial of Tung Chung Road and roads in south Lantau), New Territories taxis (green) mainly operate in the north-eastern part (i.e. north of Sha Tin) and north-western part (i.e. north of Tsuen Wan) of the New Territories and Lantau taxis (blue) operate only on Lantau Island and Chek Lap Kok. There are usually people helping and you tell them your address and how many people they will tell the driver and you will be on your way. Once your trip is under way you can use Uber to get around within the city.
Areas of Hong Kong and where to stay
There are obviously lots of neighbourhoods in Hong Kong in which you can stay, but really there are 2 main areas to check out if you are a tourist and those are: Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. In my opinion I wouldn’t stay in Lantau Island unless you are at Disney and there actually aren’t too many options of accommodation there anyway. With Kowloon you have Tsim Sha Tsui or Mongkok (I have stayed in Mongkok twice, but I will touch on that in a bit then on Hong Kong island you have several options; Central, Sheung Wan, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay. If you haven’t looked before then it’s worth knowing that these are two separate islands as Hong Kong is a string of islands, but you can easily get around using the metro and the very cheap, scenic ferry network. Below I will cover a little about each area, and this is important not just from the point of view of where to stay but it’s important as for me much of the “sightseeing” and exploring I like to do is by wandering the different neighbourhoods, eating local food and seeing different landmarks in each so I will give a bit of information below on each.
Tsim Sha Tsui-Has a beautiful promenade along the waterfront and has great access to shops, restaurants and museums, it has direct access to the iconic Star ferry and the streets are pretty flat making it an accessible choice. Make sure you visit Chungking Mansions and Kowloon Park, then stroll along Nathan road to the seafront and then head along the harbour front to Avenue of the Stars. You can then head over to the promenade and see the clock tower before taking the Star Ferry to Hong Kong island. If you walk at a decent pace you can do this in a morning but you may want to take a day if you are time-blessed to soak it all in.
The Iconic Australia Dairy Company
Mongkok-Okay so the thing with Mongkok is it is one of the most densely populated urban areas on earth….Now don’t let that put you off, its actually where I have stayed twice and I absolutely love it. Mongkok is teaming with life and whilst there is a lot of life there you don’t feel like you are in a chaotic and overwhelming area (or in my opinion anyway.) Now Mongkok is full of different markets and Cha Cha Tengs, which is essentially a tea restaurant serving Westen style cantonese dishes, they all serve great, strong Milk tea. They have short, practical menus with set breakfasts, toasts, noodles, rice plates, baked dishes, and drinks. Expect to share tables, staff may seem a bit short but they are just very efficient and speedy and Cha Cha Tengs are a great way to catch local life and eat cheap and delicious food. In terms of markets then make sure you hit up Fa Yuan street, The flower market, Ladies Market and lots of people like to visit Goldfish street (it is how it sounds). On the outer edge of Mongkok is Nathan Road and Langham place which is also worth a visit.
Central-Central suits travellers who enjoy big‑city energy: it has lots of skyscrapers, busy streets, and the Mid Level escalators, It’s ideal for fast access to The Peak, the Star Ferry, major museums and shopping, has a good food and coffee scene so is well worth a visit but in my opinion not the best place to stay as it doesn’t have that neighbourhood feel as though you are a part of something. As mentioned be sure to check out the Mid Level Escalators and the Peak Tram (I will talk about that below.
Sheung Wan-Shau Kei Wan sits on the eastern edge of Hong Kong Island, it has old fishing piers, temples, and some of the city’s best-value local eats. There are plenty of wet markets to explore here and lots of noodle shops and is the place to catch Bus 9 to Dragon’s Back, Shek O, and Big Wave Bay so if you are a hiker its a good option to base yourself at. In terms of where to visit, Man Mo Temple is nearby and there is a plethora of excellent coffee ( Halfway coffee is excellent) and some gorgeous indie shops (check out PMQ). It is also home to the very popular Shiu Shing Hong which is an essential oil shop that sells perfume blends of the various hotels in Hong Kong for you to take home.
Wan Chai-Wan Chai is a vibrant mix of eras. An old fishing village with modern landmarks like the Hong Kong Convention Centre stand alongside heritage sites like the Blue House cluster, creating a unique neighbourhood that feels deeply lived-in and authentic. It has some excellent eateries and coffee shops and some pretty popular spots such as Joy Hing Roast Meats and Kam’s Roast Goose. On the edge of this and the Causeway Bay neighbourhood is the Canal Road flyover which has become somewhat “viral” because you can go there and curse your enemies or partake in “Villain hitting rituals”.
Causeway Bay-Causeway Bay ranks among the world’s most densely packed shopping districts and is a must visit if you have things to buy. You can visit Times Square, Fashion Walk, Sogo, and hundreds of independent boutiques and the neighbourhood still keeps a strong local feel that is different from Central or Tsim Sha Tsui. It is a super layered Neighbourhood hosting temples, dai pai dongs serving noodles since the 1960s, the typhoon shelter, and Victoria Park — the largest green space on Hong Kong Island — all giving this vibrant community something to see beyond the shops. Causeway Bay is also home to Hong Kong Island’s Shanghainese immigrant community. In the 1950s many Shanghainese families moved here, opening various restaurants and stores. The Japanese department store Sogo, which has been at the heart of the main intersection since 1985 is also a mainstay, further proving the area really is multi national.
How to spend 3 days in Hong Kong
Okay so the whole point of this post lets jump in but you can see why you need to know more about each area as I will say largely the guide is based on different areas. You can do this in any order and it may be dependent on where you are staying.
Mid Level Escalators in Central, Hong Kong
Noodles at Mak’s
Day 1 Hong Kong Island, the harbour and the Peak Tram
If you are staying on Kowloon then start your day with the Star Ferry if you are in Tsim Sha Tsui or if you are in MongKok then take the metro to Sheung Wan, visit Shiu Shing Hong for the essential oils, its only a short walk and then grab a coffee at Halfway coffee and visit Man Mo temple. If you are hungry you can grab some fried rice and Yuk Kin Fast Food then take the mid level Escalators up and enjoy the views whilst riding some of the most extensive outdoor escalators in the world. Once you reach the top of the Mid-level escalators you will need to walk for about 20 minutes to the peak tram entrance. The Peak Tram is one of my favourite things to do in Hong Kong and well worth it, personally I don’t think the sky terrace is worth it but that is up to you. Tickets are around £10 (1 way) for an adult and £5 for kids age up to 11. It is one of the worlds oldest and steepest funicular railways and the views at the peak are amazing. Once you make it up to the top there is actually 2 malls at the top and if you head to the Peak Galeria rooftop you can get even better views without paying the extra for the sky terrace. In terms of food I would reccommend Mak’s noodles which is a chain but good quality dumplings and noodles and really affordable and then for desert Messina has great Gelato and for me you cannot miss egg tarts at Bakehouse….to be honest I had several pastries here and all bloody delicious. Silk is quite famous for the milk tea and it was good but not quite the best I’ve had in Hong Kong if I’m honest.
For your afternoon I would take a cab to Causeway bay, have a wander and enjoy times square along with the famous intersection then headover to the flyover, before ending your day (it will be evening now) in Wan Chai. As I mentioned before there are some iconic eateries such as Joy Hing Roast meats, Kam’s Roast Goose but also Sun King Yuen Curry restaurant comes very highly recommended, it was on my list and we sadly ran out of time but with all of this you should expect to queue if you want to eat in. From the Wan Chai Ferry port you can take a ferry back over to Kowloon and if you time it right there is an amazing light show at 8pm every evening.
Man Mo Temple
Day 2-Kowloon
Again this will depend on where you are based but I would recommend you grab a breakfast at one of the extremely popular Cha Cha Tengs, now probably the most popular and most talked about is the Australia Dairy company. To get here you would take the metro to Jordan and its a short walk. I will say if the queue is insane they do serve all day so you can always come back. There is a brilliant place pretty much next door called Mak Man Kee too. The noodles are excellent and beef brisket is incredible. From here you can walk to the Avenue of the stars and check out K11 Musea which is just a Mall but it is stunning. You can go along the seafront and see the clocktower and the Tsim Sh Tsui promenade. Personally I would then spend the afternoon/evening visiting the markets and as mentioned above you could wander through Kowloon park, pick up Nathan Road and either walk along (although a bit of a walk) or use the metro. In terms of markets there is Temple Street which is near to Jordan Metro station. If you hop one stop to Yau Ma Tei you will find and excellent bakery called Kadorar et Lavain right outside the metro, don’t be put off by the queue but it is small inside so it’s a little chaotic but definitely worth it. Nearby there are plenty of great places to eat and drink, head to King of Coconut for coconut milk drinks, Ros Jad Thai for excellent Thai food and Mammy Pancake for the iconic egg waffles. Walk up Tung Choi Street and you will find the ladies market, Mong Kok Night market and sneakers street, if you are into cosmetics be sure to visit Lung Fung Mall for skincare, haircare and drugstore staples as well as TCM products, the prices are so good and we regret not stocking up more to be honest as these prices were the best we encountered on our Asia tour. then finish near Fa Yuen Street where in the evening the neon lights are well worth catching a glimpse of.
If you have any extra time you may also want to see Goldfish Street which is exactly as it sounds, bags and bags of goldfish in a row of shops but obviously some choose not to look due to ethical reasons, then there is the flower market on Prince Edward Road and if you head West on Mong Kok Road you can head to Twemco Industries for the trademark clocks (likely you will have seen them online somewhere as they are one of those Hong Kong, iconic souvenirs, if you continue west you will find Oi Man Sang which is a classic Dai Pai Dong on Shek Kip Mei Street, expect to share a table and enjoy a classic outside eatery full of incredible cantonese dishes. Next walk another 5 minutes to DX Design Hub which is a free museum with lots of lovely exhibitions and classic neon signage from Hong Kong, finish at Fuk Wa Street flea market before looping back to Price Edward Metro stop (or taking a cab to your next destination). Of course this is a lot to add on so I recommend potentially spending an extra morning or afternoon here but only if you have time of course. We actually stayed in Mong Kong at the Royal Plaza hotel. It is our second time at the Royal Plaza and I would reccomend if you are travelling with kids. The family rooms are spacious and good value (we paid £120 a night for 4 persons) and it has a nice pool, plus it is attached to the Moko Mall which is just convenient if you have little ones and the Mong Kok East Station is located under the mall. You can find the hotel here, of course it depends which area you want to stay and there are plenty of hotels to choose from but I can definitely recommend Royal Plaza.
Downtown Kowloon
Day 3-Lantau Island
For your final day I feel like every Hong Kong itinerary needs to mention Lantau Island. I am going to say that on my first visit we didn’t make it and on the recent visit whilst we did go to Lantau and take the cable car to the Big Buddha and Ngong Ping cable car I have mixed feelings about it. We paid 27 USD per adult (over 11s) and then kids were 12 USD. They do run different promotions but the easiest place to book is Klook as then when you purchase via Klook you have a separate line to queue in which is quicker. The queues can get big so I recommend arriving early and if you arrive in the summer months the sun can be brutal, I thought being higher up would offer some relief from the heat but it felt actually hotter, granted we did visit in August. At the top the “village” is very commercialised but the monastery is stunning and the Big Buddha is very beautiful. The views from the cable car are decent, you get a good view of the airport and on a clear day you will see the different islands of Hong Kong but again, I was slightly disappointed given the price and the fact it is on every Hong Kong “must do” list. Having said that Lantau is worth your time, there are many stunning hikes and waterfalls and on the far side of the island is Tai O fishing village, a traditional Hong Kong village full of stalls and street food and a view into a traditional fishing village. There is also the Tung Chung Mall home to Citygate outlets, a great spot if you want discounted brands, especially sportswear. I definitely do not wish to put people off the Ngong Ping Cable car and Big Buddha, it is just personal preference and I usually love a cable car and Buddhist temples but this just maybe wasn’t what I had hoped. I always want to be honest here and would say it is worth a visit just if you are squeezed for time then personally this is the one I would leave out if I were to return. I will also say that usually I love to hike but at the moment due to mobility issues it is just not accessible for me and we visited in August, it was 36 degrees and 90% humidity so mobility aside it would not have been an option for us with the kids anyway. If you are into hiking there are so many great options in Hong Kong but Lantau is less developed so I think your options here are very good.
Extra things if you have time….
If you have any longer in Hong Kong (Something I really recommend) then here are the things I would also look at prioritise…..
Shenzen-Only 14 minutes by fast train and China’s technology hub. Shenzen has SO much to offer from malls, incredible technology from robots to drone coffee delivery, driverless cars and science and technology museums. It also has beautiful, traditional streets filled with artists and makers and a vibrant seafront with random resort-type offerings like desert style restaurants and area that is modelled on Greece and then of course Chinas famous 24 hour spas. Once a sleepy fishing village Shenzen has become one of Chinas most interesting cities full of things to do. This year British nationals can travel to China Visa free until Dec 31st and I believe after this you can qualify for the transit visa free entry. If you do visit book the train via Trip here and be sure to download Alipay as there you can book taxis through DiDi and pay for everything in China as you will need.
Extra day in Kowloon and Central. As you could see in Central there was an awful lot to fit in for a day, almost impossible to be honest so I would say if you can have an extra day in each then it would be perfect to take your time or a half day in each would also work.
Take a boat tour! There are several to choose from, I would love to do one of the Pink Dolphin tours from Tai O village and I have seen some delicious looking Dim Sum Boat trips but I have taken a night cruise with drinks which I will link here and it was really special and affordable.
Go for Dim-Sum. Probably doable in your 3 day itinerary but I feel like in Hong Kong you need to do it. Places like Tim Ho Wan’s Sham Shui Po is affordable and popular, One Dim Sum in Mongkok and Man Mo Dim Sum are all solid choices.
Finally I would obviously say you should visit Disneyland Hong Kong and you can find a short guide to HK Disney here but I do have a full guide coming. I would say you need 2 days ideally to fully enjoy it.
Of course this is just a 3 day guide and obviously only scratching the surface as Hong Kong has so much on offer, I haven’t even touched on the New territories but this is a great start to see the highlights of Hong Kong. If you want my full Google Maps with over 80 pins just drop me a comment or message on Instagram and I will send it over but let me know if you have any questions in the comments.
