10 Reasons Why You Must Visit Hong Kong


We love Hong Kong! It is a bustling metropolis that is a melting pot of the East and the West, with both English and Chinese as the official languages of Hong Kong. English is used widely in commercial and legal matters, while Cantonese is used by a majority of the residents at home. After our weeklong trip, we have decided to do up a 10 Reasons Why You Must Visit Hong Kong!

The cha chaan teng food is fantastic, and there are endless shopping malls and streets at Mongkok, Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay. Hop on a ferry for a 60-minute ride to Macau. Spend a day at Disneyland or Ocean Park. Look for the spectacular views at Victoria Peak and Victoria Harbour. Looking for more in-depth guides? Have a look at our Hong Kong Itineraries and our Macau Day Trip guide.

Without further ado, here are our 10 Reasons Why You Must Visit Hong Kong, listed in reverse-order of our preferences!

 

10 Reasons to Visit Hong Kong - street market - thehungrygeek

10. Street Markets

The street market scene in Hong Kong is really incredible. There is a Ladies Market, Flower Market, Goldfish Market, Sneakers Street, Temple Street Night Market and the list goes on. These street markets are basically super budget and super cheap roadside stalls with all kinds of wares. You can get your souvenirs here at great bargains.

And yes, you have to try your hand at bargaining here. Don’t like the price? There will usually be other stalls selling identical products at cheaper prices. All kinds of crazy things happen at the street markets, from a random ambulance driving through to remind the hawkers to keep a space for emergency vehicles, to hawkers confronting petty thieves and the occasional mentally unstable person – expect anything!

 

10 Reasons to Visit Hong Kong - Tsim Sha Tsui - thehungrygeek

9. Tsim Sha Tsui

Tsim Sha Tsui is in the heart of traditional Hong Kong. You have an amazing array of shopping options, from the incredibly large Harbour City to the amazingly beautiful 1881 Heritage and the hip The ONE, there is a shopping mall for all ages.

The Din Tai Fung at Silvercord has a Michelin star! Half of all the museums in Hong Kong are here at Tsim Sha Tsui. There is an array of dining options in the area, from the most famous and delicious cha chaan teng Australia Dairy Company which has arguably one of the best scrambled eggs in the world, Mak Man Kee Noodle Shop that sells one of the best wanton noodles in Hong Kong and the Lee Keung Kee North Point Eggette that always has long queues.

 

10 Reasons to Visit Hong Kong - causeway bay - thehungrygeek

8. Causeway Bay

While Tsim Sha Tsui is the traditional, Causeway Bay is the modern. This is a modern shopping paradise with shopping malls and streets such as Times Square, Hysan Place, SOGO, World Trade Centre, Lee Garden, Jardine Crescent and Fashion Walk, to name a few.

There is the Noonday Gun along the harbour that is fired every day at 12noon and the Victoria Park as well as the Hong Kong Central Library nearby.

As for food here, there is the Sister Wah beef noodles nearby to the east at Tin Hau MTR, the Capital Cafe, Kam Fung CafeJoy Hing Roasted Meat and Honolulu Coffee Shop to the west near Wan Chai. The Capital Cafe has really really good condensed milk buns and scrambled eggs, while Kam Fung Cafe has super delicious chicken pies and polo buns.

 

10 Reasons to Visit Hong Kong - ocean park - thehungrygeek

7. Ocean Park

Ocean Park is insane! They have one of the best animal shows at their Ocean Theatre, and the rides are out of this world. You have penguins, sea otters, dolphins and exotic fishes everywhere. Don’t forget the panda bears!

There is an amazingly scenic cable car ride that brings you from the beginning of the park to The Summit where more of the thrilling rides are located. Some of the rides here are not for the faint hearted, so do pick them wisely.

You can spend a whole day here and put lots of sunblock. For our tips on where to get cheap tickets and our photographs of the place, have a look at our Hong Kong Day 2 Itinerary.

 

10 Reasons to Visit Hong Kong - Disneyland - thehungrygeek

6. Disneyland

This is a more fun and family-friendly version of Ocean Park. You have to pay more to get in, but you will have much more fun time here with visitors that are simply more courteous. Also, who can resist Mickey Mouse and friends! If you have kids they will have the time of their lives here with all the Disney characters coming to life in front of them.

There are thrilling rides here too, but most of them are just plain fun and amazing. We took like double or triple the amount of photographs at Disneyland as compared to Ocean Park, because of the sheer number of sights and beautiful things all around. There are many Disney-themed shows here as well and they are all incredible. Don’t forget the Micky Mouse-shaped ice cream and rice!

There is also a daily parade where all the Disney characters that are usually scattered all over the park come together with their beautiful floats for a really long parade. For our photographs and guide, have a look at our Hong Kong Day 6 Itinerary.

 

10 Reasons to Visit Hong Kong - Cha Chaan Teng - thehungrygeek

5. Cha Chaan Teng

The cha chaan tengs in Hong Kong are simply amazing. Literally translated as ‘tea restaurant’, cha chaan tengs are budget eateries that generally serve clear tea instead of water to guests upon arrival. They have the usual comfort fare for the local Hong Kongers, with the standard milk tea, toasts, polo buns, and some have things like satay instant noodles, egg tarts and pork chop.

Cha chaan tengs are not for the faint hearted, known for the ruthless efficiency of their staff and the general lack of politeness. Nonetheless, we have found some of the most delicious scrambled eggs in the world at Australia Dairy Company, an incredibly delicious condensed milk bun at Capital Cafe and some really really nice milk tea and pork chop buns at Lan Fong Yuen.

For a list of all the cha chaan tengs that we visited in Hong Kong, see this page.

 

10 Reasons to Visit Hong Kong - macau Collage - thehungrygeek

4. Macau

If you visit Hong Kong, a day trip to Macau is obligatory! It is just a 60-minute ferry ride away, and we recommend taking the earliest ferry over and the latest ferry back.

At Macau, there’s numerous mega casinos for the gamblers with insane shopping labyrinths that stretch for miles. There are many attractions as well such as the Ruins of St Paul, Macau Tower and Senado Square. Macau’s big highlight for us was the food!

Lord Stow’s Bakery with their world famous Portuguese egg tarts is perhaps one of the most delicious foods in the world, especially when consumed piping hot. The Tai Lei Loi Kei pork chop bun is incredibly delicious as well (there’s a Singapore outlet now, but nothing beats the original).

For our photographs and guide, have a look at our Macau Day Trip Itinerary.

 

10 Reasons to Visit Hong Kong - Victoria Peak - thehungrygeek

3. Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak has one of the most magnificent views in Hong Kong! The Peak has Madam Tussauds, as well as The Sky Terrace 428 which is the highest point in the area for a great vantage view. For us, we found the obscure Peak Circle Trail, with a spot that will give you some absolutely breathtaking views free of charge!

We recommend getting here just before sunset and staying throughout the blue hour up until nightfall. You would have the most amazing photos! Unfortunately we were forced to turn back early due to rain 😥

For directions and instructions on how to reach this nice little spot, have a look at our Hong Kong Day 1 Itinerary.

 

10 Reasons to Visit Hong Kong - Food Collage - thehungrygeek

2. Food Paradise

We were talking about how great the food at the cha chaan tengs were. Hong Kong is actually an incredible food paradise! They have numerous egg tart havens that have opened in Singapore, such as Tai Cheong Bakery and Honolulu Coffee Shop! We found the most incredible wanton noodles ever at Mak An Kee Noodles – much much better than the Mak’s Noodles found in Singapore.

Kau Kee Beef Brisket Noodles has a perpetual long queue with numerous Hong Kong celebrities regularly spotted there. The roast goose and char siew at Yat Lok Roast Goose are absolutely incredible! Let’s not forget the Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan dim sum and the ridiculously delicious Jenny Bakery butter cookies.

The list is endless really. Check out all our Hong Kong food reviews here.

 

10 Reasons to Visit Hong Kong - Victoria Harbour - thehungrygeek

1. Victoria Harbour

Victoria Harbour is really the top rated attraction in Hong Kong and our top pick! One of the greatest city skyline views in the world, and its absolutely free. They also have a magnificent harbour cruise by Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central and it costs only HK$2.50 or HK$3.40(weekend) for each trip.

Take the Star Ferry trip at night, and you will be astounded by the views. For more photos have a look at our Hong Kong Day 4 Itinerary.

 

10 Reasons Why You Must Visit Hong Kong – Final Thoughts

We visited Hong Kong for 7D6N in November 2015, and we had an absolutely enjoyable time there. You will need to adjust your expectations when it comes to politeness there, but once you get used to it, the food and sights are the best!

 

info  Hong Kong

Status:
A Special Administrative Region of China, with its own legal system and laws

Location:
We recommend Google Maps

Highlights:
Victoria Harbour, Victoria Peak, Food, Disneyland, Ocean Park, Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui, Street Markets, Macau

City Opening Hours:
24/7

Contact:
NA

Guide:
TheHungryGeek’s Hong Kong Itineraries




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