If you thought Hong Kong was just skyscrapers and bright lights, guess again.
It’s a mix of both dazzling cityscapes and the jaw dropping landscapes that surround it.
Here are my top favorite things we did in Hong Kong.
1. Buy an Octopus Card before you do any exploring.
This handy little card got us around the city by bus, train, tram, and ferry.
We are navigating the streets of Hong Kong.
We're doing good.
I'm proud of us.
And when you leave Hong Kong, you can return the card and get any money back that’s left
on the card.
2. Hop on the Star Ferry.
Star Ferry boats are a pleasant way to see Victoria Harbour.
Ferry rides in Hong Kong are also a popular way to get around, but I’d consider avoiding
the high speed ferries—apparently the increase in fast ferry traffic has been gravely endangering
Hong Kong’s pink dolphin population.
3. Take in the view from Victoria Peak.
While this is the more touristy way to see the Hong Kong skyline, it’s one you can’t
leave without experiencing.
We rode up by bus, which is the cheaper route, and rode back down by Peak Tram.
At Victoria Peak, you can enjoy the skyline for free or you can pay to go up further to
the Sky Terrace 428 for the highest panoramic view.
It feels like it took forever to get up here to the Sky Deck but it is so worth it especially
at night to see Hong Kong all lit up.
Show them, let them see for themselves.
It's so beautiful.
4. My personal favorite.
Hike Lion Rock!
To me, the view is even better than Victoria Peak, and it’s free.
It’s not very popular amongst tourists, which is why it was so great.
I only ran into a few locals and they were all very friendly, so even though I tackled
this hike alone, I never felt unsafe.
Wow, oh my gosh.
Yeah very good.
So he said Hong Kong island is over there and then this is the Kowloon Peninsula.
Right?
Yes.
Hello.
Hello!
What's your name?
Look Look.
He's so nice, I ran into him right before I got to the peak and he offered to come up
with me and show me a little bit of what I was actually looking at over the viewpoint.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome.
5. A more posh way to experience a good view, is to sip a cocktail at a rooftop bar.
We went to OZONE, the rooftop sky bar at the Ritz Carlton.
Beware though; they strictly enforce their dress code after 9pm.
6. Don’t just have a cocktail with a good view.
Wake up to one!
There are plenty of hotels in Hong Kong with good views, but we chose Hotel Icon.
They’ll even pick you up in a Tesla, my favorite car company, if you book one of their
clubs or suites for 2 or more nights.
7. See a Symphony of Lights.
Every night at 8pm, you’ll see colorful lights and laser beams bursting from the skyline
on both sides of Victoria Harbour.
8. Stroll along the Promenade.
For more amazing views, walk along the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade where you can enjoy gazing
at the architecture right along the water.
We're walking back to our hotel and one thing that we've noticed is that almost everywhere
you stop, there's just a really pretty view to take in.
Yep.
9. Shop for electronics!
Although it’s not as cheap as it was several years ago, if you go to the right places,
you might be able to find some good bargains.
You can probably go to Amazon and get this for cheaper.
But I haven't begun the negotiation process so I'm pretty sure it can go down lower if
you attempt to negotiate with them.
This place is huge!
I've never seen so many electronics in my life.
That was just one level.
There's still more to go.
10. Experience the Street Markets.
We went to Temple Street Night Market where Karl got to practice his negotiation skills.
He wants to buy a karaoke microphone just so that he can annoy me when we get back home.
Say something I'm giving up on you.
I never go anywhere without this bag, it always come in handy for something.
So we started out at HK $380 and this guy was a firm negotiator like he wouldn't budge
for nothing.
I had to walk around and act like I saw it cheaper somewhere else.
11. If you’re feeling adventurous, try some street food, especially dim sum if you come
across it.
Fried sweet potato?
Mmm, this is really good, you should try it.
12. For a cultural experience, visit Tai O, a fishing village on stilts located on Lantau
Island.
Here you can walk around the village, eat traditional Cantonese food, and take a boat
tour.
The boat tours often advertise pink dolphin sightings, but sadly these beautiful creatures
are in danger of becoming extinct due to pollution and large scale construction.
You can help them by following some of the advice in my Eco-Friendly Travel Tips video,
like avoiding plastic and other things that end up in the ocean like skin products that
contain microbeads.
You can also contact Hong Kong’s ferry companies to ask them to slow down or sign the petition
to reroute ferry traffic.
13. See the Big Buddha.
You can do this during the same excursion you make to Tai O village since it’s nearby.
I didn't even realize the Big Buddha was right behind us as we were walking away from it
but look how big that thing is.
14. While visiting the Big Buddha, you can also explore Ngong Ping village.
But, heads up, don’t expect a traditional cultural experience.
This is a more commercialized area, complete with Western familiarities like Starbucks
and Subway.
15. And finally, ride on the Ngong Ping Cable Car for some beautiful scenery.
It’s best to do this while it’s still light out though.
Unfortunately, we didn’t quite make it before sunset.
Also when you leave Hong Kong, don’t forget to turn that Octopus Card in to get refunded
for the remaining balance on the card!
Want to see more of our adventures in Asia?
Check out our entire honeymoon playlist and don’t forget to like this video and subscribe
for more.
Thanks for watching and I’ll catch YOU on the next flight.