CHRISTY: Vancouver & Seattle Lifestyle, Travel, Fashion, Beauty, Business, & Food Blogger ❀

Over the last few years, I pretty much travelled to Hong Kong about 4 times already. Sometimes I stayed there for a week, other times about a month, and then eventually I also worked abroad there for about 6 months (check out my full summary here)!

My favourite part about Hong Kong is the international vibes, great scenery (you get both city AND nature – love the water views!), the city lights, and of course, the food. They have super cheap food but also very expensive food.

Since I’ve been to Hong Kong many times, each with different durations, I thought I could just put together a 10-day itinerary of my top spots. I’ve pretty much went to many of the touristy spots (including restaurants) and travelled to many places! This itinerary has a mix of city life, nature, cheap eats, popular restaurants, cute shops, and more.

Hong Kong has three main regions: Hong Kong Island (the center mainly with the financial and business districts – Central, Sheung Wan), Kowloon (famous spots such as Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok), and New Territories (closer to Mainland China, lots of beaches and fishing villages). My favourite spot would be Hong Kong Island for the best big city life.

Caution: As with my other itineraries, this one below is for people who have a limited time and want to visit each popular area. Let’s say wake up at 9am. Also some places will require you to do deeper research for activities and food. You can also feel free to rearrange the spots and days. My last tip would be that the city is very fast-paced (people walk very fast), and to also avoid the small van buses as they’re super fast! Also beware of cockroaches.

Some things to bring: sunscreen, bug spray, lots of cash/ credit cards, wifi, comfortable shoes – lots of walking! Also pack a jacket or so for when the AC is super strong.

Some must-eats: Dim sum, bubble waffles, BBQ meat, egg tarts, curry fish balls, milk tea, lemon tea, pineapple bun, dessert soups, wonton noodles, congee, cart noodles, clay pot rice, tofu pudding, hot pot, scrambled egg sandwich, high tea, buffets, bubble tea, sugar cane juice, herbal jelly, coconut milk.

Quick tips: You can definitely get around with English, also get the Octopus card because you can use it for almost anything from travel to food (love this!). Also following Google Maps can be a challenge so heads up. Taking taxis give cash is usually normal. Use Open Rice app for restaurants. Take caution when you take the small buses because they can be super fast!

Here’s a brief summary of my recommended itinerary (I stayed in the New Territories which is quite far from the centre with 1-hour transit to Hong Kong Island):

🗓 DAY 1 – Mongkok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Central, Victoria Peak, Causeway Bay

• Morning
  • Breakfast: There’s good food almost everywhere and one of the most popular things to do is eat street food in Mongkok! There are curry fish balls, innards (if you like that), skewers, sugar cane and coconut milk drinks.
    • OR one of my favourite breakfast chains is Fairwood! I like their affordable combos (less than US$3) especially with the fried fish fillet and cold milk tea. I also like Tai Hing (chain – for the BBQ meat combos)
    • You can also try places like 7-11 if you’re into Asian convenient stores, if not then definitely the bakeries (I like Tai Cheong (chain)! Try the egg tarts and chicken pie)
    • If you’re extra hungry, there’s a super good Japanese food buffet place, Daieiki (check if you need reservations)
  • Check out the Langham Place Mall with a huge escalator (the food court there has a lot of food options too), there’s a LINE store if you’re into that
  • You can do a bit of shopping in Mongkok too, it’s a very trendy and youthful shopping area

• Afternoon
  • Head to Tsim Sha Tsui nearby, this is the harbour area which I LOVE, it’s just so beautiful. At night there’s usually a light show at 8pm
    • Walk along Victoria Harbour and check out the Avenue of Stars (this should take about 1-2h)
    • If you want some AC, you can visit the Harbour City Mall with a lot of high-end stores or K11 MUSEA (a new artsy and high-end mall)
    • Take photos outside the luxurious and famous Peninsula Hotel
  • Take the Star Ferry (super affordable 30-min ride) over to Central area
  • Walk around Central (financial district) to make your way to the Victoria Peak Tram Station
    • We’ll have more time for Central another day: there’s a big International Finance Centre (ifc mall) also with a lot of high-end stores
  • Victoria Peak: Super famous view of the city! Take lots of photos here, you can also spend an hour or so at the Wax Museum

• Evening
  • Central or Causeway Bay (CWB) – Both areas have a ton of food and stores to shop from. It’s nice to also take the tram (or Ding Ding)
  • Central: Luxurious shopping malls, lots of western food restaurants, you can even check out Lan Kwai Fong (LKF) a street filled with bars!
  • Causeway Bay: Has my favourite crosswalk (similar to Shibuya Crossing), lots of Hong Kong dessert soup shops. If you’re craving bubble tea, there’s a street filled with side-by-side shops OR if you like matcha, try Via Tokyo

• Dinner Spots: Ki’s Roast Goose (see my post) restaurant for the BBQ meat dishes! Honestly there are so many good restaurants in Hong Kong

🗓 DAY 2 – Sheung Wan, Admiralty, Central & Causeway Bay

• Morning
  • Sheung Wan: So many cute cafes are here and lots of expats live in this area
    • Breakfast at an HK cafe is a must – try a french toast, pineapple bun, and egg tart
    • Get bubble waffle at the famous Mammy Pancake
    • Also try congee and clay pot rice!
  • Famous Souvenir Spot: Cookies at Jenny Bakery

• Afternoon
  • Admiralty: Central is after Admiralty but if you want to check Lan Kwai Fong (LKF) at night then head there in the evening! At Admiralty, a notable place to grab a snack would be the big McDonald’s there! It’s an experimental branch where they serve salads and you can even customize your own burger. I also got a matcha cake. You can also watch them make the food. The McCafe is amazing by the way.

• Evening
  • Central: Luxurious shopping malls, the famous long escalator, lots of western food restaurants, you can even check out LKF, a street filled with bars
  • Causeway Bay: Has my favourite crosswalk (similar to Shibuya Crossing), lots of Hong Kong dessert soup shops (tofu pudding is great) OR if you like matcha, try Via Tokyo
    • If you are up for a snack, you should even try KFC! They have amazing Portugese egg tart

🗓 DAY 3 – Sham Shui Po (Street Shopping)

• Morning
  • Go dim sum somewhere – so many great places here (Tim Ho Wan is very famous, I also like Dim Dim Sum)

• If you liked Mongkok, you can even walk to Prince Edward area and then Sham Shui Po
  • I loved the souffle pancakes at this place in Mongkok

• Afternoon – Sham Shui Po
  • If you’re into manicures, there are so many affordable places to go in the area (and Mongkok)!
  • Get some street food and dessert soups
  • Check out the street markets for good deals
  • Get some electronics or video games at the Golden Computer Arcade

• Evening
  • Check out the street markets in the evening too if you want
  • If you have extra time, you can visit Tsim Sha Tsui again, watch the light show at 8pm, and check out Time Square mall too
    • Also recommend going to a sky bar for a drink and amazing city views! (I really liked EyeBar, Rosewood, and Wooloomooloo)

🗓 DAY 4: Ocean Park

On top of Disneyland, I definitely enjoyed looking at animals at Ocean Park! There are also some fun rides to go on but my top activity there was watching the seal show with the ocean in the backdrop. I spent a whole day there and almost thought I couldn’t go home since I stayed so late and the only way back to the exit was through the cable cars. Those were super scary. I had to hold on tight because it was shaking and I’m slightly afraid of heights. It was still fun though!

• Morning – Eat a big breakfast

• Afternoon – Zoo and rides!

• Evening

🗓 DAY 5: Disneyland

As someone who hasn’t gone to the main Disneyland in California, being able to check out the Hong Kong one was super fun! As usual though there were super long lines… but I did still go on many rides within a day! If you’re a big Disney fan, then set aside a day to go there (the food is expensive as usual though). There are fireworks at night to wrap it up.

• Morning
  • Eat a big breakfast before taking the Disney Resort Line at Sunny Bay – food is super expensive inside!
    • Tsuen Wan area or Maritime Square at the Tsing Yi station to switch to Sunny Bay line is nice
    • One of my favourite things to do is check out 7-11 or CircleK to pick up snacks and drinks

• Afternoon – Go on rides

• Evening – Fireworks

🗓 DAY 6: Cheung Chau

This is one of my favourite islands to visit for the weekends. It’s got a lot of cute shops, cafes, and is surrounded by beautiful water and boats. You can also get some tasty snacks and desserts from here!

If you’re here in the spring around April or May, there’s usually a Bun Festival with giant towers of steamed white buns.

• Morning
  • As there might not be too many things to do here unless you want to hike (which I have not) or do some water activities, I’d recommend grabbing breakfast somewhere then take the ferry at Central Pier to Cheung Chau for lunch and afternoon stroll
  • Breakfast: A famous breakfast spot to line up for would be Lan Fong Yuen (for the beef and egg sandwich and milk tea! I got a BBQ pork combo last time)

• Afternoon
  • Eat large curry fish balls, famous mango mochi, and shaved ice is good
  • Walk around the streets for cute shops and chill by the beach or parks. There are also some lookout platforms for a beautiful view
  • I also got a yogurt drink that was super good from one of the shops here
  • If you’re into water activities, you can go kayaking or surfing here

• Evening
  • Watch the sunset, eat some seafood around Tung Wan Road area, and take the ferry back

🗓 DAY 7: Lamma Island (Hike)

• Morning
  • Have a breakfast and take the ferry to Lamma Island to get ready for a beautiful hike

• Afternoon
  • Go for a short hike (~1h), halfway through there’s a famous tofu pudding dessert place on the streets! You can also get pineapple on a stick there.
  • After the hike, have a seafood lunch by the water

• Evening
  • You can chill there longer or go back to check out some night markets: Temple Street, Ladies’ Market, Fa Yuen Street Market. You can even visit Tsim Sha Tsui again!

🗓 DAY 8: Lantau Island & Tai O – Fishing Town

Tai O was one of the favourite islands I went to! However, it’s super far from Central so I combined it with Lantau Island too (for the Big Buddha & Ngong Ping 360). In Tai O, there’s so much good food and boats on water. I also loved that there were wild cats and dogs in the area.

• Morning – Big Budda in Lantau Island
  • Go to Tung Chung Station, grab breakfast
  • Take Ngong Ping 360 gondola
  • Get off and walk around, head towards the Big Buddha (it’s got loong stairs)

• Afternoon – Tai O
  • Take a bus or boat to Tai O
  • Lunch: I had lunch at one of the rooftop restaurants with a nice view. At most islands there is usually fish and chips
  • Snacks: Eat large curry fish balls, the famous charcoal grilled bubble waffle, and the hand-grabbed pancake with pork
  • Take a small boat dolphin tour!
  • Walk around the streets, not too many other activities here so you can head back early!

• Evening
  • If you’re not tired yet, head back to central area and check out Wan Chai for dinner or some night markets: Temple Street, Ladies’ Market, Fa Yuen Street Market

🗓 DAY 9: Macau (Las Vegas of Asia) – Lots of casinos, Portugese egg tarts, buffets

Many people usually visit Macau for a day-trip! It was a Portugese territory so you can see some cultural influences there.

• Morning
  • Take the ferry to Macau (it takes about an hour or so) – there are a couple terminals you can go from (Sheung Wan one is most common)
  • When you get to the ferry, there’s a bus that can take you to some casinos, we visited The Venetian Hotel
    • Venetian Hotel: Check out the light show!
    • Lunch: We had buffet at festiva, there was so much to choose from! Scallops, sashimi, egg tarts, ribs, matcha desserts, and more

• Afternoon
  • Visit the main monuments (~2-3h): Ruins of St. Paul’s (there’s a Starbucks nearby for AC/ washroom/ drinks), Historic Centre of Macau, Largo do Senado
  • Visit the other casinos: Grand Lisboa Casino (looks amazing and flashy), MGM, Lisboa Casino
  • Check out the streets (some pastry shops there such. as Putajanai)

• Evening
  • You can spend more time at the casinos there or check the latest ferries and take it back to Hong Kong
    • If you come back early, you can find some great food spots in Sheung Wan or Central!

🗓 DAY 10: Shatin (Chill Day)

After the hectic last couple of days, perhaps have a chill day of walking around at some nice malls and parks. Shatin is a bit further in the New Territories district, it has a big mall (New Town Plaza), a nice theatre, and also a Snoopy Park (that I took so many childhood photos at). I also like how there’s a train that runs through this area!

If you feel like going on more adventures, you can go out further into the notable rainbow apartments, Choi Hung Estate, for the trendy photo shots OR you could take a day to go Shenzhen, a nearby city to Hong Kong, by train. Lots of great restaurants and snacks there!

• Afternoon
  • Have lunch around Shatin (or at the mall)
  • Check the Snoopy park
  • Shop, shop, shop!
  • There’s a racecourse near by if you want a more local experience
  • If you’re a tech enthusiast, check out Science Park (the Silicon Valley of Hong Kong)

• Evening
  • Dinner: Find a place for congee or clay pot rice!
  • If you’re back before 8pm, it would be amazing to wrap up the last day with a view of the lights in TST!

Other Notable Areas

There are so many exciting places so it’s hard to fit in them all, depending on what you’re interests are, here are some other places:

• Historic spots, art galleries, parks
  • Tai Kwun (~2h) – Centre for Heritage and Arts (has an old prison there and an art gallery) – great photo spot! Get off at Central station
  • Space Museum – get off at TST station
  • Science Museum – get off at TST station
  • Hong Kong Park (Edward Youde Aviary) (~2h) – get off at Admiralty station
  • Zoological & Botanical Gardens – a bit of a walk from Central station

• More islands/ villages
  • Discovery Bay (day trip) – A nice getaway island a bit further out (where most expats live)
  • Sai Kung (day trip) – Very nice island with bars by the water/ beach
  • Stanley (day trip) – A seaside village area with small shops and parks
  • Ngong Ping 360/ Lantau Island (day trip) – Take a gondola up to the mountains and see the Big Buddha

• Other districts
  • Kwai Fong – It has affordable shopping malls like in Mongkok (and lots of cheap eats and drinks), I also like the huge mall that has a big MUJI
  • West Kowloon – A super modern area with an elevated and beautiful view of the city, there’s also some bars and a mall. I always like to visit here. Get off at Kowloon station, 1 stop from Hong Kong station.
  • Tsuen Wan – Street food, mall, cute themed hotel, artsy shop The Mills
  • Tai Kok Tsui – Olympian City Mall is quite nice, I like Black Sugar Coffee there (cute cups!)

• Food
  • High tea is amazing, there are many options such as Mandarin Oriental Hotel or Peninsula Hotel
  • Southeast Asian food is quite common there too, love eating laksa and Hainan chicken!
  • Try some high end restaurants (mainly around Central)
  • Get coffee at a lot of nice cafes (I’ll be writing about how I had 4 coffees in a day!)
  • Haagen-Dazs is super popular there so try some ice cream!
  • If you’re missing Ichiran from Japan or haven’t tried it yet, you can go to it in Hong Kong
  • Japanese shaved ice (Kakigori) at Shari Shari in Central/CWB/TST
  • Matcha lava cake at Joyful Dessert House in Mongkok
  • Rose Kitchen in Wan Chai
  • Eat a Cremia ice cream – my favourite from Japan but you can also get it in Hong Kong
  • Try mochi buns at bakeries

Other Links:

• Stay tuned for my next blog post on 4 coffees I had in one day in Hong Kong
• 🍴 Check out my foodie account @christyenjoys for more! Stay tuned for my next trip on Taipei, Bangkok, Hiroshima/ Miyajima, Toronto, NYC, and San Francisco
• If you have time to go Osaka nearby, I have a 4 Days In Osaka Itinerary!
• See the full summary of my Asia trip