We woke up in Mong Kok (旺角), Kowloon (九龍), Hong Kong. Our hotel was in Hong Kong. Our plan for the day? GO TO SHENZHEN. 😂 Not by plane. Not by long-distance coach. Not even by high-speed rail. We were simply going to take Hong Kong’s MTR (港鐵) toward the border… and walk across. For an international traveler looking at Hong Kong and Shenzhen on a map, that can sound slightly unbelievable....
There are two ways to experience Hong Kong (香港). You can wake up, leave your hotel and travel across the city before your sightseeing begins. Or you can wake up… walk downstairs… and discover that Hong Kong (香港) has already started around you. That was one of Dad’s favorite things about staying with Elaine in Mong Kok (旺角). We stayed at iclub Mong Kok Hotel (旺角薈賢居), in a mature Kowloon (九龍) neighborhood...
Sleep → Eat → Walk → See → Coffee. When Dad was choosing where we should stay in Hong Kong, there was a strategy behind it. I didn’t want Elaine and me to stay right in the middle of the busiest part of Central. Of course, we wanted to experience Central. The crowds. The commercial streets. The skyscrapers. The energy. That busy, buzzing Hong Kong is part of the experience. But I...
You’re already in Hong Kong. Then you look across the Pearl River Delta and think: Macau is right there. Should we go? For many first-time visitors, Macau (澳门, Àomén) is one of the most tempting additions to a Hong Kong trip. And yes — a DIY day trip is very doable. But Macau isn’t simply another Hong Kong neighborhood. You’ll cross between two Special Administrative Regions, pass through immigration, use different local...
Hong Kong (香港, Xiānggǎng) creates a dangerous temptation for first-time visitors. You open Google. You make a list. Victoria Peak. Star Ferry. Big Buddha. Mong Kok. Temple Street. Central. Tsim Sha Tsui. Ngong Ping. Tai O. Disneyland. Macau. Twenty-seven food stops. And suddenly you’ve designed a four-day holiday that requires nine days. 😂 There’s another way. For your first Hong Kong trip, don’t try to collect attractions. Try to experience several different...
Hong Kong (香港, Xiānggǎng) can look intimidating on a map. Hong Kong Island. Kowloon. New Territories. Lantau Island. MTR lines crossing everywhere. Buses with numbers you’ve never seen before. Ferries crossing Victoria Harbour. Double-decker trams slowly rumbling through the middle of the city. And then you arrive and discover something rather nice: Getting around Hong Kong is actually one of the easier parts of the trip. For most first-time visitors, you don’t...
Choosing where to stay in Hong Kong (香港, Xiānggǎng) can look complicated. Tsim Sha Tsui? Central? Sheung Wan? Mong Kok? Jordan? Somewhere cheaper farther out? For a first-time visitor, the answer isn’t simply: Which Hong Kong neighborhood is best? The better question is: Which neighborhood makes MY Hong Kong trip easier? Because in Hong Kong, your hotel isn’t just somewhere to sleep. Its location affects how often you change trains, how far...
Hong Kong (香港, Xiānggǎng) can be one of the easiest places in Asia to explore independently — but first-time visitors still face a surprising number of decisions. Where should you stay? How do you get from the airport to your hotel? Do you need an Octopus card? Should you stay in Tsim Sha Tsui or on Hong Kong Island? How many days do you need? Can you visit the Big Buddha and...
First Time in Hong Kong? Here’s Exactly What We Did from Landing to Checking into Our Hotel Landing in Hong Kong foe the first time is exciting. It’s also the moment when most travellers feel a bit uncertain. After months of planning, you’re finally here—but suddenly practical questions take over. Where do we buy transport tickets? Should we exchange money? How do we get into the city? Is the Airport Express worth...
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