Attractions in Hong Kong

Hong Kong does not have that many attractions in the same style as for example Beijing. In Hong Kong, people generally go to do some shopping or just experience a very big city. Still, there are some places that may be worth a visit in addition to all the shopping.

Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak is also simply called The Peak. The Peak is a viewpoint situated high on the mountain on the Hong Kong Island, in the Central district. From there you get a great view over the city and you can see all the big skyscrapers from the top.

To get there you can take the metro to Central and from there follow the signs to the tram that goes to the top (Peak Tram). A return ticket costs HK $48 for an adult including entry to the viewpoint called Sky View Terrace. You can pay with your Octopus card if you want. It may be a long queue for the tram, a half-hour waiting period, both up and down, is not unusual.

The stretch of the tram is only 1.4 kilometers but the height difference is almost 400 meters, so it is very steep. Try to get a seat on the right side of the tram on the way up, and on the left side on the way down, and you will get the best view.

If you are a real Hong Kong fan, you probably would like to visit The Peak in both daylight and at night, and why not during sunset as well?

Ocean Park

Ocean Park is an amusement park on the southern part of Hong Kong Island. Here you can find roller coasters and everything else that is commonly found in amusement parks. Admission is just over HK $200 per adult and then all the attractions inside the park are for free. Expect long queues for everything.

To get there, get on bus number 629 from the metro station Admiralty. The bus will go directly to the park and it costs HK $10.6 per adult, using the Octopus card.

Go to their website: Ocean Park in Hong Kong

Disneyland

Disneyland in Hong Kong opened in 2005 and is located on the island of Lantau.

Disney’s famous characters are running around in the park, and they also have staff to help with the photography. They can use their cameras for a fee, or they can use your own camera to take a picture of you, without charge. Everyone is nice and the characters really act as if they were the real cartoon characters.

Disneyland has their own train that goes from Kowloon to Lantau Island. Admission for the park is HK $295 per adult.

Mid-levels escalators

A rather strange sight used by Hong Kong residents to get to and from work. It is very hilly on Hong Kong Island so it is nice to have escalators. It is a long system of escalators, a total of about 800 meters (half a mile) long. In the morning until 10 they go down and at 10 they change direction and goes up.

Although it does not sound like much fun, it was actually very interesting. The residential area next to the escalators is very dense and it is interesting to see how people really live, in contrast to the luxurious skyscrapers. Even if the buildings here look quite worn out and low level, it is not cheap at all to live here.

The escalators can be reached from the metro station Central, and then just walk a few blocks to the west and you should see it.

Star Ferry

Star Ferry is the passenger ferry service that can transport passengers between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. I write this in the attractions section rather than transportation, since there are more efficient ways if you just want to transport yourself (MTR and taxi). The Star Ferry line is however a nice change, and you cannot argue that the view from the boat is way better than from the metro. Prices are low, from just over HK $2 and up.