Last Updated: January 19, 2024
I had managed to get something incredibly rare whilst on our Family Round-The-World Trip, a day to myself! The rest of the family was visiting a friend who lived in Hong Kong, so the day was all mine to do with as I pleased!
Quite often I would use time like this to work or do some travel planning. But I felt that, even though we had been in Hong Kong for a few days, we had only scratched the surface.
So I wanted to grab the opportunity to explore more instead.
We often create self-guided walking tours and so I decided this would be something I would do alone today. I had a day, how much could I squeeze in!
I began early, quietly creeping out of our apartment being careful not to wake the rest of the family.
I grabbed some snacks and coffee from across the street to go as knew I wanted to enjoy my breakfast over looking Hong Kong, which was going to be my first stop.
Click Here to see the Google Map Walking Route
Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak, or just ‘The Peak’ as locally known, is exactly what it sounds like. A large hill, around 500m high, that overlooks Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong skyline as well as the ocean.
You can get to the top by walking, bus, taxi or taking the famous Peak Tram.
I went for the tram due to the remainder of my day already involving a lot of walking. The rest of the family did the walk on another day saying it was a pleasant and an easy one, so you can take that option if you prefer.
Getting the tram is easy. You can purchase tickets at the box office at the bottom station or online at The Peak website. It is also often included in various packages and tours.
If you have an Octopus Card, you can just swipe through the turnstile when you arrive. Which will save you queuing at the box office in busy times.
An Octopus card is a top up pre-pay car used for lots of things around the city, especially public transport. It makes getting about very easy so would highly recommend purchasing one as soon as you get into Hong Kong. You can purchase them in most metro stations and some convenience stores.
As I had arrived very early there were no ques and only me and a couple of other people waiting. But later in the day it can get very busy with long waiting times.
Most people want to be on The Peak for sunset so mid afternoon is the busiest time.
The tram departs about every 10-15 minutes. And it’s a really great way to get to the top.
It is an old fashioned style tram running on a very steep track and the novelty is fun and the views are amazing as you ascend.
The top of Victoria Peak itself has numerous attractions and things to do.
With lots of green and wooded walks as well as more commercial attractions such as a mall, cafes and a Madame Tussauds. Most of the commercial attractions. If you’re heading there early they may not yet be open.
But it’s also a great place to just find a quiet spot, have some breakfast and overlook Hong Kong as it wakes up. Maybe then amble around some of the park before heading back to the tram to descend.
The views really are amazing even though it was a slightly murky day when I arrived. And it was very quiet for me due to the time. So would recommend getting there early and having the majority of the place to yourself.
Hong Kong Park & Edward Youde Aviary
When you alight the tram at the bottom terminus, you are just around the corner from Hong Kong Central Park.
This is a nice little park to have a stroll around and has a cool fountain that you can walk through.
It also has a really nice aviary to explore. Which is completely free.
With an array of colourful birds. Most of them were feeding when I arrived so got to be up close and personal with a number of them.
Golden Bauhinia Square & Victoria Harbour
Golden Bauhinia square is home to the Golden Blooming Flower, which is an iconic landmark. Marking the site where the territory was handed over from us Brits in 1997.
Once you’ve seen the flower you can take a walk along the promenade, seeing Victoria Harbour in all it’s glory to our next stop.
Central Mid-Level Escalators
The mid-level escalators are novel attraction in Hong Kong, being the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world.
It was built to help commuters and is a series of separate escalators with numerous entry/exit points. So you can hop in and out of the system where you please.
It’ a quirky and fun way to get about and will give your legs a bit of a rest from the walking.
There is also some great art to look at along on the outside of the escalators. And there are numerous shop and restaurants dotted all along the route.
Ser Wong Fun (for some snake soup!)
Time for lunch and if you have ever wanted to try snake then Hong Kong may be the place.
It is pretty common in Hong Kong with a few different places selling it.
I went for ‘Ser Wong Fun’ as it was just off one of the exits from the escalator and one of the more affordable options (as snake is not cheap). With the snake soup being around 100HKD (£10).
The soup also has other ingredients in it such as chicken and crispy fried wonton skins.
I was a little dubious about how much snake was actually in it, but after a bit of digging I realised there was a reasonably fair amount.
The snake itself didn’t actually taste that different to the chicken! But a bucket list food ticked off non-the-less.
Man Mo Temple
Man Mo Temple is one of the oldest in Hong Kong, dedicated to the God of War and Literature. You often find students in here praying for success in academia.
It has hundreds of hanging incense. It is free to enter and photos can be taken, with no strict dress code, but obviously be respectful.
Ferry Across Victoria Harbour
It’s always nice to get on the water, so take a stroll down to the main ferry port and get the ferry across to Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier.
This is a short ferry ride and is a nice way to see Victoria Harbour from another angle.
Tickets can be purchase at the port, but again the easiest way will be if you have an Octopus card and just swipe through the turnstile.
They leave around every ten minutes and take about 10-15 minutes to cross.
There a few ferry ports here so ensure you go through the the appropriate one for Tsim Sha Tsui. But they are clearly signposted so it’s pretty easy.
Kowloon Park
We’re now on the peninsula part of Hong Kong in the Tsim Sha Tsui area where there is a huge park named Kowloon Park.
There’s lots of gardens and lakes to walk around.
If you’re lucky you may be able to witness one of the martial arts performances that are held in the park regularly.
Another good place to have a snack, finding a nice quite patch to sit and eat whist you watch the world go by.
Avenue of the Stars
Stroll down to the Avenue of the Stars, which is similar to Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. With hand prints, stars and statues immortalising various famous names.
It’s a nice wonder down the promenade, this time looking across to the side where the majority of the day was spent.
You can grab some food from one of the many venders ready for the light show, the final stop of the day.
Symphony of Lights Show
Every night a free light show is performed on both sides of the harbour named the Symphony of Lights.
The sky scrapers are lit up with lights and lasers that flash across the sky in sync with music from speakers dotted along the promenades.
It starts at 8.00pm lasts about 15 minutes.
It is completely free, you just need to find a good spot on the promenade where you can sit and enjoy.
Get there a few minutes early to get your spec. Try to be near one of the speakers you’ll see dotted about so you can hear the music, but it is quite loud so you don’t have to be right on top of one.
This is where I reunited with the family at the end of my day. I had certainly seen a lot more than I usually would with the kids in tow and was quite impressed with myself, but also pretty tired.
We sat and watched the show before heading back to our apartment, which of course was a twenty minute walk away!