Visiting Hong Kong in 4 Days – Best Travel Guide

Being one of the busiest cities in the world, Hong Kong is the cultural hub of Asia and a place where the East meets the West. Hong Kong has a lot to offer, from its towering skyscrapers and high rises to street bazaars and amusement parks. It is also a foodie heaven, attracting chefs and restaurants worldwide to serve you delicious and irresistible Chinese food. 
View from Victoria Peak – Hong Kong city
Although Hong Kong is among one of the world’s most expensive cities to visit, you should at least consider making a trip here. If you are a martial art fan, then you would know that Hong Kong is the birth place of Kung-Fu martial art films by Bruce Lee, Chow Yun-Fat, Donnie Yen and Jackie Chan. We do recommend you to spend at least 3-5 days in Hong Kong to experience the food, culture and sites here.
 
Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan 

So when should you visit Hong Kong?

In our opinion, we think that you should visit Hong Kong between October to December. During these months, you will be able to explore Hong Kong in a more comfortable weather (average temperature of 22°C/72°F) and also save some money on accommodation/flight tickets. It is best to avoid visiting Hong Kong after the New Year as the tourism starts to pick up which leads to bigger crowds and higher hotel rates. 
 
Hong Kong Victoria Harbour
If you are planning to visit Hong Kong between July to September (summer – fall/autumn), do come prepared as the city is notorious for its heavy downpour and typhoons during this time of the year. Its best to have a backup plan just in case your holiday is disrupted by the unexpected weather.

How many days should you spend in Hong Kong?

Depending on what you plan to do and where you plan to go, each persons itinerary may differ. But if you want to explore and visit the popular attractions in Hong Kong, we recommend spending at least 3-5 days here. 
  
Scenic view of Lantau

How to get around Hong Kong?

You have a lot of options to choose from; whether it is via bus, ferry, train, tram or taxi. Hong Kong boasts one of the world’s best and most efficient public transportation system, so you don’t have to worry about late trains or buses here. We do suggest you get the Octopus Card which can be used to pay for almost everything in Hong Kong. You can use the card for the public transport, dining, entertainment and shopping. 
The official currency here is the Hong Kong Dollar, (HK$/HKD), so make sure you have your currency exchanged before coming here. If you want to avoid all the hassle of changing currency while travelling, why not use Big Pay. We have used it for almost all our purchases during our travel in Hong Kong and found it helpful. You can save on the currency conversion fee when you use the apps. Just make sure to select the local currency of the country you are in to get cheaper rates. Click here to sign up. Don’t forget to use our referral code GB1RB1XMDE to receive a bonus when you activate the card.
 
Big Pay
 
Hong Kong, being part of the Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China has a time zone of (GMT+ 8), which is the standard time throughout the country. 

Day 1 – Visiting “Asia’s World City”

Also known as “Asia’s World City”, Hong Kong offers visitors here with almost everything that they are looking for; from international cuisines, stunning views and world class boutiques to investment opportunities for foreigners. Our visit to Hong Kong comprised of a 4 days stays here, followed by another 4 days in Macau. If you’re flying into Hong Kong International Airport, you should know that there are 2 terminals for arrival depending on the airlines you use and where you’re coming from. 
 
 The Hong Kong Airport is built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok
 
Want to know more about our trip to Macau? Check out our next post on OUR 4 DAYS MACAU ITINERARY : MUST NOT MISS!
 
Checking into our hotel in Hong Kong
Upon arrival at the Hong Kong Airport, you can collect your Octopus Card here and catch the Airport Express train or hop on the public buses to get to your accommodation. Since we were travelling with a few pieces of luggage, we decided to take the taxi (Grab/Uber) to our hotel to reduce the hassle. After dropping our stuff at the hotel, we walked around and explore the area nearby. Our first stop was the Avenue of Stars which was a stone throw’s away from the hotel.
 
Avenue of Stars – Hong Kong
Very windy here – Avenue of Stars
 Beautiful Hong Kong view
Located east of Tsim Sha Tsui, the Avenue of Stars models after the Hollywood Avenue of Stars in Los Angeles has a distance of approximately 440m. Here, you can explore the film exhibitions, watch cultural shows or admire the statues of distinguished Hong Kong stars such as Bruce Lee and Anita Mui along the walkway.
 
Hong Kong film awards statue
Check out Jackie Chan’s handprint – Avenue of Stars
At night, you can watch the light show here also known as “A Symphony of Lights” (SoL) which features 40 buildings with LED screens, 3 attractions with lasers and searchlights accompanied by Philharmonic Orchestra. The Symphony of Lights is free for the public and takes place daily at 8pm, except during any tropical cyclone/rainstorm warning. 
Symphony of Lights at Avenue of Stars
To get here using the train (MTR), take the West Rail Line and get off at the East Tsim Sha Tsui Station. From there, follow the signs to
the Avenue of Stars which would take you around 10 minutes to walk there.
Follow the signs to Avenue of Stars Hong Kong

After we were done checking out the Avenue of Stars, we went back to our hotel and got changed for dinner. We headed over to a nearby restaurant to have our dinner and boy, Hong Kong food did not disappoint us at all. We enjoyed our meal and then went back to the Avenue of Stars just in time for the light show.

 
Enjoying our dinner in Hong Kong

 

Evening stroll at Avenue of Stars

Day 2- Exploring Hong Kong   

On the second day, we started our journey early (around 7 am) as we wanted to avoid the crowds and cover more places in Hong Kong. The first destination of the day was Victoria Peak, which is the highest point on Hong Kong Island (552m/1811ft). Victoria Peak is one of the most popular attractions in Hong Kong offering visitors a panoramic view of the Hong Kong’s forest skyscrapers and the harbour.  
 
Sunrise at Victoria Peak

There are a few ways to get to Victoria Peak using public transport :-

– The most popular way to get up to Victoria Peak
– Expect huge crowds and long waiting time
– Journey time 7-8 minutes
– One of the oldest and scenic trams which climbs to 396m/1,300ft above sea level.
– Due to the steep gradient, you can experience the Peak Tram Illusion when going uphill whereby, the buildings on the right side of the tram will look like it is falling off the Peak.  
– Located at Garden Road Peak Tram Lower Terminal
 
Peak Tram (Image credit: thepeak.com)
Experience the Peak Tram Illusion
ii) Bus 
– This is the more economical option to get to Victoria Peak
– Journey time 45 minutes – 1 hour
– Take the Bus no.15 from the Exchange Square bus terminal
– Expect windy and steep road heading up the peak
 
Take the bus no.15 to Victoria Peak
At the time we went there, the Peak Tram was undergoing maintenance so we only had 2 options which was to use the Bus or take a taxi up there. We took the bus instead as it takes a more scenic route up and also saves us some money. Once you arrive at the Victoria Peak, you will be able to spot the Peak Tower. Inside the tower, there are plenty of cafes, restuarants and attractions for you to explore. Go up to the 5th floor and you will reach the Sky Terrace 428. The Sky Terrace 428 boasts the highest viewing platform in Hong Kong and definitely not to be missed. 
 
Sky Terrace 428 on the 5th Floor of Peak Tower

After you’re done checking out the view point, head on over to the Lions View Point Pavilion, where you will greeted by lion statues and a Chinese pagoda. It is a 2 minute walk here from the tram upper terminal. Since we were early, we managed to avoid the crowds and had the whole place to ourselves. 

Short walk to the Lions View Point Pavilion – Victoria Peak
Misty morning at Lions View Point Pavilion – Victoria Peak
   

View from Lions View Point Pavilion – Victoria Peak

    

We then had our brunch at a café in the Peak Tower before heading to the Trick Eye Museum, which is located at the 3rd floor of the Peak Galleria. The Peak Galleria is a 50m walking distance from the Peak Tower and showcases more than 50 interactive 3D illusion paintings and segregated into 5 zones; Great Adventure, Hong Kong Discovery, Neverland, Secret Garden and World of Masterpieces.
 
We tried out the famous Rainbow Cheese Toast at Peak Tower
Bungee Jumping – Trick Eye Museum
Helping the Pandas escape – Trick Eye Museum
Rickshaw rider in Hong Kong – Trick Eye Museum
Hanging on for dear life – Trick Eye Museum
Flying off into the skies – Trick Eye Museum
After visiting the Trick Eye Museum, we took the bus to Kowloon to check out the street markets of Hong Kong. There are quite a number of street markets which you can visit here;-
 
Located in Hong Kong Island
– Stanley Market, Jardine’s Crescent, Cat Street (Antiques), Chun Yeung Street (Wet Market) and Dried Seafood Street and Tonic Food Street.
 
Street markets in Hong Kong Island

Located in Kowloon

– Fa Yuen Street, Sneaker Street, Flower Market and Ladies Market. 
 
Fa Yuen Street Market – Kowloon
Sneaker Street – Kowloon
Since we didn’t have much time in Hong Kong, we decided to just explore the street markets in Kowloon area. To get here, we took the MTR to Mong Kok station and got off the Exit E2/D3. From there onwards, we navigated to the street markets using Google Maps which was quite helpful and accurate.  
 
Follow the signs to get to the street markets
 Kowloon
At the street markets, you can expect to do a lot of bargain shopping as most of the stalls here sell similar items. Before purchasing the item, we suggest you compare the prices with the other stalls to save you money. Here, you will be able to shop for a variety of items such as t-shirts, jeans, toys, shoes, fake watches and so on.
Ladies Market – Kowloon

Day 3 – Visiting Lantau Island

On the third day, we visited the Ngong Ping 360 which is located on Lantau Island. What is Ngong Ping 360? Well, it refers to the cable car which runs between Tung Chung Town Centre and Ngong Ping Village. The cable car takes you on a 25 minutes scenic ride boasting the view of Lantau Island, the surrounding terrains, the South China Sea and the huge Tian Tan Buddha statue.  
 
Ngong Ping 360 cable car (Image credit: Klook)
 Tian Tan Buddha statue

To get there we took a train (MTR) to Tung Chung Station. It takes approximately 30 minutes to get from Hong Kong station to Tung Chung Station. From the station, we walked another 5 minutes to Tung Chung cable car terminal, which is just adjacent to the MTR. To avoid the long queue to purchase tickets, we pre-booked the cable car tickets earlier through their website.

Tung Chung Station
Our tickets for Ngong Ping 360
Got all our passes
You have a few options when it comes to choosing which cable car to ride the Ngong Ping 360; standard cabin, crystal cabin and private cabin. We opted for the crystal cabin on our way up and the standard cabin on the way back to Tung Chung cable car terminal. The crystal cabin features a glass bottom cabin so it will seem like you are floating above the sea and slopes during your journey. We got to admit, it was a bit nerve-racking to see the glass bottom initially, but after a while we got used to it.
Waiting to board the cable car
 
Scenic view in the cable car – Ngong Ping 360
You can even see the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macau Bridge
Once we got off at Ngong Ping station, we were greeted by the lush greenery and scenic views of Ngong Ping Village. This classical Chinese themed village covers an area of 3.7 acres, consisting of various attractions, restaurants and entertainment for visitors. We decided to explore the Big Buddha first, which is a 10 minutes walk from Ngong Ping Village. 
 
Map of Ngong Ping Village (Image credit: np360)
Ngong Ping Village
Blessing Drums – Ngong Ping Village
Ngong Ping Village
The Big Buddha, also known as Tian Tan Buddha is one of the world’s biggest sitting Buddha statue and took 12 years to complete. To visit the statue, we had to climb up 268 steps to reach the 3 storey pedestal of The Big Buddha. Upon reaching the top, it started to rain cats and dogs. We had no choice but to wait it out at the statue as we accidentally left our umbrella in the hotel. Be sure not to make the same mistake as us and always bring a raincoat or umbrella as the weather here can sometimes be unpredictable.
Big Buddha – Ngong Ping Village
Ready for the climb up – Big Buddha
Half-way there – Big Buddha
Very windy up here – Big Buddha
We continued taking photos after the heavy downpour
After that, we headed to the  Po Lin Monastery which is also known as the “Big Thatched Hut”. Located just beside the Big Buddha, this monastery was founded in 1906 and famous in Hong Kong for its Buddhist vegetarian dishes. 
 
At the Po Lin Monastery
The Main Shrine at Po Lin Monastery

After spending almost a full day at Ngong Ping Village, we took the cable car back to Tung Chung cable car terminal. Before heading back, we decided to check out Citygate Outlets which is also located at the end of Tung Chung MTR line. Being one of the largest outlet mall in Hong Kong, you can find discounts up to 70% on designer brands such as Burberry, Coach, Guess, Levi and Ralph Lauren.  

 
Citygate Outlets – Hong Kong
Lookout for discounts on your favourite brands here – Citygate Outlets

Day 4 – Goodbye Hong Kong!

We had an early start on our last day (7 am) as we had a ferry to catch at the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal which is at Sheung Wan station. Since we wanted to avoid the hassle of changing multiple lines, we took the taxi to the station. We were glad that we had pre-book the tickets online as the queue at the ticket counter was already long by the time we got there.
Hong Kong busy roads (Image credit: Getty)
To sum it up, our trip to Hong Kong was short but sweet. Even though we could only spend 4 days here, it was definitely worth it as we could experience and visit one of the busiest city in the world. Don’t forget to check out our next post on VISIT THE LAS VEGAS OF ASIA : 4 DAYS MACAU ITINERARY
Hong Kong comes to live at night (Image credit: Istock)
Have any experience or tips on travelling in Hong Kong? Or are you planning a trip soon? Let us know and share your thoughts and questions in the comments section. We’d love to hear from you!