Things to Do in Hong Kong Sar

Bird fanciers and lovers of old-world charm will enjoy this small park and garden with about 70 stalls for bird traders to conduct business.  At one time the traders had their own market in Mongkok, known as Bird Street. This was demolished in the mid-1990s to make way for redevelopment, and the government relocated the traders to Yuen Po in 1997.

The stalls feature a wide array of winged friends in ornate cages, including some particularly lovely teak models. Particularly prized are the songbirds, who provide a constant soundtrack to the garden. Bird fanciers can pick up live feed, including crickets, and other bird-keeping supplies.

The Yuen Po Street Bird Garden also features a flower market and some traditional Chinese touches. The main entrance faces Boundary Street, and the market is open from 7am to 8pm daily.

Hong Kong has a reputation for being a shopper’s paradise, and most of the night markets, shopping centers and electronics stores can be found in Tsim Sha Tsui on the tip of the Hong Kong peninsula. It’s also Hong Kong’s hotel central, with accommodations ranging from the cheap hostels of the notorious Chongqing Mansion to the luxurious InterContinental.

Nathan Road is the main artery of the district, and a walk down the mile-long stretch of shops known as the Golden Mile is a quintessential Hong Kong experience. Stop in for tea at the Peninsula Hotel, sample fiery Indian curries on the first floor of the Chongqing Mansion or head to nearby Knutsford Terrace for cocktails with the locals.

The Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront, is by far the best place to view the skyline of Hong Kong Island, especially at night during the Symphony of Lights show. Many of the city’s best museums, including the Hong Kong Science Museum, Museum of Art, Museum of History and Space Museum are all located in Tsim Sha Tsui.

This market in Kowloon’s Jordan district is best known for selling men’s clothing and accessories. The market starts at 2pm and really gets going around dusk, when the street is closed to vehicles and shoppers swarm into the street. The activity continues well into the evening.

More than a hundred stalls hung with colorful lights make up the main section of the market, offering jeans, shirts, pants, shoes, phones and watches. There are also some secondhand goods and antiques to be found. Like other street markets in Hong Kong, you’ll get better prices by bargaining.

The Temple Street market is particularly well known for its snacks and stand-up eateries, representing Hong Kong’s unique food culture. You’ll also find quite a few clinics near the market using traditional Chinese medicine for treating illnesses.

The fishing village of Tai O, located on the western coast of Lantau Island, is known for its traditional culture and seafaring way of life. Once a bustling trade port, the village features stilt houses, seafood markets, and graded buildings that provide insight into a Hong Kong of the past, while its street food, cafes, and wildlife-watching boat tours keep it a popular destination  today.

The Basics

Gain comprehensive insight into Lantau on a tour that visits Tai O alongside other island attractions, including the Big Buddha and Ngong Ping 360. To really keep things hassle free, opt for a coach or private driver; you can also explore the scenic trails of Tai O and beyond on a hiking or walking tour. Optimize your chances of seeing wildlife, including this area’s famous Chinese white dolphins, on a tour that includes a boat trip from Tai O.

Things to Know Before You Go

• Tai O’s unique architecture, culture, and wildlife make it a must for wildlife lovers, photographers, and anyone interested in the territory’s history.
  
• Tours that offer round-trip transfers are the best bet for wheelchair-users, as the accessibility of public transport in the area can’t be guaranteed. Most local boat tours, for instance, aren’t wheelchair-accessible.
  
• Remember to bring cash and small change for the markets and street food stalls.
  

How to Get There

Tours that offer round-trip transfer are typically the most time-efficient way to visit the village. Bus no. 11 serves Tai O from Tung Chung, but that can take well over an hour. Visitors visiting by ferry can take bus no. 1 from Mui Wo Pier on the east side of the island, though this can take up to two hours. Bus no. 21 from Ngong Ping, which takes around 20 minutes, is the preferred route of most tours.

When to Get There

Tai O’s shops and stalls tend to close on rainy days. Weekends, meanwhile, can get very crowded in the village as locals and tourists pack the streets, so aim to visit on a clear weekday. Additionally, Tai O’s sunset views are considered some of the best on the island. Take advantage of tours that offer dinner by dusk—it’s a thoroughly relaxing experience.

Overnight in Tai O

Most people visit Tai O for just a few hours, but nightfall tends to bring an even deeper sense of calm to the picturesque village. For a relatively small area, Tai O is home to a fair range of hotels, hostels, and B&Bs; far from the skyscrapers and city traffic, overnight visitors can gain an entirely different perspective of life in Hong Kong.

There are over 70 temples in Hong Kong dedicated to Tin Hua, the goddess of the sea. The oldest at Joss House Bay was built in 1266 and is considered the most sacred while the one in Causeway Bay is known for it's architecture. If you're only visiting one though, the temple in Yau Ma Tei is probably the most popular and accessible.

Yau Ma Tei was originally built on the harbor before land reclamation drove the shoreline far away. Now it sits in the heart of the popular Temple Street Night Market. It's known just as much for it's beauty, history and Wall of Nine Dragons as it is for being the social heart of the neighborhood. In front of the temple you'll find a row of willing fortune tellers, inside Chinese chess players congregate in the square.

Oddly, this temple is one of the most popular filming locations for Hong Kong gangster movies.

When in the midst of the modernity and commercialism of Hong Kong, it’s easy to forget all about the rich cultural and religious heritage of the city. Wong Tai Sin Temple, a Taoist temple commemorating the fourth-century monk by the same name, exemplifies traditional Chinese architecture and is a great place to experience Hong Kong’s more traditional side.

Devotees of Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian faiths come here to pray for good fortune, as the temple makes all wishes come true according to local folklore. On busier days, you’ll see dozens of fortune tellers setting up shop to offer their services to visiting worshippers. The structures of the temple follow the principles of feng shui, with buildings to represent each of the five elements.

A visit to the Wong Tai Sin Temple will give you a good idea of what a living, functioning Chinese temple looks like, and the landscaped gardens in the rear of the complex make for a tranquil escape from the otherwise very busy Kowloon.

If you’re planning a trip to Macau during your stay in Hong Kong, chances are you’ll be riding with TurboJet. This fleet of red and white hydrofoil ferries shuttles passengers between Hong Kong and Macau day and night, and the short hour-long journey is the cheapest and most convenient way to get to Macau.

From early morning until midnight, TurboJet boats depart every 15 minutes, but if you find you’ve lost track of time in one of Macau’s huge casinos, you’ll still be able to catch a ferry back to Hong Kong every 30 minutes to an hour all night long. Much like an airplane, each TurboJet is divided into economy and Super Class seating areas. The economy cabins are equipped with air conditioning, luggage storage areas and televisions, though they’re usually playing Mandarin or Cantonese television shows or music videos sans English subtitles.