The city of Hong Kong is huge and a day is too short, but it is possible to get a good taste of this incredible city if you plan ahead…

On our first South China Sea cruise we spent a day in the port city of Hong Kong. While it is not enough time to do much we managed to hit a the highlights. Our first impression of the city as we sailed into port is one of rolling hills and countless skyscrapers. If you are cruising in, the ship will probably dock at the new cruise terminal that was once the site of the international airport in Kowloon.  Across Victoria Harbour is Hong Kong Island and the central business district with Victoria Peak standing above it. The first suggestion is to get yourself oriented as to where you are and what locations you would like to visit. Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive and the subway (MTR) is easy to use. You can find a number of official maps here .

Going up to Victoria Peak is one of the cities highlights. There is a Peak Tram that leaves from a station near Hong Kong Park and the Government Center but by the time we got to the tram the wait to buy tickets and catch the tram was several hours. We’ve been told that the tram is an experience in itself but from our experience we would recommend getting to the tram lower terminus early in the day and if you’re staying in Hong Kong for a few days don’t miss going up at night. We shared a taxi with another couple up and back for less than 25 Hong Kong Dollars (US$5) each person and the view is well worth the trip. I can imagine what it looks like at night with the city glowing below you but even in the day it is spectacular.

On that say in port there was a free bus ride to Plaza Hollywood which is a large mall with exhibit space, a movie theatre and a couple hundred stores. It appears that these free buses are common allowing stores to get cruise ship traffic. Leaving the Plaza we walked a couple of blocks to the Nan Lian Gardens (look for the elevated highway and walk under it). The park is a classic style Chinese garden and is beautiful with flowers, water falls, Koi ponds and pagodas and completely surrounded by high rise buildings (admission is free). Afterwards we walked back to Plaza Hollywood and the MTR Diamond Hill Station where we caught a subway. We used the subway to get to the business district at the Central Station. The MTR is easy to figure out with well designed maps and ticket machines with English language options. The system allows “tap on tap off” using major credit cards. The trains and stations are modern, clean and well marked. From Central MTR station we walked to the Lower Peak Tram Terminus only a few blocks away. The area is in the area of commercial skyscrapers and upscale shopping with the alleys between buildings filled with market stalls selling everything from food to inexpensive clothing.

One of the surprising things we learned is that while Hong Kong is a wealthy, vertical city with high rise buildings and skyscrapers everywhere, there are lower income neighborhoods where high rise apartments average only a dozen square meters per apartment. We were told that it is common to have them furnished with triple-decker bunk like beds. When you realize this you begin to notice laundry hanging out of windows all the way up to the higher floors.

If we weren’t running short on time we could have taken the MTR back to the Cruise Terminal but we used our remaining Hong Kong dollars to take a taxi. We would recommend changing money or using credit cards in Hong Kong as US dollars are not readily accepted.

As our ship sailed out of Victoria Harbour as the Sun began to slip behind the skyline it was a fitting end to the end of a great one-day visit, but this city really deserves several days of exploring.

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