Intro
So you have the opportunity to visit HK during your layover. Great!
There are lots of websites listing all activities that can be done.
I want to do things differently: I will share with you my journey and all practical tips along the way so that you can make most of your time in this amazing city! This includes breathtaking panoramas of a national park, visiting the big Buddha Tian Tan and experiencing street food, night life and shopping in the heart of Hong Kong.
A packed 9-hours journey
Here I was. 9 hours layover in Hong-Kong and so many things to discover there.
Quick recap. Landing Tuesday in Hong Kong at 15:10. Outbound flight is at 00:15. I don’t want to miss that one, and since my check-in luggage would automatically be transferred to the next flight, I would need to be back at the airport around 22:00.
Two days before the flight, I googled half-days tours possibilities. One of the best would be Ngong Ping 360. It includes a 25-minutes cable car ride to Ngong Ping, from which you can visit the Po Lin monastery and the giant Buddha statue Tian Tan. TripAdvisor reported long queues of up to 2.5 hours. Some advised to pre-book, some didn’t. Overall it was better to pre-book. Particularly because we were now in the middle of Hong Kong’s public holidays. So I booked a cable car return ticket via klook (ad link). They permanently offer discounted prices vs the official website. If you are not afraid of heights, make sure to book a crystal cabin, rather than the regular. They have a glass bottom that is definitely worth the experience. Plus, there are usually less people in the queue because they are slightly more expensive. The confirmation in your email is enough to take the cabin.
Now the plane was landing. First thing I did is withdraw some cash form an ATM. Credit card payment are generally not possible in the street (food, market, small shops). Then I went to the 7-Eleven (there is one near the ATM) to get some change. You will need it because the bus costs only $3.5 doesn’t give back change.
Now heading towards Terminal 2, I stopped in the orange corridor to leave my backpack in a locker. They charge $12 per hour for a luggage up to 30 kg.
From there, I exited Terminal 2 and headed to the bus stop in direction to Tung Chung bus interchange. You can take bus S1 or S64. The cable car is clearly visible from the window, and the bus stop is called “Tung Chung cable car”. So you cannot miss it.
I arrived at 16:00. Walked up the stairs, looking for the queue. To my surprise there was nobody waiting. Probably because most people take the cabin earlier. So it went pretty fast and within 5 minutes I was boarding the crystal cabin. On the way up, I saw may cabins going down with people. The ride was spectacular, particularly with the glass bottom, which by the way, they clean at every loop. The ride offers many views on the national park below, the ocean and the airport.
At the top, I followed the main path, which goes through a nice but very commercial village. There was some art, food and extra activities related to Buddha but I didn’t want to linger around too much, because the last cable car down is at 18:30. I went on to the Po Lin monastery, then walked up the stairs to access the Tian Tan.
I was done visiting around 18:00 and noticed that from the village, it is possible to take bus 21 to go to Tai-O fishing village, enjoy the sunset and have a bite. It takes 15 min. However at that time, most shops in Tai-O would be closed, so instead I decided to go visit the most dense district in the world, Mong Kok.
I took the last cabin down, together with the golden sunset light flooding the landscape. Arrived downhill at 18:50 and directly took the train (MTR) to Mong Kok. It takes about 35 minutes, including a change at Lai King.
Street food, markets, golden fish street, sneakers street, singer streets, shopping centers. You can stay around Metro and see many things.
Bus to airport: A21. Count 45 min. There was nobody in the bus and no traffic jam.
Tips
- Make sure your checked-in luggage will be transferred automatically to your next flight
- Book your ticket to skip the queue or take the lift after 2 PM.
- Drop your hand luggage at the airport (show where + cost)
- Download the MTR app.
- Book your tickets in advance [(link klook)]
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