This is our 2nd family trip to Hong Kong.
During the first trip, theme parks were the main focus. This trip, the kids have grown much older so we decided to have more variety in the things we saw and did. To save up on time, we took the midnight flight out and back, so it works out to be 4 full days in Hong Kong.
Day 1
Our plane touched down in Hong Kong International Airport in the early hours of the morning. Being way too early, we waited almost an hour before taking the Airport Bus A21 to Prudential Hotel.
After dropping off our luggage, we took the train from Jordon MTR station to Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station. It was a journey of just one stop but that’s where we experienced the Hong Kong MTR big squeeze during weekday peak hour. Even then, we had to wait for several trains to pass before being able to board one. It gave us a real experience of being squeezed like sardines.
From Tsim Sha Tsui, we took the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island. That’s something we liked and would recommend it to be in any itinerary. After all, it was rated first in the ‘Top 10 Most Exciting Ferry Rides’ poll by the Society of American Travel Writers in February 2009.
View of Hong Kong Island from Kowloon Peninsula
Thereafter with a bus ride, we reached the Garden Road Peak Tram Lower Terminus. Queues were expected and we did wait a good length of time before boarding the Tram. But the good views of Hong Kong from the Peak were worth the wait.
Rejuvenated after a good rest in the late afternoon back in the hotel room, we went out for dinner and explored the Temple Street Night Market, a short distance across the road.
Day 2
The kids love animals so a trip to Tung Choi Street North (a.k.a Goldfish Street) was planned for the morning of Day 2.
Shops selling goldfish and other pet fish species lined the street, with many displaying them in little bags hung on their walls. It was quite a sight to behold. In between, we went into a couple of shops selling amphibians and reptiles. Please be sensitive and not to go snapping away on your cameras as the shop owners are running a business and may not be happy with this distraction.
The rest of Day 2 was spent at Sai Kung, one half of Hong Kong’s UNESCO Global Geopark. Initially, we had plans to go much further into the Geopark on the excursion boats. Unfortunately, the weather curtailed our plans. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our time there.
Day 3
We thought the kids would have a fear of height in the glass-bottom Ngong Ping crystal cable car. But turned out our fears were unfounded. Even with the dreary weather, DL and CL had a good time.
From Ngong Ping Village, we took a bus to Tai-O, fishing town on the Western side of the Lantau Island. We love the rustic feel of Tai-O, which introduced us to another side of Hong Kong, which we don’t usually see on TV and prints. Read about our time in Tai-O here.
P.S. Ngong Ping cable car service is suspended for approximately 5 months from January 2017 for maintenance.
Day 4
Our last day in Hong Kong was spent in Disneyland Theme Park, before heading home on a midnight flight. This time we managed to stay till the closing time for the fireworks. With the artificial snowflakes and Christmas decorations, a festive mood was in the air.
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Here’s a quick recap of our itinerary for our 4D4N trip to Hong Kong:
Day 1: Star Ferry, The Peak and Night Market
Day 2: Goldfish Street, Sai Kung
Day 3: Ngong Ping Cable Car, Tai-O
Day 4: HK Disneyland Theme Park
The itinerary turned out to be very well-received by the kids, who enjoyed the trip, I can say, tremendously.