tarheelnj

I realize there are other layover threads, but those appear either be "what to do during the day" or "how quickly can I get to the hotel to sleep?" themed.

I'm arriving at 8:00pm on a Friday night, and my next flight isn't until 11:00am the next morning. I will have slept on the plane on the way in, so no need or interest in a hotel. I plan to shower and change at the airport, then would like to make the most of the overnight. From reading the threads here I found ideas including: Star Ferry, Ritz-Carlton Ozone Bar, Victoria Peak tram, Temple Street Market. The challenge is it seems everything closes up by 11:00pm or midnight, and all I've found after that is just to walk around Lan Kwai Fong and find a dim sum place open. Also where would you go first and what would be the fastest way to get there? (I've read through the klook web site and read the advice about buying an Oyster card in advance.

Any ideas on any interesting things a wide-awake person can do from midnight to 6:00am? Very low interest in holing up in a bar or anything else I wouldn't want to see on social media. Plenty of those opportunities back home.

Also where would be the ideal place to see the sun rise? Is there anything else open at that hour except the fish markets?

Thanks for any ideas.

[Edit - tried booking the Peak Tram skip-the-queue ticket, but the last booking time is 7:45pm. If that's where I went straight from the airport (assuming leaving the airport at 8:30pm), would it still be worth going there?]

889

Mongkok on Kowloon side tends to run fairly late.

You can always take a taxi up to the Peak for sunrise (but sunset is nicer). An early morning ferry from Central Pier might be another good way to catch the dawn.

Get an Octopus card and just hop on a night time bus and see wherever it takes you.

Early morning walkers -- starting well before dawn -- head up the Hong Kong hills, and you could join them. Maybe from Wanchai up to Magazine Gap, then around the trail to the left to Black's Link.

Note that moving back and forth across the Harbour can be laborious after the MTR closes, unless you know just where the overnight cross-harbour services depart.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

It looks like the attractions at the top of the peak are open to around 11pm and by the time you get to the Lower tram terminus the queues to go up should be shorter ( as it will be dark by them). I would say if the weather is reasonable it should be worth it to go up (if the cloud base is low then you will not see much from the top of the peak )

Not sure of what to do between midnight and 6am ( not sure about ferries to the casinos in Macau)

Regards

TBS

kevincrumbs

I have no actual advice in regards to this as I've never been up at, say, three am in HK without being out with friends or something but this list seems helpful if you ignore the claptrap about Jumbo Floating Restaurant and whatnot. Honestly, the hours between two and six seem pretty grim if you don't want to party all night and I can't say I've ever wanted to witness the "action" at the Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market but YMMV:

https://trip101.com/article/who-need...t-in-hong-kong

This list by Time Out only recommends partying at Lan Kwai Fong and then eating at Tsui Wah afterwards as activities from 1am to 5am:

https://www.timeout.com/hong-kong/th...y-to-hong-kong

tarheelnj

Thanks - appreciate the ideas. Seems to confirm that eating and drinking is about all there is to after midnight.....

:D!

If it isn't cloudy/raining and you have a good GPS, you can go for a night hike

tarheelnj

That's a good idea. Any suggested route?

Separately, I saw on Trip Advisor that they're selling 4 hour guided layover tours. Has anyone had any experience with one of those tours and any idea if they operate late night? If they're available 24 hours, would you be more likely to choose 8:30pm-12:30am (when there are more things open) or start after midnight (when there are fewer obvious things to do)?

christep

I'm not sure I'd recommend going out on a serious night hike as a solo traveller who doesn't know Hong Kong. There are guides who will take you on that sort of thing - for example sunrise on Lantau Peak would be one possiblity.

Here's one experienced outfit that offers it: Lantau Sunrise - Hong Kong Hikers That can just as easily finish in Tung Chung and would fit well with an 11am flight (assuming you have access to a shower at the airport.

Brucemcdou

OK, I'll just say that I'm in awe of your energy. I have a 26 hour layover in HK coming up on a MR next weekend (arrive at 6 pm Saturday and fly out 8 pm Sunday) so I'll definitely get out Saturday evening after a shower, but I'll still sleep in a hotel bed before exploring some more on Sunday. Then to the airport, another shower, then fly back home. I'll be interested to read your trip report when you're back and see if you really stayed up all night.

tarheelnj

Thanks. I'm determined to make the most of the night and see as much as possible, including a sunrise from a suitable spot. If I stay on the move I won't crash until I'm on the plane the next morning. Still haven't found much outside of bars and dim sum between 2am and sunrise.

ijgordon

Haha, yes about the energy, although I suppose it's not significantly different than arriving at 6am after a 14-16hr redeye and then staying up all day, except it's dark. (Perhaps that does have some meaningful impact on the body's energy). That said, the only reason I'd consider trying this is if I *really* don't want to try to adjust to the local time zone -- for example, if OP is on a mileage run and returning back home.

I don't have any specifics to add about nighttime activities in HK, but I would think killing that amount of time in Macau wouldn't be that difficult. That said, like many places, the available activities would still likely be limited to eating, drinking, gambling, and nookie. And at least 3 of those 4 you can do in HK.

edsh

I recently came back from Hong Kong - arriving at 8PM from the US and departed the next afternoon. I didn't want to pay for a hotel so decided to stay up all night, be a tourist, and head to the airport lounge when it opened at 6AM the next morning for a shower and a nap.

I took the Airport Express Train to the Hong Kong Island and then a free hotel shuttle heading towards Causeway Bay. At 9PM it's the peak of activity with crowds of office workers going out for dinner. It has a local feel. Lots of restaurants to choose from (I just got cheap wonton dumpling soup). Take the Hong Kong Tramways out past Quarry Bay for some sightseeing using this unique transportation mode. Back to Central, the crowds and bars in Lan Kwai Fung will still be active at 2AM. I walked around the area and found it interesting but not a place I wanted to stay for long - I'm not into the bar scene and loud music. I know there's a path the circles the peak - almost impossible to get lost. You could take a taxi up but I'm not sure about getting down since there wouldn't be enough passengers to make taxi drivers stick around. You may have to wait until 6AM when buses and taxis begin the day.

Don't bother going to Tsim Sha Tsui late at night. It's shuttered and deserted.

Try Googling 24 hour restaurants in Hong Kong - there are a few but not a lot.

I really started to "hit a wall" around 4 AM. I was in TST and it didn't help that everything was closed. There are all night buses to the airport that run every 30 to 60 minutes if you find yourself wearing down.

I would try this again but I'd need a better plan and some new ideas.

CX HK

Try ICHIRAN Ramen - popular late night spot open 24 hours, good ramen, perfect for solo traveling (individual booths), and present in major areas such as TST and CWB.

889

Some McDonalds are open 24-hours, and over-night they tend to attract a few tables of the homeless.

tarheelnj

Thanks for all the above suggestions. I have noted plenty of these good ideas, but that only gets me to around 2:00am. I'd like to stay out another 5 hours so I can see the sunrise at 7:00am, then head back to the airport for my 11:00am flight. Not interested in loud music, bars, etc. Ideal would be a restaurant/rooftop lounge spot with really nice views, where if you order a meal you can stay there late (no thanks on McDonald's).

The path circling the peak sounds intriguing. Is it really considered safe to walk by yourself in the middle of the night? Is there a place there with great views of the sunrise? If so, I could time a taxi ride to end up there for a couple hours and then grab a bus/taxi back to the airport.

Appreciate any other thoughts.