lx343

Will be in Hongkong next Monday for abt 5h. actually my flight from bkk arrives at 17.00 and my connection will be at 23.40... plenty of time to spend a few hours in a city i have never been before. i would like to get something good to eat, prefer to try local food.. any idea which places are recommended and maybe not too expensive either. also consider going up to the peak, how long does it take, and is it worth? how abt the sypmphony of light show...

thx for any help

lx343

BKKROP

Arriving at 5pm, it will be 6pm before you exit the door to the taxi stands because HK airport is huge and on my last flight I was bused to the arrivals, even delaying me more. Having said, grab some HK dollars, there will be a taxi waiting, so all being equal you should be deposited in the middle of 7 million people around 7pm at night. You have picked a busy time to arrive, it's all happening. Do the light show, it's 8.15pm, pick the busiest eatery, because it has the best food, stroll across to the Kowloon MTR station @ 9.30pm, airport departures checkins by 10.00pm, assuming you don't have to wait, you are back in transit by 10.30pm. Yep it's doable, but I wouldn't. regards bkkrop

rkkwan

Taxi? Why?

Get a same-day roundtrip Airport Express train ticket to Hong Kong for HK$100 (same price as one-way). Ride it to the Hong Kong station. Take the 15C shuttle bus (NOT 15) from across Pier #7 (outside the ifc mall attached to the AE station) to the Peak Tram station. This bus isn't that frequent, every 15-20 minutes; while the ride is less than 10. Alternatively, you can take a taxi (cheap); or walk to the Peak Tram station in about 20 minutes (free, of course).

Get a roundtrip ticket on the Peak Tram to the Peak. If you're hungry then, you can eat at Cafe Deco in the shopping mall at The Peak across from the Peak Tower. Food is okay, though not exceptional. On a weekday night, it should be quiet so you can get a table by the window with a nice view.

Ride the Peak Tram down, and head back to the harborfront. Again, 15C shuttle, walk, or taxi - I suggest walking this time. You will pass through Central. You can walk through the HSBC headquarters, Statue Square (next to the Legislative Council, ex-Supreme Court), Mandarin Oriental, etc. Or you can walk through the Landmark, which is one of the upscale malls.

Anyways, you want to get out to the Star Ferry, take it across the harbor to Tsimshatsui. The light show is at 8p to 8:15p, best view along the promenade in Tsimshatsui. But you might have missed it, especially if you dinner at the Peak. Tsimshatsui is full of restaurants - from dirt cheap to very highend. Then taxi to the Kowloon Airport Express station, or take the free shuttle from one of the Tsimshatsui hotels.

http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/airport_ex..._free_bus.html

Pick one of the hotels served by the K2 or K3 shuttles (which run every 12 minutes) for your free ride to the train. Train back to airport.

kchika

That is a very comprehensive post, rkkwan. ^^

I'd suggest the OP to take a taxi from the AEX station to the Peak Tram station - it is fast, cheap and saves you quite some time. When leaving, I'd second the suggestion to walk down to Central from the Peak Tram station, passing by HSBC headquarters, Cheung Kong Center, LegCo and etc. It shouldn't be all the bad (as in humid in the summer) at this time of the year.

anacapamalibu

I think rkkwan knows more about HK than Jackie Chan.

MegatopLover

I would follow rkkwan's suggestion, with one proviso. Keep an eye on your watch. I think it will be tough to get from the airport to the Peak and back down the Peak, through Central, and over to TST by 8:00 pm for the Symphony of Lights. Impossible if you do anything for dinner besides fast food. You might need to juggle the itinerary some.

Perhaps take the A'Ex to Kowloon and the hotels shuttle bus to, say, the Sheraton or the Holiday Inn Golden Mile. You could ask the concierge at the Sheraton--just saunter up, as if you're staying there--for a specific restaurant recommendation among the countless choices in the area. Have your dinner, then walk Nathan Road for that experience. That should give you sufficient time to watch the Symphony of Lights from TST Promenade. THEN take the Star Ferry to Central, the shuttle bus to the Peak Tram, and head on up. On the way back down from the Peak, you could leave the tram station and cut across Ice House Road into the back of Lan Kwai Fong for a taste of the expat nightlife. This would bypass the towers of Central, so you might want to walk through that area instead of taking the shuttle if you're going to do LKF on the back end. From LKF, you can keep going westward until you hit the Midlevels Escalator, and you can walk that pathway down to Central. The Escalator route will leave you at the web of above-ground walkways near the IFC mall. The Hong Kong Airport Express station is right there, and the train will whisk you back to the airport in 24 minutes.

I don't know if the same-day roundtrip ticket permits an "open jaw" itinerary: go to Kowloon, return from HK. But if you pay the max rate, for HK, I don't see why not.

Unless you plan on buying souvenirs, you might not need altogether much HK currency. The A'Ex, most restaurants, and the Peak Tram will all take credit cards. Star Ferry is cheap, so a credit card would be a hassle. Star Ferry is best done with an Octopus Card, but I don't think you're going to need one of those for any other reason, except maybe the bus.

Clipper801

2 years ago, I bought a same day return Airport Express ticket and "open jaw" return was not allowed. I don't know if they have changed the rules but check.

It's a good itinerary but IMHO may be somewhat ambitious for the time frame especially for someone who is on the first visit to HK.

I also suggest to make sure to have some local currency (to pay for taxi) and purchase an Octopus card as he will be using multiple modes of transport all requiring exact fare with no change given. I don't think the Star Ferry accepts credit card for fare payment. Any unused value in the Octopus card is fully refundable and there is a kiosk at the airport to do it but have to allow an extra 10~15 minutes.

christep

Not any more - there is a service charge of HK$7 for an Octopus card that is returned for refund within 3 months of issue: http://www.octopuscards.com/consumer...s/en/index.jsp

rkkwan

1. Did you buy the same-day return ticket only to Kowloon? Or was it for HK? I would think it should be fine for buying a Airport-HK return ticket and then take it back from Kowloon. Granted, I have not tried it myself. If that's not allowed, one can always take the Tung Chung line back to HK and then board the AE.

2. Yes, I agree that it is a very ambitious itinerary. It's basically all go-go-go, but I would think possible.

3. For such a short trip, no reason to get the Octopus. Not only is there a $7 charge, but it requires $150 to start the card. If the OP only uses it for a ride on the 15C ($4.2), the Peak Tram ($33) and the Star Ferry ($1.7/$2.2), he'll have $100 to get back. Meaning paying a service charge/bad rate at an exchange place at the airport. The Peak Tram will take credit card, but not the Star Ferry or the bus.

Clipper801

Nope, it was Airport/Hong Kong Station same day return and tried to board from Kowloon Station back to the airport. It was two years ago. I don't know the current rules. I have not had to buy a same day return again.

I understand that the discount is automatically offered if the same Octopus card is used on both journeys but again, I am not sure about the rules regarding alighting at Hong Kong Station but returning from a different AE Station when paying by an Octopus card.

Yes, there is a HK$7 administration fee when returning the Octopus card for refund which I forgot to mention.

HK$7 equals to less than US$1. It is such a small amount that should not be an issue or subject of consideration by most. Consider it as a convenience fee. Mindful that the OP is on his first trip to HK and is unlikely to be familiar with local coins and currency notes and the fare amount. I am suggesting what is likely to be most convenient and efficient in the circumstance rather than the most cost effective.

BKKROP

I think it's a bit ambitious to send a first timer up the Peak when time is a factor. Everytime I take friends up, I've have had to queque for 15 minutes, then wait for the tram and remember those escalators to ifc are going up. You know what it's like when you're running late for a flight, lx343 would be having a coronary up there, thinking how in the hell am I going to make it back in time for the Munich flight. Cashing $200 at the airport will take time too, but your idea of the Sheraton is brilliant. Previous trip we had drinks at the Sheraton, headed straight for the lifts and up to the top, where there's an elevator to the bar. The view is brilliant. However if you introduce lx343 to LKF, there's sure to be a no show on that flight home. Great fun reading rkkwan and everybodies posts, you want to go back straight away, don't you?, regards bkkrop

lx343

thank u all for ur inputs. i see my plan was a little too ambitious so i might just head down to kowloon, get something good to eat, watch the light show and see what nathan road has to offer. im sure going to be back in hk soon and will plan a little more time between so that i can go up to the peak.

greetings

lx343

bobovespa

In July I'll have 8 hours in Hong Kong, from 4 pm to midnight.

Is that long enough to go up to the peak?

Will the light show be later in July than it is in March?

christep

That's plenty of time to go to The Peak. The light show is at the same time every day (sunset is between 6 and 7 throughout the year here). Note that The Peak is NOT a good place to view the light show from - you should do that from the harbourfront in Tsim Sha Tsui