In Hong Kong, getting there is as exciting as arriving. Use this guide to the top 10 Hong Kong journeys and ride a helicopter over the South China Sea or a vintage tram through neon-lit Wan Chai.
The Number 6 bus terminates at Stanley, on the southern tip of Hong Kong Island, famed for its sprawling market. The journey from Central is a gem, winding over Hong Kong Island’s verdant hills, and sweeping past the curve of Repulse Bay and its colorful apartment blocks.
Citybus no 6 or 6X from Central Bus Station, Exchange Square.
The famous Peak Tram has been going strong since 1888. The steep 10-minute funicular ride seems to pass just inches away from the apartment blocks en route to the top of Victoria Peak, Hong Kong Island’s highest point.
Lower Terminal: Garden Road, Central.
Ascend the great glass elevator outside the Hopewell Centre to the 62nd floor, with views of the streets below in all their vivid glory. Take a break at R66, the revolving restaurant and lounge at the top.
183 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai
Take a seat on the top deck of the Star Ferry between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui. If you leave at twilight, you’ll be rewarded with lofty towers lit up along Hong Kong’s skyline, as the sun quickly sinks. It’s a magical experience, and all for less than the price of a bus ride.
Central Star Ferry Pier
The thrilling Ngong Ping 360, a 5.7km-long cable-car journey, travels between the Big Buddha and Tung Chung new town on Lantau island. The glass-bottomed Crystal Cabin gives a bird’s-eye view over the island’s grassland slopes.
Terminals: Ngong Ping village and Tung Chung
If you’re getting neck-ache from looking up at Hong Kong’s skyscrapers, try a view downward on a Hong Kong helicopter sightseeing tour. Flights over the harbour carry you above high-rise Central, or the rugged coast of the New Territories, in Kowloon’s north.
The tram from Kennedy Town to Causeway Bay is the cheapest way to cross Hong Kong Island. It’s also the slowest, but that’s part of the century-old Hong Kong Tramway’s charm. From a top-deck window seat, rumble east past the zigzag exterior of the HSBC’s HQ in Central to Wan Chai’s cheek-by-jowl shops.
After a boat ride from Central to Mui Wo ferry pier on Lantau island, the no. 2 bus to Po Lin Monastery shows off Hong Kong’s rural side. The bus winds through lush villages where you might see wandering water buffalo. To the left you’ll glimpse golden beaches, and the Big Buddha sitting serenely in the hills.
At 792m, the world’s longest escalator (‘electric ladder’ in Cantonese) glides from Central up to the Mid-Levels district. Going downhill from 7am-10am, it then reverses and travels uphill between 10am-midnight. Pedestrians can hop on and off at 22 stops, so it’s easy to take a closer look at Cochrane Street’s shop-windows, the colonial police station on Hollywood Road and the fashionable bars of Staunton Street.
The red cab ride across Hong Kong Island from Quarry Bay to Central is a speedy pleasure along an elevated highway. The neon signs come alive at night and the colored lights on top of Admiralty and Central’s financial buildings add a futuristic edge to your journey.
