Get Hong Kong offline audio guide >
1. Of course you could do all of the following or just register to our cultural scavenger hunt!
2. Take a look to this map of the city, to have a real idea on how it is built and organized.
3. Victoria Peak
If there’s only one thing you must do in Hong Kong, it’s to take in the famous view from Victoria Peak, arguably the city’s most famous attraction. Rising 1,805 feet above sea level, the summit affords breathtaking views of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Victoria Harbour, and, on very clear days, Kowloon’s eight mountains. There are several ways to reach the top, but the classic method is a seven-minute ride on the Peak Tram, the world’s steepest funicular railway.
Get Google maps directions>
4. street markets
Just about anything you could ever want to buy can be found in Hong Kong’s lively street markets. Ladies’ Market, home to more than 100 stalls selling clothing and accessories, and the Temple Street Night Market, where you can find everything from noodles to watches, are the most famous. Elsewhere, Cat Street is known for antiques, Apliu Street Market is the place for electronics, and Fa Yuen Street is known as Sneakers Street. There are also dedicated markets for flowers, goldfish, birds, jade, kitchenware, and more. Get Google maps directions>
5. Man Mo Temple
No one knows exactly when Hong Kong Island's oldest temple was built—but the consensus is sometime between 1847 and 1862. The temple is dedicated to the Taoist gods of literature and of war: Man, who wears green, and Mo, dressed in red. The temple bell, cast in Canton in 1847, and the drum next to it are sounded to attract the gods' attention when a prayer is being offered.
Get Google maps directions>
6. Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery
You climb some 400 steps to reach this temple, but look on the bright side: for each step you get about 32 Buddhas. The uphill path through dense vegetation is lined with 500 life-size golden Buddhas in all kinds of positions. Be sure to bring along water and insect repellent. Prepare to be dazzled inside the main temple, where walls are stacked with gilded ceramic statuettes. There are actually nearly 13,000 here, made by Shanghai artisans and donated by worshippers over the decades. Kwun Yam, goddess of mercy, is one of several deities honored in the crimson-walled courtyard.
Look southwest on a clear day and you can see nearby Amah Rock,
which resembles a woman with a child on her back. Legend has it that
this formation was once a faithful fisherman's wife who climbed the
mountain every day to wait for her husband's return, not knowing he'd
drowned. Tin Hau, goddess of the sea, took pity on her and turned her to
stone.
7. Lantau Island
Tim is our Hong Kong local representative,
we asked him what an ideal day of leisure in Hong Kong could look like,
what would he suggest to do from early morning to late at night?
The temple is in the foothills of Sha Tin,
in
the central New Territories. Take Exit B out of Sha Tin station, walk
down the pedestrian ramp, and take the first left onto Pai Tau Street.
Keep to the right-hand side of the road and follow it around to the gate
where the signposted path starts. Don't be confused by the big white
buildings on the left of Pai Tau Road. They are ancestral halls, not the
temple. Get Google maps directions>
7. Lantau Island
It is the largest island in Hong Kong, located at the mouth of the Pearl River. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands District of Hong Kong. A small northeastern portion of the island is located in the Tsuen Wan District.
Originally the site of fishing villages, the island has been developed in recent years with the construction of Tung Chung New Town on its north-western coast and the completion of several major infrastructure projects, including Lantau Link (1997), Hong Kong International Airport (1998), Hong Kong Disneyland (2005) and Ngong Ping 360
Over 50% of Lantau consists of national parks, including a large number
of well-marked trails. The best known of these is the 70 kilometre, 12
section Lantau Trail
composed of beauty of natural stone steps and the dense woodland along a
3-kilometer stretch. Section 11 of the Lantau Trail starts just across
the Tung Chung Road,
which is not far from Ngong Ping 360. This section of the trail will
reach South Lantau Road at Pui O and hikers can appreciate the beauty of
natural stone steps and the dense woodland along the 3 km journey.The national parks feature campsites and youth hostels. Lantau's longest beach is Cheung Sha and one of its most famous hikes is to Sunset Peak (Tai Tung Shan 大東山), the third highest peak in Hong Kong Get Google maps directions>
8. Tian Tan Buddha
10. Po Lin Monastery.
12. Ngong Ping Village.
People were fussing about this attraction before its first stone was laid. Ngong Ping Village is a moneymaking add-on to the Tian Tan Buddha. Walking With Buddha is intended to be a 20-minute-long educational stroll through the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the first Buddha, but it's more of a multimedia extravaganza that shuns good taste with such kitsch as a self-illuminating Bodhi tree and piped-in incense. No cost has been spared in the dioramas that fill the seven galleries—ironic, given that each represents a stage of the Buddha's path to enlightenment and the eschewing of material wealth.You can get there on the Ngong Ping 360 gondola from a terminal adjacent to the MTR station in Tung Chung or via Bus 2 from Mui Wo or Bus 23 from Tung Chung.
The only way to the upper level, right under the Buddha, is through an underwhelming museum inside the podium. You only get a couple of feet higher up.
The booth at the base of the stairs is only for tickets for lunch—wandering around the Buddha is free.
The monastery's vegetarian restaurant is a clattering canteen with uninspiring fare. Pick up sandwiches at the Citygate Mall, Tung Chung, or eat at a restaurant in Ngong Ping Village.
Get Google maps directions>
8. Tian Tan Buddha
the Tian Tan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha, is the world's
largest Buddha—that's seated, located outdoors, and made of bronze. Just
know the vast silhouette is impressive. A set of 268 steep stairs lead
to the lower podium, essentially forcing you to stare up at all 202 tons
of Buddha as you ascend. At the top, cool breezes and fantastic views
over Lantau Island await.
Get Google maps directions>
Get Google maps directions>
10. Po Lin Monastery.
It's hard to believe today, but from its foundation in 1927 through the
early '90s, this monastery was virtually inaccessible by road. These
days, it's at the heart of Lantau's biggest attraction. The monastery
proper has a gaudy orange temple complex. Still, it's the Buddha people
come for.
Get Google maps directions>
Get Google maps directions>
11. Wisdom Path.
This peaceful path
runs beside 38 halved tree trunks arranged in an infinity shape on a
hillside. Each is carved with Chinese characters that make up the
Heart
Sutra, a 5th-century Buddhist prayer that expresses the doctrine of
emptiness. The idea is to walk around the path—which takes five
minutes—and reflect. Follow the signposted trail to the left of the
Buddha. Get Google maps directions>
12. Ngong Ping Village.
People were fussing about this attraction before its first stone was laid. Ngong Ping Village is a moneymaking add-on to the Tian Tan Buddha. Walking With Buddha is intended to be a 20-minute-long educational stroll through the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the first Buddha, but it's more of a multimedia extravaganza that shuns good taste with such kitsch as a self-illuminating Bodhi tree and piped-in incense. No cost has been spared in the dioramas that fill the seven galleries—ironic, given that each represents a stage of the Buddha's path to enlightenment and the eschewing of material wealth.You can get there on the Ngong Ping 360 gondola from a terminal adjacent to the MTR station in Tung Chung or via Bus 2 from Mui Wo or Bus 23 from Tung Chung.
The only way to the upper level, right under the Buddha, is through an underwhelming museum inside the podium. You only get a couple of feet higher up.
The booth at the base of the stairs is only for tickets for lunch—wandering around the Buddha is free.
The monastery's vegetarian restaurant is a clattering canteen with uninspiring fare. Pick up sandwiches at the Citygate Mall, Tung Chung, or eat at a restaurant in Ngong Ping Village.
Get Google maps directions>
Here is what he suggests. Don't hesitate to contact Tim on Twitter @bigcitychase #HongKong #questionforTim if you have questions for him, we may publish your conversation in this blog if he thinks it might be useful to other HongKong visitors.
Tim from Hong Kong for Big City Chase Hong Kong :
"Hi there, my name is Tim, I'm originally from Australia but I've been living in Hong Kong for 8 years now.
0 commentaires