Travel In Hong Kong, The Best Places to Eat & Take Photos

Straight to the point, I loved Hong Kong! For a big city, I found it extremely easy to navigate. Hong Kong is so photogenic you’ll get in some amazing travel photos. Also, I always felt very safe and the food is insanely good. 

We spent 4 days in Hong Kong. There’s so much to see and do but I feel like we fit heaps in this short time. To start off with, I just want to note some general information about travel in Hong Kong, which I’m sure will be especially helpful for first-time visitors.

Arriving in Hong Kong

Before you even leave the airport, grab yourself an octopus card. These cards can be used all over Hong Kong; in convenience stores, many food outlets, and some shops. But most importantly it’s what you’ll be using for the train system. They cost HK$150 which is made up of $100 credit and $50 dollars which is refundable if you return the card. It’s extremely easy to top up the credit, and it saves you from carrying around too much cash.

One of the things that makes travel in Hong Kong so easy is that they have the best train system! The MTR (Mass Transit Railway) is extremely easy to navigate, very clean, safe & cheap. The longest we ever waited for a train was 5 minutes. We never even attempted to get a taxi because, with the traffic, I have no doubt the MTR would have always been faster. The only slightly confusing part about the MTR was knowing which exit to use. The stations take up a huge area underground, so if you’re going somewhere in particular check out the signs before you exit. 

All the street signs & signage throughout the MTR are written in Chinese and in English.

The best way to get from Tsim Sha Tsui to Hong Kong Island is the Star Ferry. It only costs a couple of dollars (much cheaper than the MTR) and offers a far better view than the underground (obviously). You can also use your octopus card for this. 

Accommodation in Hong Kong

I found the highest expense when visiting Hong Kong was the accommodation. We only booked a couple of weeks in advance, so I’m sure that didn’t help. But for three nights we spent HK$ 2,420 and the room was tiny. Luckily we didn’t have much luggage because there literally would have been nowhere to place it. 

The area we stayed in was Tsim Sha Tsui, a busy area in Kowloon. I loved our location and had everything right at our doorstep. It was a busy area but that’s part of the fun in Hong Kong. I think as long as you’re staying close to an MTR station, it doesn’t really matter what area you’re in. 

There’s so much shopping in Hong Kong, it’s crazy; from the upmarket retail store’s to street markets filled with fake Gucci bags. I noticed that many of the retail store prices were the same, if not more than what we’d pay in Australia. 

Food in Hong Kong

You really do need to arrive in Hong Kong hungry because the food is amazing. I’d happily go back to Hong Kong just to eat. We’d constantly be ordering food when we weren’t even hungry just because it was too good to pass by. The prices for food here can vary dramatically depending on what style of dining you are after. We generally ate street food or in small market restaurants and found this to be a very cheap way to eat (also absolutely delicious). Two-night markets we loved for food were Temple Street Market (the closest MTR station is Jordan) and Mong Kok. Mong Kok is a pretty large district with a number of different markets. Jump off at Mong Kok station and you could easily spend all day and night in this area. 

In Tsim Sha Tsui there is a small street called Lock Road, filled with so many cheap and authentic places to eat. My favorite was the pan-fried buns (kind of a cross between steamed buns and dumplings), from Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai Pan Fried Buns.

Also, you need to try Portuguese Egg Tarts, they are to die for. Pop into any bakery and they’d sell them for sure!

Getting the Best Travel Photos in Hong Kong

For photographers and Instagramers, Hong Kong is definitely a city you need to visit. It’s so full of color, life, and amazing architecture. Here are a few of the places I loved the most. 

These first two I have no doubt you’ve seen before, although they are your typical IG hotspots, I can see why so many people go there. 

Choi Hung Estate

This is the basketball court with colorful apartments and palm trees as your backdrop. I loved the vibe here, it was so much fun and everyone was very respectful of each other’s space. The closest MTR station was Choi Hung and use exit C. The walk from there was only a few minutes and the court is located on top of a car park. 

Yik Cheong building

These are three traditional and densely populated apartment buildings. The closest MTR station is Quarry Bay and take exit A. It’s then about a 10-minute walk. It was a little bit tricky to find but once you see it you’ll know that’s it. The building is mesmerizing and I can see why photographers flock here. But I’m guessing by the large banners they have hanging at the base of each building, the residents are tired of all the photos. The signs basically say that this is private property and to protect the privacy and daily life of the residents no one is allowed to take photos & videos! Yeah so… we didn’t stay here long, just took a few shots then left.  

Peak Tram

This is an old tram system that travels from Central to Victoria Peak. The tram is so steep it makes the skyscrapers look as if they’re on an angle. This is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Hong Kong and I highly recommend booking through Klook. This is not only an easy way to book your tickets, but it will also cut you’re queuing time in half. We stood in line for about 35 minutes and that was at the busiest time of day (around 4:30 pm), I’m sure the other line would have been over an hour wait.

When you get on the tram, try and sit on the right side to get the best views of the city. At the top, it’s basically just a big shopping mall, but from the roof, you’ll see some amazing views of the city. When we got up there it was dark and a little bit hazy but it was awesome seeing all the buildings light up. 

Victoria Harbour

The harbor is photogenic at any time of day. My two favorite times to go were early morning and after dark. I loved the mornings because it was that little bit quieter and had a real stillness about it, plus the lighting was beautiful. 

At night time, the harbor hosts ‘A Symphony of Lights’ and it’s incredible, it starts at 8 pm, and the buildings are all lit up and many have colorful lasers shooting into the sky. We jumped on the ferry just before the show started, I highly recommend doing the same and seeing it from the water. 

Kowloon Park

We stumbled across this park early one morning and it was so lovely and quiet compared to the rest of the city. Some parts were being renovated but it was still beautiful and perfect for a morning walk. 

Along with all these places I have mentioned above, so many streets in Hong Kong are very photogenic. It can be challenging to get decent photos with so many people around but the architecture, bright & colorful signs and all the glorious food displays are so beautiful.  

Do you have any favorite spots in Hong Kong you love to visit for travel photography? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.  

Hong Kong has a population of about 7 million. Although it’s busy no matter where you are or what time of day it is, I never found it to have that hectic vibe about it. It wasn’t full of people in a mad rush to get somewhere and I never felt like I had to get out of the way. I left loving Hong Kong, the vibrant, lively, and safe city that it is, is definitely somewhere I would highly recommend, even just for a few days. 

Hong Kong International airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. With its central location, you can pretty much get anywhere in the world from here. Before this trip, I’d been in transit at HKG Airport many times before, always on my way to Nepal! If you are interested in traveling to Nepal after Hong Kong, you can read all my travel guides here. 

Thanks for reading,

Happy Travels.