With just shy of 48 hours in Hong Kong, we wanted to make the most of our time. Our goals were to discover a bit of the culture, see the famous skyline, and avoid the recent troubles that have been plaguing the city.
Clearly, 2 days in Hong Kong is not enough.
It’s a beautiful and fascinating city. Below we share the highlights.
Key places to visit in Hong Kong
- Victoria Peak and Sky Terrace
- Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery
- Former Kowloon-Canton Railway clock tower
- Symphony of Lights
- Kowloon Park
- Shop on Nathan Road
- Walk on Chiu Lung Street
- St John’s Cathedral
Victoria Peak and Sky Terrace
There is no faster or better way to get to know Hong Kong than by looking out over it from Victoria Peak. For me, it was difficult to comprehend a city with a population density of over 7,100/km2 until I stood at the top staring out at one tall residential building after another.
The views from the top are awe-inspiring. And, getting there is half the fun (unless you opt to take a taxi). There is no public transportation to the Peak. Instead, there is a tram offering a surprisingly steep yet safe and comfortable ride to the top.
Once at the summit, most visitors opt to view from the Sky Terrace 428. It may seem a bit touristy, but as soon as we saw the views, we understood why it is so popular. Whether you have 2 days in Hong Kong or more, Victoria Peak should be on your must-see list.
⇒ Pre-purchase your Peak Tram & Sky Terrace 428 ticket here
Pro Tip: If you are looking for something off the beaten path and away from all the other tourists at the Peak, try the Morning Trail. This 4 km walk is loaded with interpretive signs, including English translations.
Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery
The impressive Chinese gardens are a peaceful retreat from the surrounding skyscrapers, although quite different from other Chinese gardens we have visited (Dunedin, New Zealand or Suzhou China). Towards the back of the Nan Lian Garden, we entered an active nunnery in a Buddhist temple complex built in 1934 using the Tang Dynasty style of architecture.
We were lucky to be there during a special four-day ceremony to honour one of the Buddhas. The chanting and singing were calming in nature and heard through much of the nunnery. We were even invited to join in the ceremony, but no photos were allowed.
Entry to both the gardens and nunnery is free.
Former Kowloon-Canton Railway clock tower
We stopped to take photos of a classic clock tower, which was once a key feature of the former Kowloon Station on the Kowloon-Canton railway.
Symphony of Lights
This laser and light show, coordinated with music, involves 40 buildings on both sides of the water.
While there are plenty of viewing spots, we noticed that many visitors crowded into the corner of the upper deck platform near the clock tower. However, we could see fine from the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, and we avoided the crowds.
One of the more fun ways to see the light show is from the water. Several companies offer drink cruises that sail during the show. Based on customer reviews, we recommend this Victoria Harbour cruise with drinks.
Kowloon Park
Lush and green in the heart of the city, Kowloon Park is a lovely place for a stroll or to relax.
Note: Parts of the park are elevated and cannot be accessed from the street despite appearing on the paper map as leading to the park. We made this mistake and walked along the park to find an entrance.
Shop on Nathan Road
One of the more famous shopping streets in Hong Kong, it has recently been the scene of many protests. We had heard the train station had been closed over the weekend before our visit, but it was still locked up tightly and didn’t appear to be opening anytime soon.
Walk on Chiu Lung Street (or any of the “ladder” streets)
These steep streets are built a bit like a ladder and are now lined with market-like stalls or crafts and knickknacks.
St John’s Cathedral
It surprised me to come around the corner and find this beautiful Anglican church. It is built on Hong Kong’s only freehold land, as all other land in Hong Kong is leasehold.
Other things to see if you have more than 2 days in Hong Kong
We couldn’t do it all, and with only 2 days in Hong Kong, we had limited time and had to choose carefully. These are the things we didn’t get to on this visit.
- World’s longest outdoor escalator: It was under renovation and closed.
- Disneyland Hong Kong: Travelling without our kids and having already been many times to the original Disneyland, it was easy to skip this one. However, if you are a Disney fan, you can purchase tickets in advance here to avoid the long ticket queues.
- Big Buddha Statue: Located on Lantau Island, there is public transit that goes there, but we simply ran out of time.
- Stanley Markets: traditional open-air market on Hong Kong Island.
- Temple Night Market: this is where to go in the evenings on Kowloon.
- Space Museum: Home to Hong Kong’s only planetarium.
The Langham is where to stay in Hong Kong
Five-star service right from the moment the doorman opened our taxi door, and a porter retrieved our luggage. The friendly check-in confirmed to us that the Langham Hong Kong was the right choice.
Posh and elegant, our room was welcoming after our long flight. We were almost too tired to indulge in the treats on our three-tier cake stand or the fresh fruit bowl (gluten and lactose-free for me).
The room also featured a faux fireplace stoked with real wood, bookshelves, and complimentary bottled water. Shutters open, allowing views from the marble bathroom to the bedroom, a mark of elegance that we don’t yet understand.
Langham is a brand well-known for comfortable beds and top-quality linen, and the Langham Hong Kong did not disappoint. Sleep came quickly. We both felt refreshed in the morning. It was so relaxing in fact, we managed to avoid jet lag, despite the 12-hour flight the day before. The eco-friendly shower completed our rejuvenation, and we were ready to explore.
Attention is paid to every detail, even handing us umbrellas when the rain started. There are several five-star hotels, but we can’t imagine any could have been better suited for us than the Hong Kong Langham.
⇒ Reserve your room at the Langham Hong Kong
Where to eat in Hong Kong
Hong Kong restaurants have everything from casual to those with Michelin stars. While we focused on restaurants that could handle my restrictive diet, Jeff didn’t miss the opportunity to try Hong Kong street food.
While I am sure there are plenty of other options in the city, here is where we ate. Unfortunately, some of them are no longer around. They are all delicious, all offer gluten and dairy-free options, and all were recommended by the hotel’s concierge:
- Jamie’s Cafe in Ocean Harbour Mall offered poached salmon and several side salads I could eat. (It’s a Jamie Oliver Cafe.)
- Bear’s Lab for smoothies. Mine was made with spirulina, avocado, pear, banana, and coconut water. Jeff’s was an iced turmeric latte.
(Currently closed) - Jade Garden (near the Star Ferry terminal) was our choice for dinner. While I had limited options, I was able to enjoy a fabulous and authentic Chinese food meal.
Getting around Hong Kong
Hop-on-hop-off bus
One of the easiest ways to explore this city is from the open-top hop-on-hop-off bus. It offers three different sightseeing routes through Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, allowing passengers to ride and listen to commentary or hop off and explore at any point.
⇒ Reserve your Hop-on-hop-off bus tickets
MTR (public transit)
Hong Kong has an excellent and easy-to-use public transportation system with an extensive tunnel system. As a result, many of the stations have up to 6 entrances, spanning several blocks at street level.
Note that several of the stations or entrances may still be closed following recent protests.
- Using Hong Kong’s subway system is quite easy. The trick is to notice the name and number of the station entrance you start at so you can find your way back through the maze of underground optional exits at the stations.
- An Octopus card will save you money on ferries, buses and trains. If you will be in the city for more than a couple of days, it may be worth getting.
Star Ferry
The ferry system is equally as easy to use as the MTR, and if you have an Octopus card, you will also get a discount on the ferry. We took the Star Ferry between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island when we visited Victoria Peak.
Taxi and Uber
There are plenty of taxi and Uber options in Hong Kong. The one warning we were given is if you are taking a taxi from the airport, be sure to get it from the official taxi stand.
Note: if you plan on taking the MTR from the airport, check to be sure your station is still open, as you don’t want extra walking while towing your luggage.
Things to know before you visit Hong Kong
- When an appetizer is placed on your table before you order, it will appear on your bill. If you don’t want to pay for it, you must return it when it arrives.
- If you see Mickey Mouse (or any other character) in a tourist area, he charges for the photos you take with him, only he doesn’t tell you until after the shot is taken.
- While the Apple store in Hong Kong offers better pricing than we can get at home, it’s important to note that the general warranty is valid only in Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China. A worldwide warranty is available with the purchase of Apple Care.
- Despite what we see on the TV news, we personally saw no trouble in Hong Kong. Our best advice if you do run across protests is to go somewhere else.
- While most of the people we met spoke English, when they didn’t, we simply used Google Translate on the phone and shared the Chinese characters produced on the screen. This was very useful for my food allergies.
We visited Hong Kong as a port of embarkation on 15-night cruise that ultimately sailed to Singapore.
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What will you do with 2 days in Hong Kong?
Disclaimer: We were media guests of the Langham Hong Kong. However, the opinions expressed here are strictly our own.
Wren
Good to know Hong Kong is still open for business. It must be very difficult operating a hotel there at the moment. Really enjoyed reliving some of my favourite HK places through your post. The Symphony of Lights was always popular for our visitors. Is the Star Ferry still running, if/so it used to be the best value ferry ride in the world!
Wilbur’s Travels
Great post, fabulous location, but sad to see the troubles there at the moment. I went in ‘96 and had a glorious time.
Corey | Fifi + Hop
What a great guide if you have limited time. The views look pretty incredible. That’s interesting about the appetizer – good to know! I hope to visit some day!
Paul Pietrangelo
My friend and his wife ( she was born in China ) were going to take us to Hong Kong and visit there for a while and then visit Meilin’s home. Unfortunately my friend got Parkinson and Dementia before they were able to take us there. Thank you for trying me to see some of the areas that they could have taken us.
Cruisin Paul
Nancy
The photos I’ve seen of Hong Kong always look so congested. Is that a mistaken impression?
Rhonda Albom
LOL – actually, I go through great effort to avoid crowds in my images. It takes patience. Many places were quite congested. The population density is quite high.
Lydia C. Lee
We had such a great holiday there about 10 years ago now. Loved the Nan Lian Gardens. So lovely.
Photo Cache
So much to do and eat in Hongkong! Nice.
Anda
Laszlo and I have been debating for a long time whether we should go to China or not. I even won a Yangtze River cruise in one of my travel writers competitions two years ago, but postponed going until I totally gave it up. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot to see in China and I’m sure once I get there I may actually really like it, but for not I don’t feel particularly attracted to it. I contemplate however just dropping by for a few days as part of a cruise, like you did. It’s always easier that way, than traveling to China on your own. I’d love to visit Hong Kong and will definitely add the Victoria Peak and Sky Terrace on my list. Those views are out-of-this-world beautiful!
Carol
So much to see and do in 48 hours!
beatravelling
It’s always fun to see what others do – I covered more or less the same 🙂
Loredana
Hong Kong is a great place! Glad you still went despite the protests there and made the most of your short stay there! 🙂
Obligatory Traveler
Thanks for all of the great suggestions. Hong Kong is at the top of our list for 2021 travel. I’m glad to know there is a Hop on Hop Off bus as we’ve used them in the past as transportation and had great experiences. Pinned this for when we really start planning.
Jill
I know it’s a humongous area but it looks like you made the most of your 2 days there. Your first sentence is key here – knowing what you want to focus on helps so much when you have a short time period.
menty
I’m from HK (based there for 7 years), and haha, great sharing about almost everything 🙂
But, there could be more, if you can spend more time there even it’s such a small city.
btw, i’m pretty worry about the security situation now in hk, as I heart horrible news from my friends… just a question, did you see something weird when you were there?
Rhonda Albom
We were not there on a weekend, which is when the majority of the issues take place. Our awareness only came from protests painted on locked train station entrances, a large group of people exiting the ferry shouting in unison, and two camera crews setting up on an overpass (but we left the area), stickers removed from a subway wall, and police with (but not wearing) riot gear sitting at the end of a street with government buildings.
Keri
Ah this brought back some great memories – I love HK and would love to go back. Emma (my co-editor) recently popped over to visit family there, I was very jealous!
Albi
HK seems like very interesting place to visit. The culture there looks very interesting, I would love to visit sometimes, such an interesting city!
Daria
HK is definitely on my list! I almost booked a trip there but then with everything that’s going on with the protests and all I thought I’d wait for a better time! Thanks for sharing, will use your post when I go there!
Kalyon Subbarao
HK is always special, have visited it with my family. One thing we notice its full of sky crapers…..and very little options for vegetarians 🙂 one thing I would say the landing and take off in the new airport is really breath taking. Its as if you are landing in the sea and take in of from the sea :-))..!
Catherine
I’d love to explore Hong Kong with my family. I know my girls would love the parks and gardens and exploring the streets of Hong Kong. Thanks for the heads up about Mickey Mouse – will certainly keep that in mind when we visit!
Hannah
Hong Kong hasn’t been in my travel bucketlist but I may be considering it! I love Chinese food and seeing the views from big cities through observation decks.
DoiBedouin
Wow, thats a pretty detailed itinerary. I bet the two days will be spent with experiencing most of Hong Kong.
Clazz
Wow, you did a lot!! Chi Lin Nunnery and the gardens are stunning, really nice way to get away from the city rush too. We went to Big Buddha and really enjoyed it, but we wouldn’t have had time in 2 days either! lol. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t great while we were there, so we didn’t get a good view from Victoria Peak, so I guess that’s an excuse to go back!
Emma
I’ve always wanted to go to Hong Kong but the timing never worked out despite living in China for 2 years. It looks like a fun, lively city with lots to do. In fact I can’t believe how much you managed in 48 hours.
Vanessa Shields
I’m impressed, you got to see a lot in 2 days! I’ve been to China but never made it to Hong Kong although I would love to visit after reading this post. 🙂
Amy
loved it here! I need to go back and spend so much more time in this awesome city.
aisasami
I really want to visit Victoria Peak because people say that is the place to be in Hong Kong. I also want to visit Kowloon Park because there is an interesting history with that place. It used to be a cramped district with houses and stores so crammed in together.
Pauline Chicart
It looks like there is so much to do in Hong Kong! I would love to see the Chinese Gardens, they look beautiful!
Sarah
Great guide. Hong Kong has been on my bucket list for a while, but somehow it hasn’t yet happened. But am not giving up hope just yet.
twinspirational
Great guide.. Now I know how to spend my two days wisely in Hongkong.. 😘
Alexis
The sky tram and sky terrace look amazing. I’d love to experience that if I’m ever in Hong Kong.
tweenselmom
HongKong will always be our favorite country to go to abroad because of the weather and food. I hope the political situation there gets better so we can feel more secured to go back probably next year.
Rhonda Albom
I know what they show on the news seems pretty grim, but it’s very easy to avoid any trouble. We did.
Sushmita
I loved the post. I was recently in HK and I wrote a blogpost too. My itinerary was pretty different from yours – though I enjoyed the Victoria’s peak and the various street markets!
Jasmine M
Hong Kong is on my list of places to go on my bucket list. I would love to check out the Nan Lian Garden and Chiu Lung Street.
Christopher Mitchell
I actually was in Hong Kong maybe a decade ago, but I’d love to go back, despite all the turmoil that’s going on there at this moment!
AMY
This is such an awesome guide. Hong Kong is one of the very beautiful in Asia. There’s a lot of beautiful place to visit. I am coming back Hong Kong wait for me!
ELIZABETH O
This place is so beautiful. I really wanted to place a visit someday. Thank you for this guide. You get me so excited to come in the place. It was awesome and stunning picture!
Samar
Kowloon Park is really beautiful.
The lakes and everything are just cherry on the cake.
Thanks for sharing.
Janis
Your post brought back so many great memories. We visited in 1997, which was pre-digital, so it’s not so easy to flick through our photos. Loved all the bustling streets and night markets.
You did some fantastic things in just 2 days.
Nicola
I spent 10 years living in HK and Chi Lin Nunnery one of my favourite! Off the beaten track for many a Hong Kong visitor
Laura
I don’t think I’ll be going that part of the earth anytime, but it does look beautiful city to visit. And there is lot of places to visit x
Laura
Donna
We’ve stayed at other Langhams. Glad to know that the one in Hong Kong is up to standard as we are traveling there in March.
Searcy
These pictures are gorgeous. The skyline at night is absolutely stunning. Hong Kong has always been on my bucket list.
L. Diane Wolfe
So colorful. We had a chance to go to China when my brother-in-law lived there but never did. I would love the tram ride. Enjoyed the one in ABQ.
Celebrate Woman Today
Loved your story and images from the trip. Feels like I’ve been there for a 5-minute visit.
Nate
When I was in Hong Kong a few years ago, St John’s Cathedral was such a great place to visit!
Sharon
You did make the most of your 48 hours! I love the Symphony of Lights. Your night photos are especially beautiful!
Sandee
You did a lot in that 48 hours. Beautiful photographs of a great adventure.
Have a fabulous day, Rhonda. ♥
Chad
I’ve never been to Hong kong but I keep on hearing how gorgeous it is! I would love to visit one day.
GiGi Eats
I went to HK for 2 weeks oh man, 12 years ago… But it’s still one of my favorite cities!!! Have you ever been to Cafe Too in Island Shangra-La?! IT IS SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO good! When I was there, I ate at that restaurant… At least 6 or 7 times, LOL!
Rhonda Albom
We missed that one. Maybe next time.
Alex J. Cavanaugh
Like London, two weeks is probably not enough.
I’ve heard about the escalator. Bummer that was down.
With so much culture to see, I’d skip Disney, although I’d be curious if it looks different than other parks.
California Globetrotter
I was wondering how the protests in Hong Kong were affecting tourism, if at all. Interesting to see that it seems pretty normal, minus the occasional streets or stations being closed.
Ron
We went out on a dinner cruise to watch the light show and it was great.