Hong Kong is the true definition of east-meets-west. These are my 30 secrets and best things to do in the former British colony of Hong Kong. In this video I will take you with me on a wild two-day roller coaster ride through Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a foodie paradise and the perfect fusion of British and Chinese culture with mouth-watering dishes ranging from crispy goose, wild pigeon, to the cutest dim sum and desserts, but also the vivid Hong Kong skyline, the outrageous nightlife at Lan Kwai Fong, and all my hidden secrets to make your trip to Hong Kong even more memorable.
Kick off your Hong Kong adventure at Victoria Peak for the most breathtaking skyline in the world.
Plenty of visitors pay $52 HKD, roughly $7 USD to go up to the Sky Terrace. But take it from me, this is NOT the best view, so please don’t waste your money. Rather take a 15-minute hike on the foresty Lugard Road. Which leads to the most amazing views of Hong Kong. The angle from this spot is way better than from the Sky Terrace.
Alternatively, visit the Lion’s pavilion which also offers excellent free views of Hong Kong but this place tend to get a bit touristy in the afternoon, but make sure to check the weather forecast before you go up, because the last thing you want is waste your time in dense fog. To avoid the extremely busy crowds at the Peak Tram rent yourself a taxi to go up to Victoria Peak. It is only a 10-minute taxi ride to Victoria Peak and is about $81 HKD, roughly $10 USD.
No stress and quite affordable. A special tip; visit before dawn to experience this mesmerizing sunrise over Hong Kong.
Then navigate your way down to Yum Cha for a quality dim sum brunch. Time for some good fun dim sum at Yum Cha. Yum Cha is known for having the cutest dim sum in Hong Kong. Order the following dishes; BBQ piggy buns, baked pineapple puffs as birds in a cage. Pineapple cake dim sum, that looks amazing!
And hot custard molten buns. I love custard, custard is so good! But it gets messy…
This is really good dim sum, so sweet! oh man, so just like a regular barbecue pork bun, this is excellent dim sum. Pineapple bird cake. So this is more of a dessert. What was even more surprising, I ran into a few Reformatt subscribers from Japan!
What are the odds!? Speaking of odds, a few blocks up the street you’ll find Oddies, get yourself a delicious treat Hong Kong style egg waffles with soft-serve ice cream and matcha.
A beloved local delicacy! $69 HKD, $9 USD.
That’s damn good. I can see what the hype is all about, that is damn delicious. Once you’re done with breakfast and treats, jump on the subway to cross Victoria Harbour to the Kowloon Peninsula, where we will visit the Mong Kok district. Hong Kong is known for its many markets, in the Mong Kok district you will find the flower market, bird market, and gold fish market.
Conveniently located right next to each other, which will save you a lot of travel time.
These markets are great places to soak up the local Hong Kong culture. Next to the flower market you’ll find the bird garden. There’s birds everywhere! This whole district is filled with birds, probably escaped from their cages. Birds are the most popular pets in Hong Kong.
So during the weekend, you will find many locals browsing around for bird food and accessories, or just to enjoy some tranquility. The final market in this area is loaded with goldfish. This whole street is loaded with small shops selling goldfish in little plastic bags. I have never seen anything like it. I found this to be a bit cruel but in Hong Kong everything is business.
Apparently, having a goldfish at home brings a lot of good luck.
So it comes to no surprise, goldfish are a popular pet in Hong Kong as well. Apparently, no videos and photos are allowed at the fish shops. So yeah, careful when you do that. Now for a bizarre adventure in Kowloon, check out the Chungking Mansions.
A conglomerate of international stores teeming with odd characters, illegal items and budget hotels. Try to avoid staying here if you can. If you want an adventurous time? Book yourself a guesthouse here. A lifetime experience!
! Otherwise get yourself a little bit more expensive place in Central maybe Or Mong Kok, Mong Kok will be good too. The basement at the Chungking Mansions on the other hand offers many great restaurants like Lan Fong Yuen, famous for their authentic Hong Kong milk tea filtered through actual stockings.
Nicknamed; ‘stockings milk tea’ which gives the tea a soft smooth taste a true local delicacy. Filtered in stockings, FILTERED THROUGH STOCKINGS, I’ve never heard of it before.
but supposedly this is a very famous local delicacy. Oh that’s so pure! No residue whatsoever, thanks to those stockings. Make sure to also order at the butter crisp bun. They drizzled it with condensed milk.
Condensed milk on a bun. Please note; space in Hong Kong is extremely scarce, even in restaurants, so you could be sharing a table with strangers. Also, lines can grow up to an hour so make sure to come early. Since we are sort of on a milk tour, drop by Yee Shun Milk Company for a tiny bowl of steamed milk pudding, $37 HKD, roughly $5 USD. Not too sweet, very well balanced.
This is a typical Hong Kong delicacy, steamed milk. The evening is setting in so let’s pay a visit to the famous Temple Street Night Market Let’s see if I can get myself a sweet bargain at its many shopping stalls. Here you will find cheap purses, toys, electronics, souvenirs and truck loads of other goodies. There’s no imitation here guys.
This is all.
.. THE REAL DEAL! The most fun part here is testing your negotiation tactics since there aren’t any price tags. These designs are pretty damn cool.
I mean look at that. Some of my favorites, this particular one, this is beautiful, and another good one is that one there. $30 HKD. $20 HKD? No sorry.
$25 HKD, $25! OK, $26? Sorry…
$500 for 7, right? It is for kids? That is OK for you Zack! The Temple Street Night Market ends in a perverted section, with adult items for the naughty souls among us. Those are nice playing cards, these are my favourite playing cards.
Temple Street Night Market is open every day from 2 PM until midnight. LEPIN! Wow this looks pretty cool. Actually, I want this one, this one looks cool. $158 HKD ah it’s still pretty good.
Have you guys ever played with Lepin when you were a kid? Or did you play with Lego? If you’re feeling funky you can join as the local freestyle karaoke events on the street.
Dinner time! my Hong Kong friends took me to an authentic Hong Kong restaurant in Kowloon called Hing Kee affordable claypot rice dishes and a mouth-watering crab experience, but starting off with a crispy deep-fried oyster cake.
Wow, look at this! Look at that oyster. Man, that’s good! Time for the clay pot rice dishes with pork jowls, eel and minced beef. You have to make sure you’ll let it sit for a little while, cause it has to cook still, right?
COOK THAT RICE! Definitely consider Hing Kee, if you want quality food for affordable prices. This food is absolutely delicious! Restaurants in Hong Kong do not provide any tissues so you’ll have to bring your own. Next up, the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront.
Where you can take a few snaps, at the Bruce Lee statue. One of Hong Kong’s most famous movie icons. We need emotional content. At the waterfront you’ll also find many cruise ships in particular the Aqua Luna, one of the last remaining red sail Chinese junk ships.
Which offers a fun 45 minute cruise around Hong Kong harbour.
Check the link below for a 12% discount on tickets. Next, the Symphony of Lights at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. World’s largest permanent light and sound show according to the Guinness World Records. There are currently 42 participating buildings with more buildings joining every year making it one of the world’s most impressive skylines. The light show takes place every night at 8:00 p.
m. and lasts about 10 minutes.
Top off your Kowloon adventure by visiting the Eyebar, known for having the absolute best views of Hong Kong by night while you enjoy a cold crisp Tsingtao beer. Now one of the best views of Hong Kong can be enjoyed from the Eyebar. Beers can be a bit pricey, but it’s an unobstructed view of the entire Hong Kong skyline.
Time to return to Hong Kong island. One of the most expensive places in the world. Did you know that Hong Kong has the most skyscrapers in the world more than double that of its nearest rival, New York City. Let’s grab some breakfast at one of world’s cheapest Michelin star restaurants the iconic Tim Ho Wan. This is a Michelin star rated dim sum restaurant, at pretty decent prices.
Just like Yum Cha, Tim Ho Wan also sells Chinese dim sum. bite-sized dishes in bamboo steamer baskets, to keep the items warm and moist. No line, no line. If you come around 5 pm, nothing to worry about. But if you come late around dinnertime, 7 pm or 8 pm, this is packing.
First item, steamed BBQ pork buns seared with a thin layer of caramelized sugar. $23 HKD, $3 USD. Truly Michelin star worthy. These are the best barbecue pork buns I’ve ever eaten. Next, Shumai.
Juicy pork dumplings, $34 HKD, $4 USD. Question time, is this the best Shumai in the world? let’s find out…
It actually is! There is reason they got that star. The beauty, the Shumai is so tiny. Very small Shumai’s. Another taste test, Har Gow, shrimp dumplings, $34 HKD, $4 US dollars.
Sticky Har Gow.
Man, that is UNBELIEVABLE! Don’t worry over-ordering, cause the portions here are quite small. Let’s top all this off with a warm taro coconut soup. I thought this was like a smoothie but it’s not, it is like a little soup.
Warm coconut and taro, the most delicious thing I’ve eaten at this place. Final conclusion, the best dim sum I’ve ever had, in my life, PERIOD! Now let’s jump on the subway to Causeway Bay, to visit the noonday gun. This naval gun is fired every day at noon. An odd time keeping tradition and is considered a local legend and serves as a reminder of Hong Kong’s colonial past.
That was loud as hell, OMG. Once fired, you are allowed near the gun to take a bunch of selfies. Getting to the noon gun can be very very tricky. The entrance is located right next to the Excelsior Hotel. For more detailed instructions, check reformatt.
com Close by you will also find the lively Hong Kong waterfront promenade at walking distance from the Admiralty subway station. To get to the promenade you have to make your way through Tamar Park where you can even join a local picnic. I’ve never seen so many people just having a picnic. Picnic time! The waterfront is a great place to hang out and take in the incredible futuristic skyscrapers of Hong Kong.
Built with Chinese Feng Shui style in consideration. Feng Shui, which supposedly harmonizes people with their environment through architecture. It’s 25C, packing hot, beautiful. Could not have wished for a better day. Like right now the city is gorgeous, there’s no smog it’s perfectly clear.
If you have ever been to San Francisco before, you’d know how steep those streets can be. Hong Kong is on a whole nother level. These streets are beyond steep. That may be the reason why they built the world’s longest covered escalator system. Covering 800 meters with an elevation of 135 meters.
One tip, they only go up. So you would need some good knees or a taxi to go back down. Hong Kong is basically San Francisco on steroids! To really get a good sense of how steep the streets actually are visit Ladder Street.
Which eventually leads to the Man Mo temple.
one of Hong Kong’s oldest temples and is now a declared monument. Dedicated to the gods of literature and war. Built in 1847 during the Qing Dynasty by wealthy Chinese merchants. It is an excellent place for photography and to overdose on incense. The fancy Ding Ding’s taking you from west to east Hong Kong Island.
Don’t forget to ride a classic Ding Ding Tram for just $0.30 USD it is great way to get around the island. A less popular tourist spot but grateful photography is Yik Cheong Building in Quarry Bay. As you can tell this is a popular place for selfies and photography. Also known as the monster building.
This behemoth of a building complex is actually five interconnected towers built in the 1960s. There is two parts to the Yik Cheong building, this is a little bit down the street.
Just make sure not to go back straight the station, check out the area, cause there is way more to it! A true hidden secret is Waterfall Bay Park where you can visit thousands of Buddha statues for a surreal Hong Kong experience. People in Hong Kong love roasted meat, particularly goose and duck now at this particular restaurant you can even get pigeon.
Hong Kong sells many unique dishes, wild pigeon being one of them. Anybody hungry? So I decided to visit Kwan Yu Roasted Meat for a braised pigeon feast.
Look at that, I got a full blown pigeon here. Wow, very gamey, a very gamey meat.
But very nice, comparable to duck but more on the gamey side. Yeah, very tastey! Hong Kong pigeon and some pungent tea, Hong Kong tea. This meal is quite for the champion. I’m gonna say, this is an acquired taste.
An entire pigeon goes for $50 HKD, $6 US dollars. I am here at Wan Chai station and were gonna try something very interesting turtle shell jelly. Yep, an even more bizarre dish is turtle jelly. A Chinese herbal medicine available at Hoi Ting Tong in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong. I ordered the enhanced turtle jelly for $120 HK dollars, $15 US dollars.
Smells terrible… That is a very distinct taste, very blend. oh yeah, I forgot to add some honey.
Now it’s nice, I wonder if this is going to work away my hangover from last night. I don’t think I can eat much more of that. Top this is off with something nice and sweet, almond dessert! That looks perfect Slightly warm, it’s like an almond pudding but very creamy.
This delicious almond dessert will set you back $15 HKD, $2 USD.
Well I sincerely hope this is not actual poo-poo… It is dinner time, so let’s get some delicious roasted goose, here in downtown Hong Kong at Yung Kee restaurant right behind. Yung Kee is the quintessential restaurant for goose in Hong Kong.
I ordered their signature charcoal roasted goose for $275 HKD, roughly $35 USD. Juicy goose with super crispy goose skin a perfect balance of savory-meets-sweet, melting on the tip of your tongue. Oh that’s delicious, those damn geese know how to be delicious. But don’t forget to start with a refreshing Tsingtao! Alternatively, grab dinner at Ho Lee Fook Don’t let the name fool.
Apparently, this is a really good restaurant. Ho Lee Fook is a funky Chinese kitchen inspired by the spirit of late-night Chinatown hangouts. The wait can be a bit long, so just come at 6:00 p.m.
Sharp to secure yourself a table.
Also the decor looks exceptionally nice. When the night falls it is time to go to Lan Kwai Fong. The party district of Hong Kong! But you may wonder where do you start? Simple, join the Hong Kong pub crawl.
Give us a pot of gold! After the Hong Kong pub crawl, I recommend you dive even deeper into the Hong Kong nightlife. I got you all the best tips for an epic night out. Go watch my complete Hong Kong nightlife video, by clicking on the info card in the right-top corner of your screen. But wait!
I highly recommend you take an epic day trip to the former Portuguese colony of Macau. Just a 1-hour TurboJet ferry ride away from Hong Kong Central.
The Real Estate in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has the world’s most expensive real estate so I consider myself a very fortunate finding a balling penthouse in downtown Hong Kong Central for a crazy cheap price on Airbnb. I had no idea Hong Kong was this humongous. Just look how skinny that is, it’s such a skinny building. Get yourself a $47 USD discount as well on your next Air bnb stay. By going to my special Air bnb link below. What is even more scary are the low walls preventing you from falling off the building.
Since Disneyland is also on Lantau Island, you can also visit the nearby Tian Tan Buddha statue. One of the world’s largest Buddha statues standing at 34 meters tall. Stay connected at all times in Hong Kong and even Macau, by renting a handy pocket Wi-Fi station for just $2 US dollars and 35 cents per day! to get from the airport to downtown Hong Kong purchase Airport Express train tickets with a 31% discount.
