If you are a Philippine resident and want to travel abroad,
then Hong Kong is surely the easiest
destination. It is a great place to explore especially with your family. And
hey, it is where the nearest Disneyland
Park
When planning a trip to Hong Kong
on a limited time, make sure to book a flight in the morning because there is
so much to explore. In our case, we took a 6:15 am flight via Cebu Pacific and
arrived 8:55 am.
When traveling with family, I suggest planning your
itinerary months before so all you would need to bring with you is your pocket
money. Planning and paying attraction tickets months before is also ideal so
you won’t have to spend a large amount of money at once. Traveling with kin can
be somewhat costly so make sure to prepare your budget. Well, for us, we are a
family of three and if you are more than three travelers, just do the math for
the costs I will be indicating below.
Day 1
-
Sky Terrace 428
-
The Great European Carnival
The Sky Terrace 428 is one of the most popular attractions
in Hong Kong . Situated 428 meters above sea
level, it offers a panoramic view of the Hong Kong
skyline and neighboring islands. For this trip, I booked our tickets via Klook.
I suggest doing this to save you from the long line at The Peak Tram entrance.
Booking via Klook allows you to skip the horrible line and allow to aboard the
tram right away.
Ticket Price: 625php (adult)
461php
(child 2-12 years)
461php
(senior 65+)
Upon booking on Klook, it will let you select the best time
for you to meet your guide at Central Station Exit K. To get to Central Station from our hotel at Rambler Oasis in Tsing Yi, we took the bus outside our hotel to Tsing Yi Station. Bus fare is only $10HKD for the three of us. We then took the train to Central Station. Looking for the right train can be very confusing because Central Station is huge. However, don't hesitate to ask around. The people are very friendly and will try their very best to help. One elderly woman even accompanied us from purchasing tickets, to getting in the right train.
Klook will also be sending you a confirmation e-mail as well as additional instructions for your journey. We chose the 2:00 pm meet up time and met our guide who was holding a Klook board for easy identification.
Klook will also be sending you a confirmation e-mail as well as additional instructions for your journey. We chose the 2:00 pm meet up time and met our guide who was holding a Klook board for easy identification.
As soon as all tourists were gathered, we
walked to the The Peak Tram entrance which was only about a 10-minute walk from
Exit K. When we arrived at the entrance, we felt extremely lucky to have booked
via Klook as it saved us a huge amount of time from lining up to get tickets.
When we got to the Peak
Tower
The Sky Terrace 428 is situated at the top most floor. Just
follow the escalators leading you to the very top. Upon reaching, attendants
will then be handing you gadgets for a virtual tour. We were not able to use
them though since we enjoyed taking photos of the place. If you are planning to
go during their winter season (December-February), wear layers of clothes as it
can be freezing cold. We went there mid January and it was 3 degrees on the Sky
Terrace! As you can see on the photos below, there was fog everywhere and it
was really cold.
If you wish to get the best view, then going to Hong Kong during the summer season would be best (at around
20 degrees). Still, we were able to get a great view. The Sky Terrace
attendants will also be taking great photos of you which you can purchase at
the tower’s 3rd floor for $148HKD. However, since we were traveling
on a budget, we opted not to and just enjoyed our amateur shots.
On the same tower is where the Trick Eye Museum
The Peak Tram + Sky Terrace + Trick Eye Museum
Ticket Price: 987php (adult)
888php (child 2-12 years)
888php (senior 65+)
The Peak Tram + Sky Terrace + Madame Tussauds
Ticket Price: 1,744php (adult)
1,448php (child 2-12 years)
1,448php (senior 65+)
The Peak Tram + Sky Terrace + Trick Eye Museum
Ticket Price: 2,099php (adult)
1,836php child 2-12 years)
1,836php (senior 65+)
If you do not wish to purchase any of these attractions,
then it’s all good. The tower has 3D selfie booths which you can take amazing
shots for you and your family. Just look out for the ones that are free since
some selfie booths with attendants will not allow you to snap photos.
Outside
Madame Tussauds is also a wax figure of Bruce Lee which you can take selfies
freely with.
For souvenir purposes, we purchased one photo of us at the falling
tram photo booth for $148HKD.
The tower also has the Peak Market were you can purchase
mementos. From shirts to watches to jewelry, you can purchase some at a
bargained price.
Now, if you are feeling famished from all the photo taking
and wandering around the tower, then the tower also houses restaurants like
Wild Fire, Bubba Gump and many more. If you want to dine on their window seats,
please make a reservation ahead since window seats are much preferred. For
example, if you wish to dine at Bubba Gump’s, then you can make a reservation
ahead on their website here. They will be holding your
reservation for 15 minutes and will allow you to stay and dine for 90 minutes.
If any of the restaurants does not suit your taste buds,
then just at the tower’s courtyard is the Peak Galleria. The Peak Galleria is
where you can also do additional shopping or maybe have coffee and still enjoy
the view. Here, you can find McDonald’s, Starbucks, Haagen Dazs and many
more.
Just outside of the tower is the
same tram which you will be taking going down. The ticket you will be
purchasing on Klook lets you enjoy free time on the Peak Tower
The AIA Great
European Carnival
The AIA Great European Carnival was still on its 3rd
year in Hong Kong when we went there. Situated
at Victoria Harbourfront, it is only a walking distance from the station. If
you wish to get there faster, then there are many cabs available in the area.
Taking a cab would cost you around $28HKD.
TGEC offers loads of fun and games which both kids and kids
at heart will surely enjoy. For this trip, I booked tickets on their site
http://www.tgec.asia/ Just choose the date you prefer and checkout.
Ticket Price: $125HKD (Adult)
$90HKD (Child 2-12 years)
Once you get there, just present a printout of your ticket
purchase at the counter and they will be giving you your access card. The
ticket you purchase is already pre-loaded with 27 tokens which you can use for
games and rides. Once you run out of credits, just head to the token booth to
have your card reloaded. Price per token is $10HKD.
Although the tokens are quite expensive, the food around the
carnival grounds are cheap. Ranging from $10-$45HKD, you can buy authentic dim
sum like spring rolls, shao mai, noodles, roasted chicken and many more. And the best part?
Rice comes for free and it’s plenty. Not just here on the carnival, but almost
all of the places we’ve dined serves plenty of rice. One serving of rice in Hong
Kong is like two cups equivalent to the standard serving in the Philippines . Here are some more photos at the carnival:
Once you’ve had enough fun and games for the day, you can
roam around the vicinity and enjoy the sights of neon lights and skyscrapers as
well as enjoy the harbour’s breathtaking view.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The AIA Great European Carnival only opens
its grounds during the winter season (December – February). If you happen
to be traveling during other seasons, then no worries as there are a hundred
more options to choose from. Hong Kong would
not be a popular tourist destination if its sights and attractions were
limited. Here are some of the options you can choose from:
-
Ngong Ping 360 – A cable car ride on Lantau Island and
visit the famous Tian Tan Buddha and Ngong Ping Village.
-
Bauhinia Harbor Cruise – For only 1,737php you can avail a
dinner buffet aboard a luxurious ship while enjoying the views of Hong Kong at night.
-
Sky 100 – Experience a wonderful and breathtaking view
across all of Hong Kong from the 100th
floor of the city’s tallest building.
-
AquaLuna Evening Sail – For only 1,112php, enjoy a free
drink while cruising around the neon city aboard a traditional Chinese junk
boat.
-
Ladies’ Market – Located in Mong Kok and only a few
minutes away from the central station, enjoy the colorful shopping streets and
test your bargaining skills to take home cheap yet good quality items.
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