We are finally back from Dana’s 50th birthday trip! Our 19-day Asian adventure kicked off with an amazing six days in Hong Kong. We returned home with a camera full of photos and an incredible list of recommendations for you.
We originally planned to move hotels halfway through the week, but staying in Kowloon the entire time was the best decision we made. Using one hotel as our home base allowed us to explore Victoria Harbour, take a day trip to Macau, and visit Disneyland without constantly packing and unpacking our bags.
Just a quick warning for our fellow Canadians: September in Hong Kong brings intense heat and humidity. We are definitely not used to this climate! If you have the flexibility, booking a trip in October or November will give you much cooler temperatures. If you do visit in the late summer, pack light and prepare to sweat.
Here is our complete day-by-day guide to exploring Hong Kong and Macau.
Day 1: The Octopus Card and Arrival
After landing at the airport, our very first mission was finding an Octopus transit card. We learned you can only get the Tourist version right at the airport arrival hall. We grabbed two cards and loaded $250 HKD onto each balance so we were ready to go.
Taking the Airport Express train was a breeze and got us to Kowloon in just 20 minutes. From the station, a quick 5-minute taxi ride dropped us at the Eaton HK hotel.
Click here to check out the Eaton HK. The hotel is in a fantastic, central location. Since we arrived in the evening, we decided to grab some food, relax in our room, and catch up on sleep to beat the jet lag.
Day 2: Kowloon and The Night Market
We started our first full morning with the incredible breakfast buffet at The Astor inside our hotel. The food was fantastic and gave us plenty of energy for a free day of exploring. We walked down to the waterfront to take in the stunning views of Victoria Harbour and check out the famous handprints on the Avenue of Stars.
That evening, we watched the Symphony of Lights show from the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade. To be completely honest, it was a bit underwhelming. It is only 15 minutes long, so definitely check it out if you are nearby, but do not go out of your way for it.
We finished the night wandering the Temple Street Night Market and grabbing some amazing steamed and fried momos from a hidden gem called MY KITCHEN.
Day 3: Hong Kong Island Walking Tours
After another great breakfast, we walked six minutes to the Jordan Station and took the subway over to Hong Kong Island.
Our first booked activity was an Introduction to Hong Kong Walking Tour in Central. Our guide Summer was phenomenal. She gave us a deep dive into the political and financial history of the city. We had a few hours to kill before our next tour, so we explored some local air-conditioned malls to escape the intense humidity!
At 3:00 PM, we joined a 7-Course Hong Kong Street Food Tour. We tasted everything from traditional dim sum to a very eggy local tart. We actually loved this food tour so much that we are putting together a dedicated blog post all about it.
We wrapped up the day by riding the iconic Star Ferry back to Kowloon at sunset.
Day 4: A Day Trip to Macau
We hopped on the TurboJET high-speed ferry for a day trip to Macau. Once we arrived, we bought tickets for the Hop-on Hop-off bus. In hindsight, we only used two of the ten stops. You might be better off just using local taxis to save money!
Our first stop was Senado Square and the famous Ruins of St. Paul’s. The wavy mosaic streets are gorgeous, and the local shop owners hand out endless free samples of jerky. We were so full from the samples that we just grabbed a sweet Portuguese egg tart for lunch.
Later, we explored the extravagant Cotai Strip to check out the architecture at The Londoner and The Venetian. To get back to Hong Kong, we booked a One Bus ticket so we could drive across the massive 55-kilometer Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Customs was incredibly efficient, and the bus dropped us off right by our hotel.
Day 5: Hong Kong Disneyland
Dana and I spent our fifth day at Hong Kong Disneyland! We took the subway and arrived right when the gates opened at 10:00 AM. Since we went on a weekday, the lines were incredibly short.
The park feels like a slightly smaller version of Disneyland in California, making it very easy to conquer in a single day. We rode everything we wanted to and had an absolute blast. By 5:00 PM we were pretty exhausted from the heat, so we decided to head back to the hotel to rest up instead of staying for the late fireworks show.
Day 6: The Ding Ding Tram
After such a busy week, we deliberately slowed down for our final day. We took the subway back to Hong Kong Island just to ride the classic double-decker “Ding Ding” tram. We had no specific destination in mind. We just rode the tram to see the sights, stopped for some delicious wonton soup, and took it easy.
We spent the evening packing our bags and getting ready for the next leg of our 50th birthday adventure: Osaka, Japan!
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