Top Hong Kong Attractions Provide Variety

Skyline, Sea, Sights and Streets are Stars of this Exciting Place

Feb 5, 2009

Among the world's greatest tourist destination, Hong Kong arguably is the most fascinating for western travelers. And on clear days, it's among the most beautiful, too.

From its skyline to city streets, Hong Kong's top attractions offer diversity at its very best. The following are a few of the most interesting places to go and sights to see.

Hong Kong Cultural Centre is the place to see not only Chinese opera, but also other popular entertainment such as Broadway musicals. The Centre contains the largest pipe organ in Asia, with 8,000 pipes. It’s also the home of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, which performs in its 2,000 seat Concert Hall. Operas, musicals and ballets appear on the stage of the Grand Theatre, which has a slightly smaller number of seats. The building also contains a smaller theatre, exhibition galleries and practice rooms. The performing arts facility is located on the Kowloon waterfront at 10 Salisbury Road.

More Culture

Also at 10 Salisbury Road, the Hong Kong Space Museum looks like a giant white sphere. Inside, exhibits chronicle star gazers through the centuries from cave men to astronauts. ($10, adults; Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 1 p.m.-9 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.).

Dedicated to the preservation of Hong Kong’s Chinese heritage, the Museum of Art also faces on the Salisbury Road promenade. Its exhibits are primarily paintings, sculpture, calligraphy and other works of art created in Hong Kong or by Hong Kong artists ($10, adults; Monday-Wednesday, Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m.)

Another cultural repository, The Hong Kong Museum of History, is also nearby. Its Permanent Exhibition covers a period of 400 years from the Devonian Period until the British turnover of Hong Kong to the Chinese. ($10, adults; 100 Chatham Road S.; Monday, Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sunday and holidays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.)

Peninsula Hotel

Built in 1928 the Peninsula (corner of Salisbury and Nathan Roads, Kowloon) ranks as one of the world’s most luxurious hotels. The view of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong skyline; luxurious guest-rooms and magnificent public rooms also make it one of the world’s most expensive. However, non-guests can sample the opulence by having tea in the hotel’s lobby. Although the finger sandwiches and petit fours don’t come cheap, the experience is worth its weight in memories (reservations required).

Star Ferries and Bay Cruises

The hour-long Star Ferry cruises provide the least expensive commercial harbour tours. Most visitors like to take it twice – during the day and at night when the lights of Hong Kong dazzle. Trips between Hong Kong and Kowloon are always interesting, too, but waiting lines can be long during rush hour.

Hollywood Road, Cat Street and Stanley Market

Antique fanciers won’t want to miss the streets along Hollywood Road and Upper Lascar Row (also known as Cat Street) on Hong Kong Island, where streets are lined with antique shops and an outdoor curio market. Everything from family heirloom silk scrolls to Mao-era mementos are for sale, and offer the opportunity to find authentic souvenirs for knowledgeable buyers.

Flea-market fans should head for Stanley Market on the south side of the Island. Seven days a week, from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., throngs of people haggle over brand-name clothes (and knock-offs), as well as miscellaneous trinkets and treasures.

Happy Valley Racecourse

Horseracing in Hong Kong extends from October to early July, and this world-famous track is the place to go for a look at Chinese culture. Night racing on this magnificent Happy Valley Racecourse (2 Sports Road, Hong Kong Island) with its dazzling lights dates back to 1973, but the course itself was built on a strip of reclaimed marshland in 1846. The Hong Kong Racing Museum, nearby, chronicles the sports history.

Viewpoints

The view from Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island, when skies are clear, is among the most spectacular anywhere. However pollution is a major problem in Hong Kong (so extreme that people with pulmonary problems are advised not to go there). Lines to take the Peak Tram (terminus on Garden Road) can be daunting, especially on Sundays. Although they’re not as panoramic, hotel rooms with harbour-side views can add immeasurably to a Hong Kong stay.

The copyright of the article Top Hong Kong Attractions Provide Variety in Hong Kong Travel is owned by Connie Emerson. Permission to republish Top Hong Kong Attractions Provide Variety in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.