Hong Kong may be the closest overseas trip from Taiwan. In under 2 hours in the air you get a food culture of its own, serious shopping, historic buildings, and mountain-and-harbour views. There is so much to do that the research really fries your brain~🤯 This beginner’s pack is for anyone with little holiday time, no wish to study, and a short flight, so a weekend can still be a spur-of-the-moment trip. (🔗A quick look via Reels) This piece covers area intros, a simple itinerary, prep, a Google Maps pack, this trip’s day-by-day plan, small tips, and ticket links on travel platforms. You can jump from the table of contents (lower left on mobile, left side on desktop).
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📌If you already know Hong Kong and Macau fairly well and want Yuki’s itinerary and ticket links, tap 👉Yuk’s Hong Kong and Macau 6-day 5-night itinerary (Notion)
🎯 Hong Kong area intro & suggested routes
📌 This piece is a “Hong Kong 4-day 3-night independent-travel guide.” If you want Hong Kong and Macau together, see ⮕ “Hong Kong and Macau 6-day 5-night independent-travel guide.”
🇭🇰 Hong Kong｜Suggested stay: 3–4 days
Hong Kong is best split into three areas to explore: [Kowloon], [Hong Kong Island], and [Lantau]. The MTR or a ferry links them easily, but Hong Kong is not large and still equals about 4 Taipei Cities. Plan “one area a day,” or ride 👉 a sightseeing city bus around Hong Kong. From north to south:
📍Kowloon｜Old-city feel × Hong Kong snacks
Suggested stay: 1–2 days
✅Suggested route A: Tsim Sha Tsui snacks→K11 and Harbour City shopping, Fuguo ice cream→a harbour cruise for the light show
✅Suggested route B: Wong Tai Sin Temple→Choi Hung Estate photos→former Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir→ Mei Ho House→Ladies’ Market→Temple Street Night Market
If you want Hong Kong to feel local, Kowloon is the best choice. Start the morning in Sham Shui Po with a proper Hong Kong breakfast. Nearby, the Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir and Mei Ho House are two free places to sit in the air-conditioning. Then Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei, for busy street culture: Ladies’ Market, Goldfish Street, and the landmark Temple Street Night Market, which gets livelier as the night goes on and feels like a Hong Kong drama.
At night, move to Tsim Sha Tsui, one of Hong Kong’s busiest tourist shopping districts. Shop hard at K11 and Harbour City, eat Fuguo ice cream by Victoria Harbour, then take a Victoria Harbour cruise for A Symphony of Lights or the night view. That closes the day.
🎫Harbour cruise options (the links below can also buy me a coffee indirectly):
👉Western luxury yacht, Dream Voyage or Star-Picking Voyage – KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
👉The traditional Chinese three-sail junk Dukling – KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
👉Cheung Po Tsai, a Hong Kong mix of Chinese and Western style – KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
👉One of Hong Kong’s icons, the Star Ferry – KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
📌See Yuki’s latest KKday discount code here
📍Hong Kong Island｜Historic creative streets × mountain, sea, and city
Suggested stay: 2–3 days
✅Suggested route A: mural street and stone-slab street→Tai Kwun→PMQ→Peak Tram + Sky Terrace→Lan Kwai Fong
✅Suggested route B: Kennedy Town % Arabica→the Ding Ding tram→ Peak Tram + Sky Terrace→Lan Kwai Fong
✅Suggested route C: Ocean Park Hong Kong→the Ding Ding tram
Hong Kong Island feels like a European city mixed with an Asian pace. Central and Sheung Wan keep many colonial-era buildings, such as PMQ, a former police quarters turned into a creative space, and Tai Kwun, a former prison. Lanes hide small photo spots such as mural street and the stone-slab street, good for people who like a creative mood and cameras. There is also the very steep Peak Tram. At the top you can go up to the viewpoint, Sky Terrace 428, and look over the harbour. Day and night are both striking.
In Kennedy Town you can walk the waterfront and have coffee at % Arabica, then ride the Ding Ding tram, which you only see on the Hong Kong Island side, through Sheung Wan, Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, and other districts. Photographers should also visit the Kennedy Town basketball court. Ocean Park Hong Kong is here too. Besides being the largest aquarium in East Asia, it has a mountain-and-sea cable car, rides, and an aquarium restaurant. It works well for families or a trip with friends.
🎫Ticket links (the links below can also buy me a coffee indirectly):
👉Peak Tram + viewpoint combo – KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com (a tram-only ticket is sold only on Trip.com)
👉Ocean Park Hong Kong discount tickets – KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
👉Panorama Ding Ding tram tour – Klook｜Trip.com
‼️If you pick 2 or more of the above, the Hong Kong Fun Pass may be better value. 👉KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
📍Lantau｜Nature × religious culture
Suggested stay: 1–2 days
✅Suggested route A: a day at Hong Kong Disneyland / a day in Tai O fishing village
✅Suggested route B: a half day on the Ngong Ping 360 cable car crystal cabin + Tian Tan Buddha + Po Lin Monastery
Hong Kong’s airport is in this area, so a half day or a light full day fits an arrival or departure day. For nature and quiet, take the Ngong Ping 360 cable car up the mountain, with Lantau’s mountains and sea along the way. You can add the “crystal cabin” and look through the glass floor. At the top are the imposing Tian Tan Buddha and the quiet Po Lin Monastery, a good place to slow down.
Another way is to give the whole day to Hong Kong Disneyland, especially now that the new World of Frozen is open. On the major travel platforms, +HK$100 still upgrades you to a 2-day ticket, so two days is very good value.
A deeper option is Tai O fishing village. You can boat between the old stilt houses over the water, and you might see the legendary pink-and-white dolphins. It is a quiet spot that mixes culture and nature.
🎫Ticket links (the links below can also buy me a coffee indirectly):
👉Hong Kong Disneyland tickets – KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
👉Ngong Ping 360 cable car discount combo – KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
👉Tai O fishing-village culture experience – KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
‼️If you pick 2 or more of the above, the Hong Kong Fun Pass may be better value. 👉KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
📌 Small tip: if you do not care about the original branches of small Hong Kong eateries, staying on Hong Kong Island is a good idea. Many famous shops have branches there. The Airport Express, or a boat to Macau, is also convenient.
Source: Academy of Chinese Studies
🎒 Prep checklist
✈️ Booking flights
Booking flights directly on Trip.com is highly recommended. I first saw Hong Kong and Macau sale fares there, and after using it the interface really is excellent. The app shows trip reminders, the gate, and the baggage-claim number. This time a flight was changed at short notice, and I could accept or decline the change in the app, which was fast. Fare sales show up often, so it is worth watching. 👉Search Hong Kong and Macau sale fares here
Do buy checked baggage on the way back, or the souvenirs from Hong Kong and Macau will not fit. This time the outbound flight was Hong Kong Airlines and the return was Air Macau. The return included 20KG of checked baggage with no piece limit, plus a meal. It felt like full-service airline treatment.
🏣 Where to stay
Baoxuan Hotel (Tsim Sha Tsui) [location]: This was the Labour Day holiday, so even a run-down hotel with a ghost story was over NT$4,000 a night. I was lucky to find this one. The facilities are complete, it is clean, it is close to an MTR station, and famous shops and sights are all around. On an ordinary night it is under NT$1,000 per person. Highly recommended. P.S. Book on Trip.com. It is often cheaper than Agoda and you can collect points. 👉Book here Agoda l Booking l Trip.com
🛂 Visas
Travelers from Taiwan do not need a Mainland Travel Permit to enter Hong Kong! You choose one of two routes, a Mainland Travel Permit or a Hong Kong visa, and apply for the advance arrival registration notice for Taiwan residents, which is the so-called Hong Kong visa. Within its validity (2 months) you may enter Hong Kong twice as a visitor, up to 30 days each time. So do not apply too early or too late. Print a paper copy ahead of time and use it on arrival day.
📶 SIM / eSIM
SIM: I ordered this one 👉China, Hong Kong, and Macau SIM｜China, Hong Kong, Macau, no VPN, no real-name registration｜shipped from Taiwan
eSIM: ➡️eXinTong, enter yukilin for 10% off (pay 90%) ➡️KKday ➡️Klook ➡️Trip.com
🚌 Getting around
Hong Kong airport transfer:
The Airport Express is the one to take. It stops at Tsing Yi, Kowloon, and Hong Kong Station, and the city center is only 20 to 30 minutes away. Pick the stop closest to your hotel and change to a bus. A taxi all the way is very expensive. I booked here 👉Airport Express ticket deal (e-ticket)｜Hong Kong Airport Express
In the city:
In Hong Kong you really need an Octopus, like Taiwan’s EasyCard. Buses, the MTR, and shops take it, and Hong Kong buses do not give change, so you more or less have to use one. Ways to get an Octopus:
- Buy ahead: you can get one in Taiwan before you leave. 👉Compare prices KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
- Rent on the spot: when you are about to board the Airport Express, rent an Octopus at the counter first, or you cannot continue onto the bus. They take HK$200 in cash at once (HK$50 deposit and HK$150 stored value). Returning the card costs an HK$11 fee.
💱 Exchange
Hong Kong uses the Hong Kong dollar. Macau patacas are not accepted. Cards work at chain souvenir shops, bakeries and egg-tart shops, upscale restaurants, and supermarkets. Many other shops, especially old famous ones, still want cash. On this trip the average meal was HK$160 per person.
🗺 Google Maps pack (sign in and save)
How to use it: famous sights gathered from the web are already on a Google Map, so you can see where each stop sits, and you can read star ratings and comments from people abroad. Tap save and it goes into your own Google account.
🇭🇰 🇲🇴 A big collection of Hong Kong and Macau sights
🇭🇰 🇲🇴 A Hong Kong and Macau food pack. Where there is a branch, I noted it so you do not make two trips
📅 The day-by-day plan
Travel dates: 2025/4/30–2025/5/3
Day 1｜Arrive in Hong Kong, stay in Tsim Sha Tsui
Taoyuan Airport→Hong Kong→hotel check-in→souvenir shopping
Morning｜📍Lantau–Airport Station→📍Kowloon–Sham Shui Po Station
Flight: 12:20–14:15, arrive at Hong Kong International Airport
Airport Express to the hotel
Afternoon｜📍Kowloon–Jordan Station
🏣Baoxuan Hotel (Tsim Sha Tsui) [location] ⊙ hotel check-in
👉Book here Agoda l Booking l Trip.com
I really cannot recommend this hotel enough. The supermarket is under a 5-minute walk, and the famous souvenir shops are within 15 minutes. The quality feels like a 4-star hotel: lots of plugs and hangers, and hand soap and conditioner among the amenities. I felt lucky to find it. ⚠️Many Hong Kong hotels are old, and some have ghost stories. Read the reviews carefully before you book.
Afternoon tea, Lan Fong Yuen Tsim Sha Tsui [location]: a branch of the shop that started stocking milk tea. No queue at all, an afternoon-tea set deal, and a 15-minute walk from the hotel. For a small trick, see my IG Reels~
Souvenirs: these shops are all within walking distance, so you can group them
✔️Jenny Bakery, the clever little bear, Tsim Sha Tsui [location]: chocolate flowers + butter flowers. The tins are heavy, so judge how much your luggage can carry.
✔️Cookies Quartet (Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui) [location]: the Earl Grey palmier is very crisp and good. Expensive, but worth it~
✔️Hashtag B [location]: the best egg tarts I have ever had, and the best in Hong Kong. Please buy every flavor~
✔️Wellcome [location]: dai pai dong style Hong Kong milk tea and yuan-yang, plus shrimp-roe noodles.
Dinner, Dim Sum Dao [location]: Hong Kong dim sum with a lot of locals. Not a must, though.
Day 2｜Old Hong Kong in Sham Shui Po + a wander around Victoria Harbour
Former Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir→Mei Ho House→Sky100→1881 Heritage + the former KCR Clock Tower→Victoria Harbour Dream Voyage cruise
Morning｜📍Kowloon–Sham Shui Po Station
Breakfast, Hop Yik Tai snacks [location]: must-eat rice-noodle rolls and century-egg sampan congee. After 11:00 there is also the Hong Kong trio: radish, fish balls, and pork rind. It is busy, but tables turn fairly fast.
Former Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir [location]: free. There is a 15-minute walk up a small hill before you arrive, and numbers are limited, but the building photographs extremely well. Worth a visit.
Mei Ho House [location]: free. It keeps a complete old public-housing flat, so you can learn how Hong Kong public housing developed. The air-conditioning is very strong. Highly recommended.
Lunch & dessert:
✔️Kung Wo Bean Curd Factory [location]: tofu pudding and tofu from a century-old shop. The stuffed three-item platter and the tofu pudding are recommended.
✔️Luk Lam Dessert [location]: a local sweet-soup specialist. Sesame paste is the one to order.
For more food, save this →🇭🇰 🇲🇴 Hong Kong and Macau food pack
Afternoon｜📍Kowloon–Kowloon Station
Sky100 [location]: on floor 100 of the International Commerce Centre, with a 360-degree view of the harbour and the skyline. It is closed for renovation and will not be finished until 2026. 👉Buy Sky100 tickets here
Evening｜📍Kowloon–Tsim Sha Tsui Station
1881 Heritage [location] + former KCR Clock Tower [location]: a classical clock tower, European buildings, and the harbour at dusk. Good for a slow photo walk. On a nearby street you can also find Hong Kong Fuguo ice cream.
A harbour cruise for A Symphony of Lights · Dream Voyage
A must in Hong Kong. Every day from 8:00 to 8:10 is the Victoria Harbour light show. A yacht is strongly recommended. I happened to be there on the Labour Day holiday, and by 5 or 6 in the evening the waterfront was already packed with people saving spots. I was very glad I had booked this yacht. No crushing crowds, free photos, and unlimited snacks and drinks. The boat is large but the number of passengers is capped, so you do not fight for a spot. The whole thing was very much worth it. It was my best experience in Hong Kong~
I booked here 👉A Hong Kong night view you should see~ a night cruise on Victoria Harbour + a photographer on board｜A Symphony of Lights｜Western luxury yacht｜Dream Voyage & Star-Picking Voyage. Details and the experience are on my IG Reels.
Dinner and a late snack near Temple Street, Mak Man Kee Noodle Shop [location]: wonton noodles in superior broth, or fresh shrimp wonton soup. Unbelievably good.
Day 3｜Central + a day on The Peak
Stone-slab street + Graham Street murals→Tai Kwun→Peak Tram→Lugard Road lookout→Lan Kwai Fong
Morning｜📍Kowloon–Jordan Station→📍Hong Kong–Central Station
Breakfast, Australia Dairy Company [location]: steamed milk with egg white (hot), steamed egg with almond (hot), scrambled-egg toast, and thick toast with butter. After 10:00 the queue gets long. Arrive early or you will wait a long time.
Central–Mid-Levels Escalator [location]: the world’s longest outdoor escalator, but before 10:00 in the morning it runs downhill.
Pottinger Street (stone-slab street) [location] + Graham Street murals [location]:
The stone-slab slope is full of history, and the painted walls are good for photos. It is also a popular creative-photo spot.
An afternoon-tea walk (all of these are nearby and can be bought on one walk):
✔️Tai Cheong Bakery [location]: flavors you can also get in Taiwan. The Heung Wah milk egg tart is better than the signature egg tart.
✔️Cheung Hing Kee Shanghai shengjian [location]: the skin is a bit thick, but the bottom is crisp and there is a lot of soup.
✔️Vission Bakery [location]: an egg tart recommended online, almost as big as a face. Not traditional. It is more like a large bun.
✔️Bakehouse (Central) [location]: a popular egg-tart shop with a queue. It really is good, but not as good as Hashtag B~
Tai Kwun [location]: free, and I recommend it without reservation. A century-old Central police station and prison, turned into a creative space that mixes historic buildings and contemporary art. I unexpectedly stayed 3 hours. There is air-conditioning to rest in, and prison history to walk through. Put it on the itinerary.
Duddell Street steps and gas lamps [location]: granite steps built in the late 19th century, with 4 gas lamps that are still in use. It is only a photo stop, and the walk is a bit far, so come if the schedule allows.
Afternoon｜📍Hong Kong Island–The Peak
Peak Tram (07:30–22:00)
Do not miss the Peak Tram, which is more than a hundred years old. The steepest gradient is 27 degrees, one of the steepest cable cars in the world. Along the way the buildings outside look tilted, and it feels as if you are lying back to watch the view. Very cool. Remember 👉booking online ahead is cheaper KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com (a tram-only ticket is sold only on Trip.com)
After you reach the top:
Sky Terrace 428 [location]
From the lookout at 428 meters, you look down on Victoria Harbour and the skyline of towers. Go in the afternoon and you get day and night in one visit. Remember 👉a combo with the tram is cheaper KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
Peak Galleria lookout [location]
Another lookout behind the Peak Tower, a little lower than Sky Terrace. The good part is that it is free. The bad part is that the Peak Tower blocks about half the view. It is also the largest mall on The Peak, so you can sort lunch or dinner here, and there is Monopoly Dreams.
Lugard Road lookout [location]
About a 15-minute walk from beside the Peak Tower. You can photograph the gold skyline where Hong Kong Island meets Kowloon, and look down on Victoria Harbour. It is not billed as a tourist spot, but plenty of people were there. Many photographers start saving a place from 4 or 5 o’clock for the night view, so do not arrive too late if you want a good spot. A jacket or mosquito repellent helps.
👩👩👧👦 Extra ideas if you are traveling with children:
If you are traveling with children, the Peak Tower has other indoor spots that suit families.
Madame Tussauds Hong Kong [location]
It is in the Peak Tower building. You can take photos with very lifelike wax figures of stars, idols, Marvel heroes, and more. The air-conditioning is good and the scenes are interactive, so children and adults both have fun. 👉A combo ticket is cheaper KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
Monopoly Dreams Hong Kong [location]
It is in the Peak Galleria building. The world’s first park themed on Monopoly. You can try the bank, Chance cards, a lucky draw, and many small interactive games. A fun way for children to use up energy. 👉Buy tickets here KKday｜Klook｜Trip.com
📌 A reminder: I went on the Labour Day holiday, so the queue for the tram up the mountain alone took one hour. I skipped the night view and came down off-peak, which was faster. The bus had a long queue too. If you go on a long weekend, leave time for the line.
Evening｜📍Hong Kong Island–Central Station
Dinner, Yung Kee [location]: a Cantonese restaurant opened in 1942, known for authentic charcoal-roasted black-mane goose. It once had one Michelin star. The room and the service really are upscale, and the price is of course over 1,000 per person. We picked it only because we came down late and our feet were about to give out. I still think the roast duck at Silks Place Yilan tastes better XD.
For more food, save this →🇭🇰 🇲🇴 Hong Kong and Macau food pack
Lan Kwai Fong [location]: worth a visit even if you do not drink, just for the lively mood. There are bars and small restaurants in many styles, and a lot of people from abroad, so it really feels like you have left home. If you do not drink, you can still get a cold drink, such as LINLEE hand-pounded lemon tea [location], Lam Heung Ning hand-pounded lemon tea on Stanley Street [location], or the lemon Thai black tea from the hand-pulled Thai milk tea shop [location].
Day 4｜Check out, on to Macau
Today: Hong Kong–TurboJET→Macau
Morning｜📍Hong Kong Island–Tsim Sha Tsui→📍Hong Kong Island–Central Station
Breakfast, Wah Sing Cafe [location]: I thought the whole menu was better than Australia Dairy Company. Scrambled-egg toast, a pineapple bun with butter, the double Demae set (char siu + scrambled egg + Demae Iccho), Hong Kong milk tea, and an egg tart.
Lee Keung Kee egg waffles [location]: crisp outside, chewy inside. Worth eating in Hong Kong, though Macau’s are even better.
🏨Baoxuan Hotel (Tsim Sha Tsui) [location] ⊙ hotel check-out
👉Book here Agoda l Booking l Trip.com
📌 Closing notes
On this 6-day 5-night Hong Kong and Macau trip, Hong Kong took 4 days and 3 nights. It looks small, but we walked more than 20,000 steps every day and were genuinely exhausted. Prices seem a bit high, and then what we actually spent felt… all right? Shops move faster than in Taipei, and the impatience is real XD. The menus are in traditional Chinese, but I still could not understand the terms and did not dare ask, so doing the homework beforehand matters~
People say Hong Kong is crowded on little land, but the streets are still much wider than in Taiwan. I like the way the streets are signed, so those of us used to left-hand-drive cars can still find our way, and there are many free public toilets, and they are clean.
Coming to Hong Kong is a strange adventure inside a language that feels familiar. Set aside a holiday and see it for yourself.
