Hong Kong and Beijing itinerary suggestions

[Archivist]

I will be spending some time in HK and Beijing soon, and intend on dragging my travelling companion around incessantly to see neato buildings. Anybody have suggestions? I'm looking especially for less obvious things that might get overlooked.

Any other suggestions warmly accepted.

 

[urbanfan89]

If you want to see the quiet, rural side of Hong Kong (which tourists seem to ignore), I have two suggestions:

When you go to Ngong Ping (with the giant Bhudda), take the MTR to Tung Chung, but don't take the cable car. Look for a bus to Shek Mun Kap, to the beginning of a cement trail that leads all the way up the mountain to Ngong Ping. Bring plenty of water and snacks, since there are no facilities on the way up. The walk will take about 2 hours.

Lamma Island might be another place to visit, as it's basically untouched by modern civilization (save for a massive ugly gas power station, but it's easy to ignore it). Lots of westerners who live like hippies, and the seafood restaurants at Sok Kwu Wan are a hidden secret. There are ferries from Aberdeen and Central.

Be aware of the air quality, as many days have significant smog.

If there's one place you should visit in Beijing, which is not obvious to foreign tourists, it's Panjiayuan with its huge flea market. All sorts of historic objects are sold there, and you *must* bargain. Some hawkers from Tibet and Xinjiang are rather aggressive at selling stuff, so beware. Don't buy anything over 50 years old, because of cultural export restrictions.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[wyliepoon]

A few of HK's most famous skyscrapers have floors that are accessible to the public, but are not highly advertised. If you want to get a nice view of the city without having to fight the crowds at The Peak, you can go to these places.

I.M. Pei's famous Bank of China Tower has a sky lobby on the 43rd floor, with nice views looking northwest towards Central and Kowloon.

At 2IFC, currently HK's tallest building, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority runs a library and information centre on the 55th floor, which looks south towards Sheung Wan and its mass of high-rise buildings. To get up there you have to go to the HKMA info desk in the lower lobby of 2IFC, present your passport, and get a badge.

http://www.info.gov.hk/hkma/eng/info_centre/index.htm

 

[Hypnotoad]

When I was in Hong Kong, I spent most of my time just walking around the different districts.

Definately take the trolly. Wylie is right about Bank of China and 2IFC. There is a pretty cool (although it is for kids) free urbanplanning/city building museum near City Hall that you can go into. The highlight is the huge model of the city mounted on the wall. There are many exhibits discussing the various growth management and infrastructure accomplishments of building the city. I'd also recommend checking out Hong Kong Park and Kowloon Park. A visit to Victoria peak is probably a must. Try to go for sunset to get a view of the day and the night. It is hard to say, the place was really incredible.

Also, if you're like me and just love to overwhelming by construction, towers and crazy development, take a walk or metro ride to West Kowloon. The scope of development there makes CityPlace look like Markham.

Sorry, I've not been to Beijing. Have a good trip.

 

[ShonTron]

Archivist, what were your more specific plans - were you just getting a single-entry visa for the mainland? Were you going to do HKG-PEK, or perhaps SZX-PEK? Try pricing the flights out of Shenzhen - perhaps you might want to check out China's sunbelt. Shenzhen can be seen in a day or two, maybe 3 days if you include Guangzhou.

I spent just under 3 days in Hong Kong - it's really a city to see on foot, by tram and by ferry and let yourself wander. There's no must-see attractions like some of the North American or European cities, the city itself is the attraction, and wander day and night (the markets for sure) and see what interests you.

 

[Archivist]

Single entry, with a quick stopover in Xi'an for the terracotta warriors. Gotta see those warriors. I have considered a trip to Guangzhou - is it to be recommended? I would give it a day or two if need be.

 

[Jayomatic]

Wow, your trip sound exactly like the one I had taken this past spring. Beijing>Xian>Beijing>Hong Kong.

Be sure to use a guide in Xian. There are many museums that charge 5x the cost if the guide doesn't buy the tickets for you. I'll see if i can find the guide we used as she was really great and took us around many places the larger groups didn't go.

I'm assuming your probably going to hit up all the major spots in Beijing. Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, National Theatre, etc. Another great place to check out is the Military Museum which is a km or so west of Forbidden City on the north side of Xichang'an Street ( this is the main east/west road going across the middle of the city. Also have a walk around the lakes extending north from the west side of the Forbidden City. I hear Chaoyang Park is really nice as well. Also be sure to check out the 798 Art Zone as it was being completely redone back in May. Should be done by now. Many galleries and interesting exhibits. Couple great malls if your interested in shopping as well. I think one we went to was called Silk Market which is a giant 6 floor mall with floors specializing in different things on each floor. It's at the corner of the Jianhau Rd and the main route through downtown. Just west of China world office complex. Don't pay over 300rmb for a watch if you can on the 5th floor.

Of course you have to hit the great wall. Another great experience near the great wall is this resort by Kempinski. Its called The Commune by The Great Wall Kempinski. Its a collection of 25 modern villas which were designed by leading Asian architects to rented. There is also a really great spa there which overlooks the mountains and in terms of Canadian dollars, it was the best 120 dollars i spent in Asia. Be sure to book an appointment the same day as the wall on your return to beijing if you can. Your body will thank you for it.

In Xian, make sure you rent a bicycle to circle around the city wall and check out the Muslim quarter for some really amazing streetlife.

In Hong Kong a nice little trip to take is taking a bus to Sai Kung. You can watch or participate as people buy fish from the boats to cook in the restaurants nearby. Have a good walk around Mong Kok for some shopping. Take the escalator to the mid levels for some great restaurants and bars. You'll laugh when you see a couple Canadian themed restaurants.

 

[Brian69]

Most of the interesting places I saw in Hong Kong have already been mentioned so I'm just going to chime in with a thought for one of the most unique architectural features of Hong Kong (and the world, for that matter) that was town down fifteen years ago.

Kowloon Walled City was an incredible feat of anarchic city-building that thumbed its nose at British and Chinese authorities alike and required persistent outside intervention to finally take down. I missed seeing it by a few years so I enjoy reading up on what I find was a fascinating experiment in creating a "lawless" community that actually worked.

There are, however, a few pieces of the south gate and a couple of plaques on display where the city once stood as well as a nice walled city park. They are located in Kowloon City District.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City

http://www.archidose.org/KWC/