HongKong - Here’s a list of must-see places in the city that never sleeps and ceases to amaze its travellers. This is certainly a place to visit and live it up kingsize.
The Peak: This continues to be Hong Kong’s most popular attraction, offering a multitude of dining, shopping and entertainment options at The Peak Tower and The Peak Galleria. Here, a visitor is certain to enjoy The Peak Explorer, the hi-tech virtual reality ride, not to forget the famous Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! memorabilia at the “Odditorium”. The peak also boasts Hong Kong’s version of Madame Tussauds, with lifelike wax portraits of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, besides Mahatma Gandhi and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others. (On a visit to Hong Kong, Bollywood star Akshay Kumar is reported to have posed with the statue of Bruce Lee, whom he considers his inspiration).
Ocean Park: This is one of Southeast Asia’s largest oceanariums and theme parks. You will need a whole day to experience all the rides—dolphin shows, cable cars, seals and sea lions, aquariums, shopping and great dining—that Ocean Park has to offer. Ocean Park truly has it all and is one of the best family attractions in Hong Kong.
Star Ferry: This boat has been the scene of many Bollywood movies, the Star Ferry’s harbour tour takes you back in time. There’s also a double-decker version, the Shining Star ferry, a beautiful re-creation of the ferries that plied Victoria Harbour in the 1920s. Or else, go board the Duk Ling, the last authentic Chinese junk in Hong Kong. After having sailed the waters and deep sea channels for more than 25 years, the vessel was lovingly restored in the 1980s to its original classical design.
Temple Street: This is Hong Kong’s version of a flea market that’s open throughout the night, and almost all visitors arriving in the city make it a point to browse through this market before they leave the city. Everything—from mobile phones to designer jeans—can be bought here at half the retail price. After the shopping has tired you out, a visitor can sample the varied cuisine at the food stalls located in the vicinity of the bazaar.
Multi-cuisine dining: A visit to Hong Kong’s celebrated Felix restaurant, located atop The Peninsula Hotel, is a must, if you wish to experience dining in a luxurious ambience. Jumbo restaurant is a three-storey-high restaurant, elaborately decorated with swirling red-and-gold dragons and other traditional Chinese motifs, and providing an exotic ambience for seafood dining. Jumbo has recently introduced a new dining style for visitors, giving them the choice to dine on sampans (traditional Chinese boats) that float around the main restaurant.
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA): The world’s largest and most modern airports, designed by acclaimed British architect Sir Norman Foster, is also an architectural wonder in itself.
Lantau Island: Located on this island of Hong Kong, itself steeped in history, is Po Lin Monastery, a major Buddhist centre that is Lantau’s most popular tourist attraction. The monastery is set in the midst of spectacular mountains, with the world’s largest, outdoor, seated Buddha statue. Visitors have to walk up 268 steps to visit the 26-metre-high, 202-tonne wonder. Lantau is also home to Hong Kong’s very own Disneyland, and the famous theme park where your family can enter a fairytale kingdom.
Kowloon: The streets of a city give a real feel of the place, and in the case of Hong Kong, it is the streets and markets of Kowloon that matter. The bazaars are full of colour, but mostly, only Chinese may be understood.
Avenue of Stars: The Avenue of Stars is akin to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and is located on the waterfront boulevard of Tsim Sha Tsul. Jackie Chan, of course, has left his hand-print here. For lovers of movie memorabilia, three kiosks are located on the avenue. An evening walk along the Avenue of Stars is what most couples love to do. Its wide open spaces offer incredible panoramic vies of the famed Victoria Harbour and the dazzling Hong Kong skyline.
It is also the best place to watch the spectacular show, A Symphony of Lights, that lights up the Hong Kong skyline every night. This multimedia extravaganza, combining lights, music and narration, involves 18 key buildings on Hong Kong Island. The skyscrapers, decked out in lights, are suddenly lit up at the flick of a switch.
Visitors can use the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) and the Star Ferry to reach the Avenue of Stars.