How to Spend a Layover in Hong Kong

I had the best possible layover in Hong Kong, I arrived at 12:00AM from South Korea and my flight bound for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was 12:00AM the next day, giving me a full 24 hours to explore Hong Kong. I stayed at the Chungking Mansions, which is the cheapest form of accommodation in Hong Kong, but even then, it was a bit pricey for the quality. Below, I’ll highlight how to spend a layover in Hong Kong. As long as you have about 8 hours, you should be able to comfortably see everything below.

1) Tian Tan Buddha (1-2 hours)

Tian Tan Buddha is one of Hong Kong’s most iconic places and worth a visit. This giant Buddha located on Lantau Island was built in 1993 and symbolizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and faith.

The view from the top is great, you can see temples and mountains.

To get to Tian Tan Buddha, take the metro (MTR) to Tung Chung station. Get off at exit B and take the cable car up.

After an hour or so, grab a bowl of duck ramen before your next stop.

2) Tai-O fishing village (1-2 hours)

Tai-O is definitely as off the beaten track as you can get. From the Ngong Ping Village stop close to the Buddha, take bus 21 until you reach the village (20 minutes). Have small bills/change ready for the bus ride!

The village is calm and the total opposite of what many imagine Hong Kong to be. Here, you can hop on a boat for a few bucks and cruise around the village. These houses reminded me of the floating villages in Cambodia, but to a lesser extent. After the ride, you can also tour the village, which is pretty nice.

3) Victoria Peak (1 hour)

From Tai-O take the bus back to Ngong Ping, then the subway to the nearest stop to Victoria Peak (Central Station). From there you can take a taxi to the top. The view was better than expected. I spend about an hour here soaking in the view. It was December, so the weather was comfortable too, warm and chilly at the same time.

After Victoria Peak I went downtown to grab a bite to eat and spent some time walking around to get a feel for the city.

For the final stop, I recommend..

4) Avenue of Stars (1 hour)

On the way, I found this cool quote that will forever stick with me.

The avenue is very vibrant at night, so I recommend you wait until evening to come here. I had never seen a display that colorful in my life. It was so bright the water reflected the colors of the buildings. After a long day, I sat on a bench and just listened to the sounds of the water while enjoying the view. I couldn’t think of a better way to end the day.