Hong Kong is a unique, vibrant metropolis that offers visitors endless opportunities to have the time of their lives. Many famous international cruise lines make calls here to savour the vitality of Hong Kong. Whether dining, shopping or sightseeing, visitors enjoy a multi-dimensional experience full of unforgettable moments. The spectacular Victoria Harbour skyline is reason enough to make the journey.
Ocean Terminal
When your ship pulls into Hong Kong, you'll berth at Ocean Terminal at the foot of the Kowloon Peninsula in Tsim Sha Tsui, just minutes away from the city's many attractions including the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Space Museum.
You're also next to Harbour City, a massive shopping complex featuring 700 retail outlets and restaurants. Here you will discover exclusive fashion boutiques, children's toy stores, glittering jewellery shops, international restaurants and mini-cinemas. This is the ideal spot from which to start your Hong Kong holiday.
Victoria Peak
High above Hong Kong Island on the 'back of the Dragon', Victoria Peak is Hong Kong's premier visitor attraction, providing magnificent harbour and city views. Arriving late afternoon enables you to experience the dazzling panorama of Hong Kong Island, the harbour, Kowloon and the hills beyond. Later, you can thrill to the neon-dotted skyline by night. What's more, The Peak offers visitors a multitude of fantastic entertainment, dining and shopping options. Peak Tram
The best way to get to the top is via the Peak Tram, a funicular railway that carves a steep 373-metre swathe up the lush mountainside. The tram has been in operation since 1888, and once competed with sedan chairs as the most popular way up. Try to get seats at the front of the tram on the right-hand side for the journey skyward. The only way to describe the views from this vantage point is "simply awesome".
Note:
In order to carry out signal upgrading work, Peak Tram service will be suspended from Monday, 5 September 2005 beginning at 7am until Thursday, 8 September 2005 midnight. Normal service will be resumed on Friday, 9 September 2005 at 7am. Please click here for more information.
Peak Tower & Peak Galleria
Thrilling indoor entertainment is housed in the Peak Tower and Peak Galleria. Then, rub shoulders with the famous at world-renowned Madame Tussauds wax portraits museum. With around 100 astoundingly life-like wax figures means getting up close and personal with Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger has never been easier.
And let's not forget dining. There are several mouth-watering options on the Peak, including Cafe Deco and Movenpick Marche Restaurant. All impress hungry visitors with their international menus and outstanding views.
Note: The Peak Tower and Madame Tussauds are undergoing major renovations and are scheduled to reopen early 2006.
Walk The Peak
For really stunning views, walk around The Peak and take in the spectacular Hong Kong skyline, the world-famous Victoria Harbour and Kowloon. Best views can be enjoyed from the Lions Pavilion, adjacent to the Peak Tram or the Lugard Road lookout - about a 15-minute walk from the Peak Station - offering striking 270-degree views of the surroundings. Afterwards, relax with some retail therapy or enjoy a spectacular dining experience with a fabulous view.
Address: Harlech and Lugard Roads, The Peak, Hong Kong
Route: Starting near The Peak Tram Station, go to Lugard Road which forms a circular path with Harlech Road back to the starting point.
How to get there:
1. Take bus no. 15C at Central Star Ferry Pier to Garden Road (Tram Terminal) (HK$3.2; runs daily : 10am - 11:45pm). 2. Take bus no. 12S at Admiralty MTR Station (West) to Garden Road (Peak Tram Station) (HK$2.5; runs daily : 10am - 12mn). 3. Take bus no.15 (HK$9.2) from Central (Exchange Square) Bus Terminus runs daily (6:15am - 12:15am).
Hong Kong Cenotaph & Statue Square
Near the garden of Statue Square in Central district is the Cenotaph and a statue of a 19th-Century HSBC manager, Sir Thomas Jackson. In front, facing Victoria Harbour, is City Hall, which contains a concert hall and theatre.
How to get there:
Take MTR to Central station (Exit J1), and walk for 2 mins.
Former French Mission Building
Located in the heart of Central district, this red-brick French Mission Building, which is over 150 years old, has green shutters, black wrought-iron details and a chapel added by French Catholic missionaries who gave the building its name. It is reputedly the location of the colony's first government house. Today, it houses the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. How to get there:
Take MTR to Central Station (Exit G) and pass through "The Landmark" shopping mall. Cross the narrow part of Ice House Street, then cross Queen's Road Central at the lights. Take Battery Path immediately on your left and walk up to the top, the building is on your left.
Fringe Club
The Fringe Club is housed in a brick and stucco colonial-style low-rise structure built in 1913. Long before refrigerators became common household items, it was used as a cold-storage warehouse for ice and dairy products. The building has since been declared a historical monument and, in 1984, the southern segment was taken over by the Fringe Club, a hot spot for arts and crafts exhibitions, and the hosting venue for the annual Fringe Festival.
How to get there:
Take MTR to Central Station (Exit D2) walk up Wyndham Street and turn left to Lower Albert Road.
Foreign Correspondents' Club
In the same historic building, the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) is where journalists from across the globe gather to wine, dine and gossip. The FCC has invested heavily to accentuate the lasting architectural merit of the building. The interior today, with its dark wood panelling and long bar, is a vivid reminder of more relaxed colonial times. How to get there:
Take MTR to Central Station (Exit D2) walk up Wyndham Street and turn left to Lower Albert Road.
Government House
Nestled in a Mid-Levels' garden on Upper Albert Road is the former official residence of British governor in Hong Kong. Built in 1855 and extensively redesigned by the Japanese during their occupation of Hong Kong in the Second World War, 25 British governors lived here until 1997. Today it is used for fund-raising events, concerts and to entertain foreign dignitaries. The gardens of rhododendrons and azaleas are opened for public viewing four times a year. How to get there:
1. Take bus no.3B, 12 outside Jardine House or take bus no.23, 23A, 23B, 40, 40M outside Pacific Place and get off near Hong Kong Park. Walk pass Hong Kong Squash Centre and St. John's Building, cross to Garden Road to USA Consulate, Government House is next to USA Consulate.
2. Take MTR to Central station (Exit K) pass through HSBC Building, then across Queen's Road Central and uphill walk along Garden Road.
HongKong Tramways
Running east and west along Hong Kong Island, these ancient trams rock, rattle and roll along the same tracks they have travelled since 1904. The tram offers one of the best views in town as it weaves through various bustling districts.
Sheung Wan & Western
Hong Kong's most typical traditional "Chinatown" area is always teeming with activity. Vibrant Western is a hive of shophouses, exotic markets and steep "ladder" lanes. This is where modern Hong Kong started, mushrooming around Possession Street where the British first planted the Union Jack in 1841. Chinese migrants began to settle here in the same year, creating the raffish heart of 19th Century maritime Hong Kong.
Hollywood Road and Upper Lascar Row, known as "Cat Street" are must-see stops on every visitor's itinerary. Crammed with antique shops and an open-air curio market, these quaint locales are ideal places for picking up eclectic souvenirs and gifts. You'll find everything from Ming furniture and lotus lamps to Mao badges and ancient snuff bottles. Photogenic Man Mo Temple, dedicated to the God of Literature (man) and the God of War (mo), is just a stroll away. After extensive renovations, the Edwardian Western Market was re-opened in late 1991. It is crammed with fabric shops and stores selling handicrafts. More traditional shopping can be found along Bonham Strand West, where stores selling Chinese medicinal herbs and ginseng wholesalers have changed little in the past half century. On Queen's Road West you can buy birds' nests for soup, as well as paper offerings, including paper cars and mobile phones, for burning at funerals to ensure a prosperous afterlife. Des Voeux Road West is celebrated for its dried seafood shops. Here you can find all manner of preserved oysters, shrimp, mussels, squid and fish.
Happy Valley Racecourse
Happy Valley Racecourse was built on reclaimed marshland, and the first races were held here in 1846. They have been extremely popular ever since. Today, the track is ultra-sophisticated with computerised betting and races broadcast live on gigantic screens. Night racing was introduced at Happy Valley in 1973 and was an immediate success. The extra revenue raised was used to build Hong Kong's second racecourse at Sha Tin in the New Territories, which opened in 1978. How to get there:
1. Take MTR to Causeway Bay station (Exit A), walk for 20 mins along Wong Nai Chung Road.
2. Take tram to Happy Valley Tram Terminus.
3. Take bus no.1 outside Admiralty MTR station (Exit C1), or take bus no.1M outside Admiralty MTR station (Exit D). Operated on the occasion of Race Days hold at Happy Valley only 2 hours before first race until 10 mins before first race
4. Take bus no.19 at Yee Wo Street in Causeway Bay.
Sha Tin Racecourse
Sha Tin, once a tiny village on the shores of a shallow inlet, is now a bustling new town. Built almost entirely on reclaimed land, Sha Tin Racecourse is more than just a modern racetrack. Extensive landscaping of the infield has transformed it into one of Hong Kong's largest public parks, Penfold Park, enjoyed by thousands every weekend. How to get there:
Take KCR East Rail to Racecourse station (open on race days only)
Bank of China Tower
The soaring 70-storey Bank of China Tower is one of Hong Kong Island's most stunning landmarks. Designed by acclaimed architect I.M. Pei, the inspiration of his design is derived from the elegant poise of bamboo; its sectioned trunk being propelled higher and higher by each new growth. The building's blue-glass walls and triangular glass facade also make it one of the most photographed buildings in the city. Central Plaza
Located on the reclaimed land of North Wan Chai, 78-storey Central Plaza is among the tallest buildings in Hong Kong and one of the highest in Asia. After dusk, bright neon rods at the top of the building change colour each quarter-hour, creating the city's most visible timepiece. How to get there:
Take MTR to Wan Chai Station (Exit A1). Walk along pedestrian bridge towards the direction of Gloucester Road.
Cheung Kong Center
Towering 62 storeys between the Bank of China Tower and the HSBC Headquarters, Cheung Kong Center is the new headquarters for renowned property tycoon Li Ka-Shing's Cheung Kong Group. An immaculate example of modern architecture designed by world-renowned architects Leo A Daly and Cesar Pelli, it is enclosed in a sheath of reflective glass interwoven in a rich tapestry of stainless steel. How to get there:
Take MTR to Central Station (Exit J2), and walk along Jackson Road to Queen's Road Central.
Exchange Square
Not only is it home to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, this spectacular building is also recognised architecturally after being noted as an important achievement in architecture by Time magazine. With its three towers of rose-coloured granite and silver glass, it is an aesthetic forum where some of the most important financial transactions are made. How to get there:
We spent a week in Hong Kong and absolutely had the very best land vacation we have ever had. I would go back any time. It was quite a culture shock. We took a day trip to mainland China, and that was an eye opener.
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And let's not forget dining. There are several mouth-watering options on the Peak, including Cafe Deco and Movenpick Marche Restaurant. All impress hungry visitors with their international menus and outstanding views. 
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