TRAVEL ADVICE

As iconic as the Staten Island Ferry in New York, the Star Ferry plies the waters of Victoria Harbour between Hong Kong and Kowloon, and is the quintessential traveller experience to get a view of Hong Kong’s famous skyline and get the feel of local commuter life.

The funicular tram ride runs from Garden Road, between the Botanical Gardens and Hong Kong Park, and travels through the mid-levels up to Victoria Peak Tower for a commanding vista over the city and landscape from the island’s highest point. If you enjoy a leisurely stroll, the three and a half kilometre walk around the attractions at the summit are a view filled joy.

Go to the races!  

If you are in Hong Kong on a Wednesday evening, a visit to Happy Valley Racecourse provides an electrifying atmosphere and a thrilling opportunity for a flutter. The world class facility was originally built to satisfy the British colonial urge for horse racing and gambling, it is more popular than ever and is one of Hong Kong’s premier attractions, with an amazing atmosphere that places it firmly at the heart of Hong Kong’s social life.

If you’re out exploring Hong Kong city and the hill gets too much for your legs, try out the central to mid-level escalator, an eight hundred metre long construction comprised of three moving walkways and twenty escalators, a delightfully easy and novel way to access many of the city’s characterful streets full of shops, bars and restaurants that would otherwise exhaust.

In Hong Kong, try out the amazing cable car 5.7 km cable car journey across Lantau Island, from Tung Chung, close to the international airport and travel over the sea and up the mountain to Nyong Ping Village and the famous Tien Tan Buddha bronze statue.

To max out the thrill, swap the standard cabin for the glass-bottomed crystal cabin to get the additional view below your feet. Another spectacular cable car ride on Hong Kong Island takes you to over the cliffs to Ocean Park and its Oceanarium, Animal Theme Park, and the rides of its Amusement Park.

Senado square is at the very heart of the historic centre of Macau and is a leisurely way to spend time absorbing the charm of the colonial Portuguese settlement and places the multifarious modern attractions of Macau in historical perspective.

An enchanting area of shops and restaurants, it’s a pleasant place to wander and visit the iconic surrounding buildings, and get your bearings before discovering the plethora of other attractions in the city.

If a flutter at Hong Kong’s Happy Valley is too tame for your gambling instincts, catch the ferry to Macau and enjoy some of its thirty-three casinos.

The Venetian and its gondola rides, is sister to the casino of the same name in Las Vegas, and the Macau version is the world’s largest casino. If the vice isn’t your thing the sheer spectacle of the huge ostentatious and brightly lit temples to risk are a sight in themselves.

The free shuttles between all the casinos make getting around them easy. Most of the casinos host visual shows and attractions, such as the water show at the Wynn, developed by the creators of the Vegas Bellagio fountains, or the spectacular shows and shopping at the ‘City of Dreams’.

Away from the glitzy casinos of Macau Taipa Village is a window into Macau’s past, a charming enclave of Chinese and Portuguese Shops set among narrow streets and a great place to imbibe the local vibe and go exploring for street food or the remarkable fusion foods of its restaurants, influenced not only by Chinese and Portuguese themes, but with the additional flavours of Latin America, Africa, India and Southeast Asia.

If you’re a real adrenaline junkie, get to the top of Macau Tower and enjoy the delightful terrors of its 233 metre (764 ft.) bungee jump. 

If you don’t share the bravado of the bungee jumpers, the ‘Skyjump’ is a tamer controlled standing descent without the free-fall and rebound, landing gently on the ground with your feet. Even better, aside from single jumps, this tamer option offers tandem jumping, so you can always hold hands with your partner for reassurance!

The Macau Science centre's distinctive modernist conical structure is visible as you approach Macau from the ferry, and houses twelve interactive galleries and a state of the art 3D planetarium, and is a great place to explore various scientific themes, including Robotics, Space Science, Earth Science and Food Science. 

Three of the Galleries are specifically designed for children, making this attraction an especially good choice for inquisitive families.