A Local Guide to Sightseeing in Hong Kong

Shopping Tips

• Bargaining is acceptable in places. It is difficult to generalise where, but it is worth trying (someone told me that he managed to bargain with British Rail!!).
• Visit Mongkok. There you will find the Ladies' Market in Tung Choi Street which sells very cheap (but not very good quality) goods. It is popular with the locals and famous for being extremely crowded (beware of pick-pockets). You will also find a lot of electrical shops in Sai Yeung Choi Street. They are worth a visit just to see the latest products but beware of unscrupulous shop keepers. You have to be very careful with them. If you want to buy something, it is better to go to a chain store (such as Fortress or Broadways) which shows the prices clearly. You can still bargain but at least you know they can't raise the prices higher than those shown because you are a tourist. In some shops, prices are not shown and when you ask for the prices, the shop-keeper will pretend to do some calculations on his calculator. Some of these shops can be dubious.
• If you are interested in sports wear and trainers (or shoes for other sports), then you should visit Fa Yuen Street (or Fa Yuan Street --- not sure about the spelling). There are many shops specializing in sports wear and trainers. Department stores also sell electrical goods but the range is not as good as that in an electrical shop.
• Visit a Chinese emporium such as Yue Hwa or Chinese Arts (again, I am not sure of the correct name in English but the hotel staff should be able to help you. There's one at the junction of Nathan Road and Waterloo Road. ) They sell all sorts of Chinese arts and crafts. Prices range from very cheap to very expensive.
• Tsim Sha Tsui -- there you will find a wide variety of quality goods, popular with tourists (beware of rip-offs)

Places of Interest

• Getting around: the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is quite efficient and reliable, if a bit expensive.
• Visit the Pacific Centre (not sure if this is the full name) in Admiralty (tube station) --- You will find Lane Crawford and a large Japanese department store (I think the name is Seibu). They do luxury goods there --- very expensive but worth seeing even if you don't intend to buy.
• Take a bus ride to the south coast of Hong Kong Island to beaches like Repulse Bay or Stanley Beach. The scenery will be quite different from the coast facing the Victoria Harbour.
• Visit the Stanley Market if you go to Stanley. You can buy cheap souvenirs and Chinese embroidered goods there.
• Visit the Victoria Peak in the evening. You could either take the Peak Tram, a bus or a mini-bus. The Peak Tram ride will give you the most memorable experience.
• If you have time, you may want to visit the ocean Park--A park featuring dolphins, pandas and many other attractions.
• Lankwaifong is a place in the Central which many Westerners find attractive. There are pubs and restaurants.

Food and Drink

• Eat a Chinese egg custard tart. It is a great favourite of the people in HK. They often queue up for them to come out from the oven.
• Eat "dim-sum"s in a Chinese restaurant. Dim-sums are small morsels of food Cantonese people eat in the morning or as afternoon tea snacks. They can be steamed, baked or deep-fried and come in a great variety. In some Chinese restaurants, you get special price if you go before the lunch hours (11:00 --- 14:00) or if you go in the afternoon. Please ask Amie or the hotel staff to recommend a good Chinese restaurant for "dim-sums". A Chinese restaurant in the morning is a very noisy place but definitely worth visiting.
• Have a Western-style afternoon tea in the Peninsula Hotel, the Mandarin Hotel or any of the posh hotels. The cakes are usually very well-made. Alternatively, eat a buffet lunch at a hotel restaurant. Many Hong Kong hotels do buffet lunches which are very good value. You would be able to sample a great variety of food, both Western and Chinese styles. They also serve many different types of desserts and cakes. You could eat from noon to about three o'clock in the evening. Please ask Amie to recommend a hotel for buffet to you.
• I have heard that the revolving restaurant on the 66th floor of Hopewell Centre in Wanchai does buffet dinner in the evening. You would get a good view of the Victoria Harbour from there.
• Try not just Cantonese food, but also Beijing food, Korean food, Thai food, Vietnamese food or Indonesian food. I think Thai food and Vietnamese food is very nice but some dishes can be hot and spicy.