Hong Kong International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Many passengers change flights at this airport. Unlike Emirates, Cathay Pacific does not allow stopovers in Hong Kong. However, you can plan your flights to have a maximum of 24 hours between each flight. Thus, this will allow you to explore the city. In this article, I will mention some things you can see during a layover.
Tian Tan Buddha
One of the most popular tourist attractions is located near the airport. If you ever had a layover in Hong Kong, you most likely have been here. I am talking about the Big Buddha. This is the biggest Buddha statue in the world. Ever since 2006, you can reach it by taking a cable car from the subway station Tian Chung. The buses operate frequently to the station at the Hong Kong International Airport. Riding in the cable car provides you a fantastic view.
Once you arrive by cable car, it is only a 20-minute walk before reaching the Big Buddha. The whole area has grown significantly in the past few years and has become a tourist place with many stalls and souvenir shops. This is definitely a nice place to spend your entire day. If you go straight ahead, you will see the stairs with 268 steps to the Big Buddha statue. There are people who climb the stairs on their knees, with a temperature of over 80 degrees Fahrenheit! When you arrive at the top you will see a fantastic view. When the sky is clear, you can see the Buddha statue from Macau.
Nathan Road
To visit the Big Buddha, I recommend you find a layover of at least 6 hours. In case you have a longer layover, I suggest you take the subway to Mong Kok station first. From this station, walk to the south along the popular Nathan Road. This is a popular shopping street and it is always crowded. You will see many different things here.
Avenue of the Stars
Do you like shopping? Then, this is for you! You can also try some Asian snacks here. If you walk straight ahead to the south, you will reach the Avenue of the Stars. This is a boulevard with a view of Hong Kong Island.
I could walk here for hours. During the night because there is the “Symphony Of Lights Show” where the skyline of Hong Kong turns into a real light show. The Symphony Of Lights show takes place every day at 8 pm and is offered in 3 languages: 3 days per week in Mandarin Chinese, 3 days in English, and one day in Cantonese Chinese.
Victoria Peak
You can cross the water by ferry but it is also possible to cross by taking the subway. On Hong Kong Island, you will see more skyscrapers than at Nathan Road. One of the reasons is that there is not much space here. You must definitely visit Victoria Peak. The cable car will take you high up where you can have a fantastic view of the city.
It is so nice to spend a few hours here. Not only the view is amazing, but also the park is definitely worth a visit for a nice walk. During the layover, it is possible to visit the Victoria Peak. You can reach Victoria Peak by taking the airport express train. You must take the train for 20 minutes until you arrive at the Admiralty station. After arriving at the Admiralty station, you must take the cable car to the Peak.
Stanley Bay
If you would like to avoid the noise of the city you can choose to escape to the beach for a day. You can arrive at Stanley Bay by taking a direct bus from Admiralty station. This ride will take about 20 minutes. When I arrived, I no longer felt that I was in Hong Kong because the beach felt far less busy than Nathan Road. I felt as if I was in a more tranquil environment. As you see, Hong Kong has so much to offer.
In this article, I have given you some tips on what you can do during a visit to Hong Kong. I spent one week in Hong Kong in 2015 and during that period of time, I developed a good impression of the city. If you ever have a long layover, I would certainly recommend you to leave the airport for a short visit to Hong Kong. Plan your visit beforehand so you save more time.
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