Hong Kong Tourist Traps

  Symphony of Lights from Kowloon at Hbr...
by lindyz
 
  • Symphony of Lights from Kowloon at Hbr City
      Symphony of Lights from Kowloon at Hbr...
    by lindyz
  •   Tourist Traps
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  •   Tourist Traps
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  • Inside MTR - directions and all stops
      Inside MTR - directions and all stops
    by lindyz
  • funny MTR sign!
      funny MTR sign!
    by lindyz
 

Most Viewed Tourist Traps in Hong Kong

1.

Nathan Road   Hong Kong

Nathan Road, Hong Kong

 27 Reviews  The lower end of Nathan Road Kowloon used to be known as The Golden Mile. I can only assume that this was because the touts lined their pockets with tourist "gold". It is well documented (by VT... 

2.

Sightseeing Tours   Hong Kong

Sightseeing Tours, Hong Kong

 23 Reviews  all tours whether big group or small group or personalized have a photographer that will tail you at the sites and take pictures then pester you on buying it. Don't fall for it! they will charge you... 

3.

Shopping   Hong Kong

Shopping, Hong Kong

 42 Reviews  I usually have a long list of dvd's to buy on my travels, and this trip was no different. However, we quickly discovered that no dvd's purchased in Hong Kong are suitable for use in Australia, as they... 

4.

Eating and Drinking   Hong Kong

Eating and Drinking, Hong Kong

 15 Reviews  Just be aware that whenever you actually "sit down" at a restaurant or eatery, you will always get charged an extra 10% tax, cant remember what this tax was actually for. For example, if you buy an... 

5.

Taxis   Hong Kong

Taxis, Hong Kong

 6 Reviews  When departing from our hotel to board a cruise liner we booked a taxi from the hotel, not thinking we put all of our stuff in the boot of the taxi and were driven directly to the port, whilst... 

6.

Electronic Products   Hong Kong

 20 Reviews  dear friends, This is my first post over the visit at Hongkong at Nathan Road. I have reached from China Canton fair to Hongkong for Tour. i have a plan to buy a Camera . I visited the Shop which... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Best place to view Symphony of Lights

by lindyz

This is not so much a tourist trap as it is a helpful tip. Frank and I had gone up to Victoria Peak at night, as we thought it would be the vest vantage point to view the Symphony of Lights nightly show. However you can hardly see any of the lights from up at Victoria Peak at all, as most of them are actually on the Hong Kong Island side. So, the best place to see the lights is definitely from the Kowloon side and NOT from the Hong Kong Island side. The night light whole experience is fantastic from Victoria Peak, but NOT the Symphony of Lights.

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Know your MTR stations and exits!!!

by lindyz

The MTR (subway) system in Hong Kong was simply amazing and just so easy to use, especially for a beginner like myself. It is extremely clean, efficient and well sign posted in english to make it easy for foreigners to get around quickly and easily.HOWEVER .... you must study the MTR system and the different stations, lines and station exits, if you want to save yourself lots of time and walking! Some MTR stations and connecting lines have very very long walks in between them, and even though this is usually all underground and cool, sometimes I swear the walks were over a kilometre long!!!Also every MTR station has several different exits, some stations with about 10 different exits. These different exits can come out at street level about a kilometre from each other. So, it is VITAL that you know which exit to take to get quickly to your destination. All stations have posted in them...

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Escalator ettiquette in busy places!

by lindyz

In Australia I guess it it common for us to stand on the left of an escalator, allowing people to pass us quickly on the right. Well in Hong Kong it is different! And believe me, their escalators are way more busy than any I have ever seen in Australia, so if you dont get it right you will probably get in trouble!!!If you choose to stand on the escalator and not walk up or down it, you must stand to the right. If you choose to quickly walk up or down the escalator then you do this on the left. And ..... if you happen to accidently get yourself in the left hand lane, then you will be walking up the escalator with the flow of traffic, whether you like it or not!!!! In other words, you will kind of be pushed up the escalator! I guess with the heavy traffic flow at shopping centres and MTR stations, this system worked very well, apart from the few times we accidentally ended up in the left...

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Beware of 3 different printed bank notes!

by lindyz

I was warned of this by a fellow VTer (I cant remember who it was - sorry!!) but I think its a fantastic warning tip. Apparently in Hong Kong, the 3 main banks all print their own Bank notes in the same denomination, so it would not be unusual for you to have say 3 different looking $50 notes in your wallet! If you did not know this, I think the first thing that a traveller might think is that they have fake notes, but this is not the case. The 3 main banks are HSBC, Bank of China and Standard Chartered Bank and they all print different notes. I am not entirely sure if they print different coins, but I saw it with my own eyes, different notes YES!

Aberdeen Harbour Cruises

by traveldave

One of the highlights of a package day trip featuring the sights of Hong Kong is an Aberdeen Harbour cruise. These cruises allow visitors to see the floating fishing villages moored in the harbor. And while these floating villages are a fascinating aspect of life in Hong Kong, in my opinion the harbor cruises themselves can be a tourist trap.The village of Aberdeen is located on the south side of Hong Kong Island. One of its main attractions is the junks and sampans of the floating fishing villages of the "boat people" who live in junks on Aberdeen Harbour, and who are traditionally fishermen. There are an estimated 600 junks moored in the floating fishing villages, housing around 6,000 residents. This makes Aberdeen one of the most important fishing ports in Hong Kong. Consisting of two groups, the Tanka and Hoklo, these fishermen have lived on the water for thousands of years. Now,...

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Photographic Souvenirs

by traveldave

At many attractions in Hong Kong, there are photographers, either free-lance or professionals employed by the particular attraction, who will take a picture of a visitor who can then purchase a photographic souvenir of his visit. Most photographic souvenirs merely show a visitor in front of an attraction or engaged in some activity. However, there is a photographer in the Jumbo Floating Restaurant who, for a small fee, dresses customers up in the costume of a Chinese emperor or empress. This is done on a raised dais in the main dining room, where the other diners look on and applaud those daring enough to have this done. Unfortunately, I went through this during my dinner at the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, and the result ended up as a tip on this page.

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The Stanley Market

by traveldave

The village of Stanley is located on the southeast coast of Hong Kong Island. The village, named for Lord Stanley, a nineteenth-century Secretary of State for the Colonies, was founded in 1770 by a pirate named Cheung Po Tsai. Nowadays, the village is known for the Stanley Market, where busloads of tourists come to buy souvenirs. The market is one of the places most tourists visit when they book a day trip highlighting the main attractions of Hong Kong. Located along Stanley New Street, the Stanley Market contains dozens of small shops and street stalls selling T-shirts, fake designer labels, cheap clothing, silk garments, rattan products, ceramics, art work, Chinese crafts, costume jewelry, and a lot of other things. It is a good place to buy inexpensive souvenirs, although anyone who is not interested in shopping will soon become bored.Another attraction in Stanley is the numerous...

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The Peak

by Weina

In central, you can take a tram to the "Peak", which is the top of a small mountain on HK island.It was a complete tourist trap--you pay a buttload of money to go up to a shopping center where people attempt to sell you overpriced trinkets. Then, to go to an observation deck on the peak tower, you have to pay even more... the view is great, but I am sure you can get the same view for HK $9.80 by taking the public bus up to the Peak and back down again (the tram is $48 round trip, $36 one way, something like that)You CAN take some very nice walks up there, but the paths aren't very populated and there are apparently pickpockets. Don't go alone :) Take some pictures! Enjoy the view.It's more fun to take the bus than the tram.

Ngong Ping Village

by Willettsworld

Ngong Ping Village wasn't here when I first visited the Po Lin Monastery and Tian Tan Buddha back in 2002. But since then this themed tourist village has popped up in order to capitalise on the popularity of the main attractions. It's mostly orientated for kids with such "attractions" as: Walking with Buddha - a multimedia attraction allowing visitors to follow the life of Siddhartha Gautama - the man who became Buddha - and his path to enlightenment; Monkey's Tale Theatre - a comical 'show' inspired by the famous Buddhist Jataka stories; various tea houses, souvenir shops and restaurants. Having some restaurants here is about the only thing that's good about it. Just do what I did and walk straight through it all in order to get to the 'real' attractions that you've actually come all this way to visit.

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AW BOON HAW GARDEN

by ancient_traveler

Located on Tai Hang Road, Causeway Bay. Built in the 1930s by Aw Boon-haw, who made his fortune selling a cure-all ointment called Tiger Balm, this small fantasy park is a collection of statues and grottoes whish depict popular Chinese legend in vivid and even graphic detail.Bus no 11 from Exchange Square bus terminal in Central OR a short taxi ride from Causeway Bay. They were opened to the public; they were to promote the Tiger Balm products produced by the family.

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Tourist Attractions in Hong Kong

Top 3 Hotels in Hong Kong

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong  Hong Kong

 9 Reviews and 461 Opinions  I am two people really. Either businessman or traveller. So, if your on business or the budget's not... 

 See all 280 Hotels in Hong Kong

The Langham hotel Hong Kong  Kowloon

 3 Reviews and 553 Opinions  I stay there when I go on business trip to Hong-Kong. Very nice room ann I especially like the... 

 See all 31 Hotels in Kowloon

Royal Park Hotel  Sha Tin

 194 Opinions

 Hotels in Sha Tin

280 Hotels in Hong Kong
 
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Reviews and photos of Hong Kong attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Hong Kong sightseeing.

Experience Hong Kong
Tourist Traps: Cities in Hong Kong
  1. Kowloon Tourist Traps
  2. Hong Kong Island Tourist Traps
  3. Lamma Island Tourist Traps
  4. Tai O Tourist Traps

More Cities in Hong Kong

 

Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hi! Me and my friend are visiting Hong Kong in August, after touring through China for 4 weeks, and we just started planning our... 

Homanded profile photo

A: Kowloon section is the best area to stay in as it is in the thick of things, within easy access of transportation, shopping, sight seeing, markets, etc. As to what there... 

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