Job Discussion Forums

[Old Surrender]

Hi.

I'm going to spend a few days of my winter holiday in HK. Since I am on shoe-string, I'm looking for free things to do in HK. Any recommendations?

[oxi]

Off the top of my head:-

Walk up and/or around the Peak.
Big Buddha (outside only)
10,000 Buddhas. (they only use mild headnipping to to try for tips)
Victoria Harbour lightshow 8pm every night.
Mui Wo beach.
Lamma village pier to village pier walk.
Temple street and Ladies markets still good for a wander without buying.
Museums in TST are free one day of the week, very cheap other days.

Doesn't cost too much to get to these things by MTR, bus or ferry.
You can google for details.
Enjoy your trip.

[sojourner]

�Free� things to do ? Not too many, but the previous poster has mentioned a few. But there are some other things that are available - for just a few (HK) dollars !

In HK, one of the cheapest - and most enjoyable - things to do whilst in HK is to take a trip, on the Star ferry, from Central to TST (Kowloon). Once you get off the ferry, walk along the foreshore � spectacular view of HK Island (even better at night !). In TST, you might want to visit the HK Museum of History � excellent ! Close by is the Science and Technology Museum.

About 15 metres from the Star ferry pier at Central is another ferry pier where there are frequent services to three or four small islands that are reasonably close by. Unfortunately, I can�t remember their names � if you have the time, why not visit them all ! On those islands you�ll find small villages quite close to their respective ferry piers � will provide for nice relaxing breaks from the hustle �n� bustle of HK !

Still on the subject of museums, if you are a Chinese history buff, you might want to visit the Sun Yat-Sen Museum, Mid-Levels area, HK Island. To get there, go to Hennesey Rd ( I think) , at Central, step onto the �world�s longest escalator� which will take you up to the Mid -Levels area, via, So-Ho. Look out for the signs directing you to the museum. About 40 minutes walk from the museum is HKU, located on Bonham Rd. Next door is the uni�s own art gallery and museum � worthwhile visiting � free admission, too, I think !

In the preceding paragraph, I mentioned So-Ho. It�s fall of expat bars and restaurants. Might be worthwhile to spend a few hours there - quite expensive, I�d imagine � but, after all, you will be on holidays ! Still on the subject of bars, if you are a bar person (I�m not !), you might want to visit Wanchai (of �Suzie Wong� fame) , which is about two MTR stations from Central. Lots of restaurants in the area � probably a bit cheaper than the So-Ho ones ! However, in Wanchai don�t expect to find the sort of �colour� and �excitement� that was depicted in the �Suzie Wong� book/movie � Wanchai ( along with, of course, the rest of HK) has changed �considerably� since the mid 50s !

Someone else has mentioned Victoria Peak.This is definitely a �don�t miss out� whilst in HK! Spectacular views of the harbour � at least on a clear day !

How long will you be spending in HK ? If you have the time, consider spending a couple of days in Macau � in my opinion, far more interesting than HK. Also, you�ll find that accommodation and eating out is a bit cheaper. Check out my posts to the following thread : http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=84661&highlight=

In a more recent thread re Macau, someone recommended visiting the Venetian Casino; not so much to gamble but, rather, to �admire� the opulence !

Have fun,

Peter

[Yorky]

Chi Lin monastery and gardens at Diamond Hill. Walk up through Hollywood Plaza and turn left at the roadway on exiting the plaza. Beautiful buildings in classic style and authentic Chinese garden...all free.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

This is what I do when I don't want to spend money but want something to do:

Take about 20 RMB and that's it.

Pay the 1 RMB and jump on a bus and keep going until I see some shopping area.

Walk around grocery stores and different department stores looking at things, practicing my Chinese with the staff, etc.

Catch the bus back after a few hours. If I get sucked into some small noodle shop for lunch OOPS there goes 5 RMB.

If I was in Hong Kong I'd do a lot of window shopping.

[sistercream]

Hi there; thought I might as well make my first post on a topic I know something about!
"Free" in HK will depend a lot on where you will be staying, as transport here is a lot more expensive than it is in the Big Country ... if you're really watching every cent it's helpful to know that the buses are cheaper than the MTR.
Have you checked out www.hongkongextras.com ? And the local site for cheap (and otherwise) eats is www.openrice.com .
Lots of good hiking - winter's the season for it - but if the weather's miserable and I'm not very financial I'd do some museum hopping, maybe mooch around the antique shops & galleries around Hollywood Road, or head off to the local public library and either curl up with some interesting looking books (hint - it's OK to pick up books from the adults' section and take them to the kids' floor if there's more comfortable seating there) or take my computer and advantage of the free wireless internet.

[Cal_Ger]

Buy all your beer in the supermarkets! It is one of the most irritating things about Hong Kong, the price of beer!

[bradley]

HK has a lot of nice parks and beaches that are free

[outkasted_3000]

not sure if it's been mentioned already, but you could, actually, make that should hop on the streetcar and ride it all the way from one end to the next. it's not free, but it's dirt cheap! i think it's less than $5HKD. you'll get a pretty good sense of the hong kong island side...a chance to snap up some nice photos of the city, too.