Travelling can be costly, but it doesn’t have to be! While Hong Kong consistently ranks as one of the most expensive cities in the world, you can have a budget and still have a great experience in sightseeing, understanding culture, and learning history!
This article aims to provide any budget traveller with options and key places of interest that will keep a travellers spending as little as possible. Meanwhile, you should still maximise your immersion in Hong Kong’s cultural spirit: the vibrant amalgamation of Eastern traditional values with Western modernised living.
As a rough outline, here is what the trip was planned around:
- HKD3000 or less spent in total (not including flight ticket).
- Three days and two nights.
- Three impressive sights
- Three cultural experiences
- The food experience
Basic Amenities
While in Hong Kong, you’ll need to settle the basic necessities of a place to stay, food to eat, and ways to get around. While this article won’t get too deep into the specifics, these are some researched baselines to keep the spending low.
Living
Hong Kong offers an overwhelming amount of hotels and hostels within the Kowloon district. For the purposes of this article it would be best to find a place to stay in Tsim Sha Tsui itself. Hostels, such as the Traveller’s Hostel or Atlas Guest House, are recommended as they are much cheaper than most hotel options!
As a rule of thumb, try not to spend over HKD 200 (roughly SGD 35) per night on a hostel. While the space to sleep is important, most of your time should be spent outside, exploring the city. There are many other hostels that can be found in the Tsim Sha Tsui that can go as low as HKD 90 per night, but that depends on how much comfort you’re willing to sacrifice for your savings.
Food
In terms of food, try to keep to a budget of HKD 200 (roughly SGD 35) per day. While this might not seem like a lot, studies show that the average cost of an individual’s meals for one day is around HKD 90. For a traveller looking for a rich but down to earth experience, the budget has been more than doubled to increase the margin for error, and give an opportunity to indulge in volume or quantity! You could also take it as a challenge to seek out cheaper, local haunts for the true Hong Konger experience!
Transport
While a more in depth view of Hong Kong’s transportation can be found here we recommend travellers purchase a Tourist Octopus from the airport for HKD 39. An Octopus card can be used for almost all methods of transport in Hong Kong: the MTR, buses, trams and even ferries. There’s no doubt that it’s a worthwhile investment for streamlining your transportation experience. Furthermore, all remaining funds can be refunded at the end of your trip, so there won’t be any wasted cash. You can keep the card as a souvenir too - a small additional perk!
Note that the airport bus is most likely the cheapest option to get to the city centre. If you have reserved a hostel in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, make sure to take note of where your hotel is located and plan your route there via buses - whether you will need to transfer, and where you will alight to be closest to your destination.
In terms of local travelling expenses, a rough gauge for how much will be spent on public transportation (assuming most of transiting will be done via bus and MTR) will be about HKD60 a day, or HKD180 in total. Of course, this all flexible and can cost more depending on how much one is willing to spend to ease traversal across the city. Other options such as taxis, trams and minibuses exist which can be more convenient, but costlier.
See the Sights
No trip is complete without some wonder inducing sightseeing, so here are three core recommendations that are easy on the wallet, but still some of the best views Hong Kong has to offer.
Victoria Peak
Anyone that has been to Hong Kong will tell you that Victoria Peak is a must-visit. To truly see how far Hong Kong has come since its rapid modernisation in the 1960s, one must ascend to the highest point in the region (552 metres). From there, you can revel in the panoramic view of the city skyline and see the expanse of the urban jungle. Needless to say, the view is most impressive at night when most of the buildings come alive with lights and colours.
The ideal time to ascend the peak is between 5:30 to 6pm. At this time, you can witness the brilliance of Hong Kong during sunset, before watching the lights come alive as dusk sets in.
Getting up to Victoria Peak can be done in several ways. The most inexpensive way would be via walking. There are a few routes to the top using your legs, the two fastest being the Peak Circuit Trail and the Pok Fu Lam Country Park trail. These will take you about 45 minutes at a moderate pace (no extra training involved), though you may want to allot more time to take photos or enjoy the scenery on the way up.
Alternatively, a little more money (HKD 37 for a single, HKD 52 for a round trip) could be invested to take the Peak Tram to the top. You’ll save yourself some time, and maybe a sore leg or two.
While the malls and ascending the Peak Tower of Victoria Peak may cost money, the view itself is both without price and priceless, so taking in the sight from Hong Kong’s highest vantage point definitely earn’s the ‘Budgeteers Sightseeing Stamp of Approval’.
Kowloon Waterfront: Symphony of Lights
Every evening at 8pm Hong Kong time, 42 buildings by the waterfront will come alive in a musical, laser light show, celebrating Hong Kong’s heritage, journey and present culture. Not only is it an impressive technological feat, but a grand display of pride in Hong Kong’s contrasting spirit, and the journey they’ve made over the last 60 years.
Best of all, it can be seen from various locations for free! Another ‘Budgeteer’s Sightseeing Stamp of Approval’ easily earned. The view can be best appreciated from the Avenue of Stars, the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront outside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, or even Golden Bauhinia Square across the bay.
However, if you're willing to splurge a little, you can invest HKD 230 for the ‘Star Ferry’s Harbour Tour “A Symphony of Lights”’, where the ferry named Shining Star will carry them around the Harbour for an hour, during which the Symphony will take place. It does cost quite a bit more money, but you get to access the open deck for a clear view of both the city and the Symphony of Lights in a single package.
It might be possible to attain a similar, if less well packaged experience by purchasing a normal ferry service from the 7:50pm onwards. This will be significantly cheaper, as the highest price for a normal ferry trip is capped at HKD3.70.
Experience the Culture
In order to understand the local way of life, some delving must be done into the native culture and history of Hong Kong. These are three ways any traveller should be able to get the gist of the way of the land - for their money’s worth, of course.
Free Walks
Free walking tours are one of the best ways to learn and experience local cultures, and this is especially so for Hong Kong. Newer travellers might be intimidated by the fast moving, urbanised melting pot of their local area, and might find difficulty grasping their surroundings. Free Walk Ambassadors are usually locals that serve to guide, organise and inform on the confusion, and give a native perspective on the history and culture of their country.
For this article, we looked at the company HK Free Walk, and specifically recommend their Tsim Sha Tsui Free Walk at the earliest times possible (10:30 am on weekends and 11 am on weekdays). This should serve as a more convenient location to explore if you have properly located your hostel in Tsim Sha Tsui itself. However they do have other options to explore like tours of Hong Kong Island and tours of the Temple Street Night Market.
Another option to look at would be Hong Kong Free Tours, which offer similar services in different locations and varieties. Take your time to explore the options and figure out which would be ideal for you!
Free Walk Ambassadors are paid on the basis of tips, so how much you spend is entirely up to you and your judgement of the quality of your guide. While this can be a good excuse not to pay, remember that your guide is also a local trying to share what they love about their country, so please pay your conscience! As a baseline, we calculate that this will cost HKD60 (about SGD 10.40).
Museums of Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s long and diverse history can be very difficult to encapsulate, but the local museums do good work in attempting to catalogue and express the country’s complicated past. Museums are always a good baseline for understanding a country’s history, and this is especially so thanks to the local efforts in recording and presenting Hong Kong history.
Something great to know is that the entry fees for each of these museums tops off at HKD20 per ticket, and entry is free on Wednesdays. This makes visiting the museums a low cost, potentially free option for learning more about the culture and history of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has a variety of museums, but the ones that are most likely to interest those seeking to understand Her culture are listed here.
Hong Kong Heritage Museum
The Hong Kong Heritage Museum is the most well-rounded experience, catering to the multiple interests by presenting a mixture of Hong Kong’s history, art and culture.
Address: 1 Man Lam Rd, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
Opening Hours: Mon, Wed - Fri 10am - 6pm. Sat - Sun 10am - 7pm, closed on Tue
Contact: +852 2180 8188
Hong Kong Museum of Art
The Hong Kong Museum of Art boasts a collection of over 17,000 items from all over the world. However, tourists will likely be more interested in their local historical, cultural and modern collections. Art enthusiasts might enjoy viewing these pieces from the perspective of the locals, in a new and unique environment.
Address: 10 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Opening Hours: Mon - Wed, Fri 10am - 6pm, Sat - Sun 10am - 7pm, closed on Thu
Hong Kong Museum of History
The exhibits here tell the very important story of how Hong Kong grew to its current state - from a colonial territory to an internationally recognised metropolis.
Address: 100 Chatham Rd S, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Opening Hours: Mon, Wed - Fri 10am - 6pm. Sat - Sun 10am - 7pm, closed on Tue
Contact: +852 2724 9042
Wong Tai Sin Temple
Offering a more open, free-wheeling experience than the previous entries, a visit to Wong Tai Sin will undoubtedly be an interesting experience to anyone, exploring the more religious and spiritual aspects of Hong Kong culture. The temple is primarily Taoist, but also holds importance with both Buddhism and Confucianism practice.
The temple was built in 1921, and served as a major local shrine from the 1950s onwards.
While you can expect to find a multitude of activities within like fortune tellers, incense offerings and dessert shops, the experience of walking around the vibrant temple and exploring the traditional Chinese architecture should offer any visitor deeper insight into the Hong Kong way of life, and their connection with ancient, Chinese roots.
Entry to the Temple grounds is free, but donation boxes are located all around, encouraging visitors to donate if they so wish. While all other activities like fortune telling will cost money, any visitor can enjoy the atmosphere and environment without emptying their wallet.
Address: 2 Chuk Yuen Rd, Chuk Un, Hong Kong
Opening Hours: Mon - Sun 7:30am - 4:30pm
Contact: +852 2327 8141
Sample the Food
Hong Kong traditional cuisine is a unique mixture of Cantonese, European and mainland Chinese food culture. However, as a centre of commerce and as a popular travel destination, Hong Kong has developed a reputation for having cuisine from all over the world, earning it the title of the “World’s Fair of Food”. What this means to any traveller is that there is an infinite number of options to choose from.
Street Markets
Exploring street markets like Temple Street Night Market will undoubtedly be a big part of the experience in exploring Hong Kong, and it also provides a great opportunity to seek out popular street food and roadside delicacies - a potentially more interesting experience than dining in a restaurant!
Cha Chaan Teng
These unique diners, often referred to as Hong Kong-style cafes, provide affordable comfort food for locals, a prime opportunity for anyone seeking an authentically native experience. Don’t be surprised by a wide number of food options, as Hong Kong-style cafes are known for their diverse menus.
Food Courts
A familiar experience to Singaporeans, food courts are a similar staple in most shopping malls, and can be comfortable places to purchase a meal, have a seat and experience Hong Kong food in a familiar setting.
Conclusion
While getting to Hong Kong might be expensive, it's definitely possible to engage in the culture and enjoy the city without having to part with large amounts of your precious savings. If you haven’t been keeping track of all the numbers thrown around so far, the trip has amounted to just under 2000 HKD (about SGD 346.29), so long as the amenities budget is kept strictly in line, leaving an extra 1000 HKD for treats, souvenirs, and other unexpected or extra expenses.
If travelling is about exploration, learning about the world and finding oneself, then I personally believe that this is as good as it gets - immersing oneself in the culture, history and experience of the city, and coming away satisfied that your money has been well spent.
