Issue 04 · Destination 06

Hong Kong

"Dense, vertical, brilliant. A genuine bargain once you stop treating it like a shopping trip."

Last visit: December 2025

Hong Kong SAROriginal photograph

DisclosureThis guide contains affiliate links. We earn a commission if you book — you pay nothing extra. We only recommend things we've personally tried.

Should you actually go?

Yes — Hong Kong is half of what people warn you about. Hotels are expensive; the MTR, Star Ferry, dai pai dong dinner and Temple Street wonton noodles all cost less than the Singapore equivalent. Five days is the right length.

Go October to December for cooling temperatures (18–26°C) and low humidity. Avoid June to September unless you're comfortable being inside watching the red rainstorm warning on your phone.

The experience

Stay Kowloon side. Tourists flock to the Island, locals live here, and the gap in authenticity is measurable in your food bill. Build days around the geography — escalators, trams, the Star Ferry — and let the altitude changes do the sightseeing for you. The Symphony of Lights at 8 PM from the Avenue of Stars promenade is free and still impressive.

01 · via GetYourGuide

Kowloon street food & dim sum walking tour

3–4 hours through Mong Kok and Jordan: dai pai dong, cart noodles, a proper yum cha sitting. The morning departure beats the queues.

Book on GetYourGuide

02 · via Klook

Peak Tram + Sky Terrace 428 combo

Pre-book to skip a queue that's been long since 1889. Go before 9 AM on a weekday or you'll lose 90 minutes to the line.

Book on Klook

03 · via Klook

Big Buddha + Lantau cable car day trip

Crystal cabin upgrade is worth the SGD 10 difference. Eat the vegetarian set at Po Lin Monastery before the bus crowds arrive at noon.

Book on Klook

Where to stay

Three picks at three price points. All affiliate-linked to Expedia — same price as going direct, helps keep this site running.

Budget

Mini Hotel Causeway Bay

~SGD 95 / ~USD 70 per night

Compact rooms but spotless, MTR Causeway Bay is two minutes away, and the breakfast voucher works at the bakery downstairs. Best value the Island side gets.

Check rates on Expedia

Mid

Eaton HK, Jordan

~SGD 240 / ~USD 178 per night

Kowloon side with personality — art-led design, a co-working lobby, and Temple Street Night Market at the end of the block. The breakfast buffet is genuinely good.

Check rates on Expedia

Splurge

The Peninsula Hong Kong

~SGD 1100 / ~USD 815 per night

Afternoon tea is a tourist trap; the rooms are not. Harbour-view suites face the Symphony of Lights from your bath. The fleet of green Rolls-Royces is real.

Check rates on Expedia

Logistics from SEA

Visa: Singapore passport: 90 days visa-free, no application. Fill the Hong Kong arrival card on the plane (paper, still — it's 2026 and they kept it).
Flights from SEA: Cathay, Singapore Airlines and Scoot all fly direct in 3h 45m. Scoot from ~SGD 120 return if you book 6–8 weeks out. Both Changi T1 and T3 serve HKG.
eSIM (Klook): Klook's Hong Kong eSIM is SGD 8 for 5 days. Same network as the Octopus tourist data — buy before you fly so you have data the moment you exit immigration. Get the eSIM →
Money: HKD. SGD 1 ≈ HKD 5.8. Use Wise or Revolut at ATMs and avoid hotel exchange. Octopus card is essential — buy at the airport, top up at any 7-Eleven, use on MTR/buses/ferries/convenience stores.

SGD → HKD converter

Open full converter →

You have

You get

…

Loading rates…

Loading climate…

Loading forecast…

Checking advisory…

The honest verdict

Worth it

Dim sum at Tim Ho Wan Sham Shui Po before 8 AM
Star Ferry crossing at dusk — SGD 0.40, best 7 minutes in the city
Temple Street wonton noodles after midnight

Overrated

Disneyland HK — smaller than Tokyo, pricier than Shanghai, skip
Ladies' Market — the side streets are better than the market itself
Afternoon tea anywhere — pay for the room, not the scones

"Five days, Kowloon-side hotel, eat through the dai pai dongs and ride every form of transport the city has invented. Hong Kong is misjudged on hotel sticker price; everything else is cheaper than home."

Plan & book Hong Kong

Affiliate links

01 · Expedia