Hong Kong is one of those places that you can visit a hundred times and still never get bored. There’s always something new to try and old favorites to visit. I used to go to Hong Kong every 3 months for my visa run when I lived in Beijing. This past weekend, I spent 72 hours in Hong Kong before heading to Delhi for a business trip.

Through instagram, I discovered that Hong Kong is a photographer’s paradise, especially if you love clean lines and astounding buildings. Due to sheer density, Hong Kong is an island, when you run out of space, you can only go up.

Where to stay

I’d recommend staying on the Hong Kong island side and specifically Causeway Bay. It’s conveniently located by the MTR, coffee shops, and lots of shopping without being in the mess of Central or Wanchai. This time, I stayed at Hotel Pennington by Rhombus and it was great. Last time, I stayed at J Plus by Yoo, which was ironically across the street, and they offered free breakfast. Most boutique hotels in Hong Kong will provide a complimentary phone for unlimited local calls and data access (hello personal hotspot).

Friday Night

I arrived Friday evening so by the time I checked into my hotel, it was time for dinner. There are so many amazing options for dinner in Hong Kong, you can find almost any cuisine here and it will be delicious. Since we arrived so late, we ended up eating dinner around 11 pm so our choices were more limited.

Dinner at Yardbird

Yardbird is a really popular izakaya style restaurant in Sheung Wan. They offer creative takes on simple dishes as well as a selection of delicious yakitori. I'd recommend their Sweet Corn Tempura, Brussel Sprouts with Garlic, KFC (Korean Fried Cauliflower) and Rice Cakes. It can also be fun to be more adventurous with their yakitori. Staples like short ribs and inner thighs are always a good choice, but so were trying new things like chicken hearts and skin!

Saturday

I like to theme my trips, it’s usually revolves around places I want to eat but this trip, it was centered around photography. I dedicated my first day to venturing out to Kowloon and hitting up my list of spots to capture. I’ve listed them in order below.

Choi Hung Estate

I immediately fell in love with these basketball courts and pastel colored facades the instant I saw it on Instagram. You can get here easily from the MTR. Follow the signs to Choi Hung Estate and towards what looks like an open garage structure. Once you climb the stairs, you'll see these beautiful colors and probably some neighborhood old ladies practicing taiqi. I’d recommend arriving earlier to avoid the flocks of people who also are here to take pictures.

Ping Shek Estate

Right next to the Choi Hung Estate is the Ping Shek Estate. This was slightly more difficult to find than Choi Hung but so worth the trouble. I laid down on the floor, climb stairs, all for the 'gram. The pictures don’t do this immense structure justice. You’d also think that this building wouldn’t be so popular but as we were finishing up, five more people arrived to do exactly what we were doing!

Market Place next to Ping Shek Estate

As we were heading over to Ping Shek Estate from Choi Hung Estate, we stumbled through a neighborhood market where residents could buy anything from produce to meat to seafood to condiments. This is one of my favorite parts about wandering, you never know what you'll discover! Pro tip: if you are not used to the smell of Asian markets, this might be a little overwhelming.

There are plenty of little noodle shops in this outdoor market. We randomly chose one and sat down to order some noodles and iced lemon tea. Not only was it really delicious but it was so cheap too! It’s never a bad idea to eat where the locals eat. I’d recommend ordering the beef brisket vermicelli, shrimp wonton noodles, and some greens. I didn’t order it here, but you can't go wrong with a Hong Kong milk tea either.

City University’s Run Run Shaw Media Center

It’s a bit of a trek to get to the Run Run Shaw Media center from the MTR but I promise you that it’s worth it.

Sevva at Prince

After a long day of running around, we decided to grab bougie cocktails at Sevva. Drinks are expensive, but the view just about makes it worth it. I'd recommend grabbing one drink, soaking in the view (make sure they give you a table outside), and then heading down the street to Wooloomooloo, another popular rooftop terrace.

Wooloomooloo at Wanchai

We headed to Wooloomooloo after Sevva to enjoy more cocktails on a rooftop while we waited for dinner. They had a great Aperol Spritz. Get here at 6 when they open because it gets crowded fast!

Dinner at Yung Kee

Yung Kee is most well-known for their roast goose. Roast goose is one of the most delicious and unique dishes in Cantonese cuisine. It’s more decadent than duck and is great with rice or in a bowl of noodles. Other dishes that I’d recommend here are the roast pork and eggplant.

Sunday

Breakfast on the go! I highly encourage you to seek out a local restaurant that serves breakfast. At almost every other corner, you can find some form of bao or dimsum for breakfast. Next to the Causeway Bay MTR ( Entrance/exit H), we found warm rice burritos (fan tuan) which is a sticky rice that has been wrapped about a chinese donut (you tiao), pickles (zha cai), and pork floss (rou song). Super cheap at 22 HKD and delicious!

Yick Fat Building at Quarry Bay

Hop on the MTR and get off at the Tai Koo Exit B to make your way over to the Yick Fat Building, one of Hong Kong's iconic apartment buildings. It's been a longtime photographer favorite but it was really the movie Transformers by Michael Bay that catapulted it into fame. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great when we arrived and I tested the limits of my trusty iPhone 7. When I finally pick up a camera, this place is high on my list to revisit.

Lunch at Le Garcon Saigon

In total honesty, I was en route to Brass Knuckles for chicken pho when I passed by Le Garcon Saigon and could not resist the urge to stop. I'm a sucker for beautiful interiors and after grabbing a cocktail, I decided to stay for lunch. Another new discovery on this trip!

Coffee Break

Omotesando Koffee in Wanchai is the perfect minimalist Japanese pop up coffee shop. They pour so much care and effort into each cup, you can taste it. Sadly I was in a rush so I grabbed my cappuccino to go, but if you have time, you should enjoy your coffee in the shop because they do amazing latte art!

Sai Wan Swimming Shed

This infamous picture, often taken at sunset, draws huge crowds that line up to take their own photo. Make sure to arrive well before sunset and be prepared to wait, each group before us took approximately 20 mins. Pro tip: bring a bottle of wine (or three) and some cups to share. (ALSO DO NOT FORGET MOSQUITO REPELLENT)

Dinner at Ho Hung Kee

Who says you can't have dim sum for dinner?! Ho Hung Kee has a Michelin Star for their special shrimp noodles. Lines here can get crazy, but they move fast! You can't really go wrong with any of their dishes but definitely order their signature shrimp won ton noodle soup. My favorite dish here is their custard salted egg bun. It comes out piping hot and the custard inside is runny. However, my honest opinion on the noodles is even though it's delicious, the wonton noodles at random restaurants all over the city are just as tasty and way less pricey.

Monday Morning

If you get up early in the morning, you can squeeze in the Chi Lin Nunnery right off of the Diamond Hill MTR line. It's a collection of Buddhist Temples rebuilt during the Tang Dynasty and is made entirely of wood, with no nails. IT's the world's largest hand-made wooden temple. There are beautiful cypress temples, gardens, and lotus ponds where locals come to pray and relax. It's a good idea to get here early to avoid the crowds and the heat.

Other

Hong Kong is by far the most efficient city that I have visited.

Airport: The airport express is a quick, easy way to get you into Hong Kong Island. Once you arrive at Hong Kong Station, there are free shuttles that then take you to the general area of your hotel. I stayed at Hotel Pennington in Causeway Bay. Shuttle H3 took me to the Regal hotel, which was literally around the corner.
Ding Ding: The Ding Ding is the double decker tram. It’s called the Ding Ding because it dings. Doesn’t this name just make so much sense?
Check-In at Hong Kong Station: you can check into your flight at the Hong Kong station and even drop off your bags! I found that this was a really efficient way of checking in my luggage and spending the remainder of my last day enjoying my favorite spots without having to lug everything around.
MTR: Transportation just works so well here. I took the MTR everywhere and almost every place above is within a 10-15 minute walk from the station. Some are even closer! Make sure to buy an Octopus card. It’ll cost you 150 HKD, of which 50 is the deposit for the card and 100 is credit to spend. You can also use this on the Ding Ding. Trust me, it’ll save you time and you won’t have to carry around small change to buy individual tickets (the machine doesn’t accept anything larger than a 20).
Openrice: Download Openrice! It's essentially the local version Yelp, which is a must-have app for any foodie.