Asia July 2026: Hong Kong

We checked out of the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel on Monday morning and took a car over to Pudong Airport for our flight on Cathay Pacific from Shanghai to Hong Kong. We spent some time in the airport lounge before our flight and then experienced a disorganized boarding process that left a lot to be desired. We originally had a pair of seats alone because the layout when we booked our flight was 2-4-2, but Cathay Pacific changed the aircraft twice and we ended up with a 3-4-3 configuration, so we had someone sitting in between us. Thankfully, she was great and the flight was less than two hours, but I wasn't particularly impressed with Cathay Pacific overall as a first time passenger with them.

We spent two nights at the Conrad Hong Kong and when we checked in, the hotel staff upgraded our room to the top floor and gave us access to the executive lounge, which was a nice surprise! The hotel was amazing; it's the third Conrad we've stayed at in the past year (Dubai, Shanghai, and now Hong Kong), and I cannot say enough good things about these hotels!

we had a fun view of planes
lined up on the runway from the lounge

Pudong Airport is super nice!

such a cute welcome sign!

our view from the 61st floor

view of the city from the lounge
on the 59th floor

On Tuesday, we took a nine-hour private tour to see some of the highlights of Hong Kong, since we only had one day in the city! Our tour guide, Alfred, kindly provided a list of everywhere we went, so here's a little summary of the day!

We met Alfred in the lobby of the Conrad Hong Kong and immediately jumped onto the "Ding Ding" tram, which has been running since 1904! We walked through Central, a massive financial hub that started out as just a tiny trading port. From there, we headed to the Lower Peak Tram Station and rode the historic 1888 funicular up Victoria Peak. We hopped off at Barker Road, and the panoramic views of the skyline and Victoria Harbour were absolutely breathtaking.

Back down at sea level, we explored Central and the Mid-Levels on foot. We checked out the historic stone steps of Pottinger Street and rode the world’s longest outdoor escalator system. We also hit up Tai Kwun, a super cool heritage complex that used to be a colonial police station, prison, and court. Afterwards, we wandered through SoHo and Hollywood Road to check out the awesome street art and antique shops, and stopped by the beautiful Man Mo Temple. For lunch, we grabbed some fresh sugarcane juice from a roadside stall and had an amazing vegetarian dim sum meal.

In the afternoon, we headed through the Aberdeen Tunnel to the fishing village. We took a private sampan ride right through the floating community, cruised past the iconic Tai Pak Restaurant, stopped by a local market, and visited a fishermen's Taoist temple. Then, we crossed over to Kowloon to visit the stunning Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery. The wooden architecture there is beautiful, and the whole place felt incredibly peaceful.

Our next stop was Sham Shui Po to visit Mei Ho House. It’s a museum inside a 1953 public housing block built after a massive fire left 50,000 people homeless. Seeing how families lived back then in those tight spaces was incredibly sobering. To wrap up the day, we hit the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, walked the Avenue of Stars, and stopped at the famous Bruce Lee statue. We ended our tour day by taking the classic Star Ferry across the harbour back to Central Pier, where our driver, Andrew, picked us up and took us back to the Conrad.

Alfred and Andrew were superb company and we learned so much from them throughout the day! I'm so glad we opted for a tour to maximize our limited time in Hong Kong!

We had a late check out on Wednesday and it was great to have a leisurely morning before leaving the hotel. We definitely need more time in Hong Kong on a future trip! Despite how packed our tour was, I know there is so much more to see and do there!

Happy Tails to you!