Are you flying to South East Asia with a stopover in Hong Kong and you have half a day to kill before your next flight? Or, you’ve been to Hong Kong already and seen the major sights, and want something different? Then read this, and keep an eye out for new blog posts on what to do in Hong Kong, and private day trips off the beaten track.
HONG KONG HERITAGE DISCOVERY CENTRE
Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre opened in 2005 in a splendidly preserved former colonial British Army barracks in Kowloon Park. The centre has a permanent exhibition gallery on the first floor displaying, pottery, glassware, ceramics and other artefacts and on the ground floor is a thematic gallery for temporary exhibitions. This is a good place for visitors to go to obtain information, leaflets and guides on heritage trails, antiquities and monuments in Hong Kong.
LOCATION – Kowloon Park, Haiphong Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon OPENING HOURS – 10am to 6pm Monday to Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10am to 7pm Sundays and public holidays. Closes at 5pm on Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve. Closed on Thursdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of Chinese New Year.
HONG KONG MUSEUM OF HISTORY
A permanent exhibition, The Hong Kong Story, comprises eight galleries:
The Natural Environment, Prehistoric Hong Kong, The Dynasties – From The Han to the Qing, Folk Culture in Hong Kong, The Opium Wars and the Cession of Hong Kong, Birth and Early Growth of the City, The Japanese Occupation, Modern Metropolis, and the Return to China
LOCATION – 100 Chatham Road South, Tsim Tsa Tsui, Kowloon OPENING HOURS – 10am to 6pm Mondays and Wednesdays to Saturdays, 10am to 7pm Sundays and public holidays. Closed on Tuesdays and the first two days of Chinese New Year. Closes at 5pm on Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve.
HONG KONG SCIENCE MUSEUM
A favourite amongst adults and children alike with its many “hands-on” interactive exhibits and entertaining and educational demonstrations. The exhibition halls span four floors all of which encircle a huge 22 metre high Energy Machine, the largest of its kind in the world. The Energy Machine operates at 3pm, 5pm and 7pm and additionally at 11am and 1pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The First Floor Exhibition Hall has Occupational Health and Safety and Electricity and Magnetism Galleries and a Computer Lab where visitors can try their hand at various multimedia computer activities. The Second Floor Exhibition Hall has a Science News Corner and exhibits on Food Science, Home Technology, Transportation featuring Hong Kong’s first airliner, a Cathay Pacific DC-3 suspended from the ceiling and a flight simulator. The Third Floor Exhibition Gallery has an Energy Efficiency Centre and Mathematics Hall with interactive puzzles graded into levels of difficulty.
LOCATION – 2 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon OPENING HOURS – 1pm to 9pm Monday to Wednesday and Friday, 10am to 9pm Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. Closed on Thursdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of Chinese New Year. Closes at 5pm on Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve.
HONG KONG MUSEUM OF ART
The museum’s collection comprises over 15,000 items divided into five major categories: Chinese Antiquities, Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, Contemporary Hong Kong Art, Historical Pictures and the Xubaizhai Collection of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy. On the first Sunday of each month there is a free concert performance in the Lobby of the museum from 3-30pm to 4-30pm.
LOCATION – 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon OPENING HOURS – 10am to 6pm Sunday to Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Closes at 5pm on Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve. Closed on Thursdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of Chinese New Year.
HONG KONG SPACE MUSEUM
Located next to the Hong Kong Museum of Art and Hong Kong Cultural Centre this museum is divided into two wings, the East Wing houses the planetarium, Stanley Ho Space Theatre with 23-metre IMAX screen and Hall of Space Science and the West Wing houses the Hall of Astronomy and Lecture Hall. From 15th November 2010 until 30th April 2011 is a 47-minute Omnimax show “Arabia – in search of the Golden Ages”. The documentary follows a Nabataean frankincense caravan, moving through Madain Saleh on its way north to Petra and the Mediterranean Sea around the first century. From 6th January 2011 until 30th June 2011 the museum is showing its latest Sky Show “We are Astronomers” which shows the latest methods used by astronomers to explore the universe. LOCATION – 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon OPENING HOURS – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 1pm to 9pm, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 10am to 9pm. Closes at 5pm on Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve. Closed on Tuesdays and the first two days of Chinese New Year.
LEI CHENG UK HAN TOMB MUSEUM
Discovered in 1955 during construction works, the Han dynasty (AD25-220) tomb was excavated and preserved in its original site. In a small gallery are pottery cups, bowls, models, pots and cauldrons and bronze bells and mirror found in the tomb, and although visitors are not allowed to enter the tomb the front and rear chambers can be viewed through a transparent screen. There is a small secluded park behind the tomb.
LOCATION – 41 Tonkin Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon OPENING HOURS – Monday to Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sundays and public holidays 1pm to 6pm. Closes at 5pm on Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve. Closed on Thursdays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day (Dec 26), New Year’s Day and the first three days of Chinese New Year.
For Private Day Trips, sightseeing and excursion off the beaten track in Hong Kong please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com
About the author: Tara
The travel professional with years of experience in the travel industry – in guiding, reservations, operations, contracting, customer service and product development – and have travelled extensively in Asia and Eastern Europe not just on holiday but also for work, inspecting hotels, visiting attractions and seeing exactly what each destination has to offer. The only way I could do this properly was with my own guide, car and driver and this inspired me to create my own range of customised private day tours for other people to be able to explore in-depth and learn to love their destination as much as I do.
Website: www.readyclickandgo.com
Website: http://www.readyclickandgo.com
