Hong Kong Big Bus Tour is a great way to see this amazing city. I’ve visited Hong Kong during my own solo travels, but Josh had never been. So I was very excited to show him around during our recent weekend trips to Hong Kong. Since we were limited on time and there were so many things to show him, we decided to take advantage Hong Kong’s Big Bus Tour.
Hong Kong Big Bus Tour Hop-on / Hop-off Tour- Offers a Great Overview of the City
When planning a visit to Hong Kong, you may notice there is just so much to do…and you may have little time! We don’t always do the bus tours when we visit cities, but sometimes when we are limited on time, we have found them to be a great way to see a lot in a short time. Hong Kong’s Big Bus Tour is a hop-on / hop-off tour, which allows you the freedom to explore on your own.
The Big Bus acts as your transportation in Hong Kong, making it a convenient way to get around town. They also have a great open air top deck, which gives you panoramic views and lets you enjoy the weather (if it’s nice outside). They also provide free headphones and audio commentary in many languages, thus acting as your tour guide.
Read also The Many Districts of Hong Kong
Being history nuts, we enjoy getting some additional background on what we are seeing while we ride around town.
Three Bus Tour Routes to Choose From Around Hong Kong…Or Do All of Them!
One of the reasons that we liked the idea of Hong Kong’s Big Bus Tour was that they offered 3 different routes. There is a route for Central Hong Kong, a main area that you have to see, as well as a sightseeing tour all around the main island to the beach village town of Stanley and fishing villages of Aberdeen. There is also a route around Kowloon.
You can choose a Hong Kong Big Bus tour ticket that is good for 24 hours or for 48. We chose the 48 hour option because we knew that we wanted to get off the bus and explore. Plus, we had a number of other things that we wanted to do around town and we wanted our ticket to be good for our entire visit.
With the 24 / 48 hour tickets, you have the freedom to do all 3 of the routes as many times as you want. You can hop on / off and move about transferring from one line to another. This gives you the ultimate freedom. But there is also the option to buy a ticket for a single route too!
Perks of a “Deluxe” Hong Kong Big Bus Tour
Beyond the bus tour itself, the Hong Kong Big Bus offers a whole package of additional things to do. These packages are super convenient! For example, we purchased the Big Bus deluxe package which gave us tons of extra perks! These were things that we wanted to do anyway, so it was great to buy them all at once.
Our deluxe tour included numerous tickets for the star ferry. This historical ferry service has been transporting people back and forth between Kowloon and Hong Kong island since the late 1800’s! We also received a ticket for a 1 hour Victoria Harbor cruise, as well as a traditional Sampan cruise through the fishing harbor in Aberdeen.
Lastly, it included a roundtrip ticket on The Peak Tram. The Peak is a popular observatory up the mountain that overlooks Hong Kong. It is iconic and provides great views of the harbor and the city, especially at night. Buying our ticket in advance through the Big Bus tour saved us money and time! When we arrived at the Peak tram, the line was SO long! But the bus company rep gave us our tickets so we could get right in line and go up.
Essentially, our Big Bus tickets let us skip the line!
Hong Kong Big Bus Tour – Night Options
Hong Kong is a city that comes alive at night. They are famous for their numerous night markets as well as their nightly light shows over Victoria Harbor. Riding around on the night Big Bus tour, you will see all the neon lights sparkling along the harbor, and the main shopping and dining roads. It’s also convenient evening transportation to the night markets.
Heading to Hong Kong? Book Your Big Bus Tour Right Here!
We had a great time exploring Hong Kong on the Big Bus tour. Personally, we can attest to the professionalism of the staff and the quality of the experience. We would highlight recommend taking this journey. And to make it easier for our readers, you can buy tickets on the Hong Kong Big Bus right here through our site! The prices are the same (if not lower) than what you will find elsewhere.
So check it out and book your tickets on the Hong Kong Big Bus today!
** No compensation was received for this post, all opinions are our own.
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wow I’d love to go to Hong Kong and this looks like such a cool way to explore the city!
Thanks Paula! We highly recommend Hong Kong. In fact, my parents are planning a visit Hong Kong in a couple months. They are so excited to plan their trip & I love being able to share my experiences and ideas with them for the trip. They definitely want to take the bus tour because they can see so many things so easily — especially since it will be their first time in Asia and they are a little nervous about getting around.
Happy travels!
Liz
Never thought about doing a bus tour, but it looks pretty fun. Especially the a Sampan ride
Thanks Justin. Yes, the Sampan ride was pretty cool. The only bummer about our visit was that we were there over Chinese New Year, and the day we took the Sampan ride was a a holiday. So the floating fishing village in the harbor was very quiet. It would have been nice to see it busy, as well as the nearby fish market. But I guess that means we will just have to come back for another visit 🙂
Cheers!
Liz
I’m so glad I read this post!! I’m actually going to Hong Kong with a friend this summer! I’ll take your post into consideration (: I’m not sure how long I will stay,but since you’ve couple of experiences at Hong Kong – How many days do you recommend to stay to do many different activities? I have about 20 different activities that I want to do, including Disneyland. I was thinking 9 days?
Thanks so much for reading Stacey – we’re glad your found it helpful. You will enjoy Hong Kong – it is a really cool place! During my first visit, I was a solo traveler and I spent 7 days. If you want to do just the major tourist sights quickly, then you can see most things in a few days. But if you want to do a LOT of activities and explore the northern territories and some islands, plus have a little “me time” to relax, then you could easily spend 7-10 days. Accommodations are expensive though, so keep that in mind with regard to your budget. Hostels and Airbnb’s are much more budget friendly – but even those can get expensive in certain areas.
Have a blast! We can’t wait to go back again.
– Liz (and Josh)
We did the hop on hop off bus tour when we went to Panama the first time. It is really convenient and a cost effective way to save money. The deluxe package seems to be the way to go. Lot of interesting activities.
Thanks for the comment! We haven’t been to Panama, but I can imagine that it would be convenient to explore on a bus tour! With the Hong Kong Big Bus tour, it is definitely a cost effective way to see and do many things around town. And it’s so convenient!
Happy travels to you!
– Liz
I like hop on hop off buses when the time in a city is limited. I think its a great option!
Thanks for reading! I agree, we don’t always do them because we like to explore on our own. However if you are limited on time, then they are a really great way to see a lot in a short amount of time!
Cheers!
Liz
this looks like an awesome way to see Hong Kong! If I ever make it there, I’ll definitely try out the bus tour.
I love big bus tours! I think a lot of people avoid them because they think they are too “touristy” but I think they are a great deal and very convenient! I always look for these kinds of hop on/off tours when I go to a new city.
Thanks Vicky & Buddy! We agree that sometimes the big bus tours can be “touristy” — after all, that is their business. They are definitely great options for some people, other people…maybe not so much. For us, we don’t always do them. Some cities we would prefer to explore on our own, but other times you just can’t beat the convenience and the cost-effective way to see so much.
Cheers & happy travels!
– Liz
Looks like the ideal way to explore Hong Kong