This small tourist info center is located right by the Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) Star Ferry Pier. It's…read morestaff are knowledgeable, helpful, friendly, and speak English. It's a Go-To place for FREE Maps, and brochures (see pics) on self-guided walking tours, hiking trails, parks, various local attractions, as well as useful info on local transportations, availability of FREE internet networks. When in TST, this should be your very FIRST PLACE to visit. Its able staff can help you plan out your visit very nicely. TST is one of the must-visit districts in Kowloon. Therefore, it's a good idea to drop by the Tourists Info in TST first before your adventures. - TST is the HOME of many modern and traditional shopping malls, heritage museums, culture centers, and various attractions such as the harbor promenade, Avenue of Stars, 1881 Heritage Complex, the Ferry to the Hong Kong island, the famous, gigantic Kowloon Park, and the famous Harbor City Mall. The Star Ferry Pier is also the bus terminal, where one can board buses to visit various major districts in Kowloon (see pic). Of course, the Ferry ride across the beautiful Victoria Harbour should be one of the highlights of visiting HK. Over the years visiting Hong Kong, I always make it a point to visit the Visitors Centre, getting up to date, useful info from them. From every visit, I learn something new and useful. Thank you, HK Tourists Board, for doing such a great job! Peter - An appreciative tourist, May 2015

When I walked into the Hong Kong Tourism Board office at the ferry terminal with many questions I…read morehad no idea that I would be met by such a wonderful, knowledgeable and enthusiastic person named Windy. She seems to just love what she is doing. She told me her mother taught her to help people and that is what she wants to do. Although this was my fourth visit to Hong Kong (I think Hong Kong is one of the greatest cities in the world) I still had several questions because things have changed drastically since I was there last in 1999. Windy gave me many tips on where to go, what to do and the best way to get there. I did everything she said and my day turned out to be absolutely fabulous. When I came back to thank her at the end of the day she had already gone. Thank you Windy.

I am a nerd for the lack of a better term. Things like monetary instruments fascinate me and…read moreusually catch my intrigue. So it was quite surprising when friends suggested we visit the Hong Kong Monetary Authority...wait why? Because we can and because we can catch an amazing view of Hong Kong and Kowloon. So..yes, you can see a spectacular view of Hong Kong and Kowloon from its location in IFC #2. It is incredibly high-up and it is a quick elevator ride once you register with a photo id at the lobby level reception. Yes, you will be looking down on the glimmering buildings of central and have a panorama of the waterfront across the harbor. Did I mention I was a nerd? Well, for those that want to learn...you can get a great insight about the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and how it carries out its mission. They feature a great historical look in how money and banking developed in Hong Kong. Another shows how they use monetary policy to manage its currency and an area showing what is going on currently. It's really quite different and interesting for any business school nerd. If anything, it has an amazing view of Hong Kong.

Located in the IFC2 building, it is very accessible from the IFC mall…read more You can see decent views for free (via registration by showing a photo ID) on the 55th floor while learning about the financial markets and how Hong Kong is involved. Very educational for finance nerds and yet very cool to see HK from a tall building in a nice setting. We came to escape the gloating amount of tourists in HK during the Chinese New Year and came here to see views. Sadly it was a cloudy day so there was nothing to see, but good that we didn't waste time and money to trek over to the Victoria Harbour which we were supposed to do until we saw the crazy long lines due to massive amounts of tourist buses from China! Overall a short side trip worth stopping over if you happen to be in the IFC anyway. IFC#2 is the second tallest building in HK. The ICC in Kowloon MTR station houses the tallest building in HK and it is not to miss. Take a drink at the Ozone bar in the Ritz (118th) or take it easy at the Ritz lounge on 108th floor, or go have a drink/tea on 100th floor at sky100.

I come here for two reasons- the wet market and the cooked food stalls on the second floor (or is…read moreit third floor?). I have already written about one of the restaurants at the cooked food stall and I would say that there are probably around 6/7 different places upstairs which offers anything from Thai to "siu chao" items; I have only been to one so far and stuck with it so you will have to be more adventurous than me to try the others. They are all on the same level so you can't miss it. About the wet market, the queue outside the carpark will tell you that lots of people come here to do their groceries- not necessarily locals but from completely different parts of Hong Kong. Why? That's because this place is actually known for having fresh seafood items at a reasonable price, as well as the famous butcher on the second floor (Leung Kau Kei) which dishes out the perfect beef for hotpots and I come here on a weekly basis to satisfy my crave. The ground floor section is devoted to seafood (as mentioned) and you will find endless different choices there- fish, crabs, lobsters, scallops, oysters- name it and you will find it. The fact is that Chinese people eat a lot of seafood is certainly not lost here. You have frozen imported items as well as some which have been freshly caught. depends on your liking. The second floor is devoted to meat items and the shop that I had just mentioned is tucked in a corner; but you will find people gathering there so its hard to miss. As for the rest of the building I haven't really ventured out there before- not much point anyways.

This is the place to be if it is your first day in Hong Kong. However, for locals, it is very…read moreimportant to keep up with all the upcoming events in the city, and to be honest, there are so many things you would not know it is in fact a tourist attraction unless you come here. There are a few visitor centres around Hong Kong but today I went to the one at the Peak. Located at The Peak Piazza next to The Peak Galleria, you will see a signage with 'Hong Kong Tourism Board' written on it. Walk inside you can see how informative this place is. I understand lots of people before they travel will buy a guide book and stuff to plan their trip, however, they have plenty of free maps, booklets and brochures for you to take from there. On top of that, the staff there are very talkative and very nice to chat with. They know what tourists want in this place and the best of all, they offer the most affordable choices for you and the suggestions are tailor made. All staff are equipped with Ipad that enables them to show you the sights on it so you know what to expect. Hong Kong as an international city, I would say that our government did spend a lot on the tourism here and you can see how much effort it has put in it with the staff training and the facilities. My advice here is really to spend some time talking to the ambassadors here instead of relying on your guidebook. You will definitely gain more doing so.

Fast and friendly staff. They were able to accommodate me and offered assistance in English. The…read morewhole process was smooth and efficient.

A historic police compound turned into a real-life Etsy market! Located in Central, PMQ 元創方 is…read morepacked with local artisan shops, unique design studios, and rich Hong Kong history. PMQ 元創方 stands for Police Married Quarters. It's a historic site turned vibrant creative hub in Central, Hong Kong. Rebuilt in 1951 as the Police Married Quarters, the compound reopened in 2014 for local designers. The architecture is beautiful, the vibe is incredibly artistic, and it is the perfect place to support independent creators. A truly unique spot for anyone looking for authentic local souvenirs.

This place is basically like a giant Etsy shop/Instagram photo opp…read more Came to take selfies in front of the koi staircase. Left with nearly a dozen pairs of cute and unique earrings crafted by HK-based jewelry maker @ashayatheone, for $8 to $15 (USD) a pair. Though I definitely spent more than I would have for souvenirs at the Ladies Market, it was worth it not to feel stressed out having to haggle on the streets of Mong Kok. Plus, I walked out with better quality stuff, supported a local business, and got to check out the current art exhibit ("LONG TIME NO SEE": a set of hand-drawn murals paying homage to the history of the PMQ building).

This is one of the most popular ways of getting to Shenzhen. Reason being is that you are the…read moreclosest to one of the big shopping/entertainment districts in Shenzhen itself. Also if you're taking the MTR east line rather than driving across, you might find this border crossing a lot easier than the Lok Ma Chau one.

There are a couple of ways to get to Mainland China from Hong Kong- you have the railway crossings…read more(Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau Port) and by road (Western Crossing, Man Kam To, Sha Tau Kok) and of course Lok Ma Chau Checkpoint. Before the Western crossing this was by far the largest crossing checkpoint for vehicles and this is still the only 24-hours checkpoint across the border. This crossing is for vehicles only and you can't cross it on foot. What most people do here is they would park their cars at the Hong Kong side, take the Huang bus (Huang for Huanggang which is what they call it on the PRC side) to Huagngang. Except its not that simple. The first stage would involve you having to get to the check point itself, which is a 5 minute ride. You get off and pass through the check point on foot- then you get back on the bus. The bus will then take you across the bridge over the border where you will cross the PRC check point. The checkpoint itself is passable- given the volume of people transiting you can't expect it to look like the lobby of the Peninsula. The immigration department is known for their efficiency and the electronic gates (e-channel) speeds up the process. Compared to the other checkpoints this does look a bit dilapidated but bear in mind this is probably the busiest one too. Easiest way to do it? Get yourself a cross border number plate and just drive over. Done.