The ultimate Solo Travel guide to Hong Kong!

"So you are travelling alone again?", my mum asked.
"Yes, and I am going to have a lot of fun too!", I replied with a twinkle in the eye.
I got the feeling that she wasn't quite pleased with the reply and moved on to other questions, like my packing list.
"I checked the temperature in Hong Kong and I think you will need a jacket", she added with authority. I had completely forgotten about it and quickly packed my beloved leather jacket.

Very soon I was inundated with messages form my uncle connecting me with a second cousin in Hong Kong I had met at a wedding a few years back. I promised to try and meet him, though I completely failed on the family front, as usual.

That's pretty much how my last few hours were before I started my solo travel to Hong Kong :)

At the Victoria Peak in Hong Kong

So why was I travelling alone?

Well, though I often don't travel alone by choice, I actually quite enjoy it. I love the freedom that comes with it like taking impromptu decisions or changing plans at the last minute. Or completely skipping popular destinations, like Ocean World and Disney in Honk Kong. These are, of course, wonderful, destinations for families travelling together (read my guide: Travelling Hong Kong with family), but my priorities are often different.

A great to me is the one where I meet lots of locals, hear their stories, eat at local food places, stay in accommodations which represent the place and so on. Of course, I love travelling in style, like I recently did in Finland, but what I like even more is a balance of both. Life is always about balances, right?

So that's how my solo journey to Hong Kong started - with love and scepticism at home, really high expectation at my end and tons of new experiments in my head. I flew with Cathay Pacific (read: My flying experience with Cathay Pacific) and had a wonderfully relaxed journey where I slept most of the time.

Before I move on, let me quickly showcase to you how my journey went through this short video :)

Tips for Hong Kong on a budget

Since this is a post primarily about solo travel on a budget, let me give you some quick tips on how you can do this:

Book your flights much in advance and use deals like this one: Flights to Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific is also a member of Oneworld alliance and you can also use points from your previous trips to save the cost.

1. Pick the right area to stay. The way I do it is by checking where the local middle class population of the city lives, and also by asking any connections in the new place. I chose Mong Kok for two reasons - it was affordable plus it was the hub for local culture, food and street-life.
2. Chuck the hotels and use couchsurfing or Airbnb. Though I usually prefer couchsurfing, this time I stayed in a rather simple and minimalist accommodation with Airbnb, which had everything I needed but nothing more.
3. Walk a LOT! Walking is one of the best places to explore on foot so don't miss out on this opportunity.
4. Use ONLY public transport and NO taxis. Actually public transport is so good in Hong Kong that you won't need to use the taxis, but still keep this in mind. This is one of the only affordable things in the city!
5. Buy an Octopus card for public transportation. The card can be recharged at any local 7/11 stores and also be used for shopping for small groceries.
6. Eat local and at local places, especially the street food in places like Mong Kok. The food is awesome and very affordable. 
7. Shop local in local markets. You can find much cheaper souvenirs. In fact i suggest not buying any souvenir at all, but if you have to buy one do it from a shop on the streets and bargain hard, almost what you would do in India as well!

My recommended spots in Hong Kong

So now that we are done with the tips to save some money while we travel in Hong Kong, here are some of my recommendations to make the most of your stay. Of course I did the things I enjoy doing and you must do exactly the same - that's perhaps the best thing about solo travel, you decide everything!

Walk the streets

To me this is the best way to see a city and Hong Kong doesn't disappoint at all. Whether you are in an old area like Mong Kok or Kowloon, or in the downtown, walking is always the best way to see and absorb the city. If you ever get tired, just hop onto a tram or a bus or metro and move on to your next destination!

Check out Instagram pier

I had no clue a place like this existed until I met Priyanka, an Instagram friend. We decided to do a photo-walk together and she took me here. It's a local secret, and is actually quite a popular destination for taking pictures, making videos (we saw a music video being shot there), cycling, do yoga and so on.

A post shared by Siddhartha Joshi (@siddharthajoshi) on Mar 15, 2017 at 7:56pm PDT

Street food at Mong Kok

Being a vegetarian I was a bit apprehensive about trying out the street food here, but I was also keen to try out the local flavors. The good news - most places will be able to fix something vegetarian, and it's perfectly safe to eat unless you are too fussy about it (I am not).

A post shared by Siddhartha Joshi (@siddharthajoshi) on Mar 18, 2017 at 4:43am PDT

Victoria Hill on the tram

Well, this is certainly not off-beat, but there is no way I would skip talking about it. I went there early morning on the day I was leaving back for India and as luck would have it, the morning turned out to be completely foggy. So did I see the famed city view at all from up there? Check out the video to know :)

Island hopping

To take a break from the busy Hong Kong, I decided to visit one of the islands around and guess what my Octopus card worked here as well! I went to the Cheung Chau island and spent an almost day walking on the hill, chilling on the beach, eating some unique local food and praying at the temples of sea god and goddess. But you can also hop onto other islands as well through the ferries and can spend an entire day doing that :)

Hiking in Hong Kong

Well, I had no clue that there so much greenery in Hong Kong before I started planning for a trip there. Not only are there hills covered with green foliage, there are some excellent hikes as well. One of the most popular ones is called Dragon's back and though I missed going on this, I can easily recommend it you based on all the reviews online.

A post shared by Siddhartha Joshi (@siddharthajoshi) on Mar 18, 2017 at 8:10pm PDT

Ride the junk boat

Junk boat - now what's that? Aqua Luna organises a junk boat ride in the sea and the views from the boat are some of the best in the city. The ride also coincides with the famous lights show, Symphony of Lights.

Hong Kong in 24 hours

However, if you don't have days but just one day, you can still enjoy Hong Kong like a pro. Check out this excellent guide on 24 hours in HK.

If you are looking at an even more concise article on things to do in Hong Kong, you will love this story - 10 things to do in Hong Kong.

Planning for a visit from India

Now that we know all about what to do in Hong Kong, here's some practice information as well to plan your trip there.

Have a doubt still? Feel free to ask in the comments below.

Visa for Hong Kong

There were recent reports about visa free arrival being withdrawn for Indians, but there is absolutely no truth in it. You need to do an online pre-arrival registration before you travel, and then get a notification slip online and print this with you before on boarding the flight. Simple.

Flights

Like I already mentioned, I flew economy class with Cathay Pacific, and I would absolutely recommend anyone to fly with them too. They have also been  named 'World's Best Airline' four times in the Skytrax World Airline Awards and that in itself is a reason to pick them! Plus they have some good in-flight entertainment options to pick from as well - despite being so tired I was tempted to try it out and ended up watching La La Land! Do explore all the options when you do fly them :)

Where to stay

Again I will go back to my earlier recommendation and say use Couchsurfing or Airbnb, or maybe a youth hostel for your stay there. In fact even if you are a small group of close friends, use these - it will help you save a lot of money!

Here are more suggestions: Where to stay in Hong Kong!

Travelling within Hong Kong

Public transportation is excellent and also very affordable in Hong Kong, and there is really no reason to ever take a taxi there. To avail all public transport you need to get something called an Octopus card. Buy it at the airport itself and then keep recharging it as per the needs. The recharge can be done across numerous utility stores across the city or at metro stations.

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Disclaimer: I flew to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific as their guest. However all views expressed here are unbiased and based on my personal experiences.