Guide to Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has been one of the hotspots in Asia when in terms of travel and leisure as a destination. This country, even though it’s small, the culture, the vibes, and the number of things to do are as much as a big country. Being rich in natural resources and manmade attractions, Hong Kong has definitely caught so much attention as a place for people to travel from all over the world.
One of the best of the many things you can do in Hong Kong, especially if you are a first-timer is to book the Hop On Hop Off bus. It’s a great way to visit every possible attraction in the city (and more fun too) aside from using the trains. You can also see the city from a different view by using this kind of transportation.
READ: CherryRoam Travel WiFi Review [China, Macau, Hong Kong Travel]
Hop On Hop Off Experience
Our bus tickets were booked in advance online through Musement. They are a new player in activities, attractions, and experiences’ online booking platforms so I and Jane gave them a try. We love to try new things out and all the time, it works perfectly.
We are not new to riding a hop-on and hop-off bus since we already did this to other countries as well like Malaysia and Taiwan. Every time is a new experience.
The tickets we reserved/booked are the PREMIUM TICKETS because we are allowed to hop on the bus (unlimited) for 48 hours and there is also an option to go to the Peak Tram and or Sky100.
If you wanna know the benefits of getting a Premium Ticket, see below.
The Premium Tour takes you to see all of Hong Kong’s top sights ad attractions in 48 hours. Hop on and off along the Hong Kong Island Tour, Kowloon Tour and Stanley Tour, showcasing the incredible skyline, cutting-edge architecture, ancient temples and beautiful beaches that the city has to offer.
- 48-hour hop-on hop-off Big Bus ticket
- Choice of Peak Tram Sky Pass or Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck
- Return ticket for the Star Ferry
- Sampan Ride
- *BONUS: Starbucks Free Upgrade
Getting your Bus Tickets
Once you are in Hong Kong, you can redeem your tickets. You can redeem your vouchers at the Big Bus Tours Information Center at Shop i2 located on the first floor of the Central Ferry Pier 7.
Don’t be confused if you don’t see a shop, the shop/kiosk is located in front of the Central Ferry Pier 7. We didn’t find them at first because we were both thinking it was inside a shop, but no, they are operating using a kiosk.
Luckily, the operators/staff were both Filipina so communicating with them was a lot easier. They scanned our QR codes in the voucher to verify if tickets were legit and valid.
After verifying our vouchers (you can print them or just show them your voucher via your phone), they will give you your tickets and your additional access to attractions. Again, you can choose if you want to use the Peak Tram Sky Pass or Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck, a round trip ticket for Star Ferry from the Central Ferry Pier to Tsim Tsa Tsui Ferry Pier, and a Sampan ride (which we were unable to do because of time constraints). We’re also given 2 pcs of earphones which we can use during the bus tour.
A hand-out or Hop On Hop Off bus guide was also given to us so we could check the destinations and time of each bus.
THINGS TO NOTE:
- You can ONLY CHOOSE ONE if you’ll go to Peak Tram Sky Pass OR Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck. You can check the schedule at the booklet.
- Sampan Ride is FREE and only from 11:30 am until 5:30 pm. (via Green Line)
- The ferry tickets you have will be available for 30 days from the day of redemption so you can use them later.
- You will also be granted a Starbucks Coffee Free upgrade ticket, but only available at the Starbucks located at Central Ferry Pier.
- Every 40-45 mins, a bus will arrive at every stop so check the time if you want to use the bus more.
READ: 5D4N Hong Kong and Macau Itinerary | Travel Guide 2018
Starting your Journey with the Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour [RED LINE]
As for our adventure, we started off with the Red Line (and also since that is the first stop after redeeming our tickets) and decided to use the Peak Tram Sky Pass to see The Victoria Peak.
We opted to seat at the top and open seats so we could see the high buildings and skyscrapers in Hong Kong while at the bus and it was quite a mesmerizing view. Everywhere were tall buildings and people in busy streets.
About 10 or 20 minutes later, we have arrived at the Peak Tram. Traffic wasn’t bad and there was no lag for the ride at all. We went off the bus and started going where the people are heading too, the Peak Tram. We’re excited because it’s our first time in Hong Kong!
The most awaited part we want to experience was really to ride the tram and enjoy the panoramic views while in it. However, the weather was unfavorable that day and all we saw was fog and clouds. Nevertheless, the ride was great and the views and things to do at the mall were also nice.
We didn’t see the entire city though due to the clouds and fogs. It was raining that day.
We spent quite a good time at Victoria Peak even though we weren’t able to see the city from above.
Next, we were planning to head to these destinations, but our time was very limited that day. So we opted to visit what we can.
Here are our suggested places to can go to with hop-on hop-off buses.
Destinations You Can Visit using Hop-on Hop-Off Bus [Red Line]
- Golden Bauhinia Square
- Times Square
- Victoria Park (near Park Lane Hotel drop-off)
- The Peak Tram / Victoria Peak
- Central Park
- Man Mo Temple
- Madame Tussauds
Using Green Line
In order for you to transfer to the Green Line, you need to drop off and interchange where both red and green line stops.If ever you have the booklet, those are stops number 1 (red line) and 17 (green line) and also stop number 6 (red line) and 18 (green line).
Destinations You Can Visit using Hop-on Hop-Off Bus [Green Line]
- Peak Tram
- Ocean Park
- Aberdeen Tunnel
- Repulse Bay Beach
- Tin Hau Temple
- Stanley Market
- Murray House
- Jumbo Floating Restaurant
- Sampan Ride
There actually are more destinations and attractions you can visit while riding the hop-on hop-off bus. You can check nearby attractions by using Google Maps. Just make sure that you always check the time too and be at least 3-5 minutes earlier at the pick-up point so you can hop on immediately. If you lose track of time, you’ll have to wait another 40-45 mins again before you can catch the next bus.
READ: 7 Secret Places To Visit In Hong Kong For The Best Instagram Photos
PS: At the time of our visit to Hong Kong, the Blue Line was unavailable because of the ongoing protests so we are unable to use the Blue Line. The staff said that they’ll have to reroute the blue line stops before it can be operational again.
TIP: If you are done with your tour for the day, you can then use the Star Ferry tickets before sunset and go next to the Tsim Tsa Tsui area and stay or walk around for the rest of the night.
How to Book your Hop on Hop off Bus tickets via Musement?
- Visit their website – www.musement.com or this direct link for Hop on Hop Off Bus.
- Read the What to Expect so you’d know what to type of tickets suits your taste.
- Click Check Availability (on the right side of the screen).
- Choose your tour of choice (Night, Classic, Premium, Deluxe).
- Click Select and put number of pax/person.
- Click Book Now.
- Next, click Pay Now.
- Fill in your Personal and Payment details.
- Click Book Now.
- You will receive an email for your voucher that you need to present on the Big Bus Tours kiosk in Central Pier.
WiFi Access in Hong Kong
There are quite a number of free WiFi hotspots in the country but the most convenient is to rent travel wifi before your travel. We recommend Big Sky Nation Travel Wifi, it’s always our travel partner when we go to Japan, China, and other countries. You can also use this discount code: THEJERNY for a 15% discount off their services.
Where to Stay in Hong Kong
We stayed via an airbnb near Causeway Bay Station. Airbnb is what we recommend if you will be traveling for longer. You can sign-up here for a Php 2,200 discount on your first booking.
If you are quite an adventurous one, you definitely could stay at hostels which costs from Php 350 up to Php 1,000 per night or hotels that could go from Php 1,200 to Php 10,000 depending on how luxurious you are. You can check hostels via Agoda or Booking, wherever you feel like booking most. We have used both booking platforms and so far, all our stay was good.
