China Metropolis Luxury Tour

Welcome to Hong Kong! Upon arriving, you will be picked up by the tour guide and driven to the hotel. After check-in, you can have a good rest and prepare for the upcoming exploration.

Covering an area of around 1,106 km², Hong Kong is one of the most populous cities in the world, with a 7,482.5 million permanent population, and its average life span tops globally. Due to a subtropical climate, the City has an average temperature of 73.04 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s hot and humid in summer and cool and dry in winter. Chinese and English are two legal languages and Chinese people in Hong Kong usually speak Cantonese (a kind of dialect) while non-Chinese people there communicate in English. Dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it has developed from a small village to the world's third-largest financial center. it's a highly prosperous free port and cosmopolis, comparable with New York City and London. Undoubtedly, you will have fun on the Hong Kong luxury tour.

After breakfast, let us go to the first destination - Wong Tai Sin Temple. Set up in 1921, Wong Tai Sin Temple is one of the most well-known temples in Hong Kong. It covers more than 18,000 m2, with several great halls in it. Among other structures, the most distinct one is the memorial archway, embodying the traditional Chinese culture. The Taoist temple, as its name suggests, enshrines Wong Tai Sin. Legend has it that he was an immortal who always healed patients with his magical power in ancient times. It’s said that he is responsive to prayers made in this place, which is why the temple is so popular among locals. From the first day to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, a large number of visitors will swarm into the temple to give thanks and pray for good fortunes for the new year. Additionally, it’s also the only Taoist temple where a Taoist wedding could be held.

Walking out of the temple, you are going to reach Victoria Peak. It is the tallest peak in Hong Kong and you can have the best panoramic view of the city over there. It’s said that there was a pirate who once captured the port. He set barracks under the mountain and used the peak as a watchtower. One day, when he saw some merchant ships passing by the port, he signaled with flags to his subordinates to plunder them, and thus the mountain with the peak is also known as "Flag Mountain" as a whole. First of all, you will take a peak tram that runs along the steep mountain slope of 373 meters high. The 1.4 km-long journey will allow you to appreciate the gorgeous landscape in eight minutes. Then you are scheduled to visit Peak Tower. Erected 396 meters high above sea level, the Tower looks like a bowl on the top. There is a large shopping area and many restaurants. On the top is Sky Terrace 428, a 360-degree sightseeing platform, where you can have an amazing aerial view of Hong Kong and beyond.

You will have lunch in a restaurant on the Peak. After that, the guide will take you to Repulse Bay. Located to the south of Victoria Peak, the crescent-shaped bay is dubbed the “World’s First Bay” and “Oriental Hawaii. It’s the most representative bay in Hong Kong. It’s said that there was once a royal navy ship stationed in the bay to repulse pirates, and thus it got the name – “Repulse Bay”. Each year, a myriad of visitors will come here to have fun on the silver sand beach and go surfing on the gentle sea. Here you may enjoy a wonderful barbecue or have a cup of tea in a cozy teahouse while hearing waves lapping against rocks. In addition, Tin Hau Temple is also waiting for you to explore. There are three statues and many other stone tablets standing in the front of the small ancient temple. Tin Hau enshrined in the temple is deemed as the protector of fishermen on the sea. Legend has it that on the night when she was born, a bolt of red light appeared in the sky, which was believed as an auspicious sign. Later on, she proved to have the supernatural ability to heal and predict the weather. To be fully committed to helping people, she didn’t get married and became an immortal in the end. Then the temple was set up in honor of the merciful woman.

Now, it’s time to go to Stanley Market. While Hong Kong is hailed as a shopping paradise, Stanley Market is an ideal place for you to buy something you like at a lower price. It’s an exciting place brimming with vigor and vitality. There is a wide variety of products such as souvenirs, Chinese handicrafts, paintings, and antiques. While shopping, you may bargain with bosses for any items.

Option: Tonight, you can go to Lan Kwai Fong, a place very popular among young people and visitors from abroad. Dating back to the early days of the 1970s, it began with a clothing shop and restaurant whose boss was an Italian. Many people nearby would come here to have fun after work. Gradually, it has grown up into a high-end consumption street dotted with bars, restaurants, and many other amusement buildings. Among them, Brickhouse is a very famous restaurant tucked in a quiet alley of Lan Kwai Fong. It offers classic Mexican snacks and cocktails. It is a great place for friends gathering.

Victoria Peak

Wong Tai Sin Temple

After breakfast, the guide will help you with check-out. Then you will be taken to Lantau Island. Located in the southwestern area of Hong Kong, Lantau Island is the largest island in the city, covering an area of 147 km2. With long and zigzag coastlines, it features gorgeous natural landscapes of high mountains and lucid waters. Meanwhile, it also boasts many historical sites. You are supposed to reach Ngong Ping by car and then take a Ngong Ping 360 cable car to Ngong Ping Village. The cable car has two kinds of cabins: standard cabin and crystal cabin. You will enjoy the latter which is more thrilling. In the crystal cabin, you can have a clear view under your feet, and it’s just like you are floating in the air. During the 25-minute journey, the whole island and Hong Kong International Airport will be in your sight.

As you get off the cable, you will head to Po Lin Monastery, chief of the four great temples in Hong Kong. Set up in 1924, it’s a magnificent complex with grand halls. Housing many precious historical and Buddhist relics, it is also a place committed to carrying forward traditional Chinese culture and Buddhist doctrines.

Opposite the temple stands a towering statue called Big Buddha. Erected on the Muyu Peak of 482 meters above sea level, it's the world's largest bronze Buddha statue with a total height of 34 meters. The statue is comprised of three floors that are all grand halls. It’s an important landmark in Hong Kong, symbolizing stability and prosperity in Hong Kong as well as world peace.

After lunch, you will take a ferry to Macau, about a one-hour ride. When you get off the ferry, the local tour guide will take you to the Venetian Macau Resort Hotel. Upon arrival, the guide will help you with check-in. With the combination of hospitality, recreation, and display, it’s a super large-scale resort hotel. It has luxury rooms of 60 plus m2, spar centers of 8,000 m2, and a grand shopping center of 92,900 m2. Because of the world’s largest number of 850 gambling tables and 4,100 slot machines in the casino on the first floor, Macau is also known as a gambling city. The Grand Canal Shopping Center on the third floor is home to over 350 shops and three canals. Covered by a huge canopy that presents pictures of the sunrise, sunset, and dusk looks like streets in Venice. You may take the special black boat (with extra charge) on a canal to appreciate the distinctive buildings and arch bridges along the way.

When the night falls, you may take a walk in the casino and the shopping center.

Lantau Island

Po Lin Monastery

Today, the first destination is Ruins of St. Paul’s. As a UN World Cultural Heritage Site and a great landmark of Macau, it was once the front wall of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Dating back to 1602, the cathedral was a well-known place that attracted many foreign missionaries to learn the Chinese culture while introducing Western culture into China. After several fire disasters, only the front wall has been left. It features delicate sculptures with vivid statues. The site bears witness to Western civilization entering Chinese history. In this place, Italian missionary Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) drew a world map which he gave China, and a Western hospital and a Western college were built nearby. Now, it still plays an important role in locals’ life, as different kinds of cultural activities are often held here.

Then you will visit Senado Square, one of the four great squares in Macau. Covering an area of 3,700 m2, the square is shaped into a narrow triangle. It is paved with gravels, looking like layers of waves. There are benches for people to have a rest. In its center stands a beautiful fountain. Then an exquisite white complex will be in your sight. It's the Holy House of Mercy, the oldest charity in Asia. Grand activities like International Art Festival are usually held in the square each year.

Now A-Ma Temple is your next destination. As the oldest temple in Macau, A-Ma Temple has a history of over five hundred years. Encompassed by ancient huge trees, the temple faces the sea with picturesque scenery. It’s said that A-Ma enshrined in the temple was a prophet. After death, her soul always appeared on the sea to protect fishermen from storms. The temple was thus built to worship her. Many people come here to pray for blessings from her that the temple is always full of incense smoke.

In the afternoon, you will head to Macau Tower. With a height of 338 meters, it is a famous sightseeing tower that allows the world’s highest sky jump. Jumpers wearing a kind of special suit jump from a height of 233 meters and their speed reaches 75 km per hour. How fantastic it is! The high-speed lift will take you to the sightseeing floor in several minutes. Through the glass window, you will have a panoramic view of Macau and Zhuhai City. There are also meeting facilities, shopping centers, an outdoor square, and many other interesting places. You are scheduled to have lunch in the revolving restaurant which is also a great place to appreciate the gorgeous scenes.

The last destination is Cunha Street. Being 121 meters long and 5 meters wide, it’s a very traditional street tucked in the old city area. It’s also called “food street” as food stores are strewn across those narrow alleys. Without any high modern buildings, the 100-meter long street is home to various snacks and pastries. Durian ice cream and crab porridge are two popular delicacies there. The latter is a highly recommended food that offers a combined taste of crab meat and rice. There is a Portugal restaurant and a Thailand restaurant, both of which have luscious specialties. Surely, you will have a lot of fun in this quaint place far away from tensions and anxieties.

Ruins of St. Paul’s

Macau Tower

Today, it’s time to say goodbye. After breakfast, you will be taken to the airport.

May you have a nice journey back to your home!

Author: Tabitha