初到香港 First2HK

Trips

Rain or budget: malls, markets, cafes — not the ridge

Rainstorm or a tight budget: Causeway Bay indoors, Sham Shui Po, North Point market, cha chaan tengs. Postpone Dragon’s Back and islands. Octopus beats a sightseeing bus.

Notes dated 2026-09

Rain

  • Causeway Bay malls link up; you stay dry.
  • MTR stations are corridors. Read the exit letter before you step into the rain.
  • Amber rain or worse: no Dragon’s Back, no East Dam.
  • No. 8: hotel or mall. See the typhoon page.

Budget

  • Transit: Octopus plus local apps. Skip a tourist day pass unless you have done the arithmetic.
  • Food: cafe sets, convenience stores, markets. A harbour restaurant is charging for the view.
  • Seeing: Sham Shui Po, Chun Yeung Street, tram at $3.30 flat, the promenade for free.
  • Sleep: Mong Kok guesthouse or Tuen Mun — check lifts and noise. See Stay.

Questions

Is a hop-on sightseeing bus worth it?

Most first-timers spend less and move better on ordinary buses and MTR with Octopus. A sightseeing bus is fine as a view; as transport it is dear, and you sit in traffic on the top deck.

Signal No. 8: most buses stop. Do not go to an island What tropical cyclone signals 1, 3, 8, 9, 10 do to transport. Franchised buses often stop about two hours after No. 8. Ferries stop. Underground MTR may keep limited service. Sham Shui Po: parts, fabric, SIMs — not a photo set Apliu Street electronics, Golden Computer Arcade, fabric, cheap food. MTR Sham Shui Po. Crowded — watch your bag. It is not a “danger zone”. North Point: the tram runs through Chun Yeung Street market North Point on the Island: Chun Yeung Street market, with the tram running between stalls. A local breakfast explains the city better than a waterfront mall. Causeway Bay: shopping, rain cover, weekends will be dense Stay in Causeway Bay for linked malls when it rains. Citybus A11 from the airport. The New Territories need a harbour crossing first.