Are you heading from Sydney to London? It’s a super popular route for expats, either for business travel or holiday. Unfortunately, as anyone has travelled to Australia knows, it’s a long way to go. One of the best ways to stay sane and give your body a rest from air travel is with a stopover, and Hong Kong is a great choice for the Sydney to London journey.
Hong Kong is a world-class city for a stopover. It has an amazingly efficient transport system that can make it easy for you to explore the city and get back on time before your flight.
Depending on how much time you have between flights, here are some of our recommendations for places to explore when you’re in town.
3 Hour Stopover
Explore the Airport
With a three hour layover, it’s best to stick to exploring the airport, as it’s not quite enough time to get into the city and back before the recommended advance arrival at your gate of 40 minutes. Luckily, Hong Kong Airport has a lot to offer and is a fun place to spend a few hours.
Check out the UA IMAX cinema, within the airport. Seriously, an IMAX theatre within the airport- this is an awesome way to pass the time, especially for families. It’s located in Terminal 2, within the SkyPlaza, a huge shopping and entertainment mall. The IMAX offerings are always changing, but they always have new releases and a variety of choices.
The Aviation Discovery Centre is another fun thing to check out, especially if you’re a fan of spotting planes. It’s a really neat series of exhibits, including aviation history, flight simulators, and a SkyDeck, designed for plane watching. Binoculars allow you to get an up-close look at the planes, and the Discovery Centre has more than enough to do to occupy a couple hours.
Check out the GreenLive Air as well, in Terminal 2- it’s a virtual golf course, complete with nine or 18-hole courses.
4 Hour Stopover
When traveling from Sydney to Hong Kong with a 4 hour stopover at Hong Kong Airport, you’ve got more than enough time to do some shopping just outside the airport, as well as checking out the Aviation Discovery Centre or teeing off on a virtual game of golf. There are two shopping malls near the airport that are worth a visit-Maritime Square and Citygate Outlets.
Maritime Square
Maritime Square is easy to access from the airport and has a huge range of restaurants and shops, including favs such as Adidas, Zara, UNIQLO, and Marks & Spencer- along with many local brands. It’s a great excuse to stretch your legs, browse for sales, or just relax with a coffee.
To get there, take the Airport Express and alight at Tsing Yi Railway station. It shouldn’t take more than 35 minutes each way.
Citygate Outlets
Citygate Outlets is one of the largest outlet malls in Hong Kong city, making it a great choice to find some bargains. There’s over 90 international brands for beauty, fashion, and homewares, so it’s worth leaving some room in your suitcase for a visit.
In addition to shopping, you can also watch a movie, enjoy a spa treatment, and taste some of the best foods in Hong Kong.
You can use the S64 or S1 bus services to get there, which should take 10 minutes.
6 Hour Stopover
When you have 6 hours in Hong Kong, consider taking the Star Ferry. It’s one of the cheapest things that you can do in Hong Kong, at less than one Australian dollar per trip. Star Ferry is iconic because locals have been using it to travel from Kowloon to the Island for more than 100 years. It’s a nostalgic and scenic way to explore Victoria Harbour, a true Hong Kong experience.
You can also visit Po Lin Monastery, a famous Buddhist Monastery that is known for holding the giant sitting Buddha. You can also experience a fantastic cable car ride as well as enjoy hiking opportunities. Po Lin Monastery is located 29 kilometers from the Hong Kong Airport. Sail over the Big Buddha with a ride on the Ngong Ping 360 cable car, an amazing experience for photo opps.
You can either travel by subway and alight at Tung Chung station and board the New Lantau bus. Or, there are many organised tour packages that will take you here from the airport.
8 Hour Stopover
With 8 hours stopover on your trip from Sydney to London, you’ve got plenty of time to go shopping in the city. Hong Kong city is seriously one of the best shopping destinations in the world. For designer brands, head to Causeway Bay, a vibrant and busy district that’s easily reached via the MTR.
If you want to visit an open market, consider visiting the Ladies Market. It generally opens in the afternoon and stays open until 10 pm. You will have a fantastic experience when shopping, bargaining, and buying. Practice your haggling skills, scoop up some souvenirs, or simply just take in the colourful and vibrant atmosphere.
To reach the market, take MTR and alight at Mong Kok station.
12 Hour Stopover
If you have around 12 hours on your stopover, you’ve got plenty of time to check out several of the experiences mentioned above. If you have enough time, here’s a few more fun things to try:
Taste Dim Sum
You should not visit Hong Kong without trying dim sum! Dim sum is a Catonese variety of steamed dumpling, and you can find them filled with everything from pork, prawns, veggies, or chicken. Tim Ho Wan, a Chinese dim sum restaurant chain, is a good place to try it, but you can find local dim sum available all over the city- don’t be afraid to try new flavours or a bit of spice!
Explore Aberdeen Fishing Village
Another way to spend your stopover time is by taking a trip to explore a traditional fishing village, an educational but fun way to learn more about culture and history in Hong Kong. At the Aberdeen Fishing Village, and grab a bite to eat at the seafood market.
Nearby is Wong Tai Sin— this temple, one of the most famous in Hong Kong, is worth a visit. It is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, famous for answering prayers.
Travel with kids
It can be tough to travel with kids, especially on such a long trip, but Hong Kong Airport is pretty kid-friendly. In addition to the cinemas, malls, and entertainment options, there are a few dedicated parts of the airports for little ones.
Look for the Dream Come True Education Park, in Terminal 1 of the airport. It’s an educational and interactive exhibit where kids can simulate careers and learn more, in a fun way, about different career options.
There’s also play areas and TVs throughout the airport, so plenty of opportunities to let kids run off some steam and play before the next flight.
Have you planned a layover at Hong Kong Airport? Would love to hear your top tips and suggestions of how to make the most of it!
Note: header image courtesy of
By Benh LIEU SONG from Torcy, France – Hong Kong Harbour Night 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82284212. Other images courtesy of Discover Hong Kong.
