Travel in Hong Kong

Your bags are packed, your itinerary is sorted, and your flight is finally coming up. You’re going to Hong Kong. But hold on a moment -- you’ll need an eSIM to stay connected while exploring this vibrant city. There’s a lot of ground to cover in just 7 days, and you don’t want to get stuck with no data halfway through your trip. So how much data do you need for 7 days in Hong Kong? Let’s break it down. Note: These estimates are based on a typical first-time visitor’s itinerary. We’ve chosen Central as the base, though Hong Kong is small enough that this shouldn't impact your itinerary or data usage. Pro tip: Whether you’re planning an extended or shorter stay, or have specific data needs, SimLocal’s “Find my plan” tool helps you discover the perfect option for your trip. Use the discount code CHEAPO10 at checkout for a 10% discount. Day 1: Hong Kong Island -- Midlevels, Hollywood Road, The Peak, Stanley Market Navigation: 10MB Browsing: 5MB Data sharing: 80MB Social media: 200MB Streaming: 30MB Ride-share app: 5MB Background: 5MB Total: 335MB Pro tip: Either download the Octopus card app before you arrive, or buy a physical card at the airport. These are easy to add value to, and you’ll use them for all forms of transport, with many restaurants and kiosks accepting them too. Let’s assume you’ve arrived in the morning of day 1, so you’ve got a full day of exploring ahead of you. First up, you go for a nice leg-stretch along the Central Waterfront. You can access this scenic waterfront from anywhere, but you use a map app to find the Hong Kong Observation Wheel. From here, you enjoy a short walk and get some perfectly framed shots of the iconic Star Ferries crossing back and forth with the epic skyline behind them. You get those up on your Insta stories and head back towards the observation wheel. Taking the pedestrian walkway, you pass through IFC Mall and Central Market before reaching the bottom of the Mid-levels escalator. A ride on the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world definitely deserves another Insta post. You get off where the escalator meets Staunton street, and refuel with an egg tart and coffee from Bakehouse whilst pre-booking your Peak Tram ticket for later. Delicious. As you walk back down and along Hollywood road, you meander past antique shops and art galleries before arriving at one of the oldest and most revered temples in Hong Kong, Man Mo Temple. A quick online search sheds more light on its cultural significance. Getting the map app back up, you find your way to the Peak Tram lower terminus on Garden Road and ride the tram to the Peak. At the top, you capture some more epic shots from Sky Terrace 428. Your friends are jealous of your superior photography skills, so you share your pictures with them. You walk around the scenic Peak Circle trail before getting the bus down to Admiralty, and then board another bus to Stanley Market. Your friends fall asleep, so you load up a podcast and enjoy the views. The map app isn’t completely accurate when it comes to bus times, so you download the city bus app to be sure not to miss the next bus. You’re not too worried about how much data this might use, as you chose a 10GB data plan -- so you know you have more than enough. You arrive at Stanley Market and wander through the maze of stalls, picking up some souvenirs. You stop for a waterfront drink, check in to let the folks at home know how your first day is going, and start researching which restaurant you want to hit up for dinner. You get the bus back to Central, find your chosen restaurant in SoHo, then stroll through the nightlife of Lan Kwai Fong. Your friend is tired, so you let them hotspot off you to order a ride back to the hotel -- and you head off out into the night. Day 2: Wan chai, Kowloon Walled City, Ladies Market, TST, Avenue of Stars, Star Ferry Navigation: 15MB Browsing: 10MB Data sharing: 50MB Video calling: 40MB Social media: 50MB Currency exchange: 5MB Background: 5MB Total: 175MB You wake up with a bit of a fuzzy head (jet lag or those Lan Kwai Fong drinks?) -- so a hearty breakfast is in order. A quick scan online to find something tasty and you hop on Hong Kong's most beloved form of public transport -- the tram -- and head to Causeway Bay. Trundling through the bustling streets, you’ll have plenty of time to get some action shots from the window. You alight at Paterson Street and navigate your way to Cafe Match Box, where you indulge in a favourite local pastime -- breakfast at a cha chaan teng. You impatiently let your friend get a few snaps of your legendary French toast, iconic pineapple bun, and an authentic Hong Kong milk tea before wolfing it down. Breakfast done, you check out some of the streets around Times Square and experience one of the busiest neighbourhoods on the island. When you’ve had your fill of the crowds, you decide you want some greenery, so you venture over to the Kowloon Walled City park. You follow the signs to the nearest MTR station, and ride the train to Sung Wong Toi for about 25 minutes. With nothing to see out the window, you take the opportunity to research some other must-see Kowloon locations. After taking in the scenery at the park, you make your way back to the MTR station, and head to Mong Kok for a bit of shopping, hitting up the Ladies Market and Sneaker Street. A quick check on your currency exchange app to make sure you haven’t been too ripped off (you probably have), and it’s time for a snack from one of the many vendors around the place. You pause for an Instagram break to upload your egg waffle and bubble tea to your stories, then it's back to the MTR. Making your way to Tsim Sha Tsui East station, you follow the signs to the Avenue of Stars. You admire the skyline whilst getting some selfies with some legends in bronze form. You know the Symphony of Lights show starts at 8 p.m., so you look for somewhere close by for a bite to eat before heading back to the waterfront to get a good spot to watch the lasers do their thing across the harbour. Camera roll nice and full of blurry night mode photos, you make your way back to Central via the iconic Star Ferry. The short but scenic ride offers stunning views of Victoria Harbour, perfect for a few more pics. Remembering it's your friend's birthday back home, you give them a quick video call before heading out for a nightcap. Day 3: Lantau -- Ngong Ping Cable Car, Big Buddha, Po Lin Monastery, Tai O Fishing Village Navigation: 20MB Browsing: 15MB Data sharing: 30MB Streaming: 500MB Social media: 20MB Background: 5MB Total: 590MB Special offer for Hong Kong Cheapo readers: Save on your Hong Kong eSIM with SimLocal’s travel plans. Use the code CHEAPO10 for 10% off at checkout. You’ve got a big day ahead, so you’re on the hunt for a good breakfast again. You get the MTR to Kennedy Town and check out the highly rated cafe, Little Cove. While you enjoy some epic avo and eggs with a coffee, you go online to book your Ngong Ping 360 cable car ticket for you and your friend. You make your way to the MTR and head to Tung Chung. The journey takes just under an hour and, as expected, your friend falls asleep within the first 5 minutes, so you load up the YouTube series you’ve been watching and settle into the journey. You arrive at Ngong Ping and board your cable car. You splurged on the crystal cabin with the glass bottom, so you're getting killer shots of the views below and now your friend wants you to share them because once again, your photography skills reign superior. Disembarking from your cable car, you set the Tian Tan Buddha in your sights and start tackling the infamous 268 steps to get up there (with lots of selfie breaks in between). Feeling serene but hungry, you heard that the Po Lin Monastery has a vegetarian restaurant -- so you do a quick search to read the reviews before deciding to go for it. After lunch, it’s time to head back down, but instead of the cable car, you take the bus to Tai O Fishing Village. You weave through the stilt houses, pick up some souvenirs, enjoy some fish balls, and appreciate the slower pace of life over here. You check City Mapper to see which is the fastest route back to the island, and decide to get the bus to the pier in Mui Wo, then take the ferry back to Central. Day 4: Sai Kung -- Sai Wan Beach, Sai Kung Town Navigation: 15MB Browsing: 10MB Data sharing: 150MB Social media: 30MB Ride-share app: 5MB Background: 5MB Total: 220MB It’s a beautiful day, so you decide to get some hiking in. You get the MTR to Hang Hau and check the weather forecast one more time as you bounce along on the minibus to Sai Kung. You pick up a pineapple bun and milk tea from the Sai Kung Cafe and Bakery, and get in a taxi to the Sai Wan Pavilion in the country park. Your phone goes in and out of signal once you start the hike, so you enjoy the sea views as you navigate through the rolling hills. Arriving at the beach, you tuck into a cold Tsingtao and noodles at the beach shack, and spend the afternoon in and out of the sea. Sun-kissed and sleepy, you book a boat back to Sai Kung Town and get some action shots of the bumpy ride back. You stop off at one of the famous waterfront seafood restaurants and upload your photos of the day to your Insta stories and family WhatsApp chat before tucking into some freshly caught prawns. Your friend asks to hotspot off you, so you use the SimLocal app to check your data usage before letting them connect. What would they do without you? The queue for both the bus and taxis are massive, so you open your banking apps to check your funds and decide to treat yourselves to a ride-share back to Central. You planned on going back out, but the sun has taken it out of you and you pass out early. Day 5: Ocean Park, Aberdeen Navigation: 10MB Browsing: 20MB Data sharing: 120MB Social media: 250MB Translation: 2MB Octopus: 5MB Background: 5MB Total: 411MB You’ve done your Disneyland vs. Ocean Park research, and decide you want to see pandas more than princesses -- so you get the MTR directly to Ocean Park. Your friend pre-booked your tickets and can’t access their data (again!) so you let them hotspot and finally enter the park. You spam your group chat on WhatsApp with hilarious videos of your friend trying not to pass out on a rollercoaster, then call it a day at the park. Needing a snack, you hop on the minibus to Aberdeen and hit up 7-11. Strolling down the Aberdeen promenade, you get harassed by an elderly sampan operator. A quick check on Google Translate and you realise she’s selling you a harbour tour, which you decide to go for. The tiny boat weaves between traditional fishing vessels and gleaming yachts before dropping you back at the pier. After a scan on TripAdvisor, you decide to head to Nam Long Shan Road Cooked Food Market to experience some local eateries. All full up, you get the MTR back to Central. You realise your Octopus card is almost out of funds, so use the Octopus app to top up as you’re walking back to your hotel. Day 6: Wong Tai Sin / Kowloon -- Wong Tai Sin Temple, Chi lin nunnery, Nan Lian Garden, Temple Street Night Market Navigation: 20MB Browsing: 15MB Data sharing: 20MB Social media: 80MB Video calling: 50MB Background: 5MB Total: 190MB Feeling in the mood for some culture this morning, you hop on the MTR to Wong Tai Sin Temple. The colors of the temple make it hard to miss as you exit the station, and you get your camera ready. After a few moments of appreciating the intricate designs, you search online to learn more about the fortune-telling practice of Kau Chim and decide to give it a go. You're apparently in for a rough year and regret your decision immediately. You have your fill of incense smoke so load up your maps and walk the 20 minutes or so over to Chi Lin Nunnery. You take a deep breath and decide this should be a no-phone zone. Meditation complete, you walk a few minutes over to Nan Lian Garden and enjoy some more Zen-like scenery. You find a quiet bench and give the family a little video call to check in. Your sister requests a very specific souvenir, so you make your way to Temple Street Night Market. Shopping done, you MTR back to the island. It's the last night, so you make it a good one and get those pictures from the rooftop bar onto your stories before the rest of the night becomes a little blurry. Day 7 -- Dim Sum, Choi Hung Estate Navigation: 20MB Browsing: 20MB Data sharing: 50MB Social media: 50MB Streaming: 700MB Background: 5MB Total: 840MB Regretting those last few drinks last night, you are in urgent need of some recovery dim sum, so you head to Din Tai Fung in Causeway Bay. You enjoy your mountain of xiao long bao as you and your friend go through the photos of last night and send the best ones to your mates back home. Feeling slightly more human, you get the MTR and head to Choi Hung Estate. You take in the iconic rainbow-colored buildings surrounding a basketball court, and snap away at the scenes of daily life around you. Still hungry, you Google the nearest spot to get your final milk tea and egg waffles, and slowly make your way back to your hotel to begrudgingly start packing and preparing for your trip back home. You head to the airport express station, and one last check on your SimLocal app shows that you’ve got enough data left to stream some tunes to accompany your train journey as you replay the highlights from your exhausting but amazing week. Total eSIM data usage for a 7-day trip in Hong Kong Alright, so how much data did you use overall? Here's a breakdown of your eSIM data usage over 7 days in Hong Kong. This estimate considers moderate to high daily data consumption, but personal usage may differ depending on whether you’re a light or heavy data user. Navigation: ~110MB Browsing: ~100MB Data sharing: ~500MB Social media: ~680MB Streaming: ~1230MB Video calling: ~90MB Translation: ~2MB Currency exchange: ~5MB Ride share app: ~10MB Octopus: ~5MB Background: ~35MB Total: ~2767MB Data for different trip lengths Thinking about a quick getaway to Hong Kong? Or perhaps a longer stay? Here are our estimated data needs for 3- and 10-day trips around HK. How much data is needed for a 3-day trip in Hong Kong? If you’re planning a 3-day trip, we would set aside around 1000MB, or 1GB. This is based on mid to high-level use such as streaming, video calls, navigation, browsing, tethering, and social media. How much data is needed for a 10-day trip in Hong Kong? Around 8,000MB, or 8GB, is a good amount for 10 days of medium-high data usage. This should accommodate activities such as sharing data with friends and family, navigation tools, frequent social media use, web browsing, and music and video streaming. If you’re considering checking out Macau or elsewhere in China on your trip, you could also consider SimLocal’s Global 10GB plan, which includes coverage across multiple countries. While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change.

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