Hong Kong Crystal Bus. Enjoy beautiful scenery and delicious food on a family bus trip
In the past, when I went to Hong Kong, I just kept walking, walking, walking until my legs almost broke. This time I took my mother on a trip. Taking into account the age and physical strength of my elders, I chose a more relaxed way and signed up for the "Crystal Bus" tour that was only launched last year. There is WIFI and sockets on the bus. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery and eat Michelin on the bus. Recommended port spot, you can also get off the bus and walk around to take photos. It is very suitable for parent-child trips with elders or children.Crystal Bus has two routes. The scenic spots they pass are different and each has its own charm, but the price and food content are the same. The afternoon tour (15:00-17:30) goes from Kowloon to the New Territories and the Tsing Ma Bridge. It will stop at the Tsing Ma Bridge Observation Deck for tourists to get off and walk around. The evening tour (17:00-19:30) goes from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island and will stop at the Star Ferry Pier in Central to allow tourists to get off and walk around.
There is a brief introduction to each attraction on the official website. You can take a look before deciding which route to choose. This time I chose the afternoon tour to the New Territories, where I could enjoy the beautiful sea view. Meet at Hankou Road on the side of the Peninsula Hotel at 14:45 pm. Because there is no toilet on the bus, if you want to use the toilet, it is recommended to go to the toilet in the hotel mall before getting on the bus.
The bus has two levels: the lower level is cheaper (HKD$250/person), while the upper level is more expensive (HKD$380/person) because of the better view. Booking through Klook is about 10% off the official website price. If you encounter a promotion, it will be even more cost-effective to get a 12% discount or a full discount.
There are tables for two and four people on the upper level of the bus, and the best view is the two-person side-by-side seat at the front of the bus. Because there were not many tourists participating that day, we were arranged at a table for four. The seats were spacious and more comfortable to sit on.
There are one 1A and 2.1A USB sockets under the seats, and free WIFI is also provided. After getting on the bus, the service staff came to introduce us to the driving route and when snacks would be served.
The afternoon group takes the blue route, while the evening group takes the red route. Information about the route and other information is available on the official website. There are introductions in five languages (Cantonese, English, Mandarin, Korean and Japanese) on the bus. The language of the announcement will be determined based on the nationality of the tourists on the day. Tourists of other nationalities will wear headphones, and the service staff will help set the language.
The bus departed on time at three o'clock. On the way, we passed the sphere-shaped space museum. I read the sharing on the Internet. It has 3D movies and some interesting experiences. The tickets are not expensive. It is a good parent-child attraction.
The bus drove north along Park Lane Avenue, Temple Street, and Prince Edward. The most surprising thing along the way was the number of silver buildings. Looking around, about half of the shops on the roadside in Malaysia sell jewelry. Among them, Chow Tai Fook and Chow Sang Sang have an exaggerated number, one every few hundred meters. Do Hong Kong people love buying jewelry so much?
After leaving the city center, the bus traveled along the harbor. After passing through Guangdong City in the West Kowloon Reclamation Area, super-high-rise residential communities began to appear.
Kwai Tsing Container Terminal has a lot of containers, and the unique scene is a private photography spot recommended by many photography enthusiasts.
The port of Crystal Bus is provided by the affordable Hong Kong restaurant "Yimian Sum", which has won one Michelin star. The dim sum platter includes shrimp dumplings, siomai, spring rolls, carrot cakes, barbecued pork dinner buns and guinea fowl. Because it wasn't freshly prepared meals, I didn't expect much at first, but I didn't expect everything to be quite delicious.
Hong Kong cuisine has a lot of portions. People with small appetites can actually skip lunch. It depends on whether they are full from breakfast or have something small to fill their stomachs. We had lunch as usual, but we only ate half of the food and couldn't finish it, so we had to ask the service staff to pack it up and take it away.
Sitting in the car, enjoying Hong Kong snacks and admiring the scenery of Hong Kong, an hour had passed before I knew it.
The bus stopped at the parking lot of the Lantau Link Visitor Center for about 20 minutes, allowing us to go down and take pictures and walk around. There are also public toilets in the parking lot. The Lantau Link Visitor Center and Observation Deck are located at the northwest corner of Tsing Yi Island. You can see the full view of Tsing Ma Bridge and Ting Kau Bridge. There are bridge models, interactive games, and souvenir shops in the visitor center, but due to limited time, we did not go in.
The viewing platform is located on a small hill. The first floor platform displays cable hoops that are 1:1 in size. There are 190 of these cable hoops on the Tsing Ma Bridge, which are used to tightly clamp the main cables with a diameter of 1.1 meters. (Observation deck opening hours: 7:30～23:00)
With a length of 2.16 kilometers, the Tsing Ma Bridge is the longest suspension bridge for both driving and railway in the world. It was once selected as one of the "Top Ten Buildings of the 20th Century".
Looking at the Tsing Ma Bridge up close, it's really spectacular, but it's a pity that part of it will be blocked due to the angle.
On the other side of the platform, you can see the "Ting Kau Bridge", the world's first three-tower cable-stayed bridge.
The trail leading to the top observation deck is flat and can be easily walked by the elderly and children. There are also chairs along the way to sit and rest.
You can see some historical photos along the trail, such as the Tsing Ma Bridge under construction in 1996, the fireworks display opened in 1997, and the Tsing Ma Bridge Marathon in 1998.
The observation deck on the top floor is higher and has a broader view. It will be more beautiful at sunset. Unfortunately, we went there in June, when the sunshine hours are longest, and the sun was still high in the sky!
After returning to the car, the service staff presented the dessert "mango custard roll". The custard roll itself was not too sweet, and it was filled with real chunks of mango. Mom and I liked it very much. After leaving the observation deck, the bus passed the Tsing Ma Bridge and Kap Shui Mun Bridge to Sunny Bay near Disneyland.
Sunny Bay Road, with its entire row of coconut trees, has a southern-style feel. Just looking at the photos, you wouldn’t have guessed it was Hong Kong!
After leaving Xinao, it’s time to return. The weather was sunny and quite hot that day. It was comfortable and relaxing to sit on the air-conditioned bus and watch the sea view.
The window pillars between the large windows of the bus are covered with crystals, which gleam under the sunlight.
In less than an hour, we returned to the Peninsula Hotel and ended our 2.5-hour Crystal Bus tour.
Overall, the Crystal Bus is comfortable to ride and the service is friendly. In the afternoon, the group can see the harbor and sea view, and in the evening, the group can see the bright night view. Each has its own characteristics. The Hong Kong snacks provided by Yi Di Di Sum have good taste and sufficient portions. They are very suitable for families who want to have a relaxing time or travel with elders or children. Looking at the sharing on the Internet, children like this way of traveling very much. Whether it is the first time to visit Hong Kong or friends who have been to Hong Kong many times, you can try this new way of traveling~
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