Note: I am currently traveling and may not be able to respond to comments or emails immediately.
In 2024, I’ve got two trips to Europe already booked. Combined with my family’s recent two trips to Europe, I’m actually hitting a lot of countries over three years: France, Switzerland, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Norway. Of course, I haven’t had the chance to visit these countries in depth, and there are more countries in the area. But for now, I’m ready to move on to visiting some countries in Asia.
My family members want to visit Japan for sure, so that’s definitely on the list. But I want to visit at least 1 or 2 more places in Asia. My top contenders are Hong Kong, China and Seoul, South Korea
Hong Kong
Interesting sites include:
Ngong Ping 360: A glass-bottom cable car that travels 3.5 miles to Lantau Island
The Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery
Beautiful beaches and Scenic hiking trails
Hong Kong Disneyland–with the new World of Frozen that’s about to open
Pros of visiting Hong Kong:
- Hong Kong doesn’t require a visa to visit
- Signs are in English for easier navigation
- I have a friend who lives in the area
- Visiting Hong Kong will get me closer to my goal of visiting all of the worldwide Disney parks
Cons of visiting Hong Kong:
- No nonstop flights from Dallas (but there used to be one)
- Flight takes longer than flying to Seoul from West Coast of US (+2.5 hours more)
Seoul
Interesting sights include:
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) tours (I’m so intrigued by this!)
Disney-esque theme parks like Lotte World Adventure and Seoul Land
Themed cafes (Harry Potter cafe, Poop cafe?)
Busan is 2.5 hours away by train with more attractions and beaches
Pros of visiting Seoul:
- Nonstop flights available from DFW (AA and Korean Air)
- Flying time from West Coast is shorter than flying to Hong Kong
- Cost of hotels/meals is cheaper than Hong Kong
Cons of visiting Seoul:
- Seoul does not have a real Disney park 🙁
- Temperatures are cold in winter, so not ideal to visit during winter months
Overall Thoughts
I’m sure the right answer is “visit both”! And hopefully I will do that eventually. But for those who have visited both Hong Kong and Seoul, which do you prefer? What other destinations in Asia are on your wish list?
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Thank you everyone for your interesting comments! I have a lot to consider.
Hong Kong has a tradition of cheap but very good massages if that interests you! I can’t forget the amazing combined foot and back massage an older man gave me for like 5 Hong Kong dollars at one of the many slightly grubby yet intriguing mass market massage places there. I’m sure the price has gone up since, but it’s probably still very affordable and a must do if you’re there.
I really couldn’t do Hong Kong justice back then, because I was still badly afflicted by a stomach bug I had picked up in Myanmar. 😂 Fortunately, I was staying with my cousin, and she kindly fetched me plenty of bananas and electrolyte drinks (Pocari Sweat!) which was all I could keep down for a while, and accommodated my ability to make only a few, veeeery slow sightseeing outings. It was also the tail end of a whirlwind Asia trip that included Bali as well, so I was a bit tired of travel, plus I tend to prefer more natural and rustic destinations rather than huge cities when it comes to Asia. I’ve never felt drawn to visit South Korea, or China or Japan for that matter, though I’ve loved Thailand, Myanmar, the Phillipines, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka and would go back to any of them in a second (and am going back to Sri Lanka in February!). I was mostly taking the opportunity to visit and crash in Hong Kong with my cousin on a (fantastic value, now defunct) AA round the world award trip! But I’d do it again if the opportunity presented itself, especially since I only scratched the surface of Hong Kong last time.
@Debra I love foot massages! That’s another tick in the pro column for Hong Kong LOL.
Hong Kong has basically stagnated since 1997. Given the 2, I would say Seoul.
As someone mentioned earlier, Taipei is another destination: Taipei101, Taipei zoo with pandas and gondola, National Palace Museum, egg tarts from KFC (can compete with fresh ones from Hong Kong), Chiang Kai-Shek memorial.
Singapore is also a good destination, if you willing to fly 3-4 hours longer. And same warm/hot weather year-round since close to equator.
I visited both. You can’t go wrong with either, choosing one over the other is a matter of personal interest.
Hong Kong – beautiful, clean, well organized, bilingual signs everywhere. I visited the city, Victoria Peak, took the glass bottom tramway, I visited Buddhist temples etc. Excellent Chinese cuisine. I would love to go back some day but I’m really disgusted and terrified by what the communists are doing there, so I’ll hold for now.
Seoul – also beautiful, clean, well organized. Bilingual signs on subways and buses. For everything else, you can use the Google Translate app and you’ll have zero problems reading signs, menus, or communicating with the friendly locals you’ll interact with. BTW, Google Maps DOES NOT work in South Korea, you must use a local app which is just as good.
Shopping – I did that for my kid and wife and I found a lot really really cool things in Seoul, from sweaters to stationery. Tokyo, by comparison, was not that interesting to me in this respect. I don’t remember much about HK but I think it’s ok, just not amazing as Seoul.
Food – excellent in both places.
Tourist attractions – Seoul has a bunch of palaces but keep in mind they’re new (rebuilt). The original ones burned down a number of times. Seoul also has cool architecture (see here for example: https://thesoulofseoul.net/architecture-seoul-korea/). One option you have is to take a short and cheap flight (one hour) from Seoul to Jeju Island and you’ll see a bunch of really nice things there.
Re. your question about the rest of Asia – I’d visit Taipei and the rest of Taiwan before it’s too late.
Look at Taipei/Taiwan. Great city with good food and things to do. People are really nice.
I’ve spent lots of time in Seoul. I’d recommend Korea – the War Museum in Seoul; Haeundae Beach (Pusan, as you mentioned); Lotte World; shopping in Somyon area of Pusan; and hiking above Children’s Park (Pusan).
Never been to Hong Kong, but I’m sure it’s got lots of great places to visit!
VFTW has a pretty interesting take on visiting Hong Kong at this point. I adore both cities. It pains me to say it but I do think I’d be vastly more confident in visiting Seoul with things in Asia as they currently stand.
Not been to Seoul yet. However, if you do go to Hong Kong, spoonbills at Wetland Park, wild monkeys at Kam Shan Country Park, and the basalt columns at Hong Kong Geopark are interesting to see.
I found Hong Kong “local” hotels like Cityview Yau Ma Tei/regional hotels like Dorsett to be better priced as well and have been happy with a budget Ibis at North Point.
I would like to visit Penang/Malaysia.
@Sara J Thanks for the tips! Penang looks interesting, too.
Happy to share! I would like to make one more visit. The long flight (even from California), cost, warnings, and caring for a cat (albeit self-reliant) means I can wait until there is a good deal on airfare.