If it’s your first time visiting Hong Kong, chances are you’ll want to visit what is known locally as the Big Buddha (officially named Tian Tan Buddha) on Lantau Island. Completed in 1993, the Big Buddha stands at an impressive 34m tall, and since 2006, the monumental sculpture and the surrounding village has been accessible via a cable car called the Nyong Ping 360. 

There’s plenty to see on Lantau Island in addition to the Big Buddha, and you can choose the ticket that suits you best from the Nyong Ping 360 website including a Lantau bus pass, or a visit to Tai O fishing village. We chose the latter, and will explain our experience and tips in this post.

For our top tips to queue less and see more – scroll to the end of the post.

Nyong Ping 360

The Nyong Ping 360 cable car begins at Tung Chung on Lantau Island. Tung Chung is accessible via MTR from anywhere in Hong Kong, though leave time to get there as it’s at the end of the line (aptly named the Tung Chung line, so you’ll know you’re on the right train). At Tung Chung you can also find a large outlet shopping mall with discounted prices on big name brands. If you’re after a bargain whilst you’re in Hong Kong, leave time at the end of your trip to browse the store. 

However, our advice is to go straight to the cable car entrance when you arrive at Tung Chung – and to get there early! The cable car opens at 10am – but there will probably be a queue before this time. We got there later in the morning and the queue was, well, immense. If you’re tight on time in Hong Kong, you don’t want to be spending the bulk of a day in line, so don’t make the same mistakes as us!

Another tip is to book your ticket online in advance. After the initial queue at the entrance, those that had not purchased tickets online were ushered into another slow-moving line to the ticket counter. Save yourself time and grab a ticket online before you arrive – you might even find yourself a cheaper ticket on the website. You can choose to purchase your ticket with additional extras. We chose the Tai O pass which included a return bus to the fishing village, a snack voucher, and a boat ride.

Once you’re on the cable car you can relax and experience the stunning views over the hills as you head towards Nyong Ping. The journey takes around 25 minutes, so you’ve plenty of time to take photos and enjoy the ride. 

Nyong Ping Village

Nyong Ping village has certainly transformed as a result of the increased tourism to the area. Once you exit the cable car terminal, you’ll see some replica old buildings filled mainly with chain restaurants and souvenir stores. The stores are fun to browse, though you’ll find there’s little difference between these and the souvenirs and food that you can find for half the price in Hong Kong’s many markets, so we’d recommend you save your HKD for elsewhere.

Bid Buddha

You’ll find the Big Buddha itself looming on the top of a steep hill once you reach the end of the street through the village. The entrance is very well marked at the bottom of the large staircase you need to climb to reach the statue. There is a ticket booth, but you only need a ticket if you wish to have a meal whilst at the Big Buddha, if not, head right on up the steps as visiting the Buddha and the museum inside is free. 

You may feel a little like Po when he finally reaches the Jade Palace at the start of Kung Fu Panda, but the view at the top of the 286 steps is worth it. Not only can you get a close up view of the Buddha, you are also treated to glorious views of the Po Lin monastery and the surrounding lush hills. If you’re there on a cloudy day, you may even see some clouds drift by so close you can touch them. Save some time to go inside the museum here too, which is accessible from the doors at the base of the statue once you’ve reached the summit. There are some beautiful artworks inside, as well as information on Buddhism, the monastery, and the construction of the monument.

Po Lin Monastery

The monastery connected with the Big Buddha is also a beautiful building with huge incense burners outside. We didn’t get the chance to go in (due to the aforementioned huge queue), but you can go into the Hall of 10,000 Buddhas if you have time.

Bus to Tai O

You need to catch the number 21 bus from Nyong Ping village to reach Tai O. You need to go back through the gate, into the village, and turn left (if you’re looking towards the cable car). When you pick up your tickets back at Tung Chung, they’ll give you a QR code to scan that shows you exactly how to reach the bus. Make sure to plan which bus you want to take, as they generally only depart once per hour, and can get very busy. The bus journey is not long, but it is bumpy, so get to the bus stop a little early if you’d rather have a seat!

Tai O food and boat trip

If you choose the Tai O pass like we did, you also get a few snack vouchers and a ticket for a boat ride once you reach Tai O. Visiting some of the food outlets in Tai O is also a great way to explore the small village. We got some sugar puff donuts from Tai O Bakery, which were delicious (and feature in our HK Desserts post).

You can take the boat from just beside the bridge in the centre of the village. The boat will take you through the calm river and past the houses on slits that line the waterway. If you’re lucky, you will also see some majestic white herons doing some fishing of their own. The boat also ventures a little out to sea. Apparently there is a chance you may spot some iconic pink dolphins, but we did not see any, and felt this part of the journey was a little unnecessary (and a little frightening when the waves picked up! Though the drivers are experienced, and we were brought safely and skillfully back to shore).

Returning to Tung Chung

Hopefully you took our earlier advice and arrived at the cable car before it opened in the morning, and you are finished with your day of exploring by mid-afternoon. This would be a great time to get that bus back to Nyong Ping and ride the cable car back to Tung Chung. Later in the evening, as the last cable car looms (around 6pm), the queue grows again. If you get in line after 4:30pm, you may find yourself waiting another hour or more in the queue.

Another option is to get a one-way cable car. This is entirely doable, especially if you’re not that keen on heights, or have other places you’d like to see on Lantau island. In the afternoon, you could catch another bus to Cheung Sha, Hong Kong’s longest beach, or simply ride a bus or taxi back to Tung Chung for an afternoon of shopping.

Overall, visiting the Big Buddha and Tai O is a fantastic way to spend a day outside the city whilst you visit Hong Kong, showing you another facet of the city’s varied surroundings.

Our tips in summary

• Arrive at the cable car in Tung Chung before it opens at 10am – you’ll save yourself a lot of queuing time
• Buy a ticket online in advance – this way you won’t have to queue again to buy one on the day
• Plan which bus you want to take to and from Tai O – they’re only once per hour
• If you get the cable to car back to Tung Chung, plan to catch it before 4pm as the evening queue is long and tiring
• Don’t buy souvenirs or eat in Nyong Ping village unless there’s something unique you want to try – it’s busy and more expensive than other places in HK for the same things