Stop-over in Hong Kong: good idea?

there are quite a few sites that you can search that will likely show you great hotels at the best prices available. check out the website BookMe and you will be able to compare prices on all the reputable travel sites in just a couple minutes. it's very convenient and will save you a bunch of time and money. Also, make sure you buy them online... otherwise they charge much higher fees for phone orders. good luck.

Hong Kong is a city worth visiting, but if you're thinking of staying over night for a 13 hour break, might as well go for stopping for an hour and go back next time with more time. In 13 hours, you have to clear customs, claim baggage, go to hotel check in, check out hotel, flight check in...... that takes 4 hours, plus 7 hours sleep, you have 2 hours left. Because the Hong Kong International airport is almost an hour from town, you can't go anywhere worth visiting except for Disneyland.

I see that u have 13 hours at night in Hong Kong, and that means you would have a very rush tour of the city. There are a lot to do on a Saturday night in Hong kong, but it is about an hour or more ride to the city centre where most things happen (eg. clubbing, drinking, movies, dinner... til late). If you would like to actually tour the city, then I would say no and do at least a 3 days trip next time.

Yes, since is a very long flight. Good to get a day of rest prior to travel another long flight. Since Hong Kong doesn't require visa to stay, but you do need to fill out some paperworks like the hotel you stay etc.. Some soft of translator would be good since not everyone speak english. But most area should be okay,you could also visit to Macau if you like to Gamble or stay in high end hotel for low price (Valetians)

Ferry to macau is only 1 hour away from the airport. At the port there's free bus goes to the casino/hotel. I recommend you do your shopping or sigh see at hong kong then at night head to macau casino for night life and nicer hotel.

1.Transport in Hong Kong

Hong Kong has a highly developed and sophisticated transport network, encompassing both public and private transport. Over 90% of the daily journeys are on public transport, making it the highest rate in the world.

Since 1997, an electronic money system, namely the Octopus card, has been introduced to provide an alternative to the traditional banknotes and coins. Available for purchase in every station of the Mass Transit Railway system, the Octopus card is now a means of payment for not only public transport (such as trains, buses, trams, ferries and minibuses), but also widely used at parking meters, convenience stores, supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, and some vending machines.

Hong Kong has a fully active international airport. The famous former Kai Tak International Airport retired in favour of the recently constructed Hong Kong International Airport, also known as Chek Lap Kok International Airport. The airport now serves as a transport hub for East Asia, and as the hub for Cathay Pacific Airways, Dragonair, Hong Kong Express, Hong Kong Airlines (former CR Airways), and Air Hong Kong. Ferry services link the airport with several piers in Pearl River Delta, where immigrations and customs are exempted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Hong_Kon...

Food, etc you can always find good, clean and cheap in Hong Kong, in contrast to many European cities.

But real estate? In Hong Kong were talking insane insane prices, with Hong Kong Island costs averaging higher than areas such as Upper East Side, NYC etc.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&newwindow=1&q=c...

Flight & Airport Information,Points to Note for Air Passengers

http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/transport/airpassen...

HKIA Official Website

http://www.hongkongairport.com/

Discover HongKong

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/

* Hong Kong: 10 Things to Do in 24 Hours

* Hong Kong: 5 Places to Stay

* Hong Kong: Finding the Perfect Souvenir

* Hong Kong: Shooting it Like a Pro

* Hong Kong: Side Trips

* Hong Kong: Need to Know

* Restaurants with views in scenic, bustling Hong Kong

http://www.visitchn.com/travel

so... there's 2 things u sh consider. 1. if u stopover only an hr. u may hv a chance that u can't catch ur next flight once ur australia flight via HK back to Europe delay. usually an ideal time 4 stopover sh be 2-3 hrs so to play safe. 2. if u stopover 13 hrs..... it's really depends on when to when. as u didn't mention ur arrival time in HK. duno if u can go out to the city or stay in a hotel or whatever. as u mentioned a nite 13 hrs. so i assumed it's nite time u arriving. then u may not hv much hrs to c the city b4 everything closed rite? maybe u sh consider stay 1-2 days here instead of just a stopover?

nearby our airport, we hv outlet mall + disney + giant buddha which surrounding the airport n u can finish them all in 10 hrs. kinda rush but stil can if u like. but only 4 daytime. o/w they all closed.

heading out to the city ctr actually not that far. u can take the airport express train to either Kowloon or HK side. but i guess kowloon wil be more suitable 4 tourists as it's more like a shopping distrcit there. train wil be just 25 mins to arv there...... u can shift a cab there. taxi in HK not expensive at all.