Here are the most frequently asked questions (FAQs). If you cannot find any answers related to your question, please do not hesitate to drop us an email.
Question :
Why Do I need a Private Tour in Hong Kong?
Answer :
This may be the first question you will ask yourself before booking a tour guide.
If you are happy with squeezing in a big coach with dozens of strangers, quickly hopping on/off at tourist attractions without knowing where you have been, then maybe you don’t really need a private tour guide.
Hong Kong is a place with unique fusion of Western and Eastern culture offering much more than just the Peak, Lantau Island and Victoria Harbour.
She has so many secrets and stories that worths days and months to explore.
After traveling thousands of kilometers, are you sure you want to miss the chance of seeing the city as the real local and walking the small historic alleys yourself ?
However, if you wish to
★ see the best of Hong Kong within the very limited time ;
★ explore a real Hong Kong and discover her secrets off the guidebook ;
★ have a unique customized itinerary designed just for you ;
★ experience an entertaining, informative and flexible visit coupled with insights from true insiders ;
★ forget about the complicated tour maps and directions ;
★ have someone introduce you to this city which is easier for you to navigate yourself later ;
THEN our NextStopHongKong Private Walking Tour is a perfect option for you.
We have in-depth understanding and broad knowledge about Hong Kong and her culture. Are you interested in some stories that your guidebook won’t include? How about delve under the surface and explore some off the beaten path destinations? Let us be your friend in Hong Kong and share a fascinating side of this city with you.
Think of us as your trusted local friends in Hong Kong who are reliable, considerate and taking care of you just as you would belong to family. It’s YOUR DAY and all you need to do is to enjoy the time !
Simply let us know what your ideal Hong Kong Walking Tour is and we tailor-made highly personal arrangements. Tell us whenever you feel tired during the tour and we are flexible to adjust according to your pace.
Question :
Which language(s) do you provide in your tours?
Answer :
Our tour guides have worked and traveled in many countries around the world as well as Hong Kong.
We have served over 200 happy guests in the past two years and we provide tours in 4 languages : German, English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
You can check to know more about our tour guides.
Question :
This is my first visit to Hong Kong. I don’t know what to see and I would like to make the most of my stay. Could you be so kind and plan an itinerary for my Private Hong Kong Walking Tour?
Answer :
We provide “Itinerary Planning” service in our NextStopHongKong Private Walking Tour. We are more than happy to plan an itinerary for you. Simply share with us what your ideal Hong Kong Walking Tour is (culture, food, history or other) and we tailor-made highly personal arrangement for you.
Question :
There seems to be lots of walking involved. How much walking do I have to do?
Answer :
Our NextStopHongKong Private Tour is absolutely flexible. Don’t worry about “WALKING” too much. We don’t follow a rigid schedule! Our tour will combine walking at a leisure pace with hopping on public transportation, trying Hong Kong-style teatime, sampling some local snacks or simply having a short break as you wish. We will make sure your complete trip will be in an intimate and relaxed atmosphere at your own pace.
Whenever you feel tired, you don’t want to stand in a queue or simply have enough of the sightseeing and would love to do shopping instead, plans can be changed at a short notice. Whatever you desire is, we are happy to use our detailed knowledge to incorporate it into our/your itinerary. You will enjoy an expertly planned trip tailored to your own interests.
Question :
Will you arrange transportation such as car, coach or van during the tour ?
Answer :
Our tours are conducted in a combination of “Walking” and “Traveling on Public Transportations“, e.g. Star Ferry, Subway, Tram etc.. We will not arrange any private transportation or carriage by any means of conveyance on a journey.
Don’t worry about walking too much. we don’t follow a rigid schedule. Our tour gives you sufficient time to explore each attraction at your pace and combines walking at a leisure pace with hopping on public transportation, trying Hong Kong-style teatime, sampling some local snacks or simply having a short break as you wish.
Question :
How Do I book the NextStopHongKong Private Walking Tour / NextStopHongKong Group Tour ?
Answer :
All you need to do for booking tours is to fill in the NextStopHongKong Tour Booking Form and follow the steps.
Question :
How Do I pay the NextStopHongKong Private Walking Tour / NextStopHongKong Group Tour ?
Answer :
In order to secure your booking dates after we confirm the tour availability with you, a deposit of HKD 1000 per tour (per group) is required for NextStopHongKong Private Walking Tour and a full payment of HKD 800 per person is required for NextStopHongKong Group Tour. We will send you an invoice through PayPal that can be securely paid by either credit cards or Paypal account balance. The Paypal invoice is valid for 5 days. If the invoice is not settled before expiring, we will release the reserved time slot to other customers.
For Private Walking Tour, you will settle up the rest of payment in cash (in Hong Kong Dollar only) after each tour with tour guide.
For the cancellation and refund, please refer to the “Terms and Conditions“.
Please note that the booking is not completed until the deposit is settled and you receive our Confirmation Letter (Titled: “Booking Confirmation of NextStopHongKong Tour”)
Question :
What is your cancellation policy?
Answer :
Here is the cancellation policy of NextStopHongKong Private Walking Tour and NextStopHongKong Group Tour :
• Amendments by the Participants
If for whatever reasons you have to amend your booking, please email us your notice to amend. The amendment of tour date is subject to our availability. We will confirm either cancellation or amendment by email.
• Cancellations by the Participants
– Cancellation made more than 15 days prior to the tour date : full refund of deposit/payment;
– Cancellation made between 7 – 15 days prior to the tour date : 50% of deposit/payment penalty;
– Cancellation made within 7 days prior to the tour date: 100% of deposit/payment penalty;
– No Show: 100% of deposit/payment penalty;
• Cancellations by NextStopHongKong
In an unlikely event that we have to cancel for whatever reasons (mainly due to the illness of tour guides or the bad weather issue), we will inform you as soon as possible by email. We will try the best to reschedule your tour either to another tour day or to another tour guide from us. The deposit/payment will be refunded in full if the tour is cancelled by NextStopHongKong.
• Cancellations due to Bad Weather Issues
It is obvious that our Private Walking Tour and Group Tour are weather-depend outdoor activities. To give you a pleasant and comfortable tour, we apply common sense and will not proceed our tours in bad weather, such as “cats-and-dogs” rain.
We also follow the guidelines of the Hong Kong Observatory and Hong Kong Law. Employees and people are advised to stay indoors during serious weather alerts such as Typhoon Signal No. 8 or above, Red and/or Black rain- and thunderstorm warnings. In case the above mentioned alerts have been issued before the start of the tour, the tour will be canceled and we will inform you by email and phone (if possible) as prior as possible to the tour.
The deposit/payment will be refunded in full if the tour is cancelled due to Bad Weather Issues.
Question :
Where do we meet to start the NextStopHongKong Private Walking Tour / NextStopHongKong Group Tour ?
Answer :
For the NextStopHongKong Private Walking Tour, we are completely flexible. We offer to pick you up at your preferred starting time from the hotel you stay, or we also can arrange to meet you in other spots convenient for you. However, for the starting time around 9 – 10am in the morning, we suggest to meet at the hotel. If you book a Night Tour and is already outside, we can do other arrangements.
Please note that since we will not pick up the phone during the tour, the best way is to decide the pick-up spot ahead of the tour.
For the NextStopHongKong Group Tour, we don’t provide pickup service. We will confirm the detailed tour itinerary and meeting location with you via emails.
Question :
What is best option to get in touch with you?
Answer :
We regard the quality of the tour as our responsibility and we want our guests having our undivided attention during the tour. Hence, we won’t answer calls during our tours. Having said this, the best way to get in touch with us is by email. We extend this courtesy to all our guests and clients and we assure you that you usually will receive an answer by email within 24 hours if nothing goes wrong.
Question :
What should I wear/prepare for my tour?
Answer :
Hong Kong’s climate can be very hot and humid (even throughout the wintertime). The usual rules of walking as well as common sense apply. Although our tour is called “Walking” Tour, don’t worry about “WALKING” too much. We will combine walking at a leisure pace with breaks giving you chances to rest. Make sure to wear appropriate shoes and clothing. We highly advice to wear a pair of comfortable walking shoes since Hong Kong has a fair bit of slopes, steep roads, cobble stone streets and uneven pavements/sidewalks. Unless you want to end your Hong Kong Walking Tour with swollen or hurting feet, we highly recommend leaving your high-heels, newly bought leather shoes and flip-flops at the hotel.
In addition, it might be a good idea to take a bottle of water with you although water, soft drinks and snacks can be easily purchased at the conveniences stores throughout Hong Kong. It is also good idea to check the weather forecast for the planed tour day and in case you easily feel cold take a light wind jacket or sweater with you (the air conditioners in the MTR, shops and restaurants can be sometimes very chilly).
Last but not least, make sure your camera battery is recharged and you have enough SD-Cards with you.
Question :
How much cash do I need ?
Answer :
You don’t need to worry running out of Hong Kong Dollars during your tour since it is very convenient in Hong Kong to exchange/withdraw money. There are many exchange stores and bank ATM along the streets in Hong Kong, especially condensed within popular traveling areas. Just bring some cash according to your tour arrangement and estimate how much money you would like to spend on shopping and dinning. Most of the restaurants and shops in Hong Kong accept credit cards. However, you may need some cash for shopping from some small stalls. In general HKD 200 – HKD 300 cash should cover most eventualities. If you already purchase an Octopus Card and charge enough money, you can pay public transportation by Octopus Card directly.
Question :
What will we do if the weather is getting bad?
Answer :
It is obvious that our Private Walking Tour / Group Tour are weather-depend activities. To give you a pleasant and comfortable tour, we apply common sense and will not proceed our Walking Tour in bad weather, such as “cats-and-dogs” rain.
We also follow the guidelines of the Hong Kong Observatory and Hong Kong Law. Employees and people are advised to stay indoors during serious weather alerts such as Typhoon Signal No. 8 or above, Red and/or Black rain- and thunderstorm warnings. In case the above mentioned alerts have been issued before the start of the tour, the tour will be canceled and we will inform you by email and phone (if possible) as prior as possible to the tour.
The deposit will be refunded in full if the tour is cancelled due to Bad Weather Issues. For more details, you can refer to our “Cancellation Policy”.
Question :
Do I need to tip the tour guide at the end of my Hong Kong Private Walking Tour / NextStopHongKong Group Tour ?
Answer :
While we appreciate your kind gesture, we do not accept tips for our NextStopHongKong Private Walking Tours. We view it as our responsibility to provide you an exceptional service and the tour fee has already covered our service. If you have enjoyed the tour with us, it will be highly appreciated if you could recommend us to your friends and family.
Question :
For my NextStopHongKong Private Walking Tour / NextStopHongKong Group Tour, I am aware that I have to pay for my own food, transport, souvenirs and entrance fees (if any). Are there any other costs that comes on top of this or I should be aware of?
Answer :
The “Tour Fees” that we list and charge in the Price Table of NextStopHongKong Private Walking Tour and Price Table of NextStopHongKong Group Tour are only the fees for our tour guide service. The following fees that tourists spend (if applicable) are NOT covered:
• The cost of any transportation such as Taxi, Bus, Mini Bus, Ferry, Tram, MTR, Airport Express, etc.;
• Drinks, Snack, Meals, Souvenirs, Shopping etc.;
• Entrance fees (where applicable) into museums, parks, some attractions etc.;
The tour guides will take care of their own spend on transportation and food if applicable.
Note: Hong Kong’s public transportation is very convenient and economic. Normally HKD 50-100 will be sufficient for the expense on public transportation per day for our Hong Kong Private Walking Tour (Except Airport Express for HKD 115 for Same-return Ticket which is the most efficient way for those stop-over tourists travelling to downtown).
Question :
One of the biggest turn-offs at tours are hard selling! Are you visiting those jewelry stores or equivalent businesses? I don’t like to be pushed, pressured and/or hassled to purchase unnecessary and useless stuff. Can we avoid those shops and stores?
Answer :
We absolutely agree with you! Hard selling is an absolute NO-GO! Please be assured that we have NO affiliation with any establishment what so ever! We will NOT drop you off at any jewelry store or alike pushing and/or hassling you to purchase unwanted and unnecessary items. We DON’T operate on commission base or any equivalent business models. In case you would like to shop souvenirs or alike, we are happy to provide you with insights and advice on any purchase solely based on our own experience and knowledge.
Besides, our NextStopHongKong Private Walking Tour is mainly based on your preferences and interests. The itinerary is customized according to your expectation of the ideal Hong Kong tour. In case you would like to shop souvenirs or alike, we are more than happy to provide you with our insights and perspectives on any purchase solely based on our own experience and knowledge.
Question :
Do you also do Stop-Over/ Lay-Over / Transit Tours?
Answer :
Yes, we also offer the Private Stop-Over Tours. In case you only have a few hours in Hong Kong and would like to make the most out of your precious time, we offer highly customized and tailor-made tours exactly for this need. Unlike other Transit Tours you are NOT bound by inflexible pick-up times. Please Contact Us to discuss further details since Stop-Over Tours depends entirely on how much time you have available between your connecting flights. You can also get some ideals from our article “Plan Your Stop-Over Stay in Hong Kong“.
Question :
Where do you pick us up for a Private Stop-Over Tours?
Answer :
We will pick you up directly at the Hong Kong International Airport Arrival Halls. We will return you to Airport Departure Lounge or send you to the transportations to the airport once we completed the sightseeing tour. Simply supply us with your flight details and we will be waiting for you.
Question:
Do you offer private tours for Macau and Mainland China as well?
Answer :
We primarily focus and specialize in Hong Kong Private Walking Tours. However, if you would like to visit Macau, we are more than happy to introduce you to these places too. Just ask us by dropping us an email through the contact form.
For the moment we don’t provide the tours for Mainland China.
