Hong Kong conjures images of a concrete jungle with towering apartment blocks, noisy highways and Chinese junks chugging across Victoria Harbour.
However since moving to the city, Travel Pocket Book editor Laura Sharman discovers there is more to Asia’s third wealthiest city than its urban appeal.
Surprisingly, some 60 per cent of Hong Kong is countryside landscape offering extraordinary hiking, bike trails and golden beaches.
And the city centre is more than a dramatic skyline. Dive into its higgledy piggledy streets and you’ll find traditional markets, boutique shops and a strong cafe scene. Navigate all this via towering staircases and outdoor escalators – including the longest in the world!
When it comes to food, Hong Kong is ready to impress once more from lively Chinese canteens to Michelin-starred restaurants with waterfront views.
Read on for the editor’s Travel Pocket Book guide to Hong Kong.
Top 10 things to do in Hong Kong
1. Lantau Island’s Tian Tan Buddha
Head to Exit B of Tung Chung MTR station and take the Ngong Ping 360 cable car high above the mountains of Lantau Island to Ngong Ping village. Tian Tan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha, is a ten-minute walk from here.
2. Hit the beach
Ask any local for Hong Kong’s best beach and they will send you to Sai Kung – in particular including Tai Long Wan and Long Ke Wan beaches. Known as ‘the back garden of Hong Kong’, the area is also home to fishing villages, coastal hiking trails and islands. It’s a must for nature lovers. For more central beaches, head to Repulse Bay, offering a large sandy beach and modern restaurants, or Stanley, home to a smaller beach with a charming market and waterfront eateries.
3. ‘Venice’ of Hong Kong
Witness another way of life at Tai O, a village of fisher folk who have built their houses on stilts above tidal flats on Lantau Island. During your visit, navigate the waterways via pretty footbridges, try jumbo curried fish balls at Fuk Hing Hong and take the 20-minute Tai O Country Trail to the scenic Fu Shan Viewing Point.
4. The best of ‘Kowloon side’
Spend a day exploring Kowloon. Top sites include Nan Lian Gardens in Diamond Hill, Wong Tai Sin Temple in Chuk Yuen, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Science Museum and Mong Kok’s Goldfish market and flower markets. In the evening, walk up Temple street, taking the northern exit via Kansu Street for fortune tellers and karaoke street bars.
5. A night at the races
Kill two birds with one stone and catching the tram to Happy Valley racecourse. Visit on Wednesday or Sunday to catch a horse race with entry from £1 for standing-room. Inside are food stalls, bars and betting halls.
6. A peak moment
Take the Peak Tram from Central to Victoria Peak. From here, walk the Peak Circular Walk via Lugard Roads (behind the Burger King) for panoramic views of Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbour. Before your descent, grab a snack at the shopping centre or dinner at The Peak Lookout restaurant.
7. Dragon’s Back
The curving Dragon’s Back mountain ridge trail cuts across Shek O Peak in the Shek O Country Park of Hong Kong Island. The four-hour, 8km (five-mile) route leads you up a gently rising forested hillside to viewing point with panoramas of the countryside and craggy coastline. It ends on the other side of the hill, beside the white-sand beach of Big Wave Bay. To get there, take the MTR to Shau Kei Wan Station Exit A2, then bus 9 to To Tei Wan, Dragon’s Back stop on Shek O Road. After the hike, take bus 9 back to Shau Kei Wan MTR Station.
8. Hong Kong’s star of the show
Catch the star ferry from Kowloon to Central on Hong Kong Island. After disembarking, enjoy an ice-cream from the iconic Mister Softee ice-cream truck then ride the Hong Kong Observation Wheel. Or simply enjoy a long waterfront walk. Adult ferry crossings cost just HK$5.
9. Chase the rainbow
Visit the colourful Choi Hung Estate in Ngau Chi Wan, voted one of Time Out’s ‘Most Photogenic Housing Estates in Hong Kong. Nearby is Ngau Chi Wan Market, selling fresh produce, dried foods and crafts, and Ngau Chi Wan Park.
10. Things just escalated
Ride the longest outdoor escalator in the world from Central to Mid-Levels on Hong Kong Island. The 800m-long system, which opened in 1993, starts at Queen’s Road and finishes on Conduit Road.
Boutique hotels in Hong Kong
The Fleming hotel. An urban boutique hotel in Wan Chai, a lively district in the centre of Hong Kong island with lots of bars and restaurants and local tram stops. Doubles from £194 per night.
The Upper House. A top-rated hotel with panoramic views of Victoria Harbour and the city, centrally located on Hong Kong Island. Amenities include free weekend yoga classes, a fitness centre and outdoor lounge space. Studio rooms from £479 per night.
K11 Artus hotel. This artisanal hideaway has breathtaking views of Victoria Harbour and offers hotel services in stylish serviced apartments with access to a rooftop infinity pool and restaurant. Studio rooms from £580 per night.
Eat your heart out
claypot rice at Four Seasons
Breakfast: An Aussie-inspired brekky at Fine Print. Menu favourites include ricotta toast with blueberries and honey and half and half (avocado, tomato and feta)
Lunch: Dim sum from the trolley carts at Maxim’s Palace in City Hall, Central
Dinner: Claypot rice at Four Seasons on Temple Street, not to be confused with the Four Seasons hotel. The duck egg oyster omelette is a popular starter while a favourite main is the claypot beef where diners are given a raw egg to crack over their steaming rice dish
Drinks: Enjoy wine or cocktails from a plump brown table at Bar Leone, oozing with Italian essence. For views of Victoria Harbour, try Qura Bar instead
Screenshot your Hong Kong Travel Pocket Book
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