Hong KongTravel Guide
Skyscrapers pressed between jungle peaks and one of the world’s great harbours, Hong Kong pairs century-old ferries, trams and temples with dim sum culture, night markets and ridge-top hikes minutes from the financial district.
Is Hong Kong right for you?
October–December
It depends where you stand. There is a cheap version and an expensive one — the guides below say which is which.
No hour-by-hour route here yet — the guides below cover it by subject instead.
October–December
Mixed
Typical cost profile for visitors
- Macau66 km
an easy day trip · both good in October, November, December
- Taipei, Taiwan810 km
a full travel day · both good in October, November, December · a different price level (mid)
- Hanoi, Vietnam870 km
a full travel day · both good in October, November, December · a different price level (budget)
Macau
Taipei
HanoiFinding Hong Kong
Reading Hong Kong
Hong Kong, place by place
Everything below is named in one of our own stories about Hong Kong. The line under each is the sentence that recommended it, and the link goes to the piece it came from.
Where to stay
The areas and addresses our writers put first
Rikke Filbært
Tsim Sha Tsui
The tip of Kowloon faces the Island skyline across the water, which makes it the postcard address.
Cheung Yin
West Kowloon
Above the harbour's western edge, the International Commerce Centre — the city's tallest tower — holds the Ritz-Carlton on its uppermost floors, one of the highest hotels in the world.
Central and Admiralty
Hong KongThe Island's business core stacks luxury flags among the office towers, led by the Mandarin Oriental, a Hong Kong institution since the 1960s.
Causeway Bay and Wan Chai
Hong KongEast along the Island, these districts trade harbour panoramas for energy: department stores, noodle shops, markets, trams rattling past at all hours.
Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei
Hong KongDeep Kowloon is where Hong Kong sleeps cheapest — guesthouses and no-frills hotels amid the densest, most electric street life in the city: night markets, neon, dai pai dong cooking smells.
What to see
The things that justify the trip
Tarun Kumaar P
The Big Buddha and Lantau Island
Take the Ngong Ping 360 cable car — choose a crystal-floor cabin if you dare — across water and mountains to the Tian Tan Buddha, a 34-metre bronze seated Buddha completed in 1993.
Steven Wei
Temple Street Night Market
Kowloon after dark belongs to Temple Street: fortune tellers, opera singers, trinket stalls and, above all, dai pai dong-style seafood joints spilling folding tables across the pavement.
The Peak at dusk
Hong KongRide the funicular Peak Tram, in service since 1888, up Victoria Peak and time your arrival about an hour before sunset.
Man Mo Temple and Sheung Wan
Hong KongBeneath coils of slowly burning incense suspended from the ceiling, Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road — built in the 1840s — is a pocket of smoke-softened calm.
Things to do
Walks, tours and days out we would book again
The Dragon's Back hike
Hong KongTwenty minutes from the financial district, the Dragon's Back ridge walk delivers open views over Shek O, Big Wave Bay and the South China Sea.
Riding the ding ding
Hong KongHong Kong Island's narrow double-decker trams — the ding ding — have rattled along the north shore since 1904.
Star Ferry
Hong KongThe Star Ferry has shuttled between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui since 1888, and the crossing of Victoria Harbour remains the world's most scenic commute — for a fare of just a few Hong Kong dollars.
What we'd do in Hong Kong
See and do
- The Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront
The promenade on the Kowloon side is the definitive front-row seat for the Hong Kong Island skyline, with the harbour as orchestra pit.
Read: The great views of Hong Kong, ranked - The Peak at dusk
Ride the funicular Peak Tram, in service since 1888, up Victoria Peak and time your arrival about an hour before sunset.
Read: The essential Hong Kong experiences, ranked - Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery
In Diamond Hill, ringed by highways and tower blocks, sits a Tang-dynasty-style garden of black pines, ornamental ponds and a golden pavilion, laid out with almost obsessive precision.
Read: The Quiet Corners of Hong Kong That Locals Love - The unmissables
Ride the Peak Tram up Victoria Peak for the classic panorama, ideally arriving before sunset and staying as the towers light up.
Read: First Time in Hong Kong? Everything You Need to Know - The Star Ferry
A harbour crossing for pocket change on a green-and-white ferry that has been running since the 19th century.
Read: The great views of Hong Kong, ranked
Where to stay
- Tsim Sha Tsui — the front-row seat
The tip of Kowloon faces the Island skyline across the water, which makes it the postcard address.
Read: Hong Kong stays for every wallet: the areas that make senseCheck ratesad · Booking.com - Central and Admiralty — the polished heart
The Island's business core stacks luxury flags among the office towers, led by the Mandarin Oriental, a Hong Kong institution since the 1960s.
Read: Hong Kong stays for every wallet: the areas that make senseCheck ratesad · Booking.com - West Kowloon — height and hush
Above the harbour's western edge, the International Commerce Centre — the city's tallest tower — holds the Ritz-Carlton on its uppermost floors, one of the highest hotels in the world.
Read: Hong Kong stays for every wallet: the areas that make senseCheck ratesad · Booking.com - The honest matrix
Splurging once: Peninsula or Mandarin Oriental, and take the harbour view.
Read: Hong Kong stays for every wallet: the areas that make sense
Practical essentials for China
Renminbi, or yuan (CNY); Hong Kong uses the Hong Kong dollar (HKD) and Macau the Macanese pataca (MOP)
Standard Mandarin is the national language; Cantonese dominates in Hong Kong and Macau, where English and Portuguese respectively are also official, and English is limited on the mainland outside hotels.
Type A/I, 220V 50Hz on the mainland; Type G in Hong Kong and Macau
Metros cover every large city and most visitors pay with a transit QR code in Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a foreign card, though Shanghai and Beijing now also accept a tapped foreign contactless card, and Hong Kong runs on the Octopus card.
Tipping is not traditionally practised on the mainland and can cause confusion; Hong Kong and Macau restaurants usually add a 10% service charge instead.
Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in mainland China, including the major cities; bottled water is sold everywhere.
Right-hand side on the mainland but left in Hong Kong and Macau; an International Driving Permit has no legal standing in China, so visitors who want to drive must obtain a temporary Chinese provisional permit.
110 police, 120 ambulance, 119 fire; 999 in Hong Kong and Macau
Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.
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