Central–Mid-Levels Escalator

Hong Kong

　　The world's longest covered outdoor people-mover zigzags from Central's offices to homes near Conduit Rd in the Mid-Levels using an 800m system of escalators and walkways. Embark and watch the streets unveil – do so early evening, heading uphill from where it starts on Queen's Rd Central, and you'll see...

Hong Kong Zoological & Botanical Gardens

Hong Kong

　　This Victorian-era garden has a welcoming collection of fountains, sculptures and greenhouses, plus a zoo and some fabulous aviaries. Some 160 species of bird reside here. The small zoo has a collection of monkeys, sloths, lemurs and orangutans, all in a leafy setting. Albany Rd divides the gardens, with the...

PMQ

Hong Kong

　　This arts and lifestyle hub occupies the multistorey modernist building complex of the old married police quarters (c 1951). Dozens of small galleries and shops, including a branch of G.O.D. peddle local design in the form of hip handmade jewellery, clothing, housewares and more, making the PMQ a terrific place...

Cyberport Waterfront Park

Hong Kong

　　Sandwiched between luxury residences and the sea, this beautiful park has lots of lawns for picnics, a seafront jogging trail, a cycling trail, and trees for shady reading. Local residents come here to walk their dogs and relax; people are friendly and everyone smiles at everyone else. ...

Aberdeen Promenade

Hong Kong

　　Tree-lined Aberdeen Promenade runs from west to east on Aberdeen Praya Rd across the water from Ap Lei Chau. On its western end is sprawling Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market with its industrial-strength water tanks teeming with marine life. It's pungent and grimy, but 100% Hong Kong. Before reaching the market,...

Apliu Street Flea Market

Hong Kong

　　A geek’s heaven, this flea market specializes in all things digital and electronic, but eagle-eyed shoppers can find deals on watches, coins and other knickknacks. Even if you're not shopping, this is a great spot for a stroll. ...

Hong Kong Park

Hong Kong

　　A hillside oasis squeezed between Central and Admiralty, Hong Kong Park was built in 1991 over part of the former Victoria Barracks. Terraced landscaping connects tree-lined pathways with various family-friendly attractions such as its fountain plaza, waterfall, playground, aviary and museum. Lotus-filled pools with gliding koi carp and turtles basking...

Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong

　　Disneyland serves as a rite of passage for the flocks of Asian tourists who come daily to steal a glimpse of one of America’s most famous cultural exports. It’s divided into seven areas – Main Street USA, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Adventureland, Toy Story Land, Mystic Point and Grizzly Gulch – but...

Kam's Roast Goose

Hong Kong

　　Expect to queue for half an hour or more to worship at the oily altar of perfectly roasted goose. A spin-off from Central's famed Yung Kee Restaurant, Michelin-starred Kam's still upholds the same strict standards in sourcing and roasting. The best cut is the upper thigh (succulent but less fatty),...

Quinary

Hong Kong

　　Consistently voted one of the world's top 50 bars, Quinary is a sleek, moodily lit cocktail bar that attracts a well-dressed crowd. Its gifted mixologists create homemade infusions of spirits and the Asian-inspired cocktails are delicious, theatrical marvels. Signature creations include the Quinary Sour (whisky, homemade liquorice syrup and bonito...

Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market

Hong Kong

　　This historic market, founded in 1913, is a cluster of one- and two-storey brick and stone buildings with pre-WWII signboards above the stalls. Although it remains a hive of wholesale activity after dark (especially just before dawn), since 2012 it has been also a retail market, so you can visit...

Old Man

Hong Kong

　　If Ernest Hemingway was still alive today, the chances are he’d love this tiny no-sign speakeasy named after his novel The Old Man and the Sea with a neo-cubist portrait of Papa himself looking down approvingly from behind the bar. The atmosphere is friendly rather than pretentious and the mixology...

Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade

Hong Kong

　　One of the finest city skylines in the world has to be that of Hong Kong Island, and the promenade here is one of the best ways to get an uninterrupted view. It’s a lovely place to stroll around during the day, but it really comes into its own in...

Happy Valley Racecourse

Hong Kong

　　An outing at the races is one of the quintessential Hong Kong things to do, especially if you're around during the weekly Wednesday-evening races. Punters pack into the stands and trackside, with branded beer stalls, silly wigs and live music setting up an electric party atmosphere. 　　To bet, you must...

Yat Lok

Hong Kong

　　Be prepared to bump elbows with locals at this tiny, basic joint known for its roast goose. Anthony Bourdain gushed over the bird. The leg is the most prized cut and the general rule is the more you pay, the better your meat will be; meals include rice or slippery...

Chun Yeung Street Market

Hong Kong

　　Hop on a tram bound for North Point, and past Fortress Hill you’ll turn into a narrow street teeming with market stalls and old tenement buildings. This is the famous Chun Yeung Street Market, and at 5pm it’s so busy the tram has to squeeze between traders and cart-pullers. Many...

Cat Street

Hong Kong

　　Just north of (and parallel to) Hollywood Rd is Upper Lascar Row, aka ‘Cat Street’, a pedestrian-only lane lined with antique and curio shops and stalls selling Bruce Lee movie posters and old Hong Kong photos, cheap jewellery and newly minted ancient coins. It’s a fun place to trawl through...

Yau Ma Tei Theatre

Hong Kong

　　Adjacent to the Wholesale Fruit Market, historic Yau Ma Tei Theatre (1930) stages regular performances of Cantonese opera. For decades, the art deco–styled theatre had kept market coolies and rickshaw drivers entertained, but losing business to modern cinemas in the '80s, it began showing erotic films and selling porn videos...

Temple Street Night Market

Hong Kong

　　When night falls and neon buzzes, Hong Kong's liveliest market rattles into life. Covering multiple city blocks from Man Ming Lane in the north to Nanking St in the south, Temple St is cleaved in two by the Tin Hau Temple complex. In the 1920s, vendors gathered there to serve...

Lai Chi Wo

Hong Kong

　　Part of Hong Kong Global Geopark, 400-year-old Lai Chi Wo is Hong Kong's best-preserved Hakka walled village and has an intact woodland. With 200 houses, ancestral halls, temples, and a breezy square fringed by old banyans, it is a sight to behold. There are 90-minute guided tours every Sunday and...

Hong Kong Museum of History

Hong Kong

　　Prepare to be whisked through millennia of Hong Kong history at this extraordinary museum, starting with prehistory (don't linger, the best is yet to come) and ending with the territory’s return to China in 1997. Highlights of the 'Hong Kong Story' include a recreation of an entire arcaded street in...

High Island Reservoir East Dam

Hong Kong

　　Handsome architecture, the South China Sea, and 140-million-year-old volcanic rocks make this one of Hong Kong's most breathtaking places. High Island Reservoir East Dam is the most easily accessible part of Hong Kong Global Geopark and the only place where you can touch the hexagonal rock columns. The scenery is...

Man Mo Temple

Hong Kong

　　One of Hong Kong’s oldest temples and a declared monument, atmospheric Man Mo Temple is dedicated to the gods of literature (‘Man’), holding a writing brush, and of war (‘Mo’), wielding a sword. Built in 1847 during the Qing dynasty by wealthy Chinese merchants, it was, besides a place of...

Victoria Peak

Hong Kong

　　Standing at 552m, Victoria Peak is the highest point on Hong Kong Island. It is also one of the most visited spots by tourists, and it’s not hard to see why. Sweeping views of the metropolis, verdant woods and easy but spectacular walks are all reachable in just eight minutes...

Peak Tram

Hong Kong

　　This cable-hauled funicular railway has been scaling the 396m ascent to the highest point on Hong Kong Island since 1888. A ride on this clanking tram is a classic Hong Kong experience, with vertiginous views over the city as you ascend the steep mountainside. It's become so popular that the...

Po Lin Monastery & Big Buddha

Hong Kong

　　Po Lin is a huge Buddhist monastery and temple complex that was built in 1924. Today it seems more of a tourist honeypot than a religious retreat, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors a year and still being expanded. Most of the buildings you'll see on arrival are new, with...