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Hong Kong Travel Guide: Things to Do, Attractions & Where to Eat

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of China on the southern coast, made up of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon peninsula, the New Territories and more than 200 outlying islands. It combines one of the world's most famous skylines with steep green hills, country parks and beaches, and much of its land is protected countryside. Visitors usually base themselves in the urban areas around Victoria Harbour, but the territory rewards those who explore further, from the Big Buddha and the fishing communities of Lantau Island to the villages and hiking trails of the New Territories and islands such as Lamma and Cheung Chau. Cantonese food culture, efficient public transport and a compact size make it easy to see a lot in a short stay.

Capital
Hong Kong has no separate capital; its government is based on Hong Kong Island
Currency
Hong Kong dollar (HKD)
Language
Chinese (Cantonese) and English are official languages
Time zone
Hong Kong Time (UTC+8)
Visa
Entry requirements depend on your nationality; check your government's travel advice before you go
Plugs
Type G, 220 V

Top cities & regions in Hong Kong

Best attractions in Hong Kong

All attractions in Hong Kong

Attraction

Victoria Peak

Viewpoint and funicularThe Peak

Hong Kong Island's highest hill, reached by the historic Peak Tram from Central, with harbour views from Sky Terrace 428 and the level loop walk along…

Attraction

Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery

Buddhist monastery and giant bronze BuddhaNgong Ping, Lantau Island

The 34-metre bronze Big Buddha and the Chan Buddhist monastery beside it on the Ngong Ping plateau of Lantau Island, reached by cable car or bus…

Attraction

M+

Museum of visual cultureWest Kowloon Cultural District

Hong Kong's museum of twentieth and twenty-first century visual culture on the West Kowloon waterfront, with art, design, architecture and moving image galleries and a free…

Attraction

Hong Kong Palace Museum

Museum of Chinese art and imperial treasuresWest Kowloon Cultural District

A museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District showing treasures on long-term loan from the Palace Museum in Beijing alongside exhibitions of Chinese art and culture.

Attraction

Man Mo Temple

Historic Taoist templeSheung Wan

One of Hong Kong's oldest temples, built between 1847 and 1862 on Hollywood Road and dedicated to the gods of literature and martial arts, with dim,…

Attraction

Wong Tai Sin Temple

Taoist templeWong Tai Sin

Kowloon's best-known temple, completed in 1921 and dedicated to the Great Immortal Wong, where worshippers shake fortune sticks and blend Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian traditions.

Best cafés in Hong Kong

All cafés in Hong Kong

Café

Australia Dairy Company

Cha chaan teng$Jordan

A famous Jordan cha chaan teng running for more than 50 years, known for creamy scrambled eggs on thick buttered toast, steamed milk puddings and famously…

Café

Lan Fong Yuen

Milk tea and cha chaan teng$Central

A Gage Street institution for more than 70 years, credited with silky Hong Kong milk tea strained through stocking-like fabric and famous for its pork chop…

Café

Tai Cheong Bakery

Egg tart bakery$Central

A Lyndhurst Terrace bakery founded in 1954 whose egg tarts, with a buttery shortcrust case, were praised by former governor Chris Patten.

Café

Kam Wah Cafe

Cha chaan teng and bakery$Prince Edward

A popular cha chaan teng on Bute Street near Mong Kok, famous for its pineapple bun with a thick slab of cold butter and Hong Kong-style…

Café

Mido Cafe

Vintage cha chaan teng$Yau Ma Tei

A vintage cha chaan teng on the corner of Temple Street and Public Square Street, open since 1950, with original wooden booths, wall tiles and stained…

Café

Cupping Room, Sheung Wan

Specialty coffee roaster$$Sheung Wan

A specialty coffee café and roastery on Po Hing Fong in Sheung Wan, roasting on a 1950s Probat machine, with seven Hong Kong National Barista Championship…

Best hotels in Hong Kong

All hotels in Hong Kong

Hotel

The Peninsula Hong Kong

Historic luxury hotel$$$$Tsim Sha Tsui

Hong Kong's grande dame, opened on Salisbury Road in 1928, famous for afternoon tea in The Lobby, its green Rolls-Royce fleet and the Philippe Starck-designed Felix.

Hotel

Rosewood Hong Kong

Contemporary luxury hotel$$$$Tsim Sha Tsui

A harbourfront luxury hotel in Victoria Dockside, opened in 2019 and named the world's best hotel by The World's 50 Best Hotels in 2025.

Hotel

Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

Classic luxury hotel$$$$Central

Central's classic luxury hotel, opened in 1963 on Connaught Road, home to the Captain's Bar, the Cantonese restaurant Man Wah and a well-known spa.

Hotel

The Upper House

Design-led luxury hotel$$$$Admiralty

A calm, residential-style luxury hotel designed by André Fu on the upper floors of Pacific Place in Admiralty, with 117 rooms and a top-ten World's 50…

Hotel

Hotel ICON

Design hotel and teaching hotel$$$Tsim Sha Tsui East

A design-led hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui East run by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University as a teaching hotel, with a Patrick Blanc green wall and…

Hotel

The Fleming

Boutique hotel$$$Wan Chai

A 66-room Wan Chai boutique hotel whose bottle-green and brass interiors are inspired by the Star Ferry, with the coastal Italian restaurant Osteria Marzia downstairs.

Best nightlife in Hong Kong

All nightlife in Hong Kong

Bar

Bar Leone

Cocktail bar$$$Central

Lorenzo Antinori's Italian-style neighbourhood cocktail bar on Bridges Street, named The World's Best Bar in 2025 and known for its pre-batched Leone Martini.

Bar

Coa

Agave cocktail bar$$$Central

Jay Khan's agave bar on Shin Hing Street, with about 200 bottles of tequila and mezcal and a record three wins as No. 1 in Asia's…

Bar

Quinary

Molecular cocktail bar$$$Central

Antonio Lai's molecular mixology bar on Hollywood Road, reinventing classic cocktails with foams, airs and bubbles in a moody industrial room.

Bar

Ozone

Sky-high hotel bar$$$$West Kowloon

The Ritz-Carlton's bar on the 118th floor of the International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon, described by the Michelin Guide as the highest rooftop bar in…

Bar

The Wanch

Live music bar and gastropub$$Wan Chai

A Wan Chai live music institution with more than 35 years of history, now in a larger Jaffe Road gastropub with a fully equipped stage, craft…

Bar

Lan Kwai Fong

Bar and club district$$$Central

Central's compact bar and club district around Lan Kwai Fong and D'Aguilar Street, Hong Kong's best-known nightlife hub since the 1980s.

Best restaurants in Hong Kong

All restaurants in Hong Kong

Restaurant

The Chairman

Modern Cantonese fine dining$$$$Central

A Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant on Wellington Street that topped Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2021, known for steamed crab with Huadiao wine and fresh local produce.

Restaurant

Mott 32

Contemporary Chinese$$$$Central

A stylish basement Chinese restaurant under the Standard Chartered Bank Building in Central, known for its 42-day applewood-roasted Peking duck and Iberico char siu.

Restaurant

Kam’s Roast Goose

Cantonese roast meats$$Wan Chai

A small, family-run Wan Chai restaurant specialising in Cantonese roast meats, awarded a Michelin star in 2018 and run by the third generation of the Yung…

Restaurant

Yat Lok

Cantonese roast goose$$Central

A Michelin-starred roast goose specialist on Stanley Street in Central, founded in 1957 and run by the Chu family, serving goose by the quarter with lai…

Restaurant

Tim Ho Wan, Sham Shui Po

Dim sum$Sham Shui Po

An early branch of the dim sum shop known worldwide for its baked barbecue pork buns, serving more than 20 dishes at low prices in Sham…

Restaurant

Yardbird

Yakitori$$$Sheung Wan

A Michelin-starred yakitori restaurant in Sheung Wan grilling local three-yellow chicken over binchotan charcoal, with rare cuts and a long Japanese whisky list.

Best things to do in Hong Kong

All things to do in Hong Kong

Thing to do

Star Ferry

Harbour ferry crossingTsim Sha Tsui

The historic green-and-white ferries that have crossed Victoria Harbour since 1888, linking Tsim Sha Tsui with Central and Wan Chai for a few Hong Kong dollars.

Thing to do

Temple Street Night Market

Night marketYau Ma Tei and Jordan

Kowloon's best-known night market, filling Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei and Jordan with stalls selling clothes, souvenirs, jade and antiques alongside street food and claypot…

Thing to do

Ngong Ping 360

Cable car rideTung Chung, Lantau Island

A cable car from Tung Chung to the Ngong Ping plateau on Lantau Island, offering a scenic way to reach the Big Buddha, with standard and…

Thing to do

Dragon’s Back

Ridge hikeShek O

A 4.8-kilometre ridge walk above Shek O on Hong Kong Island, part of Hong Kong Trail Section 8, with views over Tai Tam Bay, Shek O…

Thing to do

Tai Kwun

Heritage and arts centreCentral

The restored Central Police Station compound on Hollywood Road, reopened in 2018 as a centre for heritage, contemporary art and performance with restaurants and bars.

Best tours & activities in Hong Kong

All tours & activities in Hong Kong

Tour operator

Walk in Hong Kong

Cultural walking toursSheung Wan

A Hong Kong storytelling company founded in 2013 that runs walking tours on food, local living and history, covering neighbourhoods many visitors never see.

Tour operator

Hong Kong Foodie Tours

Food walking tourCentral

A food walking tour company whose Central and Sheung Wan tour visits six tasting stops for wonton noodles, barbecued pork, dim sum and egg tarts.

Tour operator

Aqua Luna

Red-sail junk harbour cruiseTsim Sha Tsui

Harbour cruises on a traditional red-sail wooden junk, with daytime, evening and Symphony of Lights sailings from piers in Tsim Sha Tsui, Central, Wan Chai and…

Tour operator

Dukling Harbour Cruise

Heritage junk cruiseTsim Sha Tsui East

A 45-minute harbour cruise on a restored fishermen's junk more than 60 years old, sailing from the Avenue of Stars with commentary and a complimentary drink.

Tour operator

Big Bus Hong Kong

Hop-on hop-off bus tourCentral

Open-top hop-on hop-off sightseeing buses covering Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and Stanley, with tickets that include a Star Ferry crossing.

Hong Kong travel FAQs

What is the best way to travel around Hong Kong?

The MTR rail network is the fastest way to get around, supported by buses, trams, ferries and taxis, and an Octopus card makes paying simple.

When is the best time to visit Hong Kong?

October to December is usually the most comfortable period, with lower humidity and clearer skies; summer is hot, wet and in typhoon season.

Which places should you visit in Hong Kong besides Hong Kong?

Head to Lantau Island for the Big Buddha, to Lamma or Cheung Chau for island villages and seafood, and to the country parks of the New Territories and Sai Kung for hiking and beaches.

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