Hong Kong

Hong Kong: A City That Rewards Walking Over Planning

The classic Hong Kong skyline shot, taken from the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade at night with Kowloon behind you and the towers of Hong Kong Island lit up across the water, is one of the most photographed urban views on earth and also one of the few where the reality exceeds the image. The harbour framing, the density, the scale: you feel it properly only from street level.

Getting Around

The MTR is world-class: fast, clean, air-conditioned, and cheap. An Octopus Card costs HK$150 (includes HK$100 stored value) and works on MTR, buses, trams, and ferries. The Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central costs HK$3.40 and takes 10 minutes; it’s one of the best value experiences in the city. The Peak Tram to Victoria Peak runs every 10-15 minutes for HK$48 return. The view from the Peak Circle Walk, free once you’re up there, takes in both sides of the island.

Where to Go

Sham Shui Po, on the Kowloon side northwest of Mong Kok, is the electronics and textile district. The Golden Arcade building has PCB components, surplus electronic parts, and second-hand gadgets across four floors. The surrounding streets have fabric merchants, cheap noodle shops, and almost no foreign tourists. It’s more interesting than the Temple Street Night Market, which has become mostly souvenirs.

Lantau Island deserves a full day. The Tian Tan Buddha at Po Lin Monastery is large, the cable car from Tung Chung is scenic (or genuinely terrifying, depending on your relationship with heights), and the fishing village of Tai O has stilt houses over the water and dried seafood shops that have been operating for generations. Get there by ferry from Central for a slower, better approach.

Hong Kong Park, in the middle of Central between the MTR and the Peak Tram, has a free walk-through aviary housing over 600 birds. It’s a strange, calm place in the middle of one of the densest urban areas on earth.

Where to Eat

Dim sum at Lin Heung Tea House in Sheung Wan, 148 Wellington Street, is chaotic and requires some persistence: the carts push through and you flag down what you want. The har gow and char siu bao are excellent. Expect to pay HK$120-180 per person. Arrive before 11am.

Tim Ho Wan, the Michelin-starred dim sum chain, has multiple locations and is genuinely good though less of an experience. Kam’s Roast Goose in Wan Chai has a queue most of the day; a plate of roast goose over rice costs HK$80 and the skin is lacquered properly. Worth the wait.

For late-night eating, the dai pai dong open-air food stalls around Cooked Food Centres in Mong Kok (the one on Fa Yuen Street) serve until 2-3am. Typhoon shelter crab, chow mein, and stir-fried clams in black bean sauce are the standard orders.

Where to Stay

Mong Kok has the best value hotels: clean rooms from HK$500-700 per night, central Kowloon location, everything accessible by MTR. The Ritz-Carlton Kowloon (formerly ICC Tower) is the highest hotel in the world at floors 102-118 if vertical luxury is the point. Mid-range options like Hotel ICON in Tsim Sha Tsui offer good design and harbour views for around HK$1,200-1,800.

Day Trips

The Macau ferry from the Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan takes 55 minutes (HK$180-250) and the Portuguese colonial architecture, egg tarts, and casinos offer something genuinely different from Hong Kong. Book the ferry return before the popular 6-8pm slots sell out. Cheung Chau Island has no cars, a fishing village, and excellent seafood restaurants on the waterfront; the ferry from Central takes 35 minutes and costs HK$28.