Victoria Harbour at night, seen from the Peak

City guide · 香港 Hong Kong

Hong Kong

The Pearl of the Orient on both sides of Victoria Harbour: night views from the Peak, the Star Ferry and the trams

Photo: Benh LIEU SONG · CC BY-SA 4.0

Hong Kong is a harbor city in southern China and one of the places where Chinese and Western cultures meet most densely. You can walk between the high-rises on both sides of Victoria Harbour, stand beside the stone streets and century-old trams of Central one moment, and eat a bowl of wonton noodles at the Temple Street night market or take a boat to the outlying islands to see fishing villages and beaches the next. The city is compact; three to four days is enough to cover the main sights of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, with one day left for Tai O or Cheung Chau. Also worth visiting in the city: the Peak Tram, the Star Ferry, the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, M+, the West Kowloon Cultural District, the Temple Street night market, the Central stone streets, Man Mo Temple, Repulse Bay and Stanley.

History

How the city came to be

Before the Opium War, Hong Kong was only fishing villages and market towns in Xin'an County. British forces occupied Hong Kong Island in 1841, and the Treaty of Nanking in 1842 ceded Hong Kong Island to Britain; the Convention of Peking in 1860 ceded the part of the Kowloon Peninsula south of Boundary Street; and the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory in 1898 leased the New Territories for 99 years. Hong Kong then developed into a Far East trade and finance center, and was occupied by Japan from 1941 to 1945. The Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed in 1984, and on 1 July 1997 Hong Kong returned to the motherland, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was established, and "One Country, Two Systems" was put into practice. Colonial-era buildings, trams and legal traditions layered over local Cantonese culture give Hong Kong its distinctive urban character.

1841British forces occupied Hong Kong Island.
1842The Treaty of Nanking was signed, and Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain.
1860The Convention of Peking was signed, and the part of the Kowloon Peninsula south of Boundary Street was ceded to Britain.
1898The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory was signed, and Britain leased the New Territories for 99 years.
1910The Kowloon-Canton Railway opened.
1941 to 1945Japan occupied Hong Kong.
1979The first line of the Mass Transit Railway (today's MTR) opened.
1984The Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed.
1 July 1997Hong Kong returned to the motherland, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was established.
1998Hong Kong International Airport opened.

Hong Kong at a glance

Best season: October to December is best for a first visit: the weather is cool and clear, good for walking and going up to the Peak for the night view; October to March overall is dry with relatively good visibility, a generally good season for sightseeing. June to August is hot and humid, with possible typhoon influence, so check the Observatory's weather warnings before traveling; January to February is damp and cold, so bring warm clothing for outdoor activities.
Getting there: Hong Kong International Airport is on Lantau Island, and the Airport Express reaches Hong Kong Station in about 24 minutes; the high-speed rail Hong Kong West Kowloon Station runs directly to many mainland cities; the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port has cross-boundary buses to Macao and Zhuhai; mainland travelers can also arrive through land crossings (Lo Wu, Futian, Shenzhen Bay and others). You do not need to rent a car in the city.
Getting around: The MTR network covers most of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories and is the fastest way to get around the city; the double-decker trams (ding ding) along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island run slowly and cost little, good for watching street scenes along the way; bus routes are dense, and most trips to the Peak, Stanley, the Southern District and elsewhere rely on buses; the Star Ferry between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui is the cheapest way to see the harbour. The Octopus card works on the MTR, buses, trams and ferries; fares and schedules are as officially announced. Day trips from Hong Kong: Tai O fishing village (a stilt-house waterside village in the southwest of Lantau), Cheung Chau (a traditional fishing village and seafood street), Lamma Island (the seaside trails of Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan), Sai Kung (a seafood street and the High Island geo-trail).
Where to stay: For a first visit, staying in Tsim Sha Tsui or Central is recommended: the former is by the sea and convenient for shopping and ferries, while the latter is near the Peak Tram terminus with many dining choices; if you want to control your budget, Mong Kok or Jordan are options, equally convenient for transport with relatively lower room rates. Accommodation in Hong Kong is on the higher side in Asia, so book early for holidays and major exhibition periods.
Country notes: Money, tipping and red lines in China →

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Must see

Places you shouldn’t miss

Classic landmarkLantau Island, Islands District, Hong Kong SAR, China

Ngong Ping and Tian Tan Buddha

A 34-metre bronze seated Buddha facing north, reached by climbing 268 stone steps — a landmark Buddhist sight of Hong Kong.

Classic landmarkCentral and Western, Hong Kong SAR, China

The Peak

The area around Hong Kong Island's highest lookout, with views over the skylines on both shores of Victoria Harbour.

Classic landmarkHong Kong SAR, China

Victoria Harbour

A natural harbour named after Britain's Queen Victoria, whose skylines on both shores and evening light show are Hong Kong's signature sights.

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