Hong Kong

Harbour, Islands and Hidden Trails

Beyond the towers, Hong Kong is surprisingly green. Over 70 percent of its land is countryside, and a network of long-distance trails winds across rugged ridges with sweeping sea views. Take the Star Ferry across the harbour at dusk when the skyline blazes gold, then escape the city entirely on the outlying islands. Lantau offers Buddhist monasteries and long sandy beaches; Lamma is a breezy fishing village that feels a world away from Central.

A Food Lover's Paradise

Eating is Hong Kong's great civic religion. Dim sum trolleys rattle through cavernous teahouses from before sunrise, wonton noodle shops operate out of spaces barely bigger than a wardrobe, and the city has more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than almost anywhere else on Earth. Whether you are pulling a milk tea at a cha chaan teng, working through a roast goose at Yung Kee, or grazing a street-food lane in Sham Shui Po, every meal here is an occasion.

Watch Hong Kong Come Alive

The nightly Symphony of Lights laser show transforms Victoria Harbour into a spectacle of colour, while the Lunar New Year brings a city-wide explosion of lanterns, firecrackers, and flower markets. Shopping runs from Temple Street night bazaars to the flagship boutiques of Causeway Bay, and the arts scene punches well above its weight at venues like the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the West Kowloon Cultural District. Few cities reward slow exploration more generously.