One day in Hong Kong

Day by day

1. Day 1: Victoria Peak and the Peak Tram and Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars

   Victoria Peak and the Peak Tram, Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars, Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery and Hollywood Road and Man Mo Temple, then Star Ferry in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Victoria Peak and the Peak Tram

      Go up an hour before sunset, walk Lugard Road as the lights come on, and return by bus 15 or taxi if the tram queue is long. Allow 2–3 hours.

   2. Late morning

      Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars

      Combine the light show with a Star Ferry ride back to Central to see the lights from the water. Allow 1 hour.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Dim sum

      Traditional dim sum halls across the city and Michelin-listed budget dim sum chains in Sham Shui Po and Central.

   4. Afternoon

      Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery

      Start early to beat the cable car queues, and check that it is running; it closes for maintenance and in strong winds. Allow Half a day.

   5. Late afternoon

      Hollywood Road and Man Mo Temple

      Ride the Mid-Levels Escalator up from Central, walk west along Hollywood Road, and finish with coffee on Tai Ping Shan Street. Allow 2 hours.

   6. Evening

      Star Ferry

      Sit on the upper deck on the side facing the skyline; the Tsim Sha Tsui-bound trip has the best view of Hong Kong Island.

Before you go

• Victoria Peak and the Peak Tram: Buy Peak Tram tickets online or with an Octopus card to skip the ticket queue, though the boarding queue remains at busy times.
• Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery: Book cable car tickets online for weekends and holidays; a crystal (glass-floored) cabin costs more.

If it rains

• Swap in Tai Kwun (Central): Enter from the Mid-Levels Escalator on Hollywood Road and finish with a drink in one of the courtyard bars.
• Swap in M+ (West Kowloon): Walk out to the Art Park lawn afterwards for one of the widest skyline views in Kowloon.
• Swap in Hong Kong Palace Museum (West Kowloon): Special exhibitions can need separate timed tickets; check what is showing before you go.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 8–10 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 10.8 hours in December to 13.5 hours in June.

Getting between stops: Metro. The MTR runs from about 6am to around 1am, with trains every few minutes on core lines.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Hong Kong
• 3 days in Hong Kong
• 4 days in Hong Kong
• 5 days in Hong Kong
• 7 days in Hong Kong

Questions travellers ask