Things to do · Hong Kong · China
19 best things to do in Hong Kong
19 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Baycrest, CC BY-SA 2.5
Quick answer
The essential sights in Hong Kong are Victoria Peak and the Peak Tram, Star Ferry and Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars. Of the 19 picks below, 11 are free, 3 work on a rainy day and 8 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Victoria Peak and the Peak Tram
- Free sights
- 11
- Good on a rainy day
- Tai Kwun
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria Peak and the Peak Tram | The Peak | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Star Ferry | Victoria Harbour | 10 minutes | Low cost |
| Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars | Tsim Sha Tsui | 1 hour | Free |
| Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery | Lantau Island | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Hollywood Road and Man Mo Temple | Sheung Wan | 2 hours | Free |
| Tai Kwun | Central | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Temple Street Night Market | Yau Ma Tei | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Ladies' Market and Mong Kok street markets | Mong Kok | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Wong Tai Sin Temple | Wong Tai Sin | 1 hour | Free |
| Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden | Diamond Hill | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| M+ | West Kowloon | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Hong Kong Palace Museum | West Kowloon | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Dragon's Back hike | Shek O Country Park | 3–4 hours | Free |
| Hong Kong Disneyland | Lantau Island | Full day | Expensive |
| Ocean Park | Aberdeen | Full day | Expensive |
| Tai O fishing village | Lantau Island | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Hong Kong Tramways | Hong Kong Island | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Kowloon Walled City Park | Kowloon City | 1 hour | Free |
| Hong Kong Park | Admiralty | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
The 19 best things to do
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Viewpoint · The Peak
1.Victoria Peak and the Peak Tram
The Peak Tram has hauled passengers up a steep track from Garden Road since 1888, arriving at the Peak Tower about 400 metres above the harbour. The Sky Terrace 428 rooftop charges entry, but the free Lugard Road loop — an easy 3.5 km walk on a ledge path — gives equally fine views over Central and Kowloon.
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.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Book ahead
- Buy Peak Tram tickets online or with an Octopus card to skip the ticket queue, though the boarding queue remains at busy times.
- Iconic
- Views
- Couples
- After dark
- Photo spot
Experience · Victoria Harbour
2.Star Ferry
Green-and-white Star Ferry boats have crossed Victoria Harbour since the 19th century, linking Tsim Sha Tsui with Central in under ten minutes for a few Hong Kong dollars. It is the simplest way to see both skylines from the water.
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.
- Time needed
- 10 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- After dark
Waterfront · Tsim Sha Tsui
3.Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars
The harbourfront walk from the Clock Tower to the Avenue of Stars, with its Bruce Lee statue and film-star handprints, faces the full sweep of the Hong Kong Island skyline. The free Symphony of Lights show of lasers and building lights runs nightly at 8pm.
Combine the light show with a Star Ferry ride back to Central to see the lights from the water.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- After dark
- Views
- Photo spot
- Kids
Religious site · Lantau Island
4.Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery
The 34-metre bronze Big Buddha sits on a hilltop at Ngong Ping on Lantau, reached by 268 steps beside the colourful Po Lin Monastery. Most visitors arrive on the Ngong Ping 360 cable car, a 25-minute ride from Tung Chung with views over the airport and the mountains; bus 23 is the slower, low-cost alternative.
Start early to beat the cable car queues, and check that it is running; it closes for maintenance and in strong winds.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Book cable car tickets online for weekends and holidays; a crystal (glass-floored) cabin costs more.
- Iconic
- Views
- History
- Kids
- Outdoors
Street · Sheung Wan
5.Hollywood Road and Man Mo Temple
One of Hong Kong's oldest roads, Hollywood Road is lined with antique and art shops and leads to Man Mo Temple, built in the 1840s and dedicated to the gods of literature and war. Giant incense coils hang from its smoky ceiling. The steps of nearby Upper Lascar Row (Cat Street) hold a curio market.
Ride the Mid-Levels Escalator up from Central, walk west along Hollywood Road, and finish with coffee on Tai Ping Shan Street.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Shopping
- Photo spot
Historic site · Central
6.Tai Kwun
The restored Central Police Station, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison form a heritage and arts complex of colonial buildings around two courtyards, with free contemporary-art galleries, heritage displays in old cells, restaurants and bars.
Enter from the Mid-Levels Escalator on Hollywood Road and finish with a drink in one of the courtyard bars.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Market · Yau Ma Tei
7.Temple Street Night Market
From late afternoon, stalls fill Temple Street with clothes, gadgets and trinkets, fortune tellers set up near the Tin Hau temple and dai pai dong-style restaurants put out tables for claypot rice and seafood. It is best for atmosphere and food rather than shopping bargains.
Come after dark for a claypot rice or seafood dinner and haggle politely for anything you buy.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Food
- Shopping
Market · Mong Kok
8.Ladies' Market and Mong Kok street markets
Tung Choi Street's Ladies' Market sells clothes, bags and souvenirs from about a hundred stalls, while the streets nearby specialise: the Goldfish Market with fish in hanging bags, the Flower Market on Flower Market Road and the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden where elderly men bring caged songbirds.
Visit the Flower Market and Bird Garden in the morning, then work south to the Ladies' Market as stalls open in the afternoon.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Kids
- Photo spot
Religious site · Wong Tai Sin
1.Wong Tai Sin Temple
Hong Kong's busiest Taoist temple is famous for kau cim fortune-telling: worshippers shake bamboo sticks until one falls, then have it interpreted by soothsayers in the arcade below. Its red pillars and gold roofs sit right above the Wong Tai Sin MTR station.
Combine with Chi Lin Nunnery, two MTR stops away, for a half-day of temples and gardens.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
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Garden · Diamond Hill
2.Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden
Chi Lin is a Buddhist nunnery rebuilt in Tang dynasty style from interlocking timber without nails, set around lotus ponds. Across the road, Nan Lian Garden is a classical Chinese garden with a golden pavilion, rock formations and bonsai, all free to enter.
Walk the garden's loop towards the golden Pavilion of Absolute Perfection for the classic photo with skyscrapers behind.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Couples
- Off the beaten path
- Photo spot
Museum · West Kowloon
3.M+
M+ is a museum of visual culture that opened in 2021 in the West Kowloon Cultural District, covering 20th- and 21st-century art, design, architecture and moving image with a focus on Asia. Its galleries are large, and the waterfront Art Park outside looks straight across the harbour to Central.
Walk out to the Art Park lawn afterwards for one of the widest skyline views in Kowloon.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Views
Museum · West Kowloon
4.Hong Kong Palace Museum
Opened in 2022 near M+, the Hong Kong Palace Museum shows paintings, ceramics, imperial costumes and other treasures on loan from Beijing's Palace Museum, in rotating exhibitions across nine galleries.
Special exhibitions can need separate timed tickets; check what is showing before you go.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Timed tickets are released online and the most popular exhibitions sell out on weekends.
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Nature · Shek O Country Park
5.Dragon's Back hike
This ridge walk on the island's south-east follows an undulating spine with views over Shek O, Big Wave Bay and the South China Sea. The classic route runs about 8.5 km from To Tei Wan on Shek O Road to Big Wave Bay, mostly on well-marked paths.
Take bus 9 from Shau Kei Wan MTR to To Tei Wan, finish at Big Wave Bay beach, and avoid the midday heat in summer.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Active
- Views
- Nature
Theme park · Lantau Island
6.Hong Kong Disneyland
The most compact of the Disney parks sits on Lantau with its own MTR line from Sunny Bay. Highlights include the Frozen-themed World of Frozen land, Mystic Manor and the castle night show. It suits younger children well, and a day is enough.
Visit on a weekday outside mainland and local school holidays, when queues are noticeably shorter.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Buy dated tickets online in advance; busy dates can sell out.
- Kids
- After dark
Theme park · Aberdeen
7.Ocean Park
Ocean Park combines rides, an aquarium and animal exhibits including giant pandas on a headland on the island's south side. A cable car links the lowland and the headland, with sea views over Deep Water Bay, and the Water World water park sits alongside.
Take the MTR South Island line to Ocean Park station and ride the cable car early, before queues build.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Views
- Nature
Historic site · Lantau Island
8.Tai O fishing village
On Lantau's west coast, Tai O is a fishing village of stilt houses over tidal creeks, where stalls sell dried fish and shrimp paste. Short boat trips go out to look for Chinese white dolphins, though sightings are not certain.
Pair it with the Big Buddha: bus 21 links Ngong Ping and Tai O in about 20 minutes.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Photo spot
- Off the beaten path
- Food
Experience · Hong Kong Island
9.Hong Kong Tramways
Double-decker trams, nicknamed 'ding dings', have run along the north shore of Hong Kong Island since 1904. A flat fare takes you anywhere between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan, through Central, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay, at street level.
Board at the back, grab a front seat upstairs and pay with Octopus when you get off at the front.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Views
- Photo spot
Park · Kowloon City
10.Kowloon Walled City Park
The site of the infamous Kowloon Walled City, demolished in 1993, is now a Jiangnan-style garden with ponds and pavilions. The restored yamen (government office) and the remains of the South Gate tell the story of the once lawless enclave.
Eat afterwards in Kowloon City's Thai restaurants nearby, a long-established local food quarter.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
Park · Admiralty
11.Hong Kong Park
Tucked between Admiralty's towers, Hong Kong Park has a walk-through aviary with an elevated boardwalk through the treetops, a conservatory and ponds. Flagstaff House inside the park, dating from the 1840s, houses the free Museum of Tea Ware.
Visit the aviary in the morning when the birds are most active, then walk up to the Peak Tram terminus.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Tai Kwun, M+ and Hong Kong Palace Museum |
| History | Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, Hollywood Road and Man Mo Temple, Tai Kwun and Wong Tai Sin Temple |
| Views | Victoria Peak and the Peak Tram, Star Ferry, Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars and Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery |
| Outdoors and nature | Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, Dragon's Back hike, Ocean Park and Kowloon Walled City Park |
| Food and markets | Temple Street Night Market, Ladies' Market and Mong Kok street markets and Tai O fishing village |
| After dark | Victoria Peak and the Peak Tram, Star Ferry, Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars and Temple Street Night Market |
| With children | Star Ferry, Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars, Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery and Ladies' Market and Mong Kok street markets |
| On a rainy day | Tai Kwun, M+ and Hong Kong Palace Museum |
What to book ahead
- 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.
- Hong Kong Palace Museum: Timed tickets are released online and the most popular exhibitions sell out on weekends.
- Hong Kong Disneyland: Buy dated tickets online in advance; busy dates can sell out.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Hong Kong?
Victoria Peak and the Peak Tram. The Peak Tram has hauled passengers up a steep track from Garden Road since 1888, arriving at the Peak Tower about 400 metres above the harbour.
+What can you do for free in Hong Kong?
Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars, Hollywood Road and Man Mo Temple, Tai Kwun, Temple Street Night Market and Ladies' Market and Mong Kok street markets. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Hong Kong when it rains?
Head indoors to Tai Kwun, M+ and Hong Kong Palace Museum.
+What is there to do in Hong Kong at night?
Victoria Peak and the Peak Tram, Star Ferry, Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and Avenue of Stars and Temple Street Night Market are best after dark.