Hong Kong feels like many cities rolled into one. In a single weekend, you can wander among skyscrapers, hike lush trails, and relax on a beach. Visitors can glimpse the city’s colonial past in revitalized architecture, and see how new structures lend a futuristic vibe to rapidly developing thoroughfares. Combining the flourishing economy of London or Tokyo, the cultural heights of New York or Paris, and the best of East and West, Hong Kong constantly surprises travelers.
In terms of food, curry fish balls, pineapple buns, and egg tarts come together into a melting pot that showcases flavors from every culture that has touched the city. Take one turn and you may find a new bakery selling innovative pastries. Take another to find a small y serving snake soup. A third turn might take you to a street full of modern cafes offering locally roasted coffee beans, or a historic dim sum spot, or a bustling night market, or — it goes on and on. Especially in the food scene but all over the city too, Hong Kong overdelivers.
When to visit: In fall and winter (September to April), the weather is dry and breezy. Those seasons also include some of the city’s biggest festivities: Mid-Autumn Festival, Christmas, China’s National Day, and Chinese New Year, the latter two celebrated with large-scale fireworks on the harbor.
Where to stay: Accommodation rates vary across the city, and higher-end, five-star hotels can be especially competitive. Hotels in Kowloon and on the harbor-front are great for tourists who want panoramic views of the skyline.
Getting around: Hong Kong has a rich subway network and well-connected buses (best utilized with a preloaded Octopus Card), so rental cars are largely unnecessary for getting around the area. Bring cash (Hong Kong dollars) for small, independent businesses, though contact-free payment systems like Apple Pay and Alipay are becoming more common.
Day 1: Island old and new
8 a.m. Dim sum breakfast: Get an early-morning start in the Central district at Luk Yu Tea House. Built in 1933, the three-story restaurant has maintained its colonial-era charm even as the neighborhood has developed around it. The space is full of vintage wood furnishings and traditional art and ink calligraphy. Besides conventional har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings) and steamed buns filled with barbecued pork, the rotating menu excels in dim sum items that are fading from other spots, like variations in shu mai filled with beef, pork, pig liver, mushroom, quail egg, or other ingredients.
10 a.m. Stroll through history: Head up to the Soho district to walk off breakfast along Hollywood Road, passing Tai Kwun and PMQ, former police complexes revitalized into hubs for local retail and dining. Follow the road’s rich tapestry of old and new buildings until you reach Man Mo Temple, a Taoist temple dedicated to Chinese folk gods. Then pop over to Chu Wing Kee, a neighborhood domestic goods store now in its second generation, where the iconic red plastic piggy bank is a bestseller. And browse the mixture of cured sausages, dried mushrooms, and luxurious treats like abalone, fish maw, and sea cucumber on the Dried Seafood Street in Sheung Wan, an old neighborhood known for its marketplace of Chinese medicinal herbs.
12:30 p.m. Grab a scenic ride: Hop on the tram (aka the Ding Ding) eastward to North Point. Settle upstairs for a tour as the tram passes through the Central business district and Victoria Park. Hop off at Chun Yeung Street Wet Market to check out the seasonal produce, before heading to Tak Hing Loong Tofu Shop, a family-run shop that’s been making soy milk and tofu products with a stone mill for over six decades. Go for the tofu pudding, and top it with yellow sugar — just remember, for many locals, “not so sweet” is the highest compliment one can give a dessert.
2 p.m. Courtside lunch: Head over to the members-only South China Sports Association in Causeway Bay. Next to the bowling alley, you’ll find Kamcentre Roast Goose, a public restaurant specializing in Chinese barbecue. Start with the watercress soup (almost as thick as French veloute), followed by the glossy, mahogany pipa goose: a spatchcocked bird slathered with five-spice marinade, roasted, and presented on a stand like a Chinese pipa, a guitar-like instrument. Also consider the thick-cut barbecued pork, which is charred, unctuous, and great with steamed rice.
4:30 p.m. Scenic hilltop walk: Head to the Peak Terminus for a ride on the Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak to stroll round the 2-mile Peak Circle Walk. After you’re done with your obligatory pictures of the view, stop by Bakehouse, a popular local bakery chain, for a taste of the signature sourdough egg tart or a savory baked good, and Halfway Coffee, another local cafe chain, where you can try drinks made with local ingredients like the longan honey latte.
8:30 p.m. Sizzling rice pot: As the city lights up, head back to Sheung Wan for a taste of Hong Kong’s clay pot rice at Kwan Kee. This neighborhood shop opens daily at 5:30 p.m., but queues form an hour earlier, even for folks with reservations. There’s usually less of a wait for the second seating. The rice, made a la minute and decorated with a myriad of toppings, comes in several variations: The pork patty with salted fish and the chicken with shiitake mushrooms are favorites.
10 p.m. Cocktail bar hopping: At night, Hong Kong’s world-famous cocktail scene comes alive, especially in the Soho district. Start at Gokan, co-founded by renowned mixologist Shingo Gokan, with a Watermelon Koffeezz, a take on a gin fizz with clarified watermelon juice and coffee from Japan’s Koffee Mameya. Next grab a zesty daiquiri, arguably the best in town, from Sugar King, a small bodega-style rum bar operated by American bar veteran John Nugent and partner Angel Chiu. Then pop over to Bar Leone, a legendary institution ranked No. 1 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, for Lorenzo Antinori and Justin Shun Wah’s humorous takes on Italian flavors, like an olive oil sour, paired with the iconic mortadella sandwich and signature smoked olives. Finish with a flight of agave at three-time Asia’s 50 Best Bars winner Coa, headed by veteran mixologist Jay Khan.
Day 2: Kowloon and beyond
8 a.m. Village breakfast: Start your second day at Duen Kee, a classic dim sum restaurant in the village of Chuen Long, where locals grow patches of watercress up the green slopes of Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s tallest peak. Morning hikers and local uncles frequent the restaurant, where customers choose from a self-serve array of teas and baskets of dim sum. Find a spot to sit on the second floor with a view of the greenery.
10:30 a.m. Mochi time: Head south to Tsuen Wan to visit Man Fung Noodle Shop — not for noodles, but mochi. The glutinous rice treats are filled generously with a selection of black sesame, peanut, desiccated coconut, and trendy options like pistachio.
11 a.m. Moment of zen: Cross to the Diamond Hill neighborhood to visit the Chi Lin Nunnery and the adjacent Nan Lian Garden, which offer a one-two combo of architectural wonder and zen vibes in a hideaway surrounded by residential high-rise buildings.
1 p.m. Homey lunch: Check out Chong Fat Chiu Chow Restaurant, where fresh, seasonal Teochew fare is on display in the open kitchen, including steamed flower crab served cold, goose braised in spicy marinade, tiny mussels stir-fried with basil, and pan-fried chive dumplings.
3 p.m. Stock up on food souvenirs: Take a short walk over to Walled City Park, which features remnants of a range of historical buildings from the area. After a quick stroll, shop your way through the adjacent market district, home to large Teochew and Thai communities. Chinese tea lovers will love Ming Heung Tea Shop, a shophouse that sells loose Tieguanyin (a variety of oolong) toasted over traditional charcoal pits. Kwai Yue Zai offers boxes of Teochew sweets, ranging from festival favorites such as ultra-flaky mooncakes to soft, chewy peanut fudge. Goodies originally sold dried seafood when it opened in 2007, but has since expanded to small-batch Chinese condiments and other local pantry staples; the shop stocks a great selection of nibbles, including Chinese dried prunes and candied citrus peels. For a slightly more substantial snack, try Islam Food, a halal restaurant cooking up the city’s juiciest beef patty, tinged with cumin.
5:30 p.m. Quintessential dai pai dong: Dinner from a street vendor is a must for first-time visitors to Hong Kong. Oi Man Sang expanded from a standalone stall into a dine-in space along the quiet streets of Sham Shui Po. The kitchen brings theatrics to every meal with fiery Cantonese stir-fries that are ready within minutes, sometimes even seconds of your order, at the hot wok stations outside of the restaurant. Deep-fried squid with pepper salt is a good way to start, while the stir-fried beef with potato cubes and sweet and sour pork are must-haves. Sit by the blazing stove with a cold beer and watch chefs at work.
9 p.m. Night market: After dinner, pop down to the Temple Street night market to stroll among the street food stalls selling simmering beef offal, steamed shu mai (fish or pork dumplings), and clay pot rice. You can squeeze in one last savory bite for the day, or try the Cantonese desserts at Kai Kai Dessert, the Michelin-recommended dessert shop specializing in sweet soups such as sweet potato and ginger or sweet walnut puree.
8 a.m. Super fast-casual breakfast: Start your third day not far from where the second ended, with breakfast at Australian Dairy Company, a cha chaan teng known for speedy breakfasts of scrambled eggs, omelette sandwiches, and milk tea. Service moves fast, so read the menu while waiting in line and be ready with your order once you’re seated.
9 a.m. Visit the landmarks: Tsim Sha Tsui includes many of the city’s heavy hitters in terms of sights. Spend the morning touring your pick of Kowloon Park, the Xiqu Centre (home of Cantonese opera), the Clock Tower, the 1881 Heritage mall, the Cultural Centre, and the Hong Kong Museum of Art.
12 p.m. Peking duck: The Regent Hong Kong is home to one of the city’s most celebrated restaurants: two-Michelin-starred Lai Ching Heen. Nestled along the harbor, the restaurant serves up Cantonese dim sum, including golden stuffed crab and wok-fried wagyu with cauliflower and mushrooms. But it’s the Peking duck, carved tableside, that stops the show every time. The restaurant also offers tea service with artisanal brews and tea pairings for the food menu.
3 p.m. Souvenirs for cooks: Shanghai Street is where many restaurants source their equipment, making it an ideal spot to stock up on bamboo cutting boards, glassware, and handcrafted cleavers at purveyors like Chan Chi Kee Cutlery Company. Try lifestyle goods store Hak Dei for locally manufactured Camel brand thermoses, thick-rimmed milk tea cups, and traditional blue-and-white porcelain bowls.
4:30 p.m. Fresh snack: Not far from Chan Chi Kee, you’ll find the Yau Ma Tei wholesale fruit market, where suppliers import and distribute fruit all over the city. Visitors can also purchase fresh fruits from around the world — like seasonal Japanese strawberries, Indian Alphonso mangoes, Chinese lychees, and Mediterranean stone fruits — from a few vendors in the area. Then head back to your hotel to freshen up before dinner.
6 p.m. A grand finale: Just across the harbor, in the Central district, two of the city’s hardest to book restaurants live in the same building, offering a choose-your-own adventure to end your weekend. One is the Chairman, where owner Danny Yip and head chef Kwok Keung Tung deliver a polished set menu pulling from the tried-and-true Cantonese repertoire. Meals notably feature a fantastic steamed flower crab with aged Shaoxing wine and chicken fat. The restaurant requires booking months ahead, but a table is almost certainly worth changing your travel itinerary for.
The other restaurant is Wing, where chef-owner Vicky Cheng applies French culinary training to seasonal, contemporary Chinese cuisine. Notable dishes include the fragrant chile Alaskan king crab with crispy cheung fun (rice noodles) and the signature crispy sea cucumber spring roll with green onions. Meals can run close to three hours, but every minute is worth it. A post-dinner ferry ride across the harbor is the ideal way to end your stay in Hong Kong.
