Hong Kong is one of the great city destinations.
Exciting, with a pace of life that has two speeds: fast and faster!
Essentially, the city is split in two, separated by the harbour. You have either Kowloon side or Hong Kong Island, with good connections linking the two, either by Star Ferry or by the highly impressive MTR subway link.
Travel time from the UK approximately 12 hours.
Hong Kong is without a doubt one of the most charismatic cities! In our view, an absolute must on any Far East touring holiday.
Superb shopping, either in the upscale malls or the more authentic street markets. Equally good sightseeing, with a visit to one of the many small islands offering a total contrast – but try to avoid weekends or public holidays.
Visit the Peak for super views. Fantastic variety of cuisine. Service is usually highly efficient, although the emphasis might be on speed, not smiles!
Check to see if your hotel has a rooftop bar – if not, plan to visit one that does. The nighttime neon light show is amazing.
Quick Facts
- Hong Kong is home to over 7.5 million people packed into just 1,106 square kilometers, making it one of the most densely populated places in the world.
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Hong Kong boasts more skyscrapers than any other city globally, with over 8,000 high-rise buildings.
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The Octopus Card is a smart card used for public transportation, shopping, and dining, making it a must-have for visitors.
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A Foodie’s Paradise, known for its diverse cuisine, ranging from Michelin-starred restaurants to street food stalls offering iconic dishes like dim sum, roast goose, and egg tarts.
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A former British colony until 1997, Hong Kong is a unique blend of Chinese traditions and British influences, reflected in its culture, architecture, and legal system.
If this is your first visit, invest in a room with a harbour view.
Things to see and do
Hong Kong is a work-hard/play-hard city that never seems to sleep; it just pauses for a few hours to catch its breath!
Take time to explore on foot. Just walking the streets can be fascinating, but take headed notepaper from your hotel to assist with return directions. Or take a tram ride and just enjoy the sights.
The subway transport system is one of the most efficient and well-organised and links all of the main points, both on HK Island and Kowloon.
The Star Ferry is simply a “must have experience”. Enquire about a tourist pass for your convenience.
Check to see if there is a horse race meeting scheduled. There are two tracks, one at Happy Valley (near Causeway Bay), usually for night racing. The other can be found in Sha Tin in the New Territories. A real experience, even if you do not gamble. The season is usually September to July.
Visit Aberdeen for the Floating Junk Boats, some offering tours of Victoria Harbour or the surrounding islands.
Get some retail therapy in Stanley or the Ladies Market for bargain shopping. Very little is the genuine article, but the prices are very negotiable.
Head up to Lan Kwai Fong, a vibrant nightlife district filled with bars, clubs, and restaurants.
The Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden is a serene Buddhist temple complex and landscaped garden offering a peaceful escape from the city bustle.
Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts is a revitalised colonial-era police station turned into a hub for art, culture, and history.
Explore Kowloon Walled City Park. Once a lawless enclave, this park now offers a peaceful retreat with historical significance.
Explore Lamma Island, a laid-back island with hiking trails, seafood restaurants, and a slower pace of life.
Sai Kung Peninsula is known as Hong Kong’s “back garden”. It has pristine beaches, hiking trails, and fantastic seafood restaurants.
Weatherwise
Your decision to visit will probably not be influenced by the weather, but the winter months can be akin to a UK early spring day with colder evenings. The midsummer months can be humid with the chance of the occasional cyclone (typhoon).
Hong Kong citizens love their air conditioning on high, particularly in shopping malls. A light wrap might be suggested!
Our featured hotels would be our suggestions; however, through our local agents, we have contract rates at many more.
If We Were To Be Critical…
With the exception of The Upper House, hotel rooms are generally on the compact side.
It is one of the main commercial/corporate cities of the world, so expect to see more business attire than leisurewear at times. This particularly applies to hotels in the Central/Admiralty Districts. It is the venue for many trade shows, conferences and exhibitions.
"There's no such thing as the best hotel, just the right one..."
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CHIC Locations Terms and Booking Conditions PDF
All price guides are Per Person Sharing Double Room (Entry level), based on travel between May and/or June when prices are generally at their lowest and include promotional offers. Supplements will probably apply at other times, particularly mid-summer in the Med, and for rooms and/or transfers arranged for single travellers.
For example, the Caribbean and Indian Ocean prices for winter can be approximately double the May - June level and about 50% more in Asia. For the Mediterranean & Canary Islands, Caribbean, Arabia and the Indian Ocean (except Sri Lanka) price guides generally include airfare and transfers.
*For Sri Lanka and Far East we show a per-person, per-night hotel guide, excluding air fare, as arrangements tend to be individually tailored multi-centre itineraries.
Please refer to Travel Advice on our home page or look at www.fco.gov.uk as the Foreign Office may have issued specific destination information on safety and terrorism.
All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.
Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.caa.co.uk.
Some of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. This website will provide you with information on the protection that applies in the case of each holiday and travel service offered before you make your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected.
