Hong Kong holidays

Holiday highlights

When people envisage Hong Kong with its impressive skyline dominated by the glittering glass of soaring buildings, backed by green peaks, it is most likely Hong Kong Island that they see. Home to the economic, historical and political centre, this is the city’s heart where you will discover the shopping, entertainment and commercial heart on the north coast of the island on the southern shore of the deep Victoria Harbour.

Marvel at the blend of man-made and natural landscapes from Victoria Peak above the central region of Hong Kong Island, overlooking the streets, skyscrapers, harbour and Kowloon Peninsula below. Wander through the neon city and savour an array of peculiar delicacies such as shredded jellyfish, the potent tofu or snake soup, before signing up for a t’ai chi session at dawn.

For a city view from sea level take the Star Ferry between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon and, upon disembarkation, explore the shopping mecca of Tsim Sha Tsui including the Harbour City shopping centre. The Kowloon Walled City Park was once the site of a Qing Dynasty military station which grew to become a large sprawling city during the 20th Century. In the early 1990s the chaotic buildings were demolished and replaced with a park, where, to this day you can still see a number of structures and relics from the city as well as the beautiful Qing Dynasty garden.

For those who want to escape the hustle of the modern city, wander the charming Ping Shan Heritage Trail in the New Territories. At just under one mile long, the trail passes through villages and past a number of historic Chinese buildings including pagodas, temples and a walled village, as well as historic ancestral study halls.

For beaches, traditional markets and laid back cafes, head to the island’s south coast. For serious shoppers there is no rival to the vast malls and stalls that line the streets on the Kowloon Peninsula that forms the northern shore of Victoria Harbour, facing Hong Kong Island. Explore the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, famous for high end stores, sprawling shopping complexes and street traders hawking their wares. To experience a taste of rural life, visit the New Territories where mountainous country parks are interspersed with a number of new towns and an array of both ancient and modern temples and monasteries. This is a real change of pace from the concentrated urban energy that pervades both Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula.