Last updated July 26, 2026 · Editorial policy
More: When to visit Hong Kong · Hong Kong travel guide
Quick Answer
The best things to do in Hong Kong are Victoria Peak at dusk, the Star Ferry across the harbour, Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau, Temple Street Night Market, proper trolley dim sum and the Dragon’s Back hike. Here are 10, with when to do each.
Hong Kong packs skyline, mountains, islands and one of the world’s great food cultures into a very small area — and much of the best of it is cheap or free. These 10 experiences are the ones worth building a few days around.
10 Best Things to Do in Hong Kong
1. Victoria Peak at dusk
Take the Peak Tram up before sunset and watch the harbour light up. Go on a clear winter day — summer haze often hides the view entirely.
2. The Star Ferry
Ten minutes across Victoria Harbour for a couple of Hong Kong dollars — still the best-value view in the city, running since 1888.
3. Tian Tan Buddha & Ngong Ping, Lantau
A 34-metre bronze Buddha reached by cable car over the mountains, with the Po Lin Monastery beside it.
4. Temple Street Night Market
Kowloon after dark: fortune tellers, dai pai dong seafood and street stalls that only get going after 8pm.
5. Dim sum in a proper tea house
Trolley service at Lin Heung or Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan — either way, go early and share tables.
6. Dragon's Back hike
An hour from Central, this ridge trail gives sea views over Shek O and ends at a beach — Hong Kong’s best short hike.
7. Man Mo Temple, Sheung Wan
Coils of incense hanging from the ceiling of a 19th-century temple, wedged between antique shops on Hollywood Road.
8. Cheung Chau or Lamma Island
Car-free outlying islands, thirty minutes by ferry, with seafood restaurants and fishing-village pace.
9. Sham Shui Po markets
Fabric, electronics and the city’s best cheap eats — the least polished and most rewarding district for wandering.
10. A Symphony of Lights harbourfront walk
Free nightly light show at 8pm, best watched from the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade rather than the Island side.
Practical tips
Get an Octopus card on arrival — it works on the MTR, buses, the Star Ferry and in convenience stores, and saves fumbling for change. Autumn (October to December) has the clearest air and most comfortable temperatures; summer is hot, humid and hazy, which ruins Peak views. The MTR reaches almost everywhere quickly, but the ferries and trams are worth taking for their own sake. Most temples and markets are free; the biggest costs are the Peak Tram and the Ngong Ping cable car.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.