Travel in Hong Kong: when to go, places and advice
A forest of towers wedged between the sea and tropical mountains: Hong Kong is the most spectacular skyline in the world, but also 260 islands, ridge trails, fishing villages on stilts and temples hazy with incense. You go from the century-old Star Ferry to the double-decker tram, from a starred dim sum to a night market, from the Peak to the great Buddha of Lantau. Dense, vertical, insomniac: a world-city lived at full speed.
- Capital
- Hong Kong
- Currency
- Hong Kong dollar (HK$)
- Language
- Cantonese, English
- Direct flight
- ≈ 12 hr from Paris
- Time difference
- +7 hr in winter, +6 hr in summer
Itineraries
Our trip ideas in Hong Kong
The itineraries in Hong Kong are in the works: the day-by-day programme, named hotels, tickets to book flagged in advance. Leave your address to be notified when they come out.
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The right season
When to go in Hong Kong?
From October to December, Hong Kong shows its best face: dry air, clear skies, 22 to 26 °C. Winter remains mild and workable, spring turns misty and clammy. From June to September, heavy heat, showers and a typhoon risk: the city then lives from one air-conditioned space to the next. The big Chinese festivals fill hotels and ferries, plan ahead.
- January : Pleasant
- February : Pleasant
- March : Pleasant
- April : Pleasant
- May : In-between
- June : Avoid
- July : Avoid
- August : Avoid
- September : In-between
- October : Ideal
- November : Ideal
- December : Ideal
- Ideal
- Pleasant
- In-between
- Avoid
Quick guide
Understanding Hong Kong
Getting around
The Octopus card pays for everything: the ultra-efficient MTR, the double-decker tram, the Star Ferry and even the convenience stores. Ferries serve the islands. The Peak funicular remains the mythical ascent.
Money
The Hong Kong dollar (HK$). Cards accepted almost everywhere, but the dai pai dong and small family restaurants run on cash. No tipping, service is included.
Language
Cantonese dominates, English remains official: bilingual signage everywhere, no trouble getting around. Mandarin is gaining ground.
Useful apps
A digital Octopus in your phone, MTR Mobile for routes, OpenRice to find the best tables and HKTaxi when Uber keeps you waiting.
Accommodation
The price per square metre shows: tiny but well-placed rooms in Tsim Sha Tsui or Causeway Bay. Wan Chai and Sheung Wan offer the best charm-to-budget balance.
Etiquette
Leave the left of the escalator clear for those in a hurry, tap two fingers on the table when tea is poured for you, and share the round tables without ceremony: that is the Cantonese norm.
The iconic places
Victoria Peak
Hong Kong Island
The absolute panorama over the forest of towers and the harbour, reached by the 1888 funicular. At dusk, as the lights come on.
Star Ferry
Victoria Harbour
Ten minutes of mythical crossing between Kowloon and the island, for a few dollars. The city's finest view is from the water.
Big Buddha of Lantau
Ngong Ping
34 m of seated bronze in the mountains of Lantau, reached by a cable car over the sea and the jungle.
Temple Street
Kowloon
The great night market: stalls, fortune tellers, improvised Cantonese opera and seafood on folding tables.
Tai O
Lantau
The fishing village on stilts, its fish-drying racks and its pink dolphins: the Hong Kong from before the skyscrapers.
Dragon's Back
Shek O
The most famous ridge hike in urban Asia: an hour and a half of trail between sea and hills, Big Wave Bay beach at the end.
Tap a dot, or browse the list below the map.
- Victoria Peak : The panorama over the skyline
- Star Ferry : The mythical harbour crossing
- Temple Street : The night market of Kowloon
- Wong Tai Sin : The temple of granted wishes
- Big Buddha : The bronze Buddha of Lantau
- Tai O : The village on stilts
- Dragon's Back : The great ridge hike
- Sai Kung : Beaches and a wild peninsula