15 things to do with visitors in Hong Kong

From riding a glass-walled gondola to thrift shopping at a night market and boarding the iconic red-sail junk across Victoria Harbour, the list of things you can do with your out-of-town guests in Hong Kong is vast. Read on to discover an array of unique tourist attractions you’ll find only in this beautiful city.

1. Board the Peak Tram

With its justly famous view, The Peak is Hong Kong’s most popular tourist attraction. The extreme steepness of the Peak Tram will give guests something to talk about over lunch. Once you get to The Peak, you will find tons to do. Check out the views from Sky Terrace 428 on The Peak Tower, find your favourite celebrities at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, take fun photos at the Madness 3D Adventure or go for one of the nature walks on the trails close by.

Peak Tram Lower Terminus, 33 Garden Road, Central

2. Meet the ten thousand buddhas

Best attempted at a cooler time of year, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery is actually five temples, four pavilions, one pagoda – and 430 steep hillside steps to reach them. Make sure the walking party is forewarned and forearmed. Alongside the climb are dozens of golden and painted life-size Buddha statues, all of which are different, so take your time and catch your breath while you have a look.

Po Fook Hill, Pai Tau Village, Sha Tin

3. Ride the cable car

Hop on this Lantau cable car and be wowed by the mountainous sights as you travel over rolling emerald terrains towards the Big Buddha and the village of Ngong Ping. Expect lots of incense burning, prayers and feral buffalo wandering around the Buddha and surrounding temples.

11 Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung, Lantau

4. Go shopping at Stanley Market

If you’ve got guests in town, you’re not going to escape a trip to Stanley Market, so embrace it with a stylish arrival on Aqua Luna followed by a tasty lunch. There are restaurants aplenty on the waterfront, a great place for watching the world go by as you chit-chat with your out-of-town pal and catch up on all the news from back ‘home’. On weekends the promenade is pedestrian-only, scooter heaven for the kids.

Stanley Market Road, Stanley

5. Visit the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence

This fun museum is great for kids – they’ll love checking out the tanks and canons – and is housed in the former coastal defence fort overlooking Victoria Harbour. The museum’s permanent exhibition, 600 Years of Coastal Defence, tells the story of the defence of the territory from the Ming Dynasty, through two Opium Wars and on to the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941.

175 Tung Hei Road, Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong

6. Hike the Ping Shan Heritage Trail

This historic trail takes you through a part of Hong Kong that has been populated by the Tangs, one of the territory’s oldest clan settlers since the Yuan Dynasty in the thirteenth century. See Hong Kong’s oldest pagoda Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda, the magnificent Tang Clan Ancestral Hall and the Old Ping Shan Police Station.

Ping Shan, Yuen Long

7. Eat seafood at Aberdeen Fishing Village

Stroll along the Aberdeen Promenade from the Aberdeen Wholesale Fish Market at the western end – don’t forget to check out the catch of the day – to the east side where you can hop on a sampan for a tour of the typhoon shelter. During the tour, you will get to come close to the floating fishing village which is still semi-home to a number of the boat-dwelling Tanka people.

8. Learn something new at the Museum of Medical Sciences

Discover Hong Kong’s rich medical history tucked away in Sheung Wan. Find out how ‘rat bins’ were used in the early days of the colony to control outbreaks of bubonic plague, see x-rays of bound feet and take a closer look at old-style acupuncture needles. This small but fascinating museum mixes traditional Chinese medicine with modern Western techniques for an all-around view of how the medical industry has developed over the years.

2 Caine Lane, Mid-Levels

9. Spot the many Tin Hau Temples in the city

Trek through the streets of Hong Kong and discover the numerous temples of Tin Hau, goddess of the sea. Many of these sacred buildings have rich histories and are protected historic structures of the city. Among them, Yau Ma Tei’s temple is the largest on Kowloon side and stands as the bastion of Temple Street.

Multiple locations including Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei. Click here for the full list of locations.

10. Zen out at Chi Lin Nunnery

This large Buddhist complex in Diamond Hill was founded in the 1930s as a retreat for Buddhist nuns. It was rebuilt in the 1990s following traditional Tang Dynasty architecture – constructed entirely from cypress wood, using no nails, and is, in fact, the world’s largest handmade wooden building. Once you’ve viewed the nunnery, stroll through over 3.5 hectares of landscaped gardens at the surrounding Nan Lian Gardens.

5 Chi Lin Drive, Diamond Hill

11. Discover Chinese tea culture

Discover ancient Chinese tea culture and the art of tea preparation at this tiny museum inside Hong Kong Park. Flagstaff House was once the residence of the commander of the British Forces and was built in 1846. It now houses over 600 pieces of teaware as well as a small children’s play area with toy tea sets.

10 Cotton Tree Drive, Central

12. Haggle your way through a night market

Bag a bargain, haggle to your heart’s content, ‘fess up to a fortune teller, it’s all happening on Temple Street come nightfall. And when you’re done, take the weight off your feet (and the pressure off your purse) with a beer and some noodles from a roadside food stall – we’re not talking high glamour here, expect plastic seating and toilet roll napkins. But the service is efficient and the food tasty and inexpensive.

Temple Street, Jordan

13. Go on a Pink Dolphin Sighting Tour

They may be under threat like never before, but Hong Kong’s pink dolphins are still bobbing around off north Lantau. Meet them with Hong Kong’s most reputable tour group, Hong Kong DolphinWatch. The team has been leading ecological tours to see the endangered dolphins since 1995 and sightings are more-or-less guaranteed.

Contact Hong Kong DolphinWatch at 2984 1414

14. Soak up the sun at Chung Hom Kok Beach

Chung Hom Kok Beach is a winner for young ones and adults alike. Although there is a climb down several steps from Chung Hom Kok Road, it’s worth the effort for the fabulously secluded beach. If your guests can manage it, bring coal and sausages and take advantage of the BBQ pits.

Chung Hom Kok Road, Chung Hom Kok

15. Explore Lamma Island

Yung Shue Wan, located in the northwest of Lamma Island, is filled with alleyways bursting with trinket shops, restaurants, bars and organic shops. It’s also a short walk to two beaches: Power Station Beach, home to the island’s Full Moon Parties, and the busier Hung Shing Yeh Beach, with lifeguards.

Featured image courtesy of Ron Reiring.