Hong Kong’s food scene is famed for its variety and accessibility – budget is no barrier to eating well here. Alongside the upscale fine diners such as the abalone-serving Forum in Causeway Bay, there’s a tantalising tally of Michelin-starred eateries that are ideal for a fuss-free lunch stop. Our faves? Sheung Hei Claypot Rice (G/F, 25 North Street, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong Island) and noodle shop Ho Hung Kee (Shop 1204-1205, 12F, Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay), where ordering the signature dish is the best way to start. 

Even locals perpetually revisit the district south of Hollywood Road (aka SoHo) where pop-up stores come and go as quickly as steam from a shāomai. This lively little area has plenty of to-sees to tick off: from Man Mo Temple and its twisted coils of incense to Cat Street Market and the plethora of antiques and souvenirs that populate its stalls, SoHo is packed with activity, day or night. 

A journey on the 6th Generation Peak Tram, a route that zooms up picturesque Victoria Peak, reveals one of Hong Kong’s most visually impressive juxtapositions: glittering skyscrapers fringed by the city’s verdant natural surrounds. The ride to the top takes around eight minutes and in that short amount of time, you’ll climb to around 400 metres above sea level, revealing incredible views of the city below.

With a bubbly texture and the flavour of a sponge cake/cookie hybrid, this beloved street food is a sweet sensation on the streets of Hong Kong. There are near-infinite versions of gai daan zai (Cantonese for “egg waffles”), from mochi to matcha and red bean, and almost as many places to sample them. Any outlet of the Mammy Pancake chain is a widespread favourite, as is Tai O Wah Kee Egg Waffles.

A sprawling space of public parks, museums and spectacular harbour views, the 40 hectares of reclaimed harbourside land that comprise the West Kowloon Cultural District can occupy an afternoon (or several). A visit to M+, an electrifying museum celebrating contemporary visual culture is a highlight, for both its position on the harbourfront and its high-energy exhibitions, from a tribute Hong Kong’s historic neon signs to colourful photographic collections that capture the energy of the city. 

Kids will love the novelty of floating across the Central-Mid-Levels escalator network, a covered system of 18 escalators and three inclined moving walkways that combine for a full journey length of around 800 metres between Central and Conduit Road. The atmospheric 20-minute expedition heads downhill from 6am to 10am and then switches to uphill through to midnight, moving through trendy suburbs (SoHo; Central), crowded commuter routes and streets jammed with food stalls. 

Is there any experience as iconic as tucking into a delicious dish from a dai pai dong? The open-air food stalls of Hong Kong are a historic slice of street food culture and with no new licences issued for this type of casual eatery, you’ll have to rely on old favourites to sample some of the city’s best stir-fry dishes alfresco. Bookmark Haiphong Road and Woosung Street Temporary Cooked Food Hawker Bazaar and go with an empty stomach.

Peacefully guarding a verdant portion of land on the island of Lantau, the towering “Big Buddha” statue of Tian Tan is a tranquil sight to behold. The 34-metre-tall bronze statue sits on the peak of Po Lin Monastery’s Muk Yue mountain and can only be reached by climbing the 268 steps to his seat. 

The city’s characteristic highrises give way to riotous facades of neon signs, open windows and stall fronts in Sham Shui Po, a vibrant area in the city’s former textiles district. The area has had a glow-up in recent years, with designer boutiques and cool cafes sitting side-by-side with wholesale fabric stores and electronics outlets – there’s even a dedicated street to ribbons, beads and crafting supplies (Yu Chau Street). If you’ve come to Hong Kong with retail therapy on the brain, Sham Shui Po is a great place to start.

The two-tiered green and white Star Ferry is enshrined in Hong Kong folklore, a longstanding commuter boat that’s been chugging along the harbour since the 1880s and has since featured in countless films and TV series. For many, it’s a symbol of Hong Kong itself, and a ride is a non-negotiable way to see the city.

The architecturally spellbinding Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District is a glorious stage on which all manner of Chinese traditional theatre is set, most notably Cantonese opera. An arresting fusion of percussive music, martial arts, singing and acting, each performance is a transportive journey, told with intricate movements, distinctive costumes and rich, layered storytelling.

Roast goose is the pinnacle of Hong Kong barbecue cuisine. It’s a sticky, sweet, salty, crispy, chewy mess of flavour and texture, and it’s taken very, very seriously by locals. That’s why you’ll find lines at places such as Yat Lok Roast Goose on Stanley road (the restaurant that conceived of this 20-step masterpiece) and Kam’s Roast Goose, which garnered a Michelin star for its offering just four months after opening.

A short ferry ride from Hong Kong Island delivers you to Lamma Island, a beach-fringed retreat renowned for its seafood. Follow the crowds to the cluster of oceanfront restaurants which serve their spoils straight from the sea: Lamma Rainbow is so popular, it has its own boat that transports hungry diners from  Central straight to its door.

Those skinny little streetcars you’ll see scooting around the place aren’t retired set pieces from Harry Potter – they’re an enduring heritage mode of transport that you can hitch a ride on. The double-decker Hong Kong Tramways, locally known as “ding dings”, are a piece of rideable history dating back to the 1904. At $3 a ride, it’s a cheap and atmospheric way to get around town (just don’t expect air-con!).

The energy of Hong Kong doesn’t dissipate when the sun goes down. Midnight snackers will love the variety of late-night bites that continue to roll out of restaurants no matter the hour. Case in point: Sun Hing in Kennedy Town, a cherished dim sum spot that attracts everyone from party people to starving students, opens at a respectable 3am to save the crowds from their hunger. 

Across the 250-island-strong archipelago that comprises the city, there’s a wealth of natural beauty to immerse yourself in. The two most popular hikes are the 8.5-kilometre Dragon’s Back trail, which guarantees incredible views of Hong Kong Island from the 284-metre-high Shek O Peak, and the 6-kilometre round trip to Lion Rock (above), which towers over Kowloon and Tai Wai, where you’ll see the island’s coastal edges splayed out in stunning clarity below.

You’ll spot lai cha on menus across the city. This black tea beverage is a daily staple for many, addictive in its heady saccharinity of sweetened condensed milk in place of its more savoury equivalent. Stop in for a cup at legendary Chung Kee Cafe, where the lai cha is a combo of three types of black tea, strained through a nankeen, or Chinese cotton cloth.

The distinctive red sails of Hong Kong’s traditional junk boats date back to the Han dynasty, which ruled between 206BC to 220AD. Although they were once the main mode of transport, the distinctive 18-metre-long boats now make journeys across Victoria Harbour for the benefit of tourists, with only one authentic boat in operation. That vessel is the Dukling and it still makes the trip across the city on throughout the week.

Hong Kong’s casual cha chaan tengs – the Hong Kong equivalent of a “greasy spoon” diner – are buzzing hubs of locals angling for a quick bite. Don’t expect daring dishes or topnotch nosh – these eateries are strictly no fuss and that’s part of their charm. Menu items are a collision of  Western influences and local flavours: scrambled egg sandwich, satay beef macaroni or ketchup-based bolognese, anyone?  

It’s the quintessential portrait of Hong Kong: a knot of neon signs blazing over a busy streetscape. While the city’s emblematic neon is slowly being replaced by LED equivalents, there are still plenty of pockets from which to admire them. The popular cha chaan teng, Mido Cafe, on Temple Street in Yau Mei Tei retains a blazing nameplate above and the streets of Mong Kok are illuminated by glowing displays.

6 Ultimate Moments You Need to Experience in Tokyo