Hong Kong – what’s hot and what’s not
This is my first timer’s guide to Hong Kong. I visited for the first time in September 2025. So, I’m not a resident or any kind of expert, but I hope you will find my personal guide helpful.
Should I go?
Absolutely. It’s one of my favourite cities, up there with Venice, Cape Town and Helsinki.
When to go?
Hong Kong is hot and humid for most of the year, so winter is best – October to December, when it’s around 28C during the day.
What do I need to know?
-Hong Kong is expensive – and comparable with London and New York. Eating out probably costs more than both of those places.
-Public transport is reliable, clean and cheap. You can buy an Octopus card from a train station and use it for the tram, train and bus.
-Don’t make the rookie error of trying to do too much. The heat saps your energy. Pace yourself and visit or see what interests you.
-Bank payment cards are accepted almost everywhere
-Very little English is spoken outside the tourist areas
-Google maps is your new best friend.
Highly recommended things to do in Hong Kong
A visit to The Peak
You can go up and down on the bus (sit on the left going up and the right going down for fabulous views) and take the tram one way, more for the experience. The tram was crowded and unless you get a window seat, you won’t be able to see anything, as Influencers hog the windows with their phones. When you get to The Peak, you can go up further to the observation deck, but I suggest you stay put and get a table at the Peak Lookout Restaurant. Here there are wonderful views, it’s shady under an old banyan tree and I’d recommend you have a snack or just a drink. You can get the bus down from here, too.
Take a boat trip around Victoria Harbour at night
Various boats offer this service. Sailing lasts about an hour, you get a drink included and the harbour buildings and boats are all lit up. It’s a lovely thing to do.
Ride on a ding ding
These skinny little trams are not air conditioned and creak along slowly but are over 100 years old and great fun. Very cheap, too.
Eat at a cheap Chinese restaurant
My favourite was Sik Faan. By ‘cheap’ I mean £40 for two, which by HK standards is cheap. Read my Hong Kong food story here.
Take the Star Ferry to Kowloon
This ferry has been running since 1880, only takes ten minutes or so, but is a great way to see Victoria Harbour by day.
Visit Stanley market
Catch the bus from the city centre. Several shops and stalls for mainly tourist items at keen prices. I bought a tablecloth and some embroidered bags. Near here is the beach. Find some shade and watch the waves.
Visit a night market
The Temple Street night market is worth an evening visit, although it opens around 2pm. Closes at 11pm. Mainly electronics, and cheap trinkets, but worth it for the lively atmosphere and photo ops. Also, lots of food stalls, but insiders tell me the food is not the best here. We don’t need to eat the greatest food all the time; sometimes, average food is OK, so use your judgement.
Buy some tea
If you are a tea leaf aficionado, make your way to this lovely tea shop –Mee Heung Cheun – owned and run by a friendly couple, who let me smell all their teas before buying. Located in Graham Street, it’s mainly takeaway food shops, but keeping looking and you will find them. They specialise in puerh tea but have other teas too.
A couple of niggles:
–Disneyland. Unless you are a fan and must see Frozen (although it was closed without warning when I went), it’s expensive, underwhelming and the food is below par. It’s also a challenge when it’s very hot, especially to get in, with very long queues and little or no shade. The queues for rides were quite short – half an hour or so – but the rides themselves were largely disappointing. Our jungle boat ride consisted of the guide shouting with fake excitement for half an hour. ‘Look on your right! Watch out on your left!’ I did enjoy the thrilling Iron Man VR ride that takes you around the Hong Kong tower blocks at speed, but it’s not worth going just for one attraction. Disney music plays everywhere (even in the bushes) and on the special metro that takes you there. There are Lolita girls everywhere too – lone women in their twenties dressed up as young Alice in Wonderlands – some sort of online Asian cult thing.
–Big buddha Tian Tan. Look, he’s a 30ft modern buddha, built in 1993. That’s it. Nearby is the monastery. Don’t be tempted to try the vegetarian food. It’s expensive and tasteless. And the fish-farming villages are not interesting, either.
Conclusion
Hong Kong is fabulous and one of the most exciting cities I’ve visited. I’ve only scratched the surface and based it on my experience. But I hope my pointers will help you plan your trip.
(I visited Hong Kong in September 2025 at the invitation of the Hong Kong Tourist Board. Many of my visits were sponsored, but I paid for myself too on my private exploratory trips around the island.)
All images copyright Olivia Greenway and may not be used expect by written permission prior.