Hong Kong

Hong Kong·Asia

Currency

HKD

Language

Cantonese, English

Timezone

Hong Kong

Continent

Asia

Our guide

Discover Hong Kong

Hong Kong sits on very little flat ground, which is what makes it vertical: towers packed to the foot of hills that stayed green. The Peak Tram has climbed to Victoria Peak since 1888 and delivers the view that sums the city up. Below, Man Mo Temple keeps its incense coils a few streets from the International Finance Centre and the HSBC Main Building, two architectural manifestos. Across the harbour, Kowloon lines up the M+ museum, the Avenue of Stars and Temple Street market, which only comes alive after dark.

When to go

October to December: dry, clear and mild, the one stretch when the air does not cling. Spring is humid and often drowned in haze, which robs the Peak of its point. Summer, May to September, is hot, muggy and exposed to typhoons — a signal 8 stops the city, transport and shops included, sometimes for a full day.

Getting around

An Octopus card opens the metro, buses, trams and ferries, and works in shops too. The MTR is fast, clean and signed in English throughout. On the island, the old double-decker trams — the ding ding — crawl, but cost almost nothing and cross the districts at street level. Ferries clear the harbour in minutes and are the finest way to arrive. Expect to walk on a slope: the city is built on hills, and the public escalators are part of the network.

Where to eat

Dim sum runs from morning to early afternoon, wheeled between tables or ordered on a slip: Lin Heung Tea House and Luk Yu Tea House belong to the old school. Roast goose is the other speciality — Yung Kee built its name on it, Joy Hing's Roasted Meat serves the counter version. Cha chaan teng, the Hong Kong diners born of the collision with English cooking, serve milk tea, macaroni soup and thick toast; the Australia Dairy Company is the most crowded example. Only three halal addresses are listed, though the Jamia Mosque and the Kowloon Mosque and Islamic Centre are both in our data and the district around the latter holds more.

Good to know

The Hong Kong dollar is the currency, distinct from the yuan. English remains an official language and signage is bilingual throughout, which makes the city unusually easy to navigate for an East Asian metropolis. Air conditioning is set very low: an extra layer earns its place even in August. Horizontal distance deceives — two points close on a map can be separated by a hill.

Smart Planning