HONG KONG DESTINATION GUIDE

One of Hong Kong’s most enduring and popular pastimes is cheering on galloping horses at the track. Horseracing has been a strong feature of the city’s living culture since the 19th century, and The Hong Kong Racing Museum is there to preserve and celebrate this slice of Hong Kong’s heritage.

The Hong Kong Maritime Museum showcases Hong Kong’s maritime heritage in its past, present and future and places the city’s seafaring story in local, regional and international contexts.

The Hong Kong Maritime Museum showcases Hong Kong’s maritime heritage in its past, present and future and places the city’s seafaring story in local, regional and international contexts.

You may recognise the rather unusual egg-shaped building that has become a landmark on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. This striking dome is home to the Hong Kong Space Museum. The city’s popular planetarium is made up of the Stanley Ho Space Theatre, the Hall of the Cosmos, and the Hall of Space Exploration.

If you think a visit to a museum means staring into glass cabinets for endless hours, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Over 70 per cent of the Hong Kong Science Museum’s 500 exhibits are hands-on, meaning you can literally play around with a broad spectrum of cool topics, including robotics, virtual reality and transportation.

The Hong Kong Museum of History has proved it’s possible to squeeze 400 million years of history into one 7,000 square metre space. A list-topper for history buffs, the museum has made enormous efforts in studying, collecting, processing and exhibiting countless objects which are related to the archaeology, history, ethnography and natural histories of Hong Kong and South China.

Surrounded by greenery and just out of view of Sha Tin’s towering housing complexes, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum is patterned after the traditional si he yuan: a compound of a harmonious mix of houses built around a central courtyard.

From rickety squatter huts, to pioneering public housing and 21st-century flats, Shek Kip Mei Housing Estate has witnessed a fascinating transformation over the past 60 years.

Guiding the world’s largest nation out of thousands of years of monarchic rule and transforming it into a republic was no small feat, which makes the museum dedicated to the man responsible for doing this even more fascinating. Dr Sun Yat-sen was educated in Hong Kong, and the city served as his base for the 18 years that led up to him officially declaring the Republic of China in 1912.

Curious what a rapidly-changing city like Hong Kong looked like a century ago? Or how it might look like in three decades’ time? If there is one constant in the story of Asia’s world city it’s not just change but dynamic change.

Do you know the strange rituals of Hong Kong’s earliest triad secret societies? Have you wondered what an underground heroin laboratory looks like? Interested in knowing what type of motorcycles were used by Hong Kong Police in the 1960s? Hong Kong Police Force has seen a lot since it was established in 1844.

From 1953 to 2002, the fireboat Alexander Grantham served as the flagship of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department's fireboat team, responding to fire alarms and conducting rescue operations in Hong Kong's bustling waters and along its shoreline.

Four floors dedicated to state-of-the-art film storage and preservation, exhibitions and screenings of old Hong Kong classics and films from around the world. Head here to catch rarely seen flicks or just to soak in the magic of Hong Kong’s glamorous cinema history. 

Sitting proudly on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, the Hong Kong Museum of Art is dedicated to promoting local art while also shedding light on China’s long cultural legacy. The Hong Kong Museum of Art underwent a major renovation and reopened in November 2019 with a new annex block and an expanded programme.

An oasis of green in an urban setting, Hong Kong Park is outstanding in the way its design blends in with the surrounding natural landscape. The park features an aviary, a greenhouse, the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, the Hong Kong Visual Arts Center, fountains, lily ponds, playgrounds, a restaurant and even a marriage registry. 

The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is the oldest park in the territory. Built in 1860 and partially opened in 1864, they were completed in 1871.

After the hectic surrounds of Tsim Sha Tsui, the tranquillity of Kowloon Park washes over you like a mountain spring. But this peaceful place was actually once an army fortress that was handed over by the military for public use in 1970

An oasis of calm and space in teeming, bustling, non-stop moving Causeway Bay, Victoria Park can offer a welcome respite to an urban shopping spree. This is what makes it so popular with locals.

Every winter, around 90,000 migratory birds take refuge in the marshes and mudflats of the internationally acclaimed Mai Po Nature Reserve. Of the 380 species of birds that inhabit the reserve, 35 are of global conservation concern including the Saunders’s gull and the black-faced spoonbill.

Situated on the slopes of one of Hong Kong’s highest mountains, the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden has outdoor activities that will appeal to the whole family. The conservation centre’s paths take you wandering through vegetable gardens, greenhouses of beautiful flowers and plants, and scores of different animals.

Hong Kong Wetland Park is a world-class ecotourism park that's a fantastic spot to enjoy some of Hong Kong’s unique flora and fauna. The park is also home to an impressive cast of wildlife, including birds, butterflies, dragonflies, amphibians, reptiles and fish.

You don’t have to be a rock buff to enjoy the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark. Located in the East and Northeast New Territories, the park includes the Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region and the Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region and showcases Hong Kong’s timeless and eerily beautiful landforms.

Hoi Ha Wan translates as ‘Bay Beneath the Sea’ and the Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park is a protected area that contains 60 types of hard coral and 120 species of coral fish. It’s also a particularly good spot for those interested in snorkelling or mangroves.

Primarily an upmarket residential area, sun-drenched Repulse Bay has a relaxed resort-like feel to it. Its wide, wave-lapped beach is popular with both locals and visitors and is great for strolls in the early morning, daytime sun soaking when the bathers are out in force, or lingering at sunset when all has turned mellow.

When it comes to beautiful beaches, the village of Pui O can boast two contenders: Cheung Sha Beach, one of Hong Kong’s longest; and Pui O Beach. Head to either one for a cooling dip, to make some new friends, or to just chill on the sand for a few hours. There are also a few eateries nearby, so you can stick around for the sunset with a contented stomach.

Hung Shing Yeh Beach’s clean water and powdery sand have been attracting expats and locals for a long time. It’s also a top spot to ring in yet another laid-back evening on the sand by throwing (or maybe even crashing) a party in the barbecue area, as the sunset’s rays reflect off the water.

Silver Mine Bay Beach in Mui Wo is named after the area’s alternative name — Silver Mine Bay. The Mui Wo Valley was first settled by farmers around the middle of the Ming dynasty (16th century). By the 19th century, there were six villages in the valley, many of whose inhabitants worked in a silver mine that operated for several decades.

On the weekends, surf-loving city dwellers head to the island of Cheung Chau to enjoy the beaches where an Olympic windsurfing champion once trained. Lee Lai-shan (or ‘Shan Shan’ as she is affectionately known locally) brought back Hong Kong’s first Olympic gold medal from the Atlanta Games in 1996.

A hit with local windsurfers, Big Wave Bay Beach is located at the scenic eastern end of Hong Kong Island, close to the Dragon’s Back hiking trail. It’s also home to a prehistoric rock carving that is now preserved as a Declared Monument.