Cruise port guide to Hong Kong

When the British acquired Hong Kong – Cantonese for ‘Fragrant Harbour’ – in 1842, they weren’t interested in its fragrance. Its strategic position, on the other hand, allowed the empire to import tea – everyone’s new favourite drink – from China, and to flood the country with opium in return.

Towards the end of a five-year stint in Hong Kong, I spent a day with friends doing my favourite things – a kind of Greatest Hits package. That night, sitting on my roof terrace overlooking Causeway Bay’s twinkling lights, two thoughts occurred.

The first: how much we’d crammed in – two hikes, two beaches, one ferry, a few islands, two seafood restaurants, one bar and the world’s worst mini golf course.

The second: how cheap it had all been. I was going to miss this place – Hong Kong itself and the surrounding isles, plus Kowloon and the Northern Territories on the mainland.

Some of those greatest hits are in this story – alongside the latest tips from Hong Kongers in the know. Is there a better port stop in the world? I doubt it.

Three unmissable things to do

Peak tram

When friends visited me in Hong Kong, they’d tell me they didn’t want to do tourist stuff. “Why not?” I’d reply. “The tourist stuff is amazing.”

Whether it’s your first or nineteenth trip, you’ll want to hop on the Peak Tram. Up you go at a ridiculous angle from Admiralty’s malls and hotels, past the mansions and condos of Mid-Levels.

From Victoria Peak you can gaze across the 118-storey International Commerce Centre, the shiny expanse of Victoria Harbour and beyond to Kowloon.

Avenue of stars

For another spectacular panorama, look across the harbour to Hong Kong Island from Avenue of Stars, a promenade in Kowloon on the mainland.

Expats call Kowloon ‘the dark side’ – strange, as at night its southern tip, Tsim Sha Tsui, is the buzziest, most brightly lit neighbourhood in Asia outside Tokyo.

The Regent Hong Kong hotel towers above the walkway, which is home to a statue of the martial artist Bruce Lee. Have a drink in the lobby and watch the red sails of traditional wooden junk boats float past.

Star ferry

Locals and expats, tourists and daytrippers are united in their affection for the sturdy green vessels that have plied their trade between Hong Kong’s Central district and Tsim Sha Tsui for decades.

The Star Ferry’s wooden benches aren’t exactly comfy but it’s only a 10-minute journey and you’ll spend most of that standing up taking photographs.

After dark, it’s ideal for experiencing Hong Kong’s skyline, with its smoky clouds illuminated by the world’s greatest concentration of skyscrapers.

Three activities for repeat visitors

Off-beat

The Central to Mid-Levels escalator rises through Central and Sheung Wan from Queen’s Road Central to Conduit Road. At 800m, it’s the world’s longest outdoor escalator – and a genius invention.

Hong Kong is hilly and, for much of the year, humid. As well as keeping you dry and cool, the escalator takes you through different strata of Hong Kong life, from party central – Lan Kwai Fong – to the wooded slopes of Mid-Levels.

Experience

If you’re in town on a Wednesday night, head to Happy Valley Racecourse near Causeway Bay as Hong Kong comes out to play. Even if it’s not a race night, it’s still a great place to wander.

Established in 1845, the nearby cemetery offers a potted history of colonial Hong Kong, as well as a splendid cast-iron fountain.

With its cafés and boutiques the neighbourhood feels European, but there’s also a quintessential Hong Kong street food market and its most celebrated cha chaan teng, or old-style tea shop.

Outdoor

The Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) is a pioneering conservation project, originally established in 1951 to help farmers in the remote areas of the New Territories.

It offers nature walks and treasure hunts as well as less obvious activities such as yoga workshops and a ‘listening to trees’ course. There are 11 walking trails through the area, designed for all levels of mobility and fitness.

Four activities for curious travellers

Solo explorers

The big story in recent years has been the much-delayed development of West Kowloon. Formerly a no-man’s land, this is now a richly endowed cultural area, just 10 minutes from the Star Ferry terminal.

Its centrepiece is the Hong Kong Palace Museum, packed with 900 Chinese treasures, many of them on long-term loan from Beijing’s Forbidden City. Next door, the contemporary art in M+ manages – just – to keep Hong Kongers’ subversive spirit alive.

Couples

Early evening is a wonderful time in Hong Kong.

The city has some stunning rooftop bars, from the world’s highest – Ozone at The Ritz-Carlton, 480m above the cityscape – to the coolest – the lush, timber-decked terrace at Duddell’s.

Skye at The Park Lane Hong Kong hotel sits above Causeway Bay’s teeming streets, while for a more laidback cocktail, Sugar bar in the East Hong Kong hotel at the island’s quieter eastern end is a favourite of mine.

Kids

Take a taxi or underground MTR train towards Lantau Island and board the Ngong Ping 360 cable car at Tung Chung.

You’ll soar above a forest and winding paths to one of Hong Kong’s most popular sights: the 34m Big Buddha. Be brave: the cabins have glass floors.

If you and your children still have energy to spare after climbing the 268 steps to the top of the Buddha, Hong Kong Disneyland is a 30-minute MTR ride back towards the city.

Multi-gen families

Tai Kwun was a one-stop justice centre in the colonial era, founded by the British in 1864, 22 years after they acquired Hong Kong and still in operation in the 2000s, well after the colony was returned to China.

Here you could be arrested, tried and imprisoned, all in the same space. It opened to the public in 2018, and now the complex is a fascinating collection of museums, shops, restaurants and bars connected to the escalator. Nearby, the old married quarters for Hong Kong’s police force, PMQ , is also worth a visit for its boutiques and design studios.

Three places to eat

Budget

Another essential Hong Kong experience is to slurp fried egg noodles and sup cold beer at a secluded beachside restaurant such as So Bor Kee, a spicy and lively spot on the car-free island of Cheung Chau, between Lantau and Hong Kong.

On Hong Kong itself, it has to be Ho Lok Store, a casual surf shop and café in Big Wave Bay on the island’s east side. From there you can walk to Shek O Beach and play that terrible concrete mini golf course.

Mid-range

Chôm Chôm in Soho is consistently buzzing, inside and out. Go for outdoor cocktails and – if you’re feeling like experimenting – try the tartare made with Wagyu beef tossed with peanuts, pineapple and jicama, served on betel leaves.

But when I return to Hong Kong after time away, I always make a beeline for BEP, another Vietnamese kitchen on Wellington Street.

It doesn’t take bookings so you might need to queue, but its crispy crab and freshly made rice rolls are worth the wait.

Premium

Dutch chef Richard Ekkebus is at the helm of Amber, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental’s two Michelin star restaurant, which has been the leading light in French fine dining for a decade.

It reopened in 2019 with a light, airy interior and a daring menu that eschews dairy, gluten, refined sugar and salt.

Unlike some laborious tasting menus, this one feels playful, energising and well worth the hundreds of Hong Kong dollars you’ll end up spending.

How to travel responsibly

Give back to the community by supporting a social enterprise such as Dignity Kitchen in Mong Kok, which describes itself as ‘hawker food with a heart.’

Like Singapore’s much-loved hawker stalls, it offers a culinary tour of southeast Asia – including wanton mee noodles, Chinese claypot rice, rojak salad, lontong rice cakes wrapped in banana leaf and the rice dish nasi padang.

It also helps people with disabilities – a part of the population that historically struggles to find work – to get jobs in the catering sector. projectdignity.hk/dignity-kitchen.

Trip planner

Get onboard

Royal Caribbean International’s five-night Okinawa & Ishigaki cruise aboard Spectrum of the Seas, return from Hong Kong via Naha, departs on 7 January 2025.