50 Hong Kong Sightseeing Tips Guidebooks Skip

40. Go to Yau Ma Tei

Wander around the streets for a taste of what regular Honkies do. Abbas recommends “visiting a friend’s record shop (Goodstuff Records, 1st FL Ins Place) wander around the kitchenware shops on Shanghai Street, the textile shops on Bowring Street, then grab a cup of tea at Mido Cafe and then grab a movie at the Broadway Cinema round the corner (would probably drop by the next door Kubrick too).”

41. See the Hong Kong windsurfing Mecca

Hang out at the bar with Olympic gold medallist Lee Lai Shan’s uncle at his watersports school Cheung Chau Windsurfing. Hong Kongers associate two things with this outlying island: the Bun Festival and Olympic gold medalist Lee Lai Shan. The family windsurfing joint that San San trained in is still standing, as is her uncle Lee Lai Gun who trained her. Catch him and the regulars at the friendly patio bar at the Cheung Chau Windsurfing Centre.

42. Dine at a temple

Apart from the gorgeous Chinese garden, the Chi Lin Nunnery in Diamond Hill boasts a modern vegetarian restaurant of non-greasy zen food.

43. Listen to a Chinese orchestra

Put a Hong Kong twist to going to hear the symphony and instead go see the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. The string sections are erhus, the winds are bandis and suonas, and concert dress is black tie qipaos.

44. Visit the utopic community center

Shop 2,3 Tak Cheong Lane is an escape from capitalism and a community center for the city’s artistic/intellectual bunch.

Somehow, the shoebox-sized Tak Cheong Lane is able to cram in a cafe, a movie appreciation club, a music and event venue, a tattoo salon as well as a market place where visitors barter their old clothes and goods.

It’s also home to So Boring, a pay-as-you-wish vegetarian restaurant.

45. Hike to WWII

For a hike that leads somewhere, take to Mount Davis on the West end of the island. You can take a taxi up to the beginning of a path, and from then on hike up until you reach the WWII British barracks that the British used as an artillery depot due to its vantage point. And climbing on top gives you an amazing view of Pok Fu Lam, just watch out for kids with BB guns who frequent it for war games.

46. See the waterfront promenades

mike clarke/afp/getty images

All the tourists go to Tsim Sha Tsui, but there are less crowded waterfront promenades across the city. The West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade has an even better view of the skyline than TST, while the Kwun Tong promenade is short but spectacularly designed. For a far-flung but even more peaceful alternative, try the just-opened Ma On Shan promenade, which has beautiful views of Tolo Harbor.

47. Jazz in a hair salon

Tucked away in a small alley in Central, Visage One’s only signage is the scrawl on the door frame.

A hair salon by day and a speakeasy jazz and blues bar by night, it’s a vibe of being invited to an intimate private concert at a jazz musician’s smoky living room.

It’s so small and intimate, there is no separation between performer and audience.

48. Visit a themed Starbucks

While these popular coffee houses tend to look the same no matter where you are in the world, Hong Kong has with three unique Starbucks concept stores. Our favorite, located on Duddell Street, has a “bing sutt” corner designed to look like a 1950’s Hong Kong coffee shop.

49. Go to an abandoned island

Bored of the standard day trips in and around the city? Why not try visiting one of Hong Kong’s many uninhabited or abandoned islands? One of the most talked about is Yim Tin Tsai, located off the coast of Sai Kung, which is known as “Ghost Island”. Around 1,000 Hakka people lived here back in the 19th century, but they all moved on during Hong Kong’s economic boom in the 1980s. All that’s left now are deserted buildings, day trippers, weekend hikers, and a rather eerie atmosphere.

50. Explore the airport

If you’re flying from Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), you might want to consider arriving a few hours before your departure flight and trying out some of the activities inside. Although it’s been knocked down to number six on Skytrax World Airport Awards list, HKIA is still an impressive sight to behold. Why not catch a film at the IMAX cinema, which has a 4-D projection screen, or visit a historical exhibit of aircraft models at the Aviation Discovery Centre?