Dim sum at a place with no English menu, the Star Ferry at dusk, the Peak tram above a skyline that never sleeps, and a city where Cantonese tradition and global finance exist in genuine, delicious tension.
Hong Kong (5 nights)
5 nights total
Balanced budget · Hustle pace · Explorer travel style · $130/day
The curious explorer
Five nights is just enough to start feeling like you know Hong Kong, and the city rewards people who are willing to eat at odd hours and walk up hills that don't appear on most itineraries. The real food action in Sham Shui Po happens early, so get to the congee and noodle shops on Kweilin Street before 9am when the construction crews and market workers clear out and the tourist shuffle begins. Most visitors spend all their time on the island side and barely cross to Kowloon, which is a mistake, because the Temple Street night market area and the backstreets around Jordan repay serious wandering and produce better photographs than the overshot skyline from the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade. For that skyline shot, skip the main waterfront entirely and walk east toward the ferry pier at Hung Hom for a cleaner angle without the crowd. The Octopus card handles everything from the MTR to the trams to the Star Ferry, so get one at the airport and load it generously because you will use it constantly. One thing worth knowing is that Central to Mid-Levels escalator changes direction in the morning, so if you plan to ride it uphill for the Sheung Wan street art and the old dried seafood shops on Bonham Strand, wait until after 10am.
Tags: Food Scene, Photography Spots, Culture & History