Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [1]
The transport infrastructure is excellent and runs like clockwork, it’s an incredibly safe city, English is widely spoken and the signage is mostly in English too. This is also a city with a strong service ethic, so you name it – buying clothes or toiletries, withdrawing cash, getting internet access, doing your laundry – and it will be done swiftly and with a smile.
This leaves you to spend most of your pre-trip efforts on the fun things, such as checking out if any festivals are going on in town, booking ahead for the most popular restaurants, checking the local listings and deciding where to base yourself.
Perhaps the only practical thing worth spending a bit of planning time on is your accommodation (Click here). Hotels are not cheap and at busy times, such as during exhibition season, rooms can fill up and rates soar. Doing your homework can make a real difference to your wallet and your comfort.
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WHEN TO GO
Hong Kong’s subtropical climate can make it a punishingly hot and humid destination during the summer months. June to mid-September when humidity soars is the hottest time. Summer is also typhoon season, when tropical storms sweep rain and high winds off the South China Sea.
Even in late spring and early autumn, wandering Hong Kong’s streets can be warm work. The best time to go climate-wise is in early spring (March and April) or late autumn (October and November), when the days are generally warm, fresh and (wind direction and mainland smoke stacks permitting) the air often clearer.
Things can cool down a good deal in winter, when it can often be overcast (as opposed to merely smoggy) and temperatures may even feel chilly enough to don warmer layers.
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FESTIVALS & EVENTS
No matter what the time of year, you’re almost certain to find some colourful festival or event occurring in Hong Kong. For the most part exact dates vary from year to year, so if you want to time your visit to coincide with a particular event, check the website of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (www.discoverhongkong.com). For tourist high and low seasons in Hong Kong, see Click here.
Many Chinese red-letter days, both public holidays and privately observed affairs, go back hundreds, even thousands, of years and the true origins of some are often lost in the mists of time. Most – but not all – are celebrated in both Hong Kong and Macau. For festivals and events specific to Macau, see Click here. For dates of Hong Kong’s public holidays, see Click here.
January
CHINESE NEW YEAR
Southern China’s most important public holiday takes place in late January/early February and is welcomed by a huge international parade at Tamar (now the PLA Central Barracks) site along the waterfront between Central and Wan Chai.
HONG KONG CITY FRINGE FESTIVAL
www.hkfringe.com.hk
The Fringe Club (Click here) sponsors three weeks of eclectic performances both local and international between late January and early February.
February
HONG KONG ARTS FESTIVAL
www.hk.artsfestival.org
Hong Kong’s most important cultural event is a month-long extravaganza of music, performing arts and exhibitions by hundreds of local and international artists.
HONG KONG MARATHON
www.hkmarathon.com
This major sporting event dating back to 1997 also includes a half-marathon and 10km race and attracts 30,000 participants.
SPRING LANTERN FESTIVAL
www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/events/chinese-festivals.html
A colourful lantern festival on the 15th day of the first moon (mid- to late February) marks the end of the New Year period and the day for lovers.
March
HONG KONG ARTWALK
www.hongkongartwalk.com
Some 40 galleries in Central, Soho and Sheung Wan throw open their doors on a weekday (usually Wednesday) from 6pm to midnight to expose their art, offer viewers snacks and drinks supplied by the areas’ restaurants and raise money for charity.
HONG KONG RUGBY WORLD CUP SEVENS
www.hksevens.com.hk