Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [32]
The Transport boxes in this chapter provide quick reference for Mass Transit Rail (MTR), Kowloon-Canton Railway (also MTR), Light Rail and bus stations, ferry piers and tram stops in each district. For more see the Transport chapter (Click here), and for suggestions on the best maps and plans, see Click here.
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‘there’s a surprising and often delightful proximity between high-density living and wild, open spaces in Hong Kong’’
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ITINERARY BUILDER
Most of the sights, activities and eating and drinking attractions in Kong Hong are concentrated into a fairly tight area comprising the northern edge of Hong Kong Island and the tip of Kowloon. Beyond these, things spread out into the larger and generally less built-up expanses of Hong Kong Island, the New Territories and the Outlying Islands.
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HOW TO USE THIS TABLE
The table below allows you to plan a day’s worth of activities in any area of the city. Simply select which area you wish to explore, and then mix and match from the corresponding listings to build your day. The first item in each cell represents a well-known highlight of the area, while the other items are more off-the-beaten-track gems.
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HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION (SAR)
HONG KONG ISLAND
Hong Kong Island (or, to be more precise, the north edge of it) is the bit you usually see in the photos on tourist brochures. They seldom do justice to the feeling of actually standing looking at this dazzlingly modern metropolis clinging to steep wooded hills, and listening to the bustle and buzz of life in one of the most mesmerising islands on earth.
Hong Kong’s most important district is Central, a district replete with corporate headquarters and five-star hotels, where the movers and shakers go to politick or do deals, and where wealthier visitors come to shop, eat and party. Pretty much the whole of the northern coast, between Central and Causeway Bay, is where things happen, though. It is where you’ll find the ex-governor’s mansion, the stock exchange, the Legislative Council and High Court, the best malls, the original horse-racing track and a host of other places that define Hong Kong’s character.
One of the best ways to see the northern side of the island is to jump on one of the green double-decker trams that trundle between Kennedy Town in the west and Shau Kei Wan in the east. The southern side of Hong Kong Island has a totally different character from that of the north. The coast is dotted with fine beaches – including those at Big Wave Bay, Deep Water Bay, Shek O, Stanley and Repulse Bay – where the water is clean enough to swim.
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CENTRAL
Shopping Click here; Eating Click here; Drinking Click here; The Arts Click here; Sleeping Click here
All visitors to Hong Kong inevitably pass through Central ( Map) – sightseeing, shopping, taking care of errands – en route to the bars and restaurants of Lan Kwai Fong and Soho, or boarding or getting off the Airport Express.
As Hong Kong’s business centre, Central is the location for some impressive architectural one-upmanship (Click here). With a compelling mix of styles, its skyscrapers offer a skyline that’s utterly unique. As well as strolling around them, it’s well worth standing back and taking it all in from the other side of the harbour, especially at night when these buildings put on a light show. Central is not just about skyscrapers, though. Its historic civic buildings, churches, parks and gardens are also well worth exploring.
The district was originally named Victoria, after the British sovereign who had ascended the throne just two years before a naval landing party hoisted the British flag at Possession Point west of here in 1841. But as the ‘capital’ of the territory, it has been called Central at least since WWII.
Above Central the residential Mid-Levels cling to steep, jungle-clad hillsides; above