Hong Kong holidays

Also referred to as East Point, Causeway Bay is a shoppers’ delight. This high-density district is home to a large number of trendy stores, shopping malls, the 13-story Sogo Department Store, and Times Square indoor shopping complex. Here, both local and imported fashion labels hang side by side. Many stores are open until the wee hours.

Designed for maximum convenience, it is no accident that Chep Lap Kok is considered one of the world’s best airports. Opened in 1998, it offers a wide range of facilities for pre- and post-flight passengers. A bonus is the fully integrated transport center offering seamless transfers to trains, buses, taxis, and hotel limousines. The Airport Express train offers quick, clean, and cheap transportation to the city center.

Largely residential, Hung Horn is also renowned as a food district. The Whampoa complex of shopping, entertainment, and more than 10,000 apartments is also home to Whampoa Gourmet Place, with more than 4,500 square meters (48,422 square feet) of speciality restaurants under the one roof. Discover high quality, affordable, and uniquely Hong Kong dining in the style of decades past.

Jordan offers a taste of authentic, working-class life. A multicultural flavor pervades, with many ethnicities calling this district home. Discover an eclectic mix of restaurants, markets, shops, offices, apartments, and hotels. Densely populated, Jordan’s foot and motor traffic is generally busy. Don’t miss Temple Street Night Market and 14-hectare Kowloon Park.

Lantau Island offers a rural retreat from the city's hectic pace. More than 50 percent of the island is undeveloped, covered in woodland crossed by mountain streams and hiking trails, and punctuated by old forts and monasteries. Attractions include the Ngong Ping 5.7-km (3.5-mile) skyrail, Po Lin monastery and its 26-meter (85-foot) bronze Buddha, and Hong Kong Disneyland.

Shops, restaurants, and recreational pursuits define the character of Mong Kok. Numerous curbside food stalls, modern shopping plazas, and traditional markets are concentrated here. Mong Kok Flower Market, Yuen Po Street Bird Garden, the Goldfish Market, and Ladies Market are among the most popular. Try Fa Yuen Street for sports equipment and clothing.

Cheap and convenient, North Point is a busy Chinese neighborhood of apartments and commerce, where the MTR (subway), ferry, tram, and buses converge. Visit Sunbeam Theatre for the spectacle of Chinese opera, Chun Yeung Street for food and cheap clothes, and Marble Street for its truly intruiging offerings. Supermarkets, affordable dining options, herbal stores, markets, and clothing stores abound.

Discover non-stop shopping, famous landmarks, and world-class museums (from art to science) in Tsim Sha Tsui. Serious shoppers should try the Harbour City shopping complex. Nathan Road’s Golden Mile offers more of the local scene. Canton Road offers designer labels, and Granville and Cameron roads boast bargain clothing. Head harborside to the promenade for the nightly Symphony of Lights show.

Wan Chai is a prosperous neighborhood and home to the Convention & Exhibition Center. The arts scene is well established, and a multitude of dining, shopping, and entertainment options await. Discover upmarket homewares, mahjong centers, and enticing bars. Try Johnston and Luard roads for bargain clothes, and Tai Yuen Street for toys. Bowen Drive is the place to go for a jog or some celebrity-spotting.

Get a feel for the Hong Kong of old. Start at the Chinese Central Market (the tender-hearted should avoid the lower floors, where poultry butchering takes place) on the corner of Queen Victoria Street and meander down narrow laneways where herbalists and other traditional shopkeepers display their wares. Don’t miss the world’s longest outdoor escalator, at 880 meters, which also provides sweeping district views.