Hong Kong

Weatherwise, October, November and most of December are the best months to visit Hong Kong; the skies are clear and the sun shines. The June to August heat/rain combo might push your endurance but there's a lot of sunshine and, after all, it's summer. Hotels tend to offer substantial discounts outside the high seasons of March-April and October-November. Travel can be difficult during Chinese New Year in late January/early February.

Many prefer to visit Hong Kong during November and December when there are pleasant breezes, plenty of sunshine and comfortable temperatures. January and February are OK times to visit, but the temperature can drop to below 10°C (50°F). Warmer temperatures make March and April pleasant months to go, but in May the air becomes uncomfortably sticky and humid. Typhoons hit Hong Kong most years between about May and September, though the city is so well prepared it would need to be a very big storm to disrupt your travel too much.

overview

In just 23min the Airport Express train connects Hong Kong International Airport with Hong Kong station in Central, stopping in Kowloon along the way. It's possibly the most convenient airport transport on earth, with the train leaving from inside the arrivals hall. On the way back you can check your bags in at the train stations in Central and Kowloon many hours before heading out to the airport, and go sightseeing with just your hand luggage. There's also a 35min Cityflyer airbus, and cheaper public buses: A21, best for Kowloon, and A11, for Hong Kong Island. Hotel shuttle buses and taxis are another more expensive option. Hong Kong's public transport system is a tourist attraction in its own right: there are old harbour ferries and narrow trams, ultra modern trains and the world's longest escalator. If you can't get from A to B with style in Hong Kong, you're not trying.

Bus

Public transport is cheap, fast, widely used and generally efficient. The bus system is extensive and bewildering but you will need it to explore the south side of Hong Kong Island and the New Territories.

rail

The north side of Hong Kong Island and most of Kowloon are well-served by Hong Kong's ultra-modern Mass Transit Railway (MTR). Three tunnels link Hong Kong with Kowloon. The Kowloon-Guangzhou (Canton) Railway (KCR) runs from Kowloon to the Chinese border at Lo Wu and is a quick way to get to the New Territories. Light Rail Transit (fast, modern, air-con trams) run in the New Territories, connecting the New Town of Tuen Mun with Yuen Long. Double-decker trams trundle along the northern side of Hong Kong Island.

water

Hong Kong's ferries are usually faster and cheaper than buses and trams. They are also fun, and the harbour views are stunning when the weather cooperates. Hoverferries are about twice as fast as conventional boats.

road

Metered taxis are red with silver tops (and green with white tops in the New Territories). They're inexpensive compared to other big-city cabs, but the MTR can often be better value and quicker. They don't pick up or put down at bus stops.

riding

Cycling in Kowloon or Central would be suicidal, but in quiet areas of the islands or the New Territories a bike can be quite a nice way of getting around in a recreational way. Most bike hire kiosks run out of bikes early on the weekend if the weather is nice.

walking

No visitor to Hong Kong should miss the longest escalator in the world, the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System. It consists of three moving walkways and 20 elevated walkways that can be reversed; they run down in the morning and up the rest of the day and evening to handle commuter traffic flow.

Trams

Hong Kong Island's double-decker trams aren't fast, but if you're not in a hurry, they're a cheap and fantastically fun way of experiencing 'old' Hong Kong. Try to get a seat at the front window upstairs for a first-class view. Services operate at regular intervals throughout the day and night.

Airport

Chow down on Chiu Chow, cram in Cantonese or eat West.

If the pursuit of wealth is the engine that drives Hong Kong, its fuel is food. Noodles are slurped, succulent seafood savoured, dishes at banquets praised for their presentation, freshness and texture as well as taste, and many chefs enjoy celebrity status.

Bop to Cantopop and lose yourself in Lan Kwai Fong.

Hong Kong is the consummate entertainer, offering every kind of after-dark diversion. From upmarket pursuits like opera and theatre to a drinking scene that includes Wan Chai's sleazy hostess bars, and the alleyway crawlspaces of Lan Kwai Fong to numerous ego-shattering karaoke places.

An ultramodern city with plenty of ancient soul.

Hong Kong has enough towering urbanity, electric streetscapes, enigmatic temples, commercial fervour and cultural idiosyncrasies to utterly swamp the senses of a visitor, and enough spontaneous, unexpected possibilities to make a complete mockery of any attempt at a strictly organised itinerary.

Retail therapy? Try retail shock treatment.

Shopping in Hong Kong goes way beyond buying stuff you need: it's a social activity, a favourite recreation, an after-hours release. Clothing, jewellery and electronics are the city's strong suits - all of them can be made to order, whether it's an Armani-copy ensemble, a pair of earrings or a PC.