Hystory of the City and Shopping Tour

Victoria Peak, or just ‘The Peak’ as locally known, is exactly what it sounds like. A large hill, around 500m high, that overlooks Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong skyline as well as the ocean. You can get to the top by walking, bus, taxi or taking the famous Peak Tram, which was closed for a long time through the Coronavirus Pandemic, but is now re-opening again after a revamp.

When you alight the tram at the bottom terminus, you are just around the corner from Hong Kong Central Park. This is a nice little park to have a stroll around and has a cool fountain that you can walk through. It also has a really nice aviary to explore, which is completely free. With an array of colourful birds. Most of them were feeding when I arrived so got to be up close and personal with a number of them.

Golden Bauhinia square is home to the Golden Blooming Flower, which is an iconic landmark. Marking the site where the territory was handed over from us Brits in 1997. Once you’ve seen the flower you can take a walk along the promenade, seeing Victoria Harbour in all it’s glory to our next stop.

The mid-level escalators are novel attraction in Hong Kong, being the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. It was built to help commuters and is a series of separate escalators with numerous entry/exit points. So you can hop in and out of the system where you please. It’ a quirky and fun way to get about and will give your legs a bit of a rest from the walking. There is also some great art to look at along on the outside of the escalators. And there are numerous shop and restaurants dotted all along the route.

Time for a late lunch and if you have ever wanted to try snake then Hong Kong may be the place. It is pretty common in Hong Kong with a few different places selling it. I went for ‘Ser Wong Fun’ as it was just off one of the exits from the escalator and one of the more affordable options.

Man Mo Temple is one of the oldest in Hong Kong, dedicated to the God of War and Literature. You often find students in here praying for success in academia. It has hundreds of hanging incense. It is free to enter and photos can be taken, with no strict dress code, but obviously be respectful.

Walk down to the main ferry port and get the ferry across to Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier, this is a short ferry ride and is a nice way to see Victoria Harbour from another angle. Tickets can be purchase at the port, but again the easiest way will be if you have an Octopus card and just swipe through the turnstile. They leave around every ten minutes and take about 10-15 minutes to cross. There a few ferry ports here so ensure you go through the the appropriate one for Tsim Sha Tsui. But they are clearly signposted so it’s pretty easy.

On the peninsula part of Hong Kong in the Tsim Sha Tsui area where there is a huge park named Kowloon Park. There’s lots of gardens and lakes to walk around. If you’re lucky you may be able to witness one of the martial arts performances that are held in the park regularly. Another good place to have a snack, finding a nice quite patch to sit and eat whist you watch the world go by.

Stroll down to the Avenue of the Stars, which is similar to Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. With hand prints, stars and statues immortalising various famous names. It’s a nice wonder down the promenade, this time looking across to the side where the majority of the day was spent. You can grab some food from one of the many venders ready for the light show, the final stop of the day.

Every night a free light show is performed on both sides of the harbour named the Symphony of Lights. The sky scrapers are lit up with lights and lasers that flash across the sky in sync with music from speakers dotted along the promenades. It starts at 8.00pm lasts about 15 minutes and is completely free, you just need to find a good spot on the promenade where you can sit and enjoy. Get there a few minutes early to get your spec. Try to be near one of the speakers you’ll see dotted about so you can hear the music, but it is quite loud so you don’t have to be right on top of one.

Food has always been a big part of Hong Kong Chinese night time culture, and the Temple Street Night Market is no exception. At the night market you will find all types of food, both snacks and full meals. Much of it is sold from "dai pai dong", or small food stalls. Restaurants and cafes also dot the road and side streets but it is in the dai pai dong, particularly in the cooked food bazaar, that the real life of Temple Street Night market food is to be found. Restaurants near Temple Street Night Market.