Most Hong Kong activity lists recycle the same ten tourist attractions and call it a day. Victoria Peak, Star Ferry, Temple Street Night Market. Fine if you are here for 48 hours. Useless if you live here and need something to do this weekend. Our Lamma Island Day Trip Guide covers ferries, trails, beaches, and seafood in detail. The International Arts Carnival also runs during the summer months with over 100 family-friendly shows and workshops.
We have spent the past year finding the most fun things to do in Hong Kong, eating through every district, hiking the ridgelines, testing workshops, visiting museums, and crossing the border for day trips. This is our running list of the things we actually recommend to friends, updated as we find new ones. Every entry links to a longer guide where we cover the details: prices, directions, what to order, and what to skip.
Date Ideas for Couples
Hong Kong is better for dates than most people give it credit for. The trick is getting off the main streets.
1. Make a neon sign together. Several studios in Hong Kong run DIY neon workshops where you bend EL wire into custom designs. Sessions start from HK$320 per person and you take home a glowing sign at the end. Full guide to DIY neon sign workshops
2. Walk the Sai Kung waterfront and eat seafood. Sai Kung is one of the few places in Hong Kong that feels like a small town. The waterfront is lined with seafood restaurants, the hiking is close, and the beaches are some of the best on the eastern coast. Our Sai Kung day trip guide
3. Hunt for hidden coffee shops. The best coffee in Hong Kong is behind unmarked doors and on upper floors that nobody walks past. We found six that most guides miss. 6 Hong Kong coffee shops you have not found yet
4. Eat at a 1966 flambe steakhouse. Boston Restaurant in Wan Chai has been doing tableside flambe steaks for nearly 60 years. The retro decor is real, not a fit-out. Boston Restaurant guide
5. Sunset walk along the West Kowloon waterfront. The promenade between M+ and the Palace Museum is one of the best harbour walks in the city, especially on Friday or Saturday evenings. In June, the nearby TST East Promenade hosts the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races. Free, no booking needed. The SummerFest Wan Chai 2026 festival nearby runs free play zones and weekend events until October.
Things to Do with Kids and Family
Hong Kong is more family-friendly than it looks from the inside of a taxi.
6. Disneyland vs Ocean Park: pick the right one. Both are good. They are good for different reasons and different ages. We compared them side by side so you do not have to buy the wrong ticket. Disneyland vs Ocean Park comparison
7. Spend a day at the beach. Hong Kong has over 40 gazetted beaches and most expats only know Repulse Bay. We ranked the best ones by water quality, accessibility, and crowd levels. Best beaches in Hong Kong
8. Cross the border to Shenzhen for a family day. Ten family-friendly attractions from the 547-metre Ping An observation deck to the free sand at Dameisha Beach, all reachable by metro. 10 best Shenzhen things to do with kids
9. Visit the Ancient Egypt exhibition at the Palace Museum. 250 artefacts from seven Egyptian museums, running until August 2026. Mummy coffins, gold jewellery, pharaoh statues, and multimedia installations that work for adults and children. Palace Museum Egypt exhibition guide
10. Tour the ICAC exhibition hall and Cafe 1974. A free exhibition about Hong Kong’s anti-corruption history, set inside the actual ICAC building. The attached cafe serves surprisingly good coffee. ICAC exhibition hall guide
11. Explore MINISO LAND in Shenzhen. Three floors of IP toys in Dongmen, just across the border. Kids go wild. MINISO LAND Shenzhen guide
Food Experiences You Should Not Miss
Hong Kong’s food scene is the single best reason to live here. These are the meals we keep going back to.
12. Drink silk stocking milk tea where it was invented. Lan Fong Yuen in Central has been pouring from the same recipe since 1952. Cash only, queue expected. Lan Fong Yuen guide
13. Eat the city’s best dim sum as a beginner. If you have never ordered dim sum properly, start here. We explain the system, the dishes, and the places. Best dim sum in Hong Kong for beginners
14. Try the last dim sum cart house in Sheung Wan. Luk On Kui still pushes carts between tables, a practice that has all but disappeared from Hong Kong. Luk On Kui guide
15. Eat your way through Sham Shui Po. The best food crawl in Kowloon runs from Kung Wo beancurd to Man Kee cart noodles, with about eight essential stops in between. Sham Shui Po food crawl guide
16. Queue for the pineapple bun at Kam Wah Cafe. There is a reason this Prince Edward cha chaan teng has a permanent queue at the door. The bun with a cold slab of butter is worth it. Kam Wah Cafe guide
17. Try the best brunch in Hong Kong. We tested the western brunch spots that actually deliver on weekends. Best western brunch spots in Hong Kong
18. Eat the best roast goose in Hong Kong. Chan Kee in Sham Tseng is worth the trip. Kam’s in Wan Chai is the Michelin-starred alternative. We reviewed both. Chan Kee guide | Kam’s Roast Goose guide
Weekend Activities and Outdoor Fun
When you need to get out of the flat and away from a screen.
19. Hike the best trails for beginners. Hong Kong’s hiking is world-class and most of the best trails start within a 15-minute MTR ride from the city centre. We ranked them by difficulty and view. Best hiking trails for beginners
20. Shop the outlets at Citygate Tung Chung. The best outlet mall in Hong Kong, right next to the airport. We reviewed every section. Citygate Outlets guide
21. Visit the Hong Kong Story exhibition. The Museum of History’s flagship exhibition reopened after six years of renovation. Free entry. Hong Kong Story exhibition guide
22. Work out at a 24-hour gym. We compared every 24-hour gym chain in Hong Kong by price, equipment, and locations. Best 24-hour gyms in Hong Kong
23. Browse the essential oil shop that went viral. Shiu Shing Hong in Sheung Wan became a Xiaohongshu sensation. The handmade essential oils are the real deal. Shiu Shing Hong guide
Day Trips from Hong Kong
Some of the best things to do from Hong Kong are technically not in Hong Kong.
24. Futian day trip: cafes, COCO Park, and Shuiwei Night Market. The fastest border crossing leads straight into Futian’s cafe and shopping scene. We mapped the whole day. Futian day trip guide
25. Qianhai-Shekou: Sea World, cherry blossoms, and fig chicken hotpot. A slower-paced Shenzhen day trip along the western waterfront. Qianhai-Shekou day trip guide
26. Visit Costco Shenzhen. The Longhua store is the first Costco in the Shenzhen area and Hong Kong expats are already making the trip. Costco Shenzhen guide
27. Sam’s Club in Futian. The bulk-buy run most Hong Kong expats recommend without ever writing down the details. Sam’s Club Futian guide
28. Eat at the UFO restaurant in Shenzhen. Orbit One is a space-themed restaurant in Nanshan that actually serves good food. Orbit One Shenzhen guide
29. Try the driverless taxis. Shenzhen has a functioning robotaxi network. We tested it. Driverless taxi Shenzhen guide
Unique and Unusual Things to Do
The entries that do not fit a category but deserve to be on the list.
30. Eat the HK$100 unlimited beer at Mr Wong’s. A Mong Kok bar that has been running unlimited beer for HK$100 per person for years. It is not a scam. Mr Wong’s guide
31. Visit the DJI flagship store in Shenzhen. The world’s biggest drone store, with a flight cage and free demonstrations. DJI flagship guide
32. See Bambu Lab’s 3D printing store. Free 3D printing at the Bambu Lab flagship in MixC Bay, Shenzhen. Bambu Lab Shenzhen guide
33. Eat at a real dai pai dong. ChorLand is a modern take on the classic Hong Kong outdoor cooked food stall, one of the few left in the city. ChorLand guide
34. Find the best egg tart in Hong Kong. Bakehouse’s queue has become a meme, and now Manteigaria’s Portuguese version in Central is drawing its own. We tested whether the hype is actually worth it. Bakehouse guide
35. Learn basic Cantonese. Not an activity in the traditional sense, but learning a handful of phrases changes how the city treats you. We tested the apps. Basic Cantonese phrases every expat should know | Best apps to learn Cantonese
Start Planning
This list will grow. We add new entries as we find places worth recommending and remove anything that closes or drops in quality. If you are new to Hong Kong, start with the food section: eating well here requires almost no effort and costs less than you think. If you have been here a while and feel stuck in a routine, the day trips section is where the best new experiences are.
For more guides on living in Hong Kong, browse our full lifestyle section or our food guides.
