Tai Kwun, PMQ and the Mid-Levels Escalator

Tai Kwun is the best free heritage site on Hong Kong Island, and it sits at the heart of the city's most enjoyable neighbourhood for wandering. The name means "big station" in Cantonese, and it is what locals called the Central Police Station compound, a walled complex of sixteen historic buildings that served for more than a century and a half as the police headquarters, the Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison. After it closed, it was restored and reopened in 2018 as a centre for heritage and the arts, and the restoration won an Award of Excellence in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. You can wander the parade ground and the prison yard, step into the tiny former cells, and explore heritage exhibitions telling the stories of the police, the courts and the prisoners who passed through. Two striking modern additions by the Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, JC Contemporary and JC Cube, host contemporary art exhibitions and performances, and the compound has a full programme of music, theatre, film and talks, including free lunchtime concerts. Restaurants and bars fill several of the old buildings, and the courtyards are a quiet refuge in the middle of Central. Tai Kwun backs onto Hollywood Road and SoHo, the area south of Hollywood Road, and the Central to Mid-Levels Escalator runs right past it. This is the world's longest covered outdoor escalator system, a chain of escalators and walkways climbing the hill from Central towards the residential Mid-Levels, and riding it is a fine way to see the neighbourhood. Nearby, PMQ, the former Police Married Quarters on Aberdeen Street, has been turned into a hub for local designers, with studios, shops and cafes. Together they make a half-day of heritage, design, food and drink, much of it free.

How to explore: start at the bottom of the escalator on Queen's Road Central and ride up, hopping off at Hollywood Road for Tai Kwun, which has an entrance on Hollywood Road and another off the escalator. Spend an hour in the compound: the prison yard and cells, the heritage galleries, whatever is on at JC Contemporary, and a coffee in one of the courtyards. Then walk west along Hollywood Road, past antique and art galleries, to PMQ on Aberdeen Street for design shops, and on to Man Mo Temple. Finish by riding the escalator higher into SoHo for dinner and drinks on Staunton and Elgin Streets, or walk down through the steep lanes to Lan Kwai Fong.

Practical tips: the escalator runs downhill in the early morning rush hour and uphill for the rest of the day, so plan to walk down. Tai Kwun is free to enter, with some ticketed exhibitions and performances; opening hours for the compound and individual venues vary, so check what is on before you go. Evenings are atmospheric, when the courtyards are lit and the bars open. The area is hilly, with stairs, so wear comfortable shoes; lifts and the escalators help.

Who it suits: first-time visitors who want to understand colonial Hong Kong, couples looking for a stylish evening out, and design and art lovers. Combine with Man Mo Temple and Hollywood Road, or with the Peak Tram, whose lower terminus is a short walk east, for a full day in Central.