Hong Kong Travel Guide
Beyond the Skyline
How to escape the city: Lantau's Big Buddha and Tai O, Cheung Chau and Lamma by ferry, hikes and beaches, and how to do a day trip to Macau by ferry or the bridge bus.
Most visitors never realize that Hong Kong is made up of more than two hundred islands, and that most of its land is green hills, country parks and coastline rather than city. Some of the best days you can have here are spent on a ferry deck or a mountain trail, an hour from the towers of Central. This guide covers the best escapes, plus a day trip to Macau, the former Portuguese territory across the Pearl River estuary.
Lantau: the Big Buddha and Tai O. Lantau is Hong Kong's largest island, home to the airport and Disneyland, but mostly mountains and country park. The classic day starts at Tung Chung with the Ngong Ping 360 cable car to the Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, then continues by bus to Tai O, a fishing village on the west coast where families have lived in stilt houses over the tidal creeks for generations. Walk the lanes past shops selling dried fish, salted egg yolks and shrimp paste, snack on grilled squid and egg waffles, and take a small boat out of the harbour for the coastline (dolphin sightings are now rare). Return by bus to Tung Chung, or to Mui Wo for the ferry back to Central. Lantau also has the best long hikes, including Lantau Peak at sunrise, and good beaches at Cheung Sha.
Cheung Chau. The most popular island for a day trip, Cheung Chau is car-free and busy with fishing boats, seafood restaurants, temples, beaches and street snacks. Ferries leave from Central Pier 5. Walk to Pak Tai Temple, eat fish balls and mango mochi in the lanes, swim at Tung Wan Beach, follow the Mini Great Wall coastal path and squeeze into Cheung Po Tsai pirate cave. Go on a weekday to avoid crowds, and visit in late April or May for the Bun Festival.
Lamma Island. Lamma, about half an hour from Central Pier 4, is known for its laid-back, slightly bohemian village of Yung Shue Wan, with cafes and bars, and for the Family Trail, an easy walk of about an hour and a half across the hills to Sok Kwu Wan, where waterfront seafood restaurants line the bay. Hung Shing Yeh beach is on the way. Catch the ferry back from Sok Kwu Wan to Central after lunch or dinner. The island's power station chimneys are the only reminder of the city.
Hikes and beaches. Hong Kong's country parks are a revelation. The Dragon's Back on Hong Kong Island is the easiest classic, with ridge views and a beach finish at Big Wave Bay. Sai Kung, in the east of the New Territories, has the most beautiful coastline, with volcanic rock formations in the UNESCO Global Geopark, the remote beaches of Tai Long Wan and boat trips from Sai Kung town, where seafood restaurants line the waterfront. Lion Rock, above Kowloon, gives a famous view over the city. Hike in the cooler months, start early, carry water and check the weather.
A day in Macau. Macau, an hour away by ferry, is a world of its own: a former Portuguese colony with a UNESCO-listed historic centre of baroque churches, Portuguese-style squares and Chinese temples, a distinctive Macanese cuisine and the casino resorts of Cotai. Ferries run frequently from the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan, with TurboJET boats to the Outer Harbour Terminal near the old town and Cotai Water Jet boats to Taipa for the resorts; the crossing takes about an hour. Alternatively, take a bus to the Hong Kong Port near the airport and the shuttle bus across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which runs around the clock and is cheaper, though the trip to the port takes time from the city. Bring your passport: Macau has its own immigration controls, and you exit and re-enter Hong Kong. Macau uses its own currency, the pataca, but Hong Kong dollars are widely accepted.
What to see in Macau. Start at Senado Square, with its wave-patterned Portuguese paving, walk up to the Ruins of St. Paul's, the facade of a seventeenth-century church that is the symbol of Macau, and climb to the Monte Fort for the view. Visit the A-Ma Temple, one of the oldest in Macau, and the Mandarin's House. Eat Portuguese egg tarts, pork chop buns and Macanese dishes like minchi and African chicken. In the evening, see the lights of the Cotai Strip and the resorts, or the old Lisboa casino on the peninsula. A long day is enough for the highlights, though an overnight stay lets you enjoy it at a slower pace.
Practical tips. Use an Octopus card on Hong Kong ferries and buses. Ferry timetables are frequent but check the last return sailings, especially from the smaller islands. Do not take ferries or hike during typhoon signals or heavy rain warnings. Weekdays are always quieter. And bring cash for the small island restaurants and stalls, where cards are not always accepted.
Choosing your escape. With one spare day, choose Lantau for the Big Buddha and Tai O, the most varied day trip from the city. With two, add Cheung Chau for seafood, beaches and island life. Walkers should prioritize the Dragon's Back or Sai Kung's coast, and history lovers Macau. Families with young children will find Cheung Chau the easiest island and the Big Buddha cable car the most exciting ride. Whichever you choose, start early, return before dark if you are not a confident hiker, and leave the evening for a final look at the harbour, which never looks better than after a day away from it.