In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Start on Victoria Peak: the Peak Tram return is HK$116 (HK$182 with Sky Terrace 428), or walk the free Lugard Road circuit in 40 to 60 minutes. Cross the harbour on the Star Ferry (HK$5 upper deck on weekdays), look into Man Mo Temple and Tai Kwun, ride the cable car to the Tian Tan Buddha (Standard return HK$295), and spend an afternoon at M+ (HK$190) or the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HK$70). sky100 is closed for major renovation. Or book a tour: Hong Kong 6-Hour Walking Tour: Landmarks & Highlights with Lunchad (from HK$620, 4.9 stars from 303 reviews) goes up on the Peak Tram and covers the landmarks on foot, with lunch.
The 15 sights at a glance
| Sight | Cost | Hours | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak Tram and Sky Terrace 428 | Tram return HK$116; combo HK$182 | Tram 07:30 to 23:00; terrace 08:30 to 22:00 | Peak Tram tickets |
| Lugard Road | Free | 40 to 60 minute circuit | Peak Tram tickets |
| Tai Kwun and PMQ | Free to walk round | Compound 08:00 to 23:00 | Tai Kwun and PMQ |
| Man Mo Temple | Free | Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan | Central to Sheung Wan walk |
| Wong Tai Sin Temple | Entrance free | Check at the gate | Free things to do |
| Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden | Free | Nan Lian 07:00 to 21:00 | Free things to do |
| Tian Tan Buddha | Free outside; cable car from HK$295 return | Cable car 10:00 to 18:00 (weekends 09:00 to 18:30) | Ngong Ping 360 |
| Star Ferry | HK$5 or HK$6.50 upper deck | 06:30 to 23:30 | Victoria Harbour cruises |
| Avenue of Stars | Free | Open-air promenade | TST to West Kowloon walk |
| Harbour cruises | Aqualuna from HK$168 by day, HK$280 in the evening | Sailings vary | Victoria Harbour cruises |
| Temple Street night market | Free to walk | Evening market | Temple Street |
| Mong Kok markets | Free to look | Stalls keep their own hours | Free things to do |
| Cat Street | Free | Stalls keep their own hours | Central to Sheung Wan walk |
| M+ | HK$190, HK$100 concession | Tue to Thu, Sat, Sun 10:00 to 18:00; Fri to 22:00; closed Mon | M+ and the Palace Museum |
| Hong Kong Palace Museum | HK$70, HK$35 concession | Mon, Wed, Thu, Sun 10:00 to 18:00; Fri, Sat, public holidays to 20:00; closed Tue | M+ and the Palace Museum |
Tours that cover several sights
Every sight below can be done alone. These GetYourGuide products link several of them in a day.
Six-hour walking tour with the Peak Tram
From HK$620 · 4.9 stars from 303 reviews · 6 hours · skip the line · free cancellation
Hong Kong 6-Hour Walking Tour: Landmarks & Highlights with Lunchad: a full-day walking tour that goes up to the Peak on the Peak Tram, visits landmarks and includes a mini food tour with lunch. Book at least an hour ahead.
Priority Peak Tram, city walk and dim sum
From HK$620 · 4.4 stars from 593 reviews · 5 to 7 hours · free cancellation
Hong Kong Day Tour: Priority Peak Tram, City Walk & Dim Sumad: priority boarding on the Peak Tram, a guided visit to the Peak, a walk through Old Town Central past the outdoor escalator, Tai Kwun, Hollywood Road and Man Mo Temple, and a dim sum tasting. Hotel pick-up is available, and an afternoon departure adds a 45-minute sunset harbour cruise.
Hop-on, hop-off bus
From HK$431 · 4.4 stars from 1,202 reviews · 1 to 2 days · skip the line · free cancellation
Hong Kong: Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Tour & Optional Peak Tramad: an open-top double-decker with audio commentary in 9 languages, a Star Ferry crossing with every ticket and an optional Peak Tram Sky Pass add-on. It suits a first day when you want to see where things are.
Lantau by cable car
From HK$530 · 4.7 stars from 764 reviews · 5 hours · free cancellation
Hong Kong: Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car, Tai O & Big Buddha Tourad: priority boarding for the cable car, a guided visit to the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, a boat ride past Tai O’s stilt houses and a coach between the sights. See Ngong Ping 360.
Harbour cruise with drinks
From HK$108 · 4.6 stars from 1,846 reviews · 45 minutes · skip the line · free cancellation
Hong Kong: Victoria Harbour Evening Cruise with Drinksad: a 45-minute yacht cruise with the Symphony of Lights on the programme. Book at least 15 minutes ahead.
1. Victoria Peak and Sky Terrace 428
An adult Peak Tram return is HK$116 (HK$75 for a child), and the Special Combo with Sky Terrace 428 is HK$182 (HK$118 for a child). The tram runs 07:30 to 23:00 daily and Sky Terrace 428 is open 08:30 to 22:00 (HK$80 alone). Octopus is not accepted at the direct entry gates, so buy a ticket online or at the counter (thepeak.com.hk). From Central station Exit J2 the walk to the lower terminus is 10 to 15 minutes (The Peak).
The skyline from Victoria Peak. Photo: Diliff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
The sky100 observation deck in the ICC is closed for major renovation, and the operator’s notice gives no reopening date (sky100.com.hk). See sky100 for the alternatives.
2. Lugard Road
The Hong Kong Trail circuit leaves the Peak Tower onto Lugard Road and returns along Harlech Road in 40 to 60 minutes, with views of Kowloon, Victoria Harbour and the outlying islands. It costs nothing (The Peak).
3. Tai Kwun and PMQ
Tai Kwun is the former Central Police Station, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison, with 16 restored buildings, and is free to walk round; the compound is open 08:00 to 23:00 (taikwun.hk). PMQ, a short walk away on Aberdeen Street, has design studios open 12:00 to 19:00 and cafes and restaurants 09:00 to 23:00 (pmq.org.hk). See Tai Kwun and PMQ.
4. Man Mo Temple
Built in 1847 on Hollywood Road and dedicated to Man Cheong, god of literature, and Kwan Tai, god of war, it is run by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (Wikipedia). The temple is open 08:00 to 18:00 daily, and from 07:00 on the 1st and 15th of every lunar month and on four temple festivals (Tung Wah Group of Hospitals).
Incense coils inside Man Mo Temple. Photo: Michal Osmenda, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
5. Wong Tai Sin Temple
An 18,000 m2 Taoist temple on the south side of Lion Rock, known for kau chim, the practice of shaking numbered sticks from a tube to get a fortune, and graded as a Grade I historic building (Wikipedia). Entrance to the temple is free (Wikivoyage). From Central the MTR is HK$15.80 with Octopus or HK$16.00 for a single ticket (MTR fares).
6. Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden
Chi Lin Nunnery was founded in 1934 and rebuilt in 1998 in Tang dynasty style, in cypress wood without nails; its halls and garden are free every day. Nan Lian Garden, across the road, covers 3.5 hectares, opened on 14 November 2006 and is open daily 7am to 9pm (Wikipedia; Wikipedia).
7. Tian Tan Buddha
The bronze Buddha at Po Lin Monastery on Lantau is 34 metres tall measured from its lotus throne and base, was cast from 250 tonnes of bronze and took 12 years to build. Reaching it means climbing 268 steps; the outside is free, and a separate fee applies to go inside the base (Ngong Ping 360; Wikipedia). The Ngong Ping 360 cable car takes 25 minutes from Tung Chung: Standard return HK$295 adult and HK$150 child, Crystal HK$365 and HK$220 (np360.com.hk).
The Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island. Photo: Béria Lima de Rodríguez, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
8. Star Ferry
The upper deck is HK$5 on weekdays and HK$6.50 at weekends and public holidays; the lower deck is HK$4 and HK$5.60. Ferries leave Central and Tsim Sha Tsui from 06:30 to 23:30, and a four-day tourist pass is HK$50 (starferry.com.hk). The crossing is about 9 minutes (Transport Department data).
9. Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront and the Avenue of Stars
The Clock Tower (44 m, completed 1915) is the only remnant of the old Kowloon railway station (Wikipedia). The Avenue of Stars is a 440 m promenade for Hong Kong film, reopened on 31 January 2019, with a bronze statue of Bruce Lee (Wikipedia). A Symphony of Lights is shown nightly at 8pm for about 10 minutes (Wikipedia). The full route is the Tsim Sha Tsui to West Kowloon walk.
10. Harbour cruises
The Aqualuna red-sail junk costs HK$168 for an adult by day (HK$138 on the operator’s online offer) and HK$280 in the evening; it picks up at Central Pier 9, Tsim Sha Tsui Public Pier 1, Wan Chai Public Pier and Hung Hom Public Pier (aqualuna.com.hk). Other boats and the prices are in Victoria Harbour cruises.
11. Temple Street night market
The market runs along Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei and Jordan, between Jordan Road and Man Ming Lane, with souvenir and clothing stalls to the south and food stalls and claypot rice restaurants to the north. Fortune tellers sit in the Tin Hau Temple square on Public Square Street. Take the MTR to Jordan or Yau Ma Tei. The full guide is Temple Street night market and street food.
12. Mong Kok markets
Goldfish Street on Tung Choi Street sells tropical and marine fish and aquariums, Flower Market Road is packed with florists and vendors, and the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden sells songbirds in carved cages (Wikivoyage). From Central, Mong Kok is HK$13.20 with Octopus or HK$15.50 for a single ticket (MTR fares).
13. Cat Street
Cat Street is the nickname for Lascar Row in Sheung Wan. Upper Lascar Row is a narrow lane of about 150 m, parallel to Hollywood Road, and the area has been an antiques and second-hand market since the 1920s (Wikipedia). It sits on the Central to Sheung Wan walk.
14. M+
M+ is a museum of visual culture at 38 Museum Drive in West Kowloon. A standard ticket is HK$190 and a concession ticket HK$100. It is open Tuesday to Thursday and weekends 10:00 to 18:00 and Fridays 10:00 to 22:00, and is closed on Mondays; the last admission is 30 minutes before closing. The Mediatheque, the Grand Stair, levels B1 and B2, Found Space and the Roof Garden are free (mplus.org.hk).
The facade of M+ in West Kowloon. Photo: Bkemaoe HOMA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
15. Hong Kong Palace Museum
The museum opened on 3 July 2022 and shows objects lent by the Palace Museum in Beijing. The regular ticket is HK$70 (HK$35 concession); a special exhibition from 11 December 2026 to 5 May 2027 has its own ticket at HK$150 (HK$75 concession). It is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 10:00 to 18:00 and Friday, Saturday and public holidays 10:00 to 20:00, and closed on Tuesdays except public holidays (hkpm.org.hk; Wikipedia). Both museums are covered in M+ and the Palace Museum.
Beyond the city
The islands and the day trips are in Cheung Chau and Lamma, Lantau and Tai O, Sai Kung and day trips from Hong Kong. Families should start with Hong Kong with kids, and budget travellers with free things to do. For the weather, see the best time to visit Hong Kong, and for how long to stay, 3 days in Hong Kong.
Common questions
What are the top sights to visit in Hong Kong?
Victoria Peak by Peak Tram, the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour, the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island, M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum in West Kowloon, Man Mo Temple and Tai Kwun, and the street markets of Mong Kok and Temple Street.
How much do Hong Kong's attractions cost?
Many are free: Man Mo Temple, Wong Tai Sin Temple, Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery, the Lugard Road walk and the Avenue of Stars. The Star Ferry upper deck is HK$5 on weekdays and HK$6.50 at weekends and public holidays, the Peak Tram return is HK$116 (HK$182 with Sky Terrace 428), M+ is HK$190, the Hong Kong Palace Museum is HK$70 and a Ngong Ping 360 Standard return is HK$295.
Which sights need booking ahead?
None needs a reservation, but Octopus is not accepted at the Peak Tram entry gates, so buy a ticket first, online or at the counter. Ngong Ping 360 and the museums sell tickets online. The Hong Kong Palace Museum's special exhibition from 11 December 2026 to 5 May 2027 has its own ticket (HK$150, HK$75 concession).
Is sky100 open?
No. sky100 in the ICC is closed for major renovation, and the operator's notice gives no reopening date. Sky Terrace 428 on the Peak is HK$80 and open 08:30 to 22:00 (thepeak.com.hk).
What is the best way to get between the sights?
The MTR for most journeys: Central to Tsim Sha Tsui is HK$10.60 with an Octopus card, and Central to Sheung Wan HK$4.90. Add the tram (HK$3.30 adult flat fare) along the north shore of Hong Kong Island and the Star Ferry across the harbour.
