Step off the plane in Hong Kong and you’ll feel it instantly – a city where East meets West in ways you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
Chinese temples stand beside Victorian architecture, while dim sum restaurants share streets with craft cocktail bars. This unique fusion of British and Chinese heritage has created something entirely new: a cultural powerhouse where ancient traditions meet bold creativity on every corner.
Once known primarily for its neon skyline, Hong Kong has blossomed into Asia Pacific’s most exciting cultural destination.
Here’s our guide to what to see and do in this incredible city…
The art of West Kowloon
M+ is a vast contemporary visual culture museum with enough galleries to get lost in for days
The Hong Kong Palace Museum houses ancient Chinese treasures in a strikingly modern home
The spectacular West Kowloon Cultural District shows just how seriously Hong Kong takes its art.
Here, three remarkable buildings have changed the game: M+, a vast contemporary visual culture museum with enough galleries to get happily lost in for days; the Hong Kong Palace Museum, where ancient Chinese treasures get a strikingly modern home; and the Xiqu Centre, whose dramatic entrance leads to spellbinding performances of Chinese opera.
The Xiqu Centre’s dramatic entrance leading to spellbinding performances of Chinese opera
Each space has its own distinct take on culture, from cutting-edge installations to precious artefacts that span dynasties. A must!
Sacred spaces
Man Mo Temple is a richly decorated shrine honouring the gods of literature and war
Incense coils spiral through the air at Man Mo Temple, one of Hong Kong’s oldest and most atmospheric sanctuaries.
Built in 1847, this richly decorated shrine honours the gods of literature and war, its dim interior filled with intricate carvings and the prayers of those seeking to pass exams or resolve conflict.
The immense Tian Tan ‘Big’ Buddha
For a more dramatic spiritual experience, take the Ngong Ping cable car to Lantau Island, where the immense Tian Tan ‘Big’ Buddha sits serenely atop a mountain, gazing across the South China Sea.
Below it, the Po Lin Monastery dishes up vegetarian meals in a large dining hall.
Colonial heritage reimagined
Surrounded by towering skyscrapers in Central district, Tai Kwun is like another world
Surrounded by towering skyscrapers and gleaming office blocks in Central district, Tai Kwun feels like stepping into another world.
Once a British colonial police station, magistracy and Victorian Prison, this cluster of beautifully restored Victorian buildings now buzzes with artistic energy.
Contemporary exhibitions fill former cells and offices, while performances bring new life to historic courtyards.
The complex has become one of Hong Kong’s coolest evening spots too – cocktail bars and restaurants have moved into converted prison cells and police quarters, creating some of the city’s most atmospheric drinking holes.
A creative quarter
The buzzing district of Sham Shui Po
In the buzzing district of Sham Shui Po, creativity flows through the streets.
Along Tai Nan Street, former factories now house artist studios and craft workshops where you can try your hand at everything from ceramics to leatherworking.
You’ll spot vibrant murals transforming everything from shop shutters and entire apartment buildings into works of art – part of the HK Urban Canvas project that’s turned this traditional neighbourhood into an open-air gallery.
While now popular with artists and designers, this working-class district still pulses with everyday life – market stalls selling everything from electronics to street food, while you can mingle with locals as they gather at dai pai dongs (open-air food stalls).
A cultural canvas
The Mills celebrates the area’s textile manufacturing history
Speaking of transformations, The Mills shows just how imaginative Hong Kong can be.
This former cotton mill now spins different kinds of stories through CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile), a museum and arts space that celebrates the area’s textile manufacturing history.
The exhibitions here tell the story of Hong Kong’s role as a global textile powerhouse in the 1960s and 70s, while hosting contemporary artists who work with fabric and fibre.
Head up to the rooftop garden for great photos, or explore the trendy cafes below.
Neon Dreams
Hong Kong’s iconic neon landscape
As LED slowly replaces Hong Kong’s iconic neon landscape, there’s still time to explore this glowing piece of city heritage.
Once the sun goes down, head for a wander around neighbourhoods like Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui and you’ll soon see why Hong Kong earned its reputation as one of the world’s most atmospheric cities after dark.
And to see some signs up close, head back to M+, where there’s a growing collection on display. Since 2013, M+ has been acquiring neon signs from the city’s streets, as a celebration of their cultural significance and in an attempt to preserve these iconic objects as they steadily disappear.
Art for Everyone
The Hong Kong Museum of Art’s collection spans everything from ancient Chinese ceramics to cutting-edge local art
The Hong Kong Museum of Art proves that, here, culture isn’t just for connoisseurs.
Recently renovated, it’s where 17,000 pieces of art tell the story of Hong Kong’s history.
The museum’s collection spans everything from ancient Chinese ceramics to cutting-edge local art, but it’s particularly known for its unique collection of “China Trade” art – fascinating paintings by 18th and 19th-century Western and Chinese artists that capture the first meetings of East and West through each other’s eyes.
These vivid works offer a rare glimpse into how foreign traders and local residents viewed each other during Hong Kong’s early days as a trading port.
Island Adventures
Tai O, the ‘Venice of Hong Kong’, on Lantau Island
For something completely different, hop on the Star Ferry to Lantau Island and discover Tai O, where life moves to a different rhythm.
Known as the ‘Venice of Hong Kong’, this centuries-old fishing village is a maze of traditional stilt houses rising from the water.
Its most surprising residents appear at twilight – wild water buffalo who’ve made this peaceful idyll their home, wandering down to the beach to sleep as the sun sets.
After Dark
Dragonfly, a glamorous Art Nouveau-inspired cocktail bar
As night falls, Hong Kong’s cultural pulse shifts gear.
The Xiqu Centre theatre presents innovative takes on Cantonese opera, where centuries-old stories are reimagined for modern audiences.
Over in Tai Kwun’s Victorian-era courtyard, former prison cells and police quarters now house some of Central’s most stylish bars and restaurants – like Dragonfly, a glamorous Art Nouveau-inspired cocktail bar as well as Hong Kong’s first speakeasy bar.
Plus, the surrounding streets of Central and Sheung Wan are home to a cluster of contemporary art galleries that often coordinate their opening nights. It’s a vibrant scene, perfect for bar and exhibition hopping.
And if you’re a fan of a well made cocktail, you’re really in luck. Hong Kong is not only home to nine of Asia’s 50 best bars, but Bar Leone in Central has been named number one in the region. Try the Yuzu Gimlet or the Leone Martini.
With so much to discover, you’re guaranteed a cultural getaway like no other.
Visit discoverhongkong.com to find out more
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