Amost certainly the number one thing to do in Hong Kong. Victoria Peak and the tram ride up is just iconic and if you’ve seen pictures of Hong Kong it’s most likely from up here. It’s a really fun (and steep!) tram ride up to the top where there’s a mall, sky terrace with a viewing platform, gardens, and amazing views and walks. We had a brilliant time up here and were surprised at just how cheap it was too.

One of our favourites of course and we’ve included a link below to our full guide to Hong Kong Disneyland. Just a brilliant and unique Disney park – you can easily just spend a day here if you want or there’s more to keep you entertained for longer if you’re a big Disney fan. Either way you’ll have an amazing time!

Another must do and a very easy one to tick off. The iconic Star Ferry has been operating for well over 100 years and shuttles back and forth between Hong Kong City and Kowloon. Its incredibly cheap, very easy to do (just walk up, buy your tickets and walk on) and only takes less than 10 minutes. It’s a great value harbour cruise and provides great views of the city.

The number of malls in Hong Kong, and scale of shopping was like nothing we had ever seen before. Our favourite was Harbour City (near the Star ferry) followed by the K11 mall right on the Kowloon harbourfront. We also stopped by the IFC mall (which we found hard to navigate!) and the Elements mall (more high end), with several others we didn’t even get to. This is on top of Nathan Road and the rest of the city – if shopping is your thing you won’t be disappointed!

A brilliant half day and a must do. The Big Buddha is out on Lantau island but very easy to reach on the metro. You start with the Ngong Ping 360 cable car ride up into the hills where you can explore the little village here and walk the steps up to the giant Buddha. The steps aren’t as bad as they look and its worth it to get to the top and enjoy the amazing views. Don’t miss the Monastery too which is incredibly beautiful.

Another market in Kowloon but billed as a must do. This is perhaps the liveliest night market and within reaching distance of the main sights. We had a brilliant night here and then walked down Nathan Road to finish. It was a buzzing atmosphere with food stalls (don’t miss the tangluhu!), knick-knacks and fortune tellers. Its split in half by the Tin Hau Temple as well. Keep in mind some of the stalls on the outskirts sell more adult items so watch your kids!

We really looked hard at this but couldn’t fit everything in. It would have been amazing to visit this renowned hotel, and even better to enjoy afternoon tea here. Definitely one for next time for a treat!

The northern part of Kowloon and top end of Nathan Road has a number of interesting markets. The Ladies Market in Mong Kok, part of the Tung Choi Street Market is billed as one of the best. However there’s also the Jade market, the Goldfish market and Sneaker Street to check out.

A fun quirky little ‘attraction’, these are the longest outdoor escalators in the World. They take you from Queens Road up through the city with various spots to hop on and off. They’re a fun way to see the city but I’d say only come here if you’ve got time to devote to exploring the surrounding area – otherwise you’re just riding an escalator and wondering what the fuss is all about.

An excellent opportunity to explore some of the local culture, Man Mo Temple is one of the biggest and most interesting temples to visit in Hong Kong. Located in Hong Kong City, and within walking distance of the escalators, you can pop in and explore this fascinating building.

Right in the middle of Hong Kong City and the city skyscrapers this is a popular gathering place and a great spot to take a minute in the busy city. The Bank of China building towers above and the HSBC building over the road has a little walkthrough ‘museum’ on the ground floor.  

Perhaps one of the best observation decks in the city, Sky 100 sits at the top of the International Commerce Centre out on the western side of Kowloon. It provides amazing views across the city and we loved our visit here. Its also above the Elements mall, which is a high end mall and a nice spot to spend a few hours and to get something to eat.

Hong Kong is an amazing fusion of east and west so you can find pretty much anything you want here. We found it pretty easy to find western food when we wanted it, but equally were able to try some of the amazing local food on offer. Dim Sum is billed as a must do here – we didn’t try it because of the kids/allergies just making it too much effort, but its certainly worth looking into.

Located on Hong Kong island, the second major theme park in the city came highly recommended. Ocean Park has a range of attractions and rides and doubles as a zoo and aquarium and is home to Pandas, Orcas, Dolphins, Alligators and penguins among others. A great spot for families – this would have made our list if we had another day in the city.

Double decker heritage trams, affectionately known as ‘ding dings’ run up and down Hong Kong City, running west to east and back again. They’re a really fun way to get about, very cheap and very easy to use. We had a great time using them to dot around the city.

Hong Kong Dolphinwatch offer cruises out into the bay to spot the small pod of pink dolphins that live here. This was really high on our list but unfortunately they only sailed on Sunday mornings which we just couldn’t fit with our plans. It looks an amazing opportunity though if you can make it work.

Another that we didn’t get time to visit, but came highly recommended from several people. This is a Buddhist temple complex and ornamental park with Koi ponds, pagodas and rockeries. The pictures look really impressive so it’s a shame we didn’t get to visit, but hopefully one for next time.

The main drag in Kowloon offering amazing shopping opportunities. Always busy, always buzzing and proper iconic Hong Kong.

Hong Kong as an abundance of parks and green space on offer. Starting with Hong Kong Park sitting between the central district and the Victoria Peak tram, this is a beautiful park on the hillside and very easy to stop by. Nearby Cheung Kong Park is also a lovely little oasis in the middle of all the hustle and bustle. Moving over to Kowloon, Kowloon Park is another brilliant spot with sculpture parks, an aviary, swimming complex, flamingo pond and even offers Thai Chi and Kung Fu on certain days of the week.

Also known as the Avenue of the Stars, this is the buzzing promenade running along the southern coast of Kowloon overlooking Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong City. The views here, particularly at night with the city lit up, are simply amazing. There are numerous hand prints and sculptures dedicated to the arts, including a statue of Bruce Lee. Its also the best spot to watch the Symphony of Lights show.

This is the nightly light show that takes place in Victoria Harbour. Buildings either side are lit up synchronised with music and it’s a really fun show. People line up along the waterfront to watch, or you can book a cruise out onto the harbour like we did. You can also download the app to play the music in real time and watch from your hotel room if you have a harbour view.

There are loads of different cruises you can take out onto the harbour. We went for a traditional junk boat tour with Aqua Luna which was brilliant. It felt like such an authentic and different experience. We booked ours to coincide with the Symphony of Lights show and it was a great way to take in all the lights.

A classic attraction down by the waterfront on the Hong Kong side of the harbour, by the IFC mall. We didn’t have time to take this in but it did look fun for families and another great way to take in the views of the city and the lights.

One of the oldest streets in Hong Kong, Hollywood Road is a fascinating blend of history and modernity. It's known for its antique shops, art galleries, and vibrant street art. Its a great spot to explore in Hong Kong City. It's also a great place to pick up unique souvenirs from your trip.

Another special administrative region of China, Macau is a fascinating destination to visit, and very do-able as a day trip from Hong Kong. We covered our day here in our vlog series where we got the ferry over and explored some of the resort casinos. Macau is an interesting blend of Portuguese and Chinese culture, being a former Portuguese colony.

There are two sides to Macau – the old town in the north and the casino-centred Cotai strip in the south. The old town is where you’ll find the historic sights such as the ruins of St Pauls and Senado Square, with cobblestone streets and pastel coloured buildings. This is the best spot to get a feel for the historic culture here. It was also it’s fair share of casinos as well as the Macau Tower. This offers amazing views across the region and the chance to bungee jump (if that’s your thing!)

We focussed on the strip for our day which is like the Las Vegas of Asia. Lining the strip either side there’s a variety of amazing casinos and resorts, the Venetian, Parisian, Londoner, Studio City, MGM to name a few. Each has a different theme with an abundance of shopping, dining and entertainment on offer. This was absolutely amazing and surprisingly more family friendly than we expected - we agreed we’d like to return one day and spend a night or two here enjoying some more of the city.