The Best Things to Do in Hong Kong During a Long Layover

As the first destination I ever visited in this part of the globe, I was pretty excited to set foot in Hong Kong. I had only heard good things about the “fragrant harbour”, how it was a more civilised – not to say slightly westernised – version of China with a slight British twist to it. Hong Kong is also Cathay Pacific’s main Asia hub making it easy for us North Americans to use it as the gateway to Asia and also to plan an extended layover. My first experience in the archipelago was short-lived —not for a deficit in things to do, but rather because I was on my way to Cambodia and Vietnam— but it was enough to entice me to return many, many times.

Here’s what I did as a first-timer in Hong Kong.

Victoria Peak

Classic tourist attraction but an essential one nonetheless. Riding the dizzyingly upright tram is an experience in its own right; the view from atop Victoria Peak is another one entirely, as the panorama can change quite drastically depending on…