Hong Kong: Asia’s world city top attractions
Build a modern city on an ancient civilization, put it at an intersection of cultures, and you get a place that is truly worth exploring. Dive into a festival, hike a mountain trail, catch a show, visit a temple, explore a walled village… they are just some of the things that you can do in Hong Kong. Here are some of this world city’s top attractions:
The Peak
If there is only one thing you can do in Hong Kong, go to The Peak. If you have many things to do here, still go to The Peak. The highest point on Hong Kong Island, this has been the city’s most exclusive neighborhood since colonial times—back then it was the cooler air that attracted the rich and famous; in the post air-conditioning era, the views of one of the world’s most spectacular cityscapes keep them coming.
That view is also what makes The Peak one of the most popular attractions in Hong Kong. By day, your eyes stretch across sparkling skyscrapers and Victoria Harbor all the way to the green hills of the New Territories. In early evening, this panorama melts into pink and orange before reincarnating as a dazzling galaxy of light, shimmering beneath you. And if you listen carefully enough, you can hear Asia’s world city humming below.
Ocean Park Hong Kong
Opened in 1977, Ocean Park Hong Kong is a marine-life theme park featuring animal exhibits, thrill rides and shows. In 2012, its impressive ability to offer guests a world-class experience that blends entertainment with education and conservation was confirmed when it became the first Asian winner of the biannual Applause Award, the most prestigious award in the amusement and theme park industry.
Temple Street Night Market
When the sun goes down, the traders have already laid out their wares and the opera singers and fortune tellers begin to emerge. Welcome to the Temple Street Night Market, a popular street bazaar named after a Tin Hau temple located in the center of its main drag, and a place so steeped in local atmosphere that it has served as the backdrop to many a memorable movie.
Trinkets, tea ware, electronics, watches, menswear, jade and antiques are scrutinized and haggled over, while claypot rice, seafood, noodles and other treats are consumed with gusto.
Clock Tower
Standing 44 meters tall, the old Clock Tower was erected in 1915 as part of the Kowloon-Canton Railway terminus. The oncebustling station is long gone, but this red brick and granite tower, now preserved as a Declared Monument survives as an elegant reminder of the Age of Steam. It has also been a memorable landmark for the millions of Chinese immigrants who
passed through the terminus to begin new lives not just in Hong Kong, but in other parts of the world via the city’s harbor.
Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade
Starting at the colonial-era Clock Tower and stretching all the way to Hung Hom, a stroll along the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade takes one past the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the Hong Kong Space Museum. But like most of the love birds and shutterbugs on the promenade, your gaze will be drawn south to the dramatic topographical and architectural spectacle that is the Hong Kong Island skyline towering over the busy waters of Victoria Harbor.
Golden Bauhinia Square (and HKCEC)
The bauhinia is the emblem of Hong Kong. The Forever Blooming Bauhinia Sculpture that gives the Expo Promenade the commonly used name, Golden Bauhinia Square, was a gift from the Central Government to mark the 1997 Handover.
Hong Kong Disneyland
The Disneyland in this part of the world offers immersive and unforgettable experiences and rides that cannot be missed, like the Iron Man Tech Showcase-- Presented by Stark Industries, Star Wars: Tomorrowland Takeover, Mickey and the Wondrous Book and Disney in the Stars with All New Castle Collection.