One spoonful of caster-sugar-dusted bean curd from a sidewalk stall in Sham Shui Po, Peking duck glistening to my left, a businessman sprinting past with milk tea to my right, and suddenly, Hong Kong makes perfect sense.

It’s the kind of place where monthly rent is around £2,000 and you can also chuck a fisherman some change to take you to your own private beach.

See, while Hong Kong is known as the financial capital of Asia (third in the world behind New York and London), long before that, it was something else.

And, like anywhere touched by colonialism, layers of eras and influence pile up like a palimpsest. 

This region has roots deep like the acacia trees planted by the British in the 1800s. A tree is good for preventing landslides, but it’s also a wonderful metaphor.

From breathtaking hikes and a fishing village dubbed the ‘Venice of Hong Kong,’ to a cable car ride that gave me vertigo, a fine dining scene confidently at the top of its game, and one of the seven wonders of the modern world, I spent a week exploring a side of Hong Kong where the path is less trodden.

In doing so, I discovered the rare travel experiences so many of us seek, all in a place I assumed was just another city break.

How wrong I was.

1. Hiking

Located in the subtropical embrace of southern China, Hong Kong is surrounded on all sides by mountainous terrain, green folds of land that look like mossy velvet draped over a chaise longue.

These hills house macaques, kingfishers, waterfalls, abandoned villages, soaring ridgelines, and dozens of trails ranging from gentle morning walks to steep ascents like the ‘four trails’ ultra challenge, which only the fittest 1% can conquer.

Most visitors assume Victoria Peak is simply an observation deck, but the Peak Tram (built in 1888) is the gateway to a whole network of trails that wind around the highest point of Hong Kong Island.

After taking some shots on the observation deck, I walk down a quiet path, looking across at islands floating on turquoise water. It’s dizzying how quickly the city noise dissolves into white noise.

The only sound is a gent on a bike circling the path with a speaker playing a rolling list of Billie Eilish, Gwen Stefani, and Kesha (no complaints from me).

Within Hong Kong’s territory, there are 262 islands. Hikes in Sai Kung, the ‘Great Outdoors of Hong Kong’, wind along crystal blue coastline past volcanic rock formations. The air here is cleaner, the traffic noise replaced by the low hum of cicadas.

The showstopper, though, is Dragon’s Back. The name itself sounds theatrical, and the walk lives up to it. An undulating ridgeline through Shek O Country Park, it’s the most accessible of Hong Kong’s trails and one of the most rewarding.

Sea on both sides, wind in your hair, the city’s skyscrapers reduced to toy blocks in the distance.

Ending the Dragon’s Back hike, I made my way down to Big Wave Bay, which sounds a bit like an 80s movie set where people break into choreographed dance routines on the beach.

I tried to start A Chorus Line, but the crowd didn’t go for it. Which leads me to my next point.

2. Beaches

The aforementioned Big Wave Bay is a popular spot for surfers, sunbathers and swimmers.

The beach is small, but the waves are punchy, and there’s a laidback charm here that feels worlds away from the futuristic feel of Central HK.

I, of course, jumped around in the waves like a Labrador for half an hour before I tuckered myself out and needed a Dragon’s Back lager to refuel (delicious).

Beyond Hong Kong proper, beaches on the outlying islands feel even more removed.

Cheung Chau has relaxed, family-friendly beaches dotted with small cafes. Lamma Island offers forest-to-coast trails that spill you onto quiet bays where people read paperbacks and create sand art.

Even on Lantau, Hong Kong’s largest island, you’ll find stretches of sand that feel properly wild, especially as you walk further from the villages.

Hong Kong’s coastline is proof of something important: you can be in the thick of a global metropolis at breakfast and, by lunchtime, standing shin-deep in seawater watching fishermen pull in their nets.

3. Spirituality

Hong Kong has a strong spiritual spine. Around 15% of the population are practising Buddhists.

The Big Buddha on Lantau (officially Tian Tan Buddha) is one of the most impressive statues in the world.

To get there, you ride the Ngong Ping 360 cable car, gliding over mountains and sea — vertigo-inducing, but fun nonetheless. Then you step out into Ngong Ping Village, a peaceful plateau where incense from temples spirals into your nostrils like a cartoon pie.

Climbing the steps to the Buddha is a slow, rhythmic act, each step revealing more of the statue until you’re standing beneath it, a 34-metre bronze figure gazing serenely over the island.

Nearby, the Po Lin Monastery, with its ornate hall housing the famed 1000 Buddhas temple and chanting monks, feels like a place where time folds in on itself.

Elsewhere in the city, spirituality hides in plain sight: the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin, where golden statues line the steep path; the red, smoky temples tucked between office towers; and the famed fortune tellers at Wong Tai Sin, where locals queue to have their futures read.

4. ‘Indecently’ good food

And then, of course, there’s the food.

From fine dining at Roganic, the Michelin-starred restaurant from Simon Rogan that originally rose to fame in the UK before making its Hong Kong debut, to street eats at Sham Shui Po, the contrasts are delicious.

You can be nibbling on a delicate, perfectly plated tasting menu one moment and slurping noodle soup on a plastic stool the next.

On the street food front, you’ll find no shortage: The Crossing Boat, dai pai dongs sizzling with wok hei, skewers, scallops, bowls of tofu pudding so silky they feel borderline indecent.

Fine dining standouts include Ho Lee Fook, a neon-lit, modern Cantonese playground; Sha Tin 18 with its roasted Peking duck carved tableside; and Akira Back, serving Japanese-Korean fusion and plates designed by the chef’s mother (a lovely touch).

And there’s a devastatingly sexy cocktail scene, too. To name a few, there’s the sultry, dimly lit Opposites, the intimate Muis with the best margarita I’ve ever tasted (order it dirty) and Peridot’s, with its magazine cover-worthy interiors.

5. Sleepy Towns

For all Hong Kong’s speed, some of it moves at a different rhythm.

Take the trip from the Ngong Ping 360 cable car up to the Big Buddha and walk down to Tai O, the fishing village dubbed the ‘Venice of Hong Kong’.

Stilt houses rise above the water on spindly wooden legs and narrow canals weave between. Older ladies playing mahjong in a shop window. Locals dry shrimp paste in the sun.

You can wander the creaking boardwalks for hours, watching a version of Hong Kong that has somehow resisted the rush of time.

Hong Kong might be a financial capital, but beneath the skyscrapers is a hidden world that is equally exciting.

All stacked together like the city itself: chaotic, layered, and beautiful. A place that is best known as a ‘city break’ but is, in reality, an entire world, and one I’m happy I explored the long way around.

If you’re looking for somewhere new to visit this year, put Hong Kong’s lesser-trod spots on your radar.

Alex O’Loughlin was a guest of the Hong Kong Tourist Board, but don’t expect us to sugarcoat anything – our reviews are 100% independent.

Cathay Pacific flies direct to Hong Kong from London, from £549 return. Dorsett Wan Chai has doubles from £113 per night with breakfast. Dorsett Kai Tak has doubles from £115 per night with breakfast. Both hotels offer complimentary shuttle service to major transport hubs, shopping, and dining destinations.

MORE: I’m a full-time house sitter — it saves me £12,000 a year on rent and bills

MORE: The 6 best party breaks for 2026 – from Venice carnival to a ‘snow show’ in Japan

MORE: Finland’s ‘second capital’ with centuries-old saunas dubbed ultimate destination for 2026