It wasn’t long ago that my understanding of Hong Kong was limited to top-tier bars, glittery hotels and wildly delicious street food. And while those features are all major calling cards (Hong Kong is home to three of the world’s best bars, three of the world’s best hotels and a dining scene that’s consistently regarded as one of the best in the world), there’s so much more to this surreal, vibrant city than I once thought. If you’re an adventure-loving Aussie looking for the ultimate stopover en route to Europe, I cannot recommend this city highly enough. It sounds like a clichè to call Hong Kong (often referred to as the Pearl of the Orient) a confluence of worlds, but there’s really not a better way to describe it. Show me a city where East and West, old and new, abundant nature and futuristic design merge more seamlessly, I dare you.
First up: nature. Hong Kong has always been known as a city of dualities – where skyscrapers brush against jungle-clad peaks and grit meets glamour at every turn – and for me, it was the nature that really got me sold on visiting. While most people know it for its skyscrapers (and let me tell you, there are a lot – thousands of towers of varying colours, shapes and sizes stretching up into the hazy sky), around 70 per cent of Hong Kong is national parkland. In total, Hong Kong has 24 country parks, home to incredible hiking routes and magical remote beaches – many of which are accessible via (adorably old-world, and super affordable) public buses from the city.
During my four-day stopover, I went deep into the city’s back garden and the vibrant markets of Soho and Central to get a gauge on the wildly varied breadth of what HK has to offer.
After a late-night touchdown (I flew with Cathay Pacific, who offer the world’s best economy flights and a pretty next-level Business Class experience), I started my first morning by heading into the hills. If you think Hong Kong is just concrete, the Dragon’s Back Hike will immediately prove you wrong. This 8-kilometre ridge-top trail offers a hefty post-flight leg stretch and massive payoffs in the form of emerald-green views of the South China Sea, with pockets of buildings (some the Hong Kong signature high-rise, other more spacious residential areas) punctuating the forest-studded coastline. I took a taxi from where I was staying in Wan Chai, but you can easily jump on a public bus from the city – bus nine will take you to the start of the trail and will set you back around HK$10 (around $2 Australian dollars).
The hike finished in a tiny beach town called ‘Big Wave Bay’, where you can rent surfboards from the beachside stores. It’s worth noting that surfing is generally banned on public beaches, but when I visited, there were a good 20 surfers taking the risk (despite the numerous “No Surfing” signs around the bay).
We ate lunch at a cute Western-style diner by the beach, but I’d recommend heading back into the city for food where you’ll find more options selling authentic Cantonese food – when in Rome, etc. If you’re up for a bit of a longer walk, you can keen going to Shek O Beach, where you’ll find plenty of other foodie options for lunch by the ocean.
By late afternoon, I was back in Central to board the beloved Aqua Luna harbour cruise. One of just a handful of traditional fishing boats left on Victoria Harbour, Aqua Luna offers hour-long harbour cruises with a real sense of history and unpretentious fun. The dark wooden boat is lit with warm red lanterns, and open walls on the top floor welcome in the breeze and let the ambient soundtrack spill out onto the water. Red wine in hand, the hour I spent on board was such a magical way to watch the city turn from day to night – as the lights of the huge space-age towers flickered on across the harbour.
Dinner was a masterclass in wok hei (the “breath of the wok”) at Peng Leng Jeng in SoHo. Chef ArChan Chan has created a tribute to the city’s fading dai pai dong (open-air stall) tradition, serving up Cantonese classics in a space filled with flickering neon. I capped the night at Mius, a sleek new bar by award-winning bartender Shelley Tai. Tucked away on Gough Street, it’s a haven of modern mixology with a neighborhood vibe – order the Fig Ol’ Days for a playful take on the Old Fashioned. If Mius is full, there are plenty of other excellent options in the area. Savoury Project, Coa and The Diplomat all come highly recommended – or you can wait in line for a drink at the best bar in the world (more on that later).
On day two, I met a friend in the morning for a run along Bowen Road. This four-kilometre, pretty flat trail built into the mountains above Happy Valley is a crucial hack for runners in what’s otherwise an incredibly hilly city. We walked back from Central through the city, past old-school markets, glittering sky-high towers and bladerunner-style bridges weaving between buildings – the city itself is a surreal sensory overload, but you never feel unsafe.
After breakfast (we got pastries from Bakehouse) I headed for Sai Kung, often called Hong Kong’s “back garden”. This is the city’s laid-back soul, where fishing boats bob in the harbor, forest-covered islands push out of the water like emeralds and the lifestyle is a little more slow-mo. Lunch was a seafood spectacular at Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant, where you pick your feast from the massive tanks lining the street. The waterfront of Sai Kung is stacked with seafood restaurants, but I have it on good authority that Chuen Kee is the cream of the crop, and can wholeheartedly vouch for the most delicious lobster noodles I’ve eaten in my long, lobster-loving life (admittedly: I found it a little confronting to see my lunch before I ate it, but it’s probably an important reminder of how disconnected we often are from what’s on our plate). As one of Hong Kong’s seafood capitals, you’ll also see a lot of fishermen selling fish straight from their boat on the pier – it’s a really authentic experience that feels like stepping back in time to a more simple, shopping mall-free age.
Back in the city (around one hour in a taxi, or slightly longer by public bus) I moved from my first hotel in Wan Chai (an accessible suburb on Hong Kong island) to Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon, which is a slightly newer, more shiny precinct on the other side of the harbour.
Here, I had the pleasure of checking into The Peninsula: the city’s oldest luxury hotel, and regarded as one of the very best in the world. Known as “The Grande Dame of the Far East,” this hotel is the pinnacle of Hong Kong luxury – all marble pillars, immaculate rooms and a suite of eight different bars and restaurants offering next-level dining (and drinking). If you’re splashing out on a stay in Hong Kong, booking a room at The Peninsula will leave nothing to chance – service is perfect, the facilities are beautiful and the food options are so interesting and extensive that you might just find yourself eating four meals a day.
After a few laps in the pool and a soak in the marble-trimmed hot-tub, I wandered around the Hong Kong Museum of Art: a super impressive gallery just across from the hotel, showing spectacular exhibitions (including a few pieces by Monet) and open until 9pm every evening.
The clouds began to clear that evening, and I spent a dreamy hour or so wandering along the waterfront before dinner at HEXA – a perfectly presented fine-diner that pairs contemporary Cantonese dishes with a front-row seat to the skyline’s nightly light show.
I spent most of my third day working remotely, which is another potential hack for Aussie travellers. The two-hour time difference means it’s possible to make your office hours work, and my WFH set up by the pool on the eighth floor of The Peninsula was pretty hard to leave.
I dined in the hotel that day, and while a two day stay doesn’t let you touch the sides of The Peninsula’s extensive foodie offering, I’m content with my choices. After breakfast by the pool, lunch at Spring Moon featured exquisite Cantonese cuisine served in a 1920’s Shanghaise-style space (complete with on-site tea master crafting perfect pairings for each dish), followed by an evening of Swiss fondue at Chesa – a cosy, wood-panelled restaurant that is the most accurate depiction of a Swiss chalet I’ve seen outside of the Alps. We finished the evening with a nightcap at Felix: a sky-high restaurant and bar serving a creative European-inspired menu in an architecturally spectacular, otherworldly space.
For the final act, I went for the classics. No trip to Hong Kong is complete without a journey up to the Peak, and although I’d booked a ticket on the Peak Tram, it was such a beautiful day that I decided to walk instead. The walk took us up Morning Trail for 2.8 magical kilometres, through clouds of butterflies and past a wild boar foraging between the trees. After a coffee in a beautiful flower-filled park – more than 428-metres above sea level – we walked down via the Peak Loop walking track. Tracing the winding path along the edge of the mountain, the city spilled out below us in all its surreal beauty and breathtaking scale.
And then, to top things off, I paid a quick visit to the best bar in the world. Bar Leone gained that crown in 2025 from The World’s 50 Best Bars, and boy does it deserve it. The line stars early, but if you’re willing to wait you’ll be rewarded with an out-of-this-world drinking (and snacking) experience in a totally transporting setting. The generous team at The Peninsula had booked me a (ridiculously luxurious) transfer to the airport – but it was very, very tempting to stay exactly where I was.
You can find more local tips for making the most of this wildly fascinating city courtesy of our good friends at Time Out Hong Kong. And seriously – if you’re thinking about breaking up your journey over to Europe with an extended stopover, this place truly has it all.
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