The eight-minute Star Ferry (+852 2367 7065) ride across Victoria Harbour from Kowloon is by far the most breathtaking way to approach Central. The district has changed out of all recognition since the 1970s, and the profusion of modern towers that have sprung up in the last 20 or so years define modern Hong Kong. Dominating the south side of Statue Square is Norman Foster’s phenomenally expensive (HK$5.2 billion) HSBC Building.

South of the HSBC Building lie some reminders of Hong Kong’s colonial heritage. Climb the steps up to Battery Path and the cathedral precinct and you’ll find whitewashed, cool and quiet St John’s Cathedral (4-8 Garden Road, +852 2523 4157, www.stjohnscathedral.org.hk), completed in 1849.

There are a few green havens in among the concrete and crowds. The extensive Hong Kong Zoological & Botanical Gardens on Albany Road (+852 2530 0154/www.lcsd.gov.hk) overlook Government House. To the east is Hong Kong Park, with its landscaped gardens.

Blending into Central, vibrant Sheung Wan is the Chinese heart of old Hong Kong and best explored on foot.

Towering above the commercial heart of Hong Kong Island, the 552-metre (1,810-foot) Victoria Peak offers the most spectacular views in Hong Kong. Victoria Gap (not the Peak itself) is the final stop on the 373-metre (1,224-foot) steep tram ride (852 2522 0922/www.thepeak.com.hk) up from lower Mid-Levels.

The view of Hong Kong Island from the tip of the Kowloon peninsula is one of the most stirring sights in the territory. Tsim Sha Tsui, at the very southern tip of Kowloon, contains most of Hong Kong’s museums including Hong Kong Museum of Art (Hong Kong Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Road, +852 2721 0116, hk.art.museum) and the Hong Kong Museum of History (100 Chatham Road, +852 2724 9042, www.lcsd.gov.hk).

The New Territories still has large tracts of unspoiled countryside. A day-trip along the Kowloon–Canton Railway line (852 2929 3399/www.kcrc.com) from Shatin to Sheung Shui is a convenient way to experience something of life beyond the Kowloon hills.

Local history

Hong Kong owes its existence to opium and its raison d’être to trade. It may have taken a while to get off the entrepôt starting block (Macau had been founded by the Portuguese in the 16th century), but eventually, in 1842, thanks to the drug running between the British in India and corrupt local Chinese officials, it became a useful trading post, given ‘in perpetuity’ to the British in an attempt to ease tensions between the two nations. The rest is trading history.

Local politics

Hong Kong has had a rough time economically and politically over the last few years, culminating in the unprecedented public demonstration on the sixth anniversary of the Handover. But since this wake up call, there have been indications that the government is becoming more responsive to public opinion, with tentative approval from Beijing for a move towards more genuinely representative government in the Special Administrative Region in sight.

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Source: Expedia