Hong Kong areas

This is a big city and I figured it might be helpful to go through the different Hong Kong areas, to sort out the Hong Kong geography a little and explain how it all fits together. There are many different ways that one could divide up the districts of Hong Kong: historical, administrative, etc. Personally, I tend to think of it all in a functional manner.

Speaking in broad strokes, in the southeast there is Hong Kong Island, with much of the inner city along its northern shore, and smaller communities in its southern parts. Across the harbour from Hong Kong Island is the heavily urbanised Kowloon, which stretches north to a mountain range. Beyond those mountains are the New Territories, followed by the border to mainland China. If you were to go over to the other side of that border crossing, you would find yourself in the major Chinese city of Shenzhen.

To the west of Kowloon is the big Lantau Island. Further west, across the mouth of the Pearl River, is the other former Portuguese colony of Macau. Finally, there is a number of smaller Outlying Islands outside of the larger chunks of land.

To go into more detail, I usually think of Hong Kong in terms of subway stations, as I feel the MTR is usually the best way to get around. This leaves us with Sheung Wan, Central, Admiralty, Wanchai, Causeway Bay, North Point and so forth, going from west to east on the Hong Kong Island shore. A couple of these I would rate as must-see Hong Kong areas! Here you can find tourist attractions like Victoria Peak and Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, some of the best food and nightlife in places like Lan Kwai Fong, as well as much of the best shopping in Hong Kong.

The island also has a southern district that cannot be reached by MTR yet, but holds interesting spots like Aberdeen, Ocean Park, Repulse Bay, and Stanley.

Skipping across Victoria Harbour and following the MTR north through Kowloon, there is Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok. These flow into each other fairly seamlessly, and are great places for travellers to explore.

Over in the New Territories we find more residential Hong Kong areas, like Sha Tin, Yuen Long, and Tuen Mun.

Lantau, once a rural backwater, is rapidly making a name for itself with its airport, Disneyland theme park, and Buddha statue.

Generally, Hong Kong is very crowded and the lack of available land has fed the demand for building upwards, creating the fantastic Hong Kong skyline. Nevertheless, significant areas are still untouched, beautiful Hong Kong nature, in large parts thanks to the many mountains that have stopped the region from being completely built up.

Return from Hong Kong areas to Destination Hong Kong travel guide

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