12 Best Sights in Hong Kong, China

One of the prettiest parks in the city proper is a sprawling mix of rock gardens and leafy pathways. It's common to stumble on locals practicing tai chi or reading in a secluded spot. This welcome respite from the surrounding skyscrapers occupies the site of a garrison called the Victoria Barracks, and some buildings from 1842 and 1910 are still standing. The park is home to the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware and the Edward Youde Aviary.

This peninsula town lies south of Deep Water and Repulse bays. There's great shopping in the popular Stanley Market, full of casual clothes, cheap souvenirs, and cheerful bric-a-brac. Stanley's popular beach is the site of the Dragon Boat Races every June. To get here from Exchange Square Bus Terminus in Central, take Bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66, or 260.

A few dozen shops at the northern end of Tung Choi Street, starting at the intersection with Nullah Road, sell the ubiquitous fish, which locals believe to be lucky. There are other types of animals as well.

Though Hong Kong's home to Mickey Mouse is tame compared with other Magic Kingdoms, it's fast bringing Mai Kei Lo Su—as the world's most famous mouse is known locally—to a mainland audience. Younger kids will find plenty of amusement at Sleeping Beauty Castle and Toy Story Land, while older siblings and parents will probably gravitate to the more-thrilling Space Mountain. Inside the dedicated Marvel area (to fully open in 2023), daredevils will also enjoy the multisensory, immersive Iron Man Experience and the Ant-Man themed attraction.

Keen to stay overnight? There are three thematic on-site hotels, including the travel-themed Disney Explorers Lodge.

The hands-on exhibits are kid-friendly and include an energy machine and a miniature submarine, as well as cognitive and memory tests. That said, this is more of a rainy-day time-killer than a must-see.

A structure behind the art museum that looks like an oversize golf ball sliced in half houses a planetarium, a solar telescope, and an Omnimax theater. It's all fairly unremarkable, though, and children under 3 aren't allowed to view the Omnimax shows.

This welcoming green space includes a children's playground and gorgeous gardens with more than 1,000 plant species, but the real attractions are the dozens of mammals housed in the zoo. If you're a fan of primates, look for rare sightings like the golden lion tamarin and the black-and-white ruffed lemur. Buses 3B, 12, and 13 run from various other stops in Central; the walk from the Central MTR stop is long and uphill.

These 33 acres, crisscrossed by paths and meticulously landscaped, are a refreshing retreat after a bout of shopping. In addition to children's playgrounds, a fitness trail, soccer field, aviary, Chinese garden, and sculpture garden, on Sunday and public holidays there are stalls with arts and crafts, as well as a kung fu corner.

The Lei Yue Mun Fort makes for an appropriate home for the Museum of Coastal Defence. The museum is in the redoubt, a high area of land overlooking the narrowest point of the harbor; you take an elevator and cross an aerial walkway to reach it. As well as the fascinating historical displays indoors, there's a historical trail complete with tunnels, cannons, and observation posts.

Most Hong Kongers have fond childhood memories of this aquatic theme park. It was built by the omnipresent Hong Kong Jockey Club on 170 hilly acres overlooking the sea just east of Aberdeen. Highlights include the resident pandas, an enormous aquarium, and the Ocean Theatre, where dolphins and seals perform. Youngsters love thrill rides like the gravity-defying Hair Raiser, as well as the Water World waterpark, added in 2019. The park is accessible by the MTR's South Island Line. From Admiralty Station, the ride takes about four minutes. There are also a number of buses, including the 629; get off at the stop after the Aberdeen tunnel.

If you have kids, plan to spend a day here. You can even stay the night: Marriott's 471-room hotel has a 52-foot-high, cylindrical aquarium in its lobby.

The seaside locale is Southside's easternmost village. Every shop sells the same inflatable beach toys—the bigger the better, it seems. Cut through town to a windy road that takes you to the "island" of Tai Tau Chau, really a large rock with a lookout over the South China Sea. You can hike through nearby Shek O Country Park, where the bird-watching is great, in less than two hours. To get here from Central, take the MTR to Shau Kei Wan (Exit A3), then take Bus 9 to the last stop (about 30 minutes).

Adjacent to the Flower Market, this street has more than 70 stalls selling different types of twittering, fluttering birds. Pretty wooden birdcages, starting from about HK$500, are also on offer.