In awe at the iconic Monster Building in Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
Are you wondering how to spend a weekend in Hong Kong?
You’re in the right place!
I’m Mel, a travel blogger from London, and I recently spent 48 hours in Hong Kong, the incredible Asian megacity, on a stopover to Taiwan.
During a jam-packed weekend in Hong Kong I got to try Michelin-vetted street eats, explore bustling local markets, sip cocktails from rooftop bars, and slurp some of the juiciest wonton noodle soups of all time.
Whether you’re planning what to do on a layover in Hong Kong, or need inspiration for a weekend in Hong Kong, I’m sharing everything I did in 48 hours in Hong Kong so you can make the most of your trip.
Let’s get into my guide on how to spend a weekend in Hong Kong! 📌
Lively night scenes from Mong Kok, Hong Kong
How to Spend A Weekend In Hong Kong
Night scenes in Hong Kong opposite the iconic Eaton Hotel
Where to Stay in Hong Kong for a Weekend
Before we jump into the itinerary, here are 3 accommodation options for an amazing stay in Hong Kong:
🏨 Eaton HK (££) – I recommend Eaton HK for its buzzy atmosphere and creative soul. It’s the ideal weekend base, well-located with a fun vibe. Staff are lovely, breakfast is great, and it has a food court downstairs.
🛏️ The Fleming (££) – Another gem is The Fleming in Wan Chai. Room design is retro, taking inspiration from Hong Kong’s iconic cross-harbour ferries. It’s in a great location for exploring. I stayed here for a night before flying back to London – breakfast was decent.
🌇 EAST Hotel (£££) – If you’ve got bucks to spend, head to EAST – an ultra-stylish hotel by Quarry Bay. Go for the Harbour Corner Room or Harbour View Queen Room for some of the most stunning views in all of Hong Kong. Enjoy.
A Weekend in Hong Kong: 48 Hours in Hong Kong Itinerary
Food Hall at Eaton HK, serving everything from noodles to burgers
Day 0 in Hong Kong: Arrival Day
I’m assuming you’re landing on a Friday night – so check into Eaton HK in Jordan, your home in the heart of the action. It’s known for its artistic vibe and community-focused events, plus the building is home to a popping food court downstairs as well as a Michelin-rated dim-sum restaurant, Yat Tung Heen.
After settling in, if you’re not too jet-lagged or tired, head out into the night for an easy dinner! Some nearby options are:
Day 1 in Hong Kong: Exploring the City
Warm welcomes and a photo-worthy breakfast spread at The Astor in Eaton HK
🍳 Morning: Iconic Hong Kong Breakfast – 8AM
Start your day with dim-sum infused breakfast at your hotel – the morning spread at Eaton’s food court The Astor blew my mind. There’s a whole buffet-style food court downstairs where you can get involved with everything from traditional Hong Kong dishes like congee, dim sum, and freshly baked pineapple buns, to western breakfasts. Fuel up!
If you’re wanting a more traditional Hong Kong experience, head to a cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style cafe) for a no-fuss hot milk tea and savoury breakfast:
- Australia Dairy Company: Have fluffy scrambled eggs with toast, a corn beef sandwich, or char siu macaroni in broth – just eat fast, as there’s a queue!
- Mido Cafe: Famed for their Insta aesthetic, these guys do great French toast and a mean spare rib rice smothered in tomato sauce. A little on the pricier side.
🌄 Mid-Morning: The Peak Experience – 11AM
Hong Kong needs to be witnessed from above – so head to The Peak, Hong Kong’s most popular lookout point, for stunning panoramic views of the whole city.
Hong Kong is so blue and leafy from above, I really loved spending time up there looking out at the city – next time I’d like to hike the Peak Trail and go when it isn’t so busy!
You can either hike up, if you’ve got stamina and the right apparel, take a cab, or jump on the Peak Tram.
🚋 We took the tram up, which was an experience – better than some rides I’ve been on! But it was absolutely heaving because it was Lunar New Year week.
- Top Tip: Book your tram tickets at least 24 hours in advance to avoid long queues, or you’ll be queuing forever! We queued for almost an hour either side. If you’re visiting in summer, it’ll be super humid – so stay hydrated if you’re hiking up. I managed to buy a bottle of Pocari Sweat from a vending machine at a nearby sports centre.
Pictured, top left to bottom right: beef wonton noodle soup/me about to munch what was probably my 6th convenience store onigiri in 24 hours/Michelin posters at Tsim Chai Kee/Tim Ho Wan dim-sum
🍹 Afternoon: Cultural Exploration and Lunch – 2PM
If you’re headed to Hong Kong, you’ve absolutely got to try delicious, affordable dim sum at Tim Ho Wan, famous for its sensational BBQ pork buns – its original shop scooped up a Michelin star.
It took us SO long to find the Tim Ho Wan in Central Station that we were hangry beyond belief when we arrived. But we placed our first order and we were served within ten minutes. The dim-sum did not disappoint! Tim Ho Wans are generally always busy – and their flavour-packed, bang-for-buck dishes make it a local favourite. 🍙
If you’d rather save your appetite for dinner, then pin Tim Ho Wan for the evening and head to the nearest convenience store like 7-11 to grab a snack like onigiri (filled Japanese rice balls)!
I can’t actually remember how many onigiri I consumed on this particular trip to Asia (I visited Macau and Taiwan over two weeks).
Either way, it was a lot of onigiri. No regrets.
Exploring the buzzy Mong Kok area after-hours
🍸 Evening: Mong Kok and Creative Cocktails – 5PM
After a quick rest and outfit change at your hotel, head back out to Mong Kok.
Browsing the stalls in Ladies Market, Hong Kong
Mong Kok is a buzzing maze of streets that come alive at night, best known for its iconic Ladies’ Market. This is a massive street market selling everything from silk PJs to chopsticks to cheongsams. Prepare to haggle!
We met up with a local photographer which was awesome – Ashley showed us hidden locations around Mong Kok and I loved having photos to take home with us.
After exploring Mong Kok, wrap up your day with creative cocktails and gourmet snacks at Terrible Baby, a Kowloon drinking den known for its unconventional, thoughtful concoctions.
Terrible Baby is such a great name for a bar – it derives from the French ‘les enfants terribles’ to describe the creative world and its unconventional community. If you’re staying at Eaton HK, you can head right up to your room afterwards!
Refreshing Asia-inspired cocktails expertly mixed at Terrible Baby Bar in Jordan
If you want a rooftop bar with epic views of Victoria Harbour, head to Tsim Sha Tsui:
- Eyebar (££) – Above the teeming Nathan Road sits Eyebar, which has a cozy, unpretentious terrace with one of the best views of Victoria Harbour.
- Aqua (£££) – On the 17th floor of the H Zentre is Aqua, where you can sip cocktails on its two outdoor terraces with harbour views, and bop along to the DJs choice.
- Ozone (££££) – Sat sky-high on the ICC’s 118th floor, Ozone is the tallest bar in not just Hong Kong but the entire world! Heads up, it’s pricey.
Day 2 in Hong Kong: Culture, History, and Cuisine
Early morning light spilling across Central, Hong Kong
🌅 Early Morning: Sunrise in Central – 8AM
Assuming you’re staying in Kowloon, wake up early and head out towards Victoria Harbour.
Head to the Avenue of Stars and pay homage to the towering sculpture of Bruce Lee before jumping on the Star Ferry.
You gotta take the Star Ferry at least once – it’s iconic!
Iced oat matcha latte with vanilla from The Cupping Room
This would be a great time to have brunch or pick up a coffee or matcha. Wan Chai is super lively and there are so many great cafés:
- 🍦 The Matcha Tokyo – Organic matcha spot that’s small but mighty! Known for delicious matcha specialty drinks, matcha ice creams, and hojicha lattes.
- 🍳 Latter – European-inspired café tailor-made for your Insta stories. Serving up truffle scrambled eggs to pistachio basque cheesecake, as well as specialty coffee and tea drinks.
- 🍵 Matchali – Made with ceremonial grade matcha, try out specialty drinks like strawberry matcha, yuzu lemonade matcha, and more.
- ☕️ Blue Bottle – This iconic coffee shop has a branch in Hong Kong, which has panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows. Order a flat white and gaze out at the view.
- 🥑 APT. – this iconic coffee shop lets you customise your drinks and food to your heart’s content – choose your blend, beans, intensity, foam, and more for that perfect cuppa.
Fed and watered, make your way to Central, where you can check out the Central-Mid-Levels Escalators, known as the longest covered outdoor escalator in the world. If you want to ride it, it starts at Queen’s Road Central and ends at Conduit Road.
Beneath the hanging red lanterns on Pottinger Street, one of the most famous streets in Hong Kong
Then do a 5-minute stroll to nearby Pottinger Street – also known as Stone Slabs Street – which is one of the most famous streets in Central, and has a handful of market stalls famous for selling fancy-dress costumes. During Lunar New Year there were beautiful red lanterns strung above the steps!
On the steps outside Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Art
🏢 Late Morning: Architectural and Historical Gems – 11AM
From Wan Chai, walk over to Tai Kwun, a former police compound turned cultural centre. Check out its brutalist architecture, art exhibitions, and restored heritage buildings. There’s also a beautiful ceramics workshop and art gallery called Touch Ceramics.
If you’re keen for some local culture, keep exploring the Sheung Wan area – a mish-mash of old and new. You can visit Man Mo Temple or PMQ, and check out Tai Ping Shan – voted of the world’s coolest streets (7th coolest in the world, to be precise). Spend some time drifting up and down, passing shops, eateries and boutiques.
Staring up at the 18-storey Monster Building in King’s Road, Quarry Bay
🏢 Afternoon: Monster Building – 2PM
From Sheung Wan, make your way to the one and only Monster Building on King’s Road.
To get there, you can hop on the Island Line MTR or 722 bus.
Monster Building is an archetype of 1960s public housing that’s densely packed and conveys that intense, megacity feeling that Hong Kong is so globally known for. This photo spot, for better or worse, is now incredibly famous and has been featured in multiple films, from “Transformers” to “Ghost in the Shell“.
It’s a little sensitive because the 18-storey Monster Building is the equivalent to council housing, so if you head there, try and support one of the local businesses or shops.
Dinner in Hong Kong – a Peruvian-Japanese fusion meal at ICHU
🥟 Evening: Culinary Delights and More
Food is where the heart is in Asia. Nothing marks the end of an incredible weekend in Hong Kong like a seriously delicious and authentic meal.
So if you’ve got time for dinner, head out! We went for Peruvian-Japanese fusion cuisine at ICHU with some good friends, Venus and Joe, who happened to be visiting from Macau that weekend.
If you’re craving excellent and unpretentious food, and want to eat what Hong Kong locals love best, head to one of these restaurants:
- Yue Kee Roast Goose Restaurant – Michelin-recognised spot that serves ‘finger lickin’ good’ crispy-skinned juicy roast goose with rice, plus great seafood.
- Sun Hing – Authentic dim-sum eatery featured on Bon Appetít’s YouTube, with authentic siu-mai and custard buns – be ready to fight for a spot!
- Mak Man Kee Noodle Shop – Could possibly be one of the best shrimp wonton or beef brisket noodle bowls you”ll ever eat.
Depending on what time your flight or next trip is, that marks the end of your 48-hour weekend in Hong Kong!
Pastel pink apartment block windows near Monster Building in Hong Kong
What Are Must-Do Experiences in Hong Kong?
Some epic must-do experiences in Hong Kong, which you can try to do during your weekend in Hong Kong,include:
- Tian Tin Buddha
- Nan Lian Garden
- Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple
- Lantau Island
- Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery
- Sky 100 Observation Deck
- M+
- Man Mo Temple
- Hong Kong Museum of Art
- Hong Kong Disneyland
Can You Do Hong Kong In A Weekend?
The short answer is no – you can’t “do” a megacity as nuanced, culturally rich, and large as Hong Kong in just one weekend!
You’d need at least one week to explore the different areas. But if you’re really intentional about what to eat, what to see, and where to go, you can absolutely have an amazing weekend in Hong Kong packed with local experiences that get under the skin of what the city is all about.
A Weekend In Hong Kong: Is 48 Hours Long Enough?
There’s so much more I wanted to see during these 48 hours in Hong Kong, like get into nature, see more monasteries and museums, and try out so many more restaurants/street eats that were recommended by friends, since lots of them were closed when we went during Chinese New Year!
But, of course, a weekend in Hong Kong simply isn’t long enough to enjoy absolutely everything the megacity has to offer. I’ve got a list of places I want to visit that are almost as long as my arm, all saved on my Maps, but they’ll have to wait until next time.
I hope you have a fantastic weekend in Hong Kong, and that this 48-hour Hong Kong itinerary helps you plan your trip.
Are you travelling around Asia? Check out more of my Asia travel guides:
