Where to stay in Hong Kong: the 5 neighborhoods to know in 2026

Central is the vertical city: the Bank of China tower and its glass edges, the HSBC headquarters on its stilts, the IFC at the water's edge, and between them Statue Square and the old Supreme Court, in granite, the only ones still at ground level. Behind, the slope begins: the Mid-Levels escalators climb eight hundred meters of alleys, Soho and its restaurants to the left, Lan Kwai Fong and its bars to the right, and the Man Mo temple of 1847 under its coils of incense, in Sheung Wan, among the dried-seafood shops. The Peak Tram leaves from Hong Kong Park, and the ferries to Macau and the islands from the Central piers. The downside: the most expensive rooms in the city, and a district that empties on Sundays when the offices close. One member review says what you come here to see.

And for those who love architecture, it is a real paradise on earth. The styles and influences blend wonderfully.

Anne

East of Central, the island becomes Chinese again: Wan Chai, its street markets, its noodle canteens and its old balconied buildings, below the Convention Centre that juts into the harbour like a wing; then Causeway Bay, the department store district, Sogo, Times Square, Hysan Place, where the Saturday crowd is the densest in the territory. Victoria Park provides the breathing space, with its tai chi players at dawn; at the water's edge, the Noon Day Gun has fired every day since the nineteenth century. On Wednesday nights, from September to July, everyone goes down to Happy Valley for the races. The downside: the noise of Hennessy Road at all hours, and chain hotels with tiny rooms.

Tsim Sha Tsui is the opposite shore, and that is where the city is looked at from: the harbour promenade, the Avenue of Stars, the clock tower of 1915 and, at eight every evening, the towers of the island lighting up to music for a show that often disappoints, as a member review says further down. Behind the promenade, the Museum of History, the Space Museum, Kowloon Park and Nathan Road, which runs up to Yau Ma Tei, the Temple Street night market, and Mong Kok, its ladies', bird and flower markets. Further on, the Wong Tai Sin temple and the Nan Lian garden. Hotels here are more numerous and cheaper than on the island, for the same view. The downside: the Nathan Road crowd at all hours, and the touts of Chungking Mansions.

Over the pass, the island changes face: bays, beaches and villas on the hillside. Repulse Bay has the longest beach, with its gaudy Kwun Yam temple at the end; Stanley has the market, the waterfront terraces and Murray House, moved stone by stone from Central; Shek O has the village and the start of the Dragon's Back hike, the finest ridge on the island. Ocean Park, the amusement park and its aquarium, has had its own metro station since 2016, and the neighbourhood's hotels were born with it, in Wong Chuk Hang, the old warehouse district of Aberdeen. The downside: no hostel, only three four-star hotels, and twenty minutes by metro or bus to Central.

Lantau is twice the size of Hong Kong Island and ten times less populated: ridges, beaches and, at the top, the bronze Big Buddha, thirty-four meters, two hundred and sixty-eight steps, the Po Lin monastery at its feet and the Ngong Ping 360 cable car that climbs up from Tung Chung. To the west, Tai O, the fishing village on stilts; to the south, Cheung Sha beach, the longest in the territory. The airport, Disneyland and the Airport Express station are on the island too. Sleeping on Lantau means seeing the Buddha before the coaches, and a member review says what that changes. The downside: thirty minutes by metro to Central, and evenings with nothing but the sea.

The only real favorite of my stay is the Tian Tian Buddha in Lantau: the climb up to the statue offers a superb view and a real moment of calm, far from the chaos of the city.

Megane Odyzea