HappeningLunar New Year usually falls between late January and mid February, following the lunar calendar, so check your year. Expect markets, a night parade, harbor fireworks and closed shops.
From average weather, 2021 to 2025: days that are warm but not hot, with few rainy days, score highest. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
Arrival day
Before Day 1. Lunar New Year follows the lunar calendar, so the date moves each year. Check the date for your year, and book early.Details
The date rule
Lunar New Year falls between late January and mid February and follows the lunar calendar, so the date changes every year. Check it for your year first. Day 1 of this plan is New Year's Eve, then the first day, the second day and the third.
What closes
Many shops, small restaurants and some museums close for the first days of the holiday, and trains and ferries usually run on a holiday pattern with extra crowds. Large malls, temples, parks and the harbor stay open and busy. Check ahead before each day.
Being a good guest
This is a family festival and a religious one. Wear red if you like, and say Gung hei fat choi (a happy new year). Red packets (lai see) are usually given by married people to children and single adults, so you need not give one. At temples follow the locals and ask before photographing worshippers.
Book early, then Day 1
Flights and hotels fill up and prices usually rise around the holiday, so book early. Many family restaurants close for several days, so reserve tables where you can, and check ahead for what is open. Day 1 begins at the Victoria Park flower market.
Day 1. Wong Tai Sin and Diamond Hill
4 stops · 2.0 mi
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
1
MorningBusy, check ahead
Wong Tai Sin Temple
A large, bright Taoist temple with red pillars and gold roofs, busy with people shaking fortune sticks and asking for luck, health and a good year. It is crowded early in the new year, and lines for the main hall can be long. Follow the local people, take turns and ask before you take photographs of worshippers. Entry may be managed by staff, so follow their directions.
Go whenMorning, before the queues grow.
Local tip Follow the local people, take your turn with the fortune sticks and do not push. Ask before photographing worshippers, and keep a hand on your bag in the crowd.
A Buddhist nunnery built in the Tang dynasty style, with wooden halls joined without nails, lotus ponds and quiet courtyards. A calm start to the new year. Keep your voice low and ask before you photograph.
Go whenMorning, when the halls are quiet.
Local tip Dress modestly, keep your voice low and ask before photographing. Take your time in the courtyards and by the lotus ponds.
Many people eat vegetarian food on the first day of the new year, as a Buddhist custom of the day. Simple vegetarian restaurants near the nunnery and garden serve it, with mock meats, tofu and vegetables.
Local tip Check ahead whether a place is open, and ask the staff about any allergy first.
About 2 min walk0.1 mi
3
MiddayWorth the time
Nan Lian Garden
A classical Chinese garden across the road from the nunnery, with rocks, pines, ponds and wooden pavilions. Walk the paths slowly and sit for a while. It is a good place to stay out of the busiest crowds.
Go whenMidday, when the light is bright over the pond.
Local tip Walk the paths slowly and sit for a while. It is a calm place in a crowded week, so use it to rest.
A walled garden on the site of a once crowded settlement, with pavilions, ponds and a small museum in an old building. A calm, shady place a short ride from the temple.
Go whenMidday, as a calm break after the temple.
Local tip Walk the garden paths and look at the small museum. It is a good shady place to rest.
If it rains. Everything today is outdoors, so swap this day with a drier one if you can.
Day 2. Tsim Sha Tsui and Yau Ma Tei
4 stops · 3.4 mi
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
Travel from Kowloon Walled City ParkAbout 12 min by car or transit2.2 mi
Where Day 1 ended.
1
MiddayCheck ahead
Hong Kong Museum of History
A museum that walks through the story of Hong Kong from its early land to modern times, with full size streets and shops. Some public museums stay closed on the first days of the holiday, so check ahead whether it is open and keep a plan B.
Go whenMidday, if it is open.
Local tip Some public museums stay closed on the first days of the holiday, so check ahead. Give it an hour or two, and take the floors you like best.
A street market in Yau Ma Tei that fills with stalls later in the day: clothes, trinkets, fortune tellers and small food stalls. Many stalls close for the holiday, so check ahead. Lively when it is on, and best when you wander without a plan.
Go whenLate afternoon, as the stalls open.
Local tip Many stalls are shut for the holiday, so check ahead. Ask before you photograph a fortune teller, and agree on a price only if you mean to buy.
Rice cooked in a clay pot over a flame until the bottom is crisp, topped with sausage, chicken or pork. A winter dish served in busy streets in Kowloon.
Local tip The pot is very hot, so wait for the staff to serve it. Tell the staff about any allergy first.
A big green park in the middle of Tsim Sha Tsui, with a garden, ponds, a bird lake and a quiet corner away from the crowds. A good place to rest before the evening and to look at the places you will walk through later.
Go whenAfternoon, before you walk to the parade.
Local tip Find a bench by the ponds and rest. Keep your energy for a long standing evening.
A temple to the goddess of the sea, tucked into a public square beside Temple Street. Near midnight on the eve of the new year many families come to pray and light incense. Crowds can be controlled by staff, so follow their directions, stay together and keep your voice low.
Go whenEvening, with the families who come to pray.
Local tip Staff may manage the entry, so follow their directions and stay with your group. Keep your voice low and ask before photographing people at prayer.
On New Year's Eve many families gather for a big shared meal, often a hot pot of broth with meat, fish, vegetables and tofu. Restaurants offer set menus for the night, and tables are taken far ahead.
Local tip Book early. Tell the staff about any allergy first, since a shared pot cannot be separated.
If it rains. Hong Kong Museum of History is covered, so keep it. Move Temple Street, Kowloon Park and Tin Hau Temple, Yau Ma Tei to a dry day if you can.
Day 3. Tsim Sha Tsui and Yau Ma Tei and Causeway Bay
4 stops · 1.9 mi
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
1
MorningWorth the time
Victoria Park
A large park in Causeway Bay where a flower market usually runs for days up to the eve of the new year. Stalls sell mandarin and kumquat trees, peach blossom, orchids and lucky bamboo, which many families bring home for luck. Go early, because the park is very crowded in the afternoon. Dates and layouts change each year, so check ahead.
Go whenMorning, before the park fills up.
Local tip Walk the whole market once before you buy. Ask before you photograph a stallholder, and carry plants with care in the crowd. Keep a hand on your bag.
A long waterfront walk in Kowloon that looks across the water to the towers of Hong Kong Island. After the crowds of the last two nights it is calm in the morning. Visibility depends on haze and cloud.
Go whenMorning, after the crowds.
Local tip Walk the full length and watch the boats. Haze can hide the skyline, so do not count on the view.
The harbor between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, where a traditional fireworks display is usually held over the water on the second night. Viewing areas on both sides fill early, and police may limit entry once they are full. Dates, times and viewing areas change each year, so check ahead and have a plan B. Smoke and haze can hide the show.
Go whenEvening, arriving early to hold a place.
Local tip Viewing areas fill early and police may limit entry once they are full. Dates, times and areas change each year, so check ahead and have a plan B. Smoke and haze can hide the show.
The area at the tip of Kowloon where an international Lunar New Year parade usually passes along the main streets on the first night, with floats, dancers and bands. Route, times and viewing spots change each year, and stands may be ticketed, so check ahead. Arrive early, keep to the sides, follow the police and stay together.
Go whenEarly evening, to find a place before the parade.
Local tip Route, times and viewing spots change each year, so check ahead. Keep to the sides, follow the police, stay together and agree on a meeting place in case you are separated.
If it rains. Everything today is outdoors, so swap this day with a drier one if you can.
Day 4. Central, Sheung Wan and the Peak
4 stops · 1.6 mi
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
1
MorningWorth a short visit
Western Market
An old brick market building in Sheung Wan, with fabric stalls and small shops under its high roof. A short, easy stop that pairs with the streets around it.
Go whenMorning, before the shops fill.
Local tip Look at the old brick building and the fabric stalls. Some shops are shut on the holiday, so check ahead.
A long chain of covered escalators that climbs the hill from Central to the Mid-Levels, past small streets, shops and cafes. A ride and a look at the old streets.
Go whenLate morning, going up.
Local tip Ride up and step off to look at the small streets. Keep to the right of the moving steps.
Small steamed and fried dishes in bamboo baskets, eaten with tea, a custom that many families keep on holidays. Tea houses in Sheung Wan and Central serve it, and tables fill early.
Local tip Book a table or go early. Tell the staff about any allergy first, since many dishes contain shrimp, pork or peanuts.
The green and white ferries that have crossed the harbor for well over a century. A short ride between the island and Kowloon, and an easy way to see the skyline. Holiday pattern and extra crowds are likely, so check ahead and allow time.
Go whenAfternoon, for the open view of the harbor.
Local tip Sit by an open window for the view. Holiday crowds are likely, so allow extra time and hold the rail on the way on and off.
A big pot of layers of meat, seafood, tofu and vegetables, traditionally from the walled villages and now served in many restaurants at the new year. It is a dish for a group.
Local tip Book early, since it is made for several people. Tell the staff about any allergy first.
If it rains. Western Market is covered, so keep it. Move Central-Mid-Levels Escalator, Hong Kong Park and Star Ferry to a dry day if you can.
Day 5. Central, Sheung Wan and the Peak, part 2
4 stops · 1.5 mi
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
1
MiddayWorth a short walk
Hollywood Road
A long street of antique shops, galleries and old temples that runs along the hill in Sheung Wan. On the days before the new year some shops are closing or shut, so treat this as a walk rather than a shop. The street itself is a pleasant, old part of the city.
Go whenLate morning, when the street is calm.
Local tip Many shops are shut around the holiday, so enjoy the street and the temples on it. Mind the steep slope and the people on the narrow pavement.
A small, old temple on a steep street in Sheung Wan, dedicated to the gods of literature and war. Big coils of incense hang from the ceiling, and the room fills with smoke and prayers. It is usually busy in the days around the new year, so go early and follow the pace of the people ahead of you.
Go whenEarly afternoon, before the evening crowds.
Local tip Keep your voice low, move with the line and do not stand in front of the altar. Ask before photographing worshippers, and cover your nose if the incense bothers you.
The hill above the city, where a visitor area has a tower with viewing decks and paths through the trees. The view over the towers and the harbor depends on haze and cloud, and queues for the tram are long on a holiday, so check ahead. Come down in good time for the evening.
Go whenAfternoon, then down before the harbor evening.
Local tip Haze and cloud can hide the view, and queues for the tram are long on a holiday. Allow extra time, and have a plan B if the sky is gray.
A cluster of colonial buildings that were once a police station, a magistracy and a prison, now a place for heritage galleries, courtyards and the arts. Wander the yards and the old cell blocks.
Go whenAfternoon, for a calm courtyard.
Local tip Wander the courtyards and old cell blocks. Check ahead for exhibitions and any holiday changes.
If it rains. Man Mo Temple and Tai Kwun are covered, so keep them. Move Hollywood Road and Victoria Peak to a dry day if you can.
Departure day
After the last day. The airport and the airport train are usually busy on the last days of the holiday.Details
Check-out
Most hotels will keep your bags for a few hours after check-out if you ask. Holiday returns can be busy, so ask early and keep your plan simple.
To the airport
The airport train from Central or Kowloon is the usual way, but the holiday brings extra crowds to stations and roads. Leave more time than you think you need, and look at the flight status the evening before.
If you have a few hours
A last walk along the harbor or a slow breakfast of dim sum is easy. Many small places are closed in the early days of the holiday, so check ahead and keep anything with a fixed time off the morning.
Questions people ask
When is the best time to visit Hong Kong?
By average weather from 2021 to 2025, January to March and November to December are the most comfortable months for walking around Hong Kong. This plan is built for early February, which is one of the best months. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
How many days does this plan cover?
It covers 5 days in Hong Kong, planned for early February. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
Who is this plan for?
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
Is anything on this plan booked?
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Can I plan my own days like this?
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Can I change this plan?
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
How much walking is there?
Each day has about 1.1 to 2.0 miles between its stops, and 8.1 miles in all across 5 days. A short hop is a walk and a longer one a ride. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
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