Morning

Take a morning swim. An easy way to wrap your head around the scale of this bustling city: a morning swim at the Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. From the 118th-floor indoor infinity pool, the highest in the world, you can gaze at the city’s iconic buildings and mountains.

Midday

Browse the city's best art. When Hanart Tz Gallery opened in 1983, it became a trailblazer in the thriving local art scene, launching the careers of many artists from across china and putting the city on the international art world’s radar.

Wander the Gagosian. The works of everyone from British-Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor to abstract painter Cy Twombly have been showcased at American art dealer Larry Gagosian's hong kong gallery, a light-filled space in the historical Pedder building.

Afternoon

Walk down Hollywood road. Old and new hong kong come together on Hollywood road, a trendy shopping area that is still home to dozens of old antique shops. Don’t miss the oldest, Honeychurch, which sells suitcase-friendly souvenirs along with Meiji-era furniture.

Get lost in the grand PMQ. In a former life, this 197,000-square-foot mall was a police barracks. Now it is home to ceramic stores, high-end fashion boutiques, art exhibits and eateries where you can enjoy everything from beef tartare and Chinese noodles to cold-brew coffee and condensed milk ice cream.

Relax in Blake Garden. While it is just a few minutes’ walk from the crowds, the small urban park of blake garden feels like a total escape from city life. You’ll see locals practicing tai chi, playing basketball and enjoying a quiet stroll under the trees.

Evening

Dine on fresh catches. Neighborhood seats are among the hottest in the city thanks to the precision of hong kong-born chef David Lai, who has worked with Alain Ducasse and uses the city’s best catches from local markets in his french dishes.

Unwind with a cocktail. Bartenders around the world make pilgrimages to enjoy the cocktails in this city. One of their first stops: the dimly lit j. Boroski mixology, where they can enjoy burnt orange and thyme negronis with freshly cut ice under the bar’s handsome leather-lattice ceilings.

Morning

Catch the best view in the city. Chances are you’ve seen a postcard of the victoria peak panorama. Take the funicular up to the top to admire the waterways, colorful skyscrapers and grassy mountain ranges.

Midday

Enjoy wildlife and kung fu. The 33-acre Kowloon park is loaded with a few hours worth of activities for the family: spot exotic birds in the aviary, take a dip in the swimming pool, navigate a maze of manicured plants, and enjoy a picnic by the lotus pond. Go on Sunday to spot performers showing off kung fu moves.

Taste local snacks. The neighborhood of Tai hang is peppered with stalls that serve a variety of specialty cuisines. Head straight to the unassuming Beng Kee for comforting satay beef noodles and creamy hong kong-style milk tea.

See the city's oldest temple. Walk inside Man Mo Temple, and you’re welcomed with an overflow of red and gold ornaments, the warm scent of incense, and epic shrines to the Cantonese gods of literature and war.

Afternoon

Take a break. There's a lot to explore in this town, and you’ll need to take a few breaks. At the hotel, book the lava shell body treatment, which incorporates soothing heated shells and aromatic oils to restore tired muscles.

Evening

Enjoy a decadent meal. Dishes at the newly opened Rhoda are anything but boring: you’ll find asparagus topped with a pile of truffle shavings, smoky buns made with dark beer, and tart chicken wings loaded with a kick of vinegar.

Experience the city's wild side. After sundown, it’s pretty much impossible to miss Tsim Sha Tsui, a promenade in the Kowloon area, as it’s lit up with the neon lights of a night market. Explore the frenetic stalls, which sell both food and home goods, and catch the symphony of lights, a nightly laser show that begins around 8 p.M.

Morning

Pick up some fresh pastries. Opened in 1942, hole-in-the-wall Kee Tsui cake shop specializes in traditional Chinese baked goods. Go for the crisp pastries filled with sweet bean adzuki bean paste and served fresh from the cooking irons.

Get your caffeine fix. Instead of hitting one of the ubiquitous chain coffee stores, jump-start your morning with a to-go drink from Maison, a stylish café that serves strong Vietnamese coffee, iced-blended matchas (green tea powder) and inventive iced teas.

Midday

Peruse this hands-on museum. Work off some calories while browsing Liang Yi, hong kong’s biggest private museum. It’s a 20,000-square-foot trove of rosewood altar tables, ornate dressers and other Chinese antiques. Most unusually, you can touch, sit on and otherwise interact with the pieces of the collection.

Eat some of the world's finest dim sum. Many dim sum restaurants purchase frozen product but every shrimp dumpling and custard tart from the renowned Lin Heung is prepared, painstakingly, by the masterful hands of chef Wong Kam Shing and his staff. There will probably be a wait, but it’s worth every minute.

Afternoon

Sample the street food. Even if you don’t have room to sample all the bites at the stalls of causeway bay — ranging from kid-friendly crisp, buttery egg waffles to more daring traditional tripe dishes — the colorful scene provided by the vendors is enough reason to visit.

Evening

Give your go-to drink a break. The sisters who run the woods have applied the seasonal dining movement to cocktails. Don’t miss one of their more daring concoctions, the mushroom bourbon, which gets its earthiness from oyster mushrooms.

Take a detour to Vietnam. Bartenders around the world make pilgrimages to enjoy the cocktails in this city. One of their first stops: the dimly lit j. Boroski mixology, where they can enjoy burnt orange and thyme negronis with freshly cut ice under the bar’s handsome leather-lattice ceilings.

Morning

Skip the morning eggs. For breakfast, many locals enjoy congee, a savory porridge often topped with green onions, shredded chicken and sesame oil. You can find it at many stalls but the gingery bowls at sang kee congee are particularly flavorful.

Midday

Visit an awe-inspiring monument. Take a ferry to Lantau island and then a glass-bottomed cable car to the town of Ngong Ping to view the big Buddha, a 112-foot-tall statue constructed of 202 bronze pieces. It’s big enough that, on a clear day, you can spot the relic from Macau.

Try a traditional vegetarian meal. A vegetarian meal doesn’t have to be boring. The Ritz-Carlton, hong kong is keeping up with the wellness food trend of the plant-based diet and offering the organic salad bar as well as the ultimate vegan burger at the lounge & bar. Those healthy and delicious vegan and vegetarian options can satisfy the most discerning diners.

Afternoon

Satisfy your sweet tooth. The parfaits from Oddies have become a bit of a phenomenon in hong kong and on Instagram. They’re indulgent and anything but simple: fresh fruit, sweet sauces, various ice creams like caramelized banana, and a giant waffle assembled in a to-go cup.

Travel by Escalator. One way to get around the hills of the central district. The world’s largest covered escalator system, which stretches about a half-mile. Hop off at any stop for bars, restaurants and shopping, or ride it to the top, which takes about 20 minutes standing.

Evening

Indulge before dinner. Get dinner off to a solid start with a glass of champagne at the hotel’s seven-seat almas caviar bar. Top an order of blinis with the house special namesake, Almas Persicus, a rare caviar from the Caspian sea.

Dine with a view. Chef Paul Lau Ping Lui of Tin Lung Heen, the hotel’s Cantonese restaurant on the 102nd floor, has two Michelin stars. Experience the six-course degustation menu with dishes such as soy sauce abalone, fried rice with crab claws, and salted lamb with spring onions.

Explore hong kong's nightlife. The city barely sleeps. For live music and local beers, try peel fresco, a charming music venue that hosts local jazz and blues acts. For late-night noodles, try the stalls on Yiu Tung street. Or, after 10 p.M., visit Yau Mei Tei, a fruit market that sells exotic offerings, including flavorful durians, until dawn.