Organized Tours

Hong Kong offers lots of organized tours, so if you're pressed for time, this may be the best way to go. The vast majority of hotels have a tour desk where you can make bookings for city tours. In addition, I heartily recommend participating in one or more of the Hong Kong Tourism Board's Meet the People cultural activities, which are free, 1-hour tours, classes, or lectures given by local specialists covering everything from Chinese antiques to tai chi.

Land Tours

For general sightseeing, Gray Line offers a variety of tours, with bookings available through most Hong Kong hotels or by calling tel. 852/2368 7111 or searching www.grayline.com.hk. The Deluxe Hong Kong Island Tour is a 5-hour trip offered both morning and afternoon and includes stops at Man Mo Temple, Victoria Peak, Aberdeen, and Stanley. It costs HK$320 (US$42/£21) for adults and HK$215 (US$28/£14) for children.

Other Gray Line tours take in the Po Lin Monastery, Giant Buddha, and cable-car ride from Ngong Ping Village on Lantau Island or the New Territories; there are also sunset cruises. Most useful, in my opinion, are Gray Line's tours to the New Territories, since they cover large areas that would be very difficult, if not impossible, to reach in 1 day on your own. The "Land Between Tour" is a 6 1/2-hour excursion that enables visitors to see how much this once-rural region has changed in the past couple decades, with traditional villages now overshadowed by huge government housing estates that house half of Hong Kong's population. Passing satellite towns with high-rise apartment buildings, farms, and villages, the bus stops at the Yuen Yuen Institute (a religious institute with Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucianist influences), a lookout point on Hong Kong's tallest mountain, a walled village, and a fishing village to see how fisher folk breed fish in submerged cages, and a Cantonese restaurant for lunch. The price of this tour, with departures daily, is HK$420 (US$55/£27) for adults and HK$370 (US$48/£24) for children and seniors.

Gray Line's "Heritage Tour" also takes in the New Territories but emphasizes Hong Kong's past rather than the present and makes stops at historic Chinese sites that even Hong Kong residents seldom see. It's a must for those who are interested in local historic architecture; it also gives insight into clan life in the New Territories long before the region became part of colonial Hong Kong. Lasting approximately 5 hours, tours make stops at Tai Fu Tai, a Chinese-style ornate mansion built in 1865 by a high-ranking official, fascinating for its insight into how the rich lived; Tang Chung Ling, an ancestral hall belonging to one of the Five Great Clans; Lo Wai, a walled village built by the Tang clan; and the Man Mo Temple in Tai Po with its fascinating street market. Tours depart every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday (except some public holidays), and cost HK$320 (US$42/£21) for adults and HK$270 (US$35/£18) for children and seniors.

Splendid Tours & Travel (tel. 852/2316 2151; www.splendidtours.com) is another company offering tours, which can also be booked through Hong Kong hotels.

Walking & Hiking Tours

For those who prefer to see Hong Kong via their own two feet but under the guidance of an expert, Walk Hong Kong (tel. 852/9187 8641; www.walkhongkong.com) offers two 3-hour walking tours of city sights: The Kowloon Markets tour takes in the Temple Street Market, Jade Market, Ladies' Market, and Yuen Po Bird Garden, while the Hong Kong Heritage walk covers some of Central's historic buildings like St. John's Cathedral and the Flagstaff House. Cost of either tour is HK$400 (US$52/£26). Personally, I think you can see the sights of these two tours easily on your own, but the company also offers treks in rural areas that come highly recommended, especially if you're traveling alone. These include two hikes on Hong Kong Island, from Victoria Peak to Aberdeen, and along the Dragon's Back trail, both of which cost HK$450 (US$58/£29). Hikes are also offered on Lantau and Lamma islands, and to East Sai Kung Country Park in the New Territories.

Boat Tours

Since so many of Hong Kong's attractions are on or near the water, a variety of boat tours are available, including those given by Gray Line. Although the cheapest way to see some of the harbor is on a ferry to an outlying island, one advantage of a boat tour is that it usually covers a different part of the harbor, toward Causeway Bay and beyond.

One of the most popular boat tours is the 1-hour Star Ferry's Harbour Tour (tel. 852/2118 6201; www.starferry.com.hk/harbourtour), with boarding available at Tsim Sha Tsui, Central, Wan Chai, and Hung Hom ferry piers. Cost of the daily cruises, which have on-board commentary, is HK$50 (US$6.50/£3.25) for adults and HK$45 (US$5.85/£2.90) for children and seniors. One-hour Star Ferry evening cruises, which include refreshments, cost HK$100 (US$13/£6.50) and HK$90 (US$12/£5.85), respectively, while 2-hour cruises that include views of the nightly Symphony of Lights multimedia show cost HK$140 (US$18/£9.10) and HK$126 (US$16/£8.20), respectively.

Watertours (tel. 852/2926 3868; www.watertours.com.hk), Hong Kong's largest tour operator of boat cruises, offers a 2-hour cruise that includes a trip to a typhoon shelter and its junks and the firing of the Noon Day Gun in Causeway Bay (a holdover from colonial days that you can see if you're there, but don't go out of your way to see it) by Jardine Matheson & Co., Hong Kong's oldest trading company. The cost of this tour, which departs at 10:15am from the Kowloon public pier and 10:30am from Central Ferry Pier no. 9 and includes refreshments, is HK$230 (US$30/£15) for adults and HK$140 (US$18/£9.10) for children. Watertours also offers evening cruises, including a cruise to Lei Yue Mun for a seafood dinner and cruises that take in the Symphony of Lights. You can pick up a Watertours pamphlet at HKTB Visitor Information and Services Centres and in many hotels.

Hong Kong Dolphinwatch (tel. 852/2984 1414; www.hkdolphinwatch.com) offers 4-hour trips several mornings a week that include a bus ride to the new satellite town of Tung Chung followed by a luxury cruise to the natural habitat of the endangered Chinese pink dolphins (Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins), which live off Lantau Island within sight of power plants, factories, Tung Chung, and the airport. Advance booking is necessary, and the cost is HK$360 (US$47/£23) for adults and HK$180 (US$23/£12) for children.

A Junk Cruise -- The most unique cruise in town is aboard the Duk Ling, an authentic Chinese junk built in Macau a half-century ago as a fishing boat. One-hour cruises, costing HK$50 (US$6.50/£3.25), are offered 2 days a week (Thurs and Sat, though days are subject to change; call ahead). I find the cruise interesting not only because Duk Ling is powered by the wind, but also because it sails in the opposite direction from ferries to the outlying islands, providing different vistas of the Hong Kong skyline as it cruises toward North Point and Kai Tak. Pre-registration is required beforehand at the Hong Kong Tourism Board Visitor Information and Services Centre in either Tsim Sha Tsui or Causeway Bay. For more information or the latest sailing schedule, contact HKTB at tel. 852/2508 1234 or go to www.discoverhongkong.com.

Special-Interest Tours & Classes

"Meet the People" -- Through this unique program of free 1-hour tours, lectures, classes, and seminars, visitors can meet local specialists and gain in-depth knowledge of Hong Kong's traditions. Programs are updated and revised annually; past offerings have included such subjects as Chinese antiques, Cantonese opera, pearls, jade, feng shui (geomancy), Chinese tea, Chinese medicine, and tai chi, with something going on every day of the week. Reservations are not necessary (except for the junk cruise on the Duk Ling, above). For details on what, when, and where, pick up a Cultural Kaleidoscope brochure at an HKTB Visitor Information and Services Centre or go to HKTB's website, www.discoverhongkong.com, and click on "Heritage" and then "Cultural Kaleidoscope."

"Come Horse Racing" Tour -- This tour, offered by Gray Line, allows visitors to experience the excitement of the races, at either Happy Valley or Sha Tin (where the 2008 Summer Olympic Games dressage and jumping events were held), an excitement that grows proportionally according to how much you bet. Tours are naturally scheduled only during the horse-racing season -- September to mid-June -- usually on Wednesday evenings and on Saturday and/or Sunday afternoons. The tour includes transportation; a pre-race international buffet; beer, wine, or soft drinks; personal entry badge to the Visitors' Box in the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Members' Enclosure; a HK$30 (US$3.90/£1.95) betting voucher; guide services; and even hints to help you place your bets. Tours cost HK$620 (US$81/£40), except during special races, when they cost more. Tours are limited to tourists 18 years of age and older (be sure to bring your passport with you when booking and participating in this tour) whose stay in Hong Kong is no more than 21 days.