Taking the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour is something every visitor should do, but I also love riding the double-decker trams that chug across Hong Kong Island’s northern end, with the most coveted seats in the front row of the upper deck. The fare is the same no matter how long you stay on, so if you have time you can board and ride it to the end, passing traditional neighborhoods along the way.

Central & Causeway Bay

From Central heading east, I recommend disembarking in Causeway Bay, a large shopping destination with malls, department stores and countless stores. Here, too, is one of Hong Kong’s quirkiest attractions, the Noon Day Gun, which has been fired daily for more than 162 years (you’ll want to get there well ahead of noon because it’s over rather quickly). For lunch head to a Hong Kong diner Cafe Matchbox, with its retro ’50s look. I also like Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese import famous for its steamed dumplings.