Hong Kong City Information

Area: 1,098 sq km
Population: 6.7 million
Country: China
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +8 (Hong Kong Standard Time)
Telephone Area Code: 852

Orientation
Hong Kong is divided into four main areas - Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, the New Territories and the Outlying Islands. Kowloon and the New Territories are on a peninsula of the Chinese mainland, on the northern side of Victoria Harbour; Hong Kong Island is on the southern side of the harbour facing Kowloon; the Outlying Islands simply refers to any of the other 234 islands. The New Territories has a 20km (12mi) land border with China proper.
The city itself is centred around Victoria Harbour. The main business district is Central, on Hong Kong Island. East of Central lies the Admiralty commercial district; Wan Chai, known for restaurants and clubs; then Causeway Bay, a major shopping area. Towering above it all is the Peak, Hong Kong's premier scenic outlook and residential district, which happily has plenty of public green space. In Kowloon, Tsim Sha Tsui (on the southern tip), Jordan and Yau Ma Tei are busy hotel and shopping areas, while Mong Kok is a bustling residential and shopping area.

When to Go
Weatherwise, October, November and most of December are the best months to visit Hong Kong; the skies are clear and the sun shines. The June to August heat/rain combo might push your endurance but there's a lot of sunshine and, after all, it's summer. Hotels tends to offer substantial discounts outside the high seasons of March-April and October-November. Travel can be difficult during Chinese New Year in late January/early February.

Public Holidays
1 Jan - New Year's Day
Jan/Feb - Chinese New Year
Mar/Apr - Easter
early Apr - Ching Ming
late Apr - Buddha's birthday
1 May - Labour Day
Jun - Dragon Boat Festival
1 Jul - Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day
1 Oct - National Day
early Oct - Mid-Autumn Festival
late Oct - Cheung Yueng
25 Dec - Christmas Day
26 Dec - Boxing Day