Five days in Hong Kong adds Sai Kung MacLehose hiking and a Macau heritage-core ferry crossing to the standard Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and Lantau itinerary. The route averages 5-9 km of walking per day with 4-6 MTR or tram hops on Days 1-2, a Tung Chung Line plus cable car on Day 3, a minibus plus hike on Day 4, and a 55-min TurboJET ferry on Day 5.

Day by day

Day 1: Hong Kong Island: Central, Peak, Sheung Wan

  • Central IFC and Mid-Levels Escalator morning walk — 45 min. Free. MTR Hong Kong exit A2.
  • Sheung Wan Man Mo Temple — 45 min. Free. The 1847 Taoist temple at 124 Hollywood Road.
  • PMQ design quarter — 1 hr. Free. 100 design studios in the 1951 Police Married Quarters.
  • Rest valve — lunch at Kau Kee Restaurant on Gough Street — 45 min. Beef brisket noodle soup $7-9.
  • Tram Sheung Wan to Central — 15 min. $0.40 Octopus.
  • Citybus 15 Central to Victoria Peak — 35 min. $1.50 Octopus.
  • Peak Galleria Lions Pavilion lookout — 30 min. Free.
  • Lugard Road and Harlech Road loop — 50 min. Free. 3.5 km flat paved loop at 500 meters.
  • Citybus 15 back to Central, Star Ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui — 45 min. $2 total Octopus.
  • Symphony of Lights from the Avenue of Stars — 15 min. Free. 8:00 PM nightly.
  • Star Ferry back to Central, MTR to hotel — 25-40 min.
  • Total: ~7 km walking; 1 tram, 2 MTR, 2 bus, 2 Star Ferry segments.

Day 2: Kowloon: TST, Wong Tai Sin, Mong Kok

  • Tsim Sha Tsui Avenue of Stars and 1881 Heritage — 45 min. Free.
  • Hong Kong Museum of Art — 1.5 hr. $4 adult, 10am-6pm (closed Thu).
  • MTR Tsim Sha Tsui to Wong Tai Sin via Kwun Tong Line — 20 min. $1.20 Octopus.
  • Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple — 1 hr. Free entry.
  • Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery at Diamond Hill — 1 hr 30 min. Free. MTR Diamond Hill exit C2.
  • Rest valve — vegetarian set lunch at the Chi Lin Vegetarian inside the Nan Lian Garden waterfall pavilion — 1 hr 15 min. Set menu $13-22.
  • MTR Diamond Hill to Mong Kok — 12 min. $1.10 Octopus.
  • Mong Kok Ladies Market and Sneaker Street — 1 hr 15 min. Free entry.
  • Temple Street Night Market via MTR to Yau Ma Tei — 1 hr 30 min total. Dinner at Tin Hau plaza stalls $6-12 at 8pm.
  • MTR back to hotel — 20-30 min.
  • Total: ~9 km walking; 4 MTR segments.

Day 3: Lantau Island: Tian Tan Buddha, Tai O

  • MTR Tung Chung Line from Hong Kong Station to Tung Chung exit B — 35 min. $2.10 Octopus.
  • Ngong Ping 360 cable car to the Buddha plateau — 25 min. $26 round-trip. Alternative: New Lantao Bus 23 from Tung Chung Town Centre, 50 min, $2.10.
  • Tian Tan Buddha 268-step climb and Po Lin Monastery courtyard — 1 hr 30 min. Free.
  • Rest valve — vegetarian set lunch at the Po Lin Monastery canteen — 1 hr 15 min. Set menu $13, 11:30am-4:30pm, cash only.
  • New Lantao Bus 21 to Tai O — 25 min. $1.80 Octopus.
  • Tai O stilt-house village walk and the Tai O Heritage Boat ride — 2 hr. Boat $3.20 cash.
  • New Lantao Bus 1 to Mui Wo via Cheung Sha coastal road — 40 min. $1.80 Octopus.
  • Sun Ferry Mui Wo to Central Pier 6 — 35-55 min. $2.50 ordinary, $4.40 fast.
  • Walk to MTR Hong Kong Station, then to hotel — 15-30 min.
  • Total: ~6 km walking; 1 MTR, 1 cable car, 2 bus, 1 ferry segments.

Day 4: Sai Kung: MacLehose Trail and East Dam

  • MTR Tseung Kwan O Line to Hang Hau exit B1 — 25 min. $1.30 Octopus.
  • Minibus 101M from Hang Hau to Sai Kung Town — 15 min. $1.50 Octopus or cash.
  • Sai Kung waterfront promenade and the Hoi Pong Square seafood-tank stalls — 1 hr. Free.
  • Taxi from Sai Kung Pier to High Island Reservoir East Dam — 25 min. $20 fixed-rate by the green Sai Kung taxi.
  • MacLehose Trail Stage 1 East Dam to Long Ke Beach — 3 hr 30 min. Free. 9 km one-way climb to a 230-meter ridge over the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark hexagonal columns; swim at Long Ke; descend to Sai Wan Pavilion.
  • Rest valve — late lunch at Hoi Yat Heen on the Sai Kung Pier — 1 hr. Steamed seafood and rice $14-22, cash and card.
  • Sampan ride from Sai Kung Pier to Sharp Island for the tombolo causeway at low tide — 45 min. $4 round-trip cash.
  • Minibus 101M and MTR Tseung Kwan O Line back to Tsim Sha Tsui or Central — 50-65 min.
  • Total: ~12 km walking on hike + 2 km in Sai Kung Town; 2 MTR, 1 minibus, 1 taxi, 1 sampan segments.

Day 5: Macau day trip: UNESCO heritage core and Coloane

  • TurboJET ferry from Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal at Sheung Wan to Outer Harbour Macau — 55 min. $24 economy one-way. MTR Sheung Wan exit D.
  • Macau Immigration clearance at the Outer Harbour terminal — 25-45 min. 30-day visa-free for US, UK, EU, Canadian, and most major passports.
  • Bus 3A from Outer Harbour to Senado Square — 15 min. $0.70 Macau pataca; HKD accepted at 1:1 rate.
  • Senado Square and the UNESCO heritage cobble core — 1 hr. Free. The 1557 Portuguese colonial plaza with the Leal Senado Building and the wave-pattern calçada portuguesa stone paving.
  • Ruins of St Paul's facade and the Fortaleza do Monte — 1 hr. Free. The 1602 Jesuit church facade and the 1626 hilltop fort with the Macau Museum below.
  • Rest valve — lunch at the Wong Chi Kei Congee and Noodle on Senado Square — 45 min. Wonton noodles, beef brisket noodles, and shrimp roe noodles $5-9, cash and card.
  • A-Ma Temple at the southern tip of Macau Peninsula — 45 min. Free. The 1488 Taoist sea-goddess temple that gave Macau its name (A-Ma Gau, A-Ma's Bay).
  • Bus 11 from A-Ma Temple to Coloane Village — 35 min. $0.70 pataca.
  • Lord Stow's Bakery in Coloane Village for the original Portuguese egg tart — 45 min. $1.30 per tart; the village square holds the 1928 Chapel of St Francis Xavier.
  • Bus 26A from Coloane to the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal — 45 min. $0.70 pataca.
  • TurboJET ferry back to Hong Kong — 55 min. $24 economy.
  • MTR Sheung Wan to hotel — 10-25 min.
  • Total: ~6 km walking inside Macau; 2 ferry, 4 bus, 1 MTR segments.
Traveller Tips
  • Day 4 MacLehose Trail Stage 1 is the easiest of the 10 MacLehose stages but still climbs 230 meters over loose rock and granite slab; wear trail shoes with grip, carry 2 L of water (no refill on the trail), and start at the East Dam before 9:30am to clear the climb before the 32°C ridge midday heat April-October.
  • Day 5 Macau ferry tickets are cheapest on TurboJET at sheungwan.turbojet.com.hk; the on-the-day counter at Sheung Wan adds a $3-5 'walk-up surcharge' on Sat-Sun. Book the 8:30am outbound and the 7:30pm return 24 hours ahead to lock in the standard $24 economy fare.
  • Skip the Macau resort district between Senado Square and the Cotai Strip; the public bus 3A and bus 11 route bypasses the Cotai resort complex entirely and lands directly at the UNESCO heritage core and the A-Ma Temple. The Macau pataca is fixed at 1:1.03 with HKD; carry $15-25 in HKD notes only and pay every bus and shop in HKD with no conversion needed.
  • Day 4 sampan to Sharp Island runs only at the Sai Kung Pier kiosk between 9am and 5pm; the tombolo causeway across to the smaller Kiu Tau islet appears at low tide twice a day (check the marine forecast at hko.gov.hk/tide before you board).
  • Carry $50-80 in $20 and $50 notes across Days 4 and 5 for the Sai Kung taxi ($20 fixed), the sampan ($4), the Macau bus fares (no Octopus outside Hong Kong), and the Lord Stow's Bakery in Coloane (cash and Macanese card only). Octopus does not work in Macau.