Dim sum ("touch the heart") is the quintessential Hong Kong eating experience featuring an incredible variety of dumplings, buns, pastries and soups served at breakfast or lunch. Dim sum is usually served with pots of tea and the meal is referred to as yum cha ("drink tea").

The Star Ferry at Tsim Sha Tsui (pronounced Chim Sow Choi) for a few pennies plys back and forth across busy Victoria Harbour linking the Kowloon peninsular with Central and Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island.

You can take the MTR from Kowloon to Central, but a trip on the ferry is a must for the experience and views of Victoria Harbour.

The Mid Levels Escalator, at 800m is the longest covered outdoor escalator system in the world. It carries commuters between the prestigious Mid Levels residential area and the heart of Central Hong Kong.

Travel along it is free but beware it operates in one direction (down) during the morning rush hour then is switched to up thereafter.

Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei on the Kowloon peninsular is home to street hawkers eager to sell tourists anything from custom-made suits to copy Rolex watches.

At Yau Ma Tei, the Jade Market has plenty of the cool green stone carved into a myriad of shapes.

Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island. Spirals of insense burn to fill the temple with scented smoke that clings to your skin and clothes long after you have left.

Nearby is the famous Chop Alley (Man Wa Lane) which is lined with small green-painted huts where chop makers sell chops. A chop is a Chinese seal typically carved from jade, soapstone, bone or ivory. You can get the carvers to translate your name into Chinese for a custom-made seal. For a soapstone custom-made chop expect to pay around £15.