traveldk.com

Sha Tin’s museum vies with the revamped Museum of History in Kowloon for Hong Kong’s best museum honours (see Heritage Museum).

This mecca for Chinese antiques and curios may no longer offer the bargains it once did but Hollywood Road’s eastern end is still jammed with shops selling ancient ceramics, mammoth ivory carvings and delicate snuff bottles. The stalls and shops on Upper Lascar Row are a good hunting ground for antiques, trinkets, old coins, kitsch and curios. Haggling is definitely acceptable here.

When you’re tired of Central’s relentless bustle, Hong Kong Park’s open spaces and mature trees make an excellent escape, particularly its strikingly elegant (and free) walk-through aviary. The flowing streams and lush plant life of this improbable mini-rainforest are a peaceful and shaded home to scores of exotic bird species. The park also has lakes, a large conservatory, a viewing tower and the free Museum of Teaware, which is located inside Flagstaff House.

Aviary, Hong Kong Park

Tai Po’s museum is not really one of Hong Kong’s best, but trainspotters will like it. A variety of old coaches sit on tracks outside what used to be the Tai Po Market Station, built in 1913. Inside is a tolerably interesting account of the city.

Hong Kong Railway Museum

Construction mogul Gordon Wu has built roads in China and half-built a railway in Bangkok, but this remains his best-known erection. The 66-storey cylinder rears up behind Wan Chai, making diners dizzy in its revolving restaurant. The food, frankly, is not up to much, but the view makes up for it. Nighttimes are most spectacular, or perhaps a cocktail as the sun dips behind the harbour.

Casino mogul Dr Stanley Ho’s flagship looks like a UFO crossed with a wedding cake, and remains one of Macau’s most bizarre landmarks. Expect loan sharks and grim-faced gamblers in rumpled clothes.

An extensive jade market surrounds the small Buddhist temple of Hua Lin, which is also worth a quick visit. The jade on sale is cheaper than in Hong Kong, although you’ll need to be an expert if you want good-quality, unpigmented examples. Several antique stores and jade and amber sellers can be found west of Kangwang Zhonglu, and north of Changshang Xilu.