The choice of flights to Hong Kong and the relatively short flying time makes ‘The Pearl of the Orient' conveniently accessible from other cities around Asia, presenting weekend holidaymakers the opportunity to fly to Hong Kong on a Friday evening, or perhaps the afternoon, and catch a late Sunday or early Monday flight back home.

 

Between Beijing and Hong Kong, for example, services include those operated by Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Dragonair and Air China Limited. And the Bangkok-Hong Kong route, for example, is served by the likes of Thai Airways International, Hong Kong Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates and Air New Zealand.

 

And having arrived at Hong Kong International Airport, getting into the city is no big hassle. The Airport Express service delivers passengers to Central in under 30 minutes, with trains departing every 10-12 minutes from early morning to past midnight. Public buses connect the airport with most parts of Hong Kong, while taxis are another option.

 

When it comes to finding somewhere to stay, there are well over 60,000 hotel rooms in Hong Kong providing an across-the-board choice of accommodation. For those holidaymakers arriving without a hotel booking, there are hotel reservation centre desks inside Hong Kong International Airport, after customs.

Attraction-wise, a weekend stay in Hong Kong offers up plenty to see – from the Avenue of Stars featuring the showbiz names which have helped make Hong Kong the ‘Hollywood of the East', to the Ladies' Market with its myriad stalls selling clothing, accessories and souvenirs, to Hong Kong Island's highest point The Peak, to the world famous harbour and even the city skyline itself.

 

The Pearl of the Orient is also home to one of only five Disney themed parks in the world, with Hong Kong Disneyland having welcomed over 38 million guests since its grand opening in September 2005. Other themed parks include Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and Ocean Park Hong Kong, a marine-life theme park featuring animal exhibits, thrill rides and shows.

 

For a touch of green space, there are numerous public parks and gardens both in the Kowloon area and Hong Kong Island, among the most prominent of these being Kowloon Park, Hong Kong Park and Victoria Park. These three parks also host arts and handicraft fun fairs on Saturdays and/or Sundays and public holidays.

 

For events and festivals, Hong Kong scores highly, with an exciting lineup each year. In 2013 there's the Hong Kong Summer Spectacular on until August 31, offering cultural, shopping, dining, sporting and nightlife activities throughout the city. The Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival takes place from September 14 to 22, which gives this ancient Chinese harvest festival the modern treatment. Glowing lanterns merge with the city's trademark neon signage and fiery dragons dance through the streets as the festive metropolis pulsates under the full moon.

 

Coming up a little later in the year is the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, a four day extravaganza from 31 October to 3 November which is then followed with street carnivals, restaurant wine and dine offers and wine-themed tours, classes and fairs around the city until 30 November.

 

Culture and heritage also abounds in Hong Kong, with Taoist temples and Edwardian edifices standing proudly alongside shimmering commercial buildings and towering skyscrapers. Eastern Han dynasty (25 – 220) tombs, 13th Century ancestral halls, walled villages, Victorian architecture and World War II relics provide an insight into Hong Kong's journey from a far flung outpost of Imperial China to the cosmopolitan metropolis of over 7 million people that it is today.