Hong Kong Islands and Beaches

Lamma is the island to pick if you have half a day. Ferries from Central Pier 4 go to both Yung Shue Wan, a laid-back village of cafes and bars, and Sok Kwu Wan, a fishing bay lined with seafood restaurants. The paved Family Trail links the two in about an hour and a half, passing Hung Shing Yeh beach and a viewpoint over the coast. Lo So Shing, a short detour off the trail, is the quieter beach, set in a wooded bay. Walk one way, eat in Sok Kwu Wan and take the ferry back from there.

Cheung Chau is the most lived-in of the outlying islands, a dumbbell shape with a busy harbour full of fishing boats in the middle. Ferries from Central Pier 5 take about 35 to 55 minutes. Tung Wan beach is on the far side of the narrow neck from the pier, with Kwun Yam Wan next door; the walk south to the Cheung Po Tsai cave, said to have been a pirate’s hideout, takes about an hour. Eat fish balls and mango mochi on the waterfront, or seafood at the harbourside restaurants.

The Cheung Chau Bun Festival, around Buddha’s Birthday in late April or May, brings a parade of children dressed as gods and the bun-scrambling race up towers of buns at midnight. Ferries are packed that week, so go early.

Lantau, the largest island, has the best beaches within reach of the city. Cheung Sha, on the south coast, is about 3 km of sand split into Upper and Lower beaches, with a few beach cafes. Pui O next to it has shallow water and water buffalo grazing behind the sand. Both are on the bus route from Mui Wo, which you reach by ferry from Central Pier 6, or from Tung Chung MTR.

At the western end, Tai O is a fishing village built on stilts over a tidal creek, known for dried seafood and boat trips that look for the pink Chinese white dolphins offshore, though sightings are not guaranteed. Ma Wan, under the Tsing Ma Bridge, has a small beach at Tung Wan and is quick to reach from the city.

The Sai Kung peninsula has the cleanest water and the best sand. Tai Long Wan is four bays, Sai Wan, Ham Tin, Tai Wan and Tung Wan, on the open coast; Sai Wan and Ham Tin have village cafes and are the ones most people reach, on foot from Sai Wan Pavilion or by speedboat from Sai Kung Town in calm weather. The waves here can be strong, and there are no lifeguards.

For an easier beach day, kaito boats from the Sai Kung waterfront run to Hap Mun Bay on Sharp Island, a lifeguarded beach with clear water, and to Kau Sai Chau, which has a public golf course. Yim Tin Tsai, a restored Hakka village with an old chapel and salt pans, is a short hop from the same pier.

Repulse Bay is the big, wide city beach, 20 to 30 minutes by bus from Central, with Deep Water Bay and Stanley a few stops either side. Shek O, at the eastern end, is a village with a beach, a headland walk and cheap Thai and seafood restaurants; next door, Big Wave Bay has small surf breaks and board hire, and is where the country parks walk over Dragon’s Back ends. Bus 9 from Shau Kei Wan MTR covers both.

Po Toi, south of Hong Kong Island, has odd granite rock formations and one seafood restaurant, with ferries from Aberdeen and Stanley mainly on weekends. Peng Chau, next to Lantau, is a tiny island of temples and old shops. In the northeast, Tap Mun has grassy clifftops and a Tin Hau temple, and Tung Ping Chau has layered rock platforms in a marine park; both are reached from Ma Liu Shui pier near University MTR, Tung Ping Chau only on weekends and holidays.

Outlying island ferries leave from the Central Ferry Piers next to the IFC tower: Pier 4 for Lamma, Pier 5 for Cheung Chau, Pier 6 for Mui Wo and Peng Chau. You can tap in with an Octopus card. Fast ferries cost more than ordinary ones, and fares are higher on Sundays and public holidays, when queues for the return boat in late afternoon can be long. Kaitos and village ferries to remote islands often run on weekends only; check the timetable before you set off.

Swim only at gazetted beaches when the lifeguard flag is up. The Environmental Protection Department grades beach water quality, and beaches occasionally close for red tides, jellyfish or after heavy rain. When a typhoon signal 3 or above is raised, beaches close, and ferries stop soon after signal 8 goes up, so do not get stranded on an island. Beaches have barbecue pits but take your rubbish home, and the first-timer’s guide explains how Octopus cards work.