When is the best time to visit Hong Kong?
Hong Kong delivers year-round travel adventures, blending fast-paced city life with rich culture and iconic scenery. Here are the best times to visit.
Sprawling across an iconic archipelago off the south coast of China, Hong Kong delivers year-round travel adventures, blending fast-paced city life with stunning natural landscapes and rich cultural traditions.
Buffeted by winds from the South China Sea, Hong Kong has a subtropical climate, with temperatures ranging from around 17°C (63°F) in January to 30°C (86°F) in July. The city experiences four distinct seasons, each bringing new reasons to visit.
For general sightseeing and discovering Hong Kong’s diverse neighborhoods and islands, the fall months from late September to early November are mild and comfortable with lower humidity. The next best time to come is during the spring from March to early May – the weather is not too hot but there are occasional downpours.
The blazing, sticky, showery summer from June to August can leave visitors cowering by the air conditioner, while in winter (December to February), you’ll need a light coat to deal with temperatures that can dip as low as 10°C (50°F).
Accommodation prices tend to spike during Chinese holiday periods such as the National Day holiday (around October 1), Labour Day (in the first week of May) and the Lunar New Year (in late January or early February). The cheapest time to visit Hong Kong is mid-May to early September, with another affordable period after the Lunar New Year rush in January and February.
Whether you want to enjoy vibrant festivals, evade the crowds, or just reduce the cost of visiting one of Asia’s more expensive destinations, here are the best times to visit Hong Kong.
October to December is the best time for sightseeing
The fall and early winter are arguably the best times to explore Hong Kong, with low humidity and temperatures hovering between 20°C (68°F) to 28°C (82°F). This makes long days of sightseeing more enjoyable at places such as Tai Kwun, the Hong Kong Wetland Park and the city’s street markets.
However, this is also peak season, and hotel prices are at their highest, as are prices for plane tickets, with many travelers stopping over en route to Australia. Additionally, the typhoon season can run as late as November, though most big storms arrive between July and September.
Despite Hong Kong’s big city atmosphere, surfers can find good swells on its beaches from October to April. On a rare day you might catch breaks of up to 2m (over 6 feet) in Big Wave Bay, just north of Shek O Beach on Hong Kong Island.
The cooler months are a great time for diving into Hong Kong culture and sightseeing beyond the city center. Soar over Lantau in a cable car to reach the Po Lin Monastery and its 250-ton bronze buddha statue, or visit the stilt houses of Tai O for a glimpse of the city’s traditional fishing culture.
In September or early October, you can catch one of Hong Kong's most visually striking displays, the Mid-Autumn Festival, which lights up the city with glowing lantern displays, mooncakes and traditional dragon dances. One of the most famous spots to experience the festival is Victoria Park.
November ushers in a packed cultural calendar, including the Hong Kong Pride Parade. Leading up to the parade, the Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, held every September, is the longest-running LGBTIQ+ film festival in Asia.
For music lovers, late November to early December, means one thing: Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s answer to Coachella. This three-day music extravaganza transforms the Central Harbourfront into a massive festival ground, hosting superstar pop, rock, urban and electronic music acts. 
January to February is the best time for Chinese New Year festivities
Hong Kong comes alive with festival foods, traditional culture and public celebrations during the Lunar New Year, the city’s most significant festival, which falls in late January or mid-February. Parades and lion and dragon dances fill the streets and markets overflow with festive decorations, from kumquat trees symbolizing prosperity to dangling red lanterns for good luck.
Man Mo Temple, one of Hong Kong’s oldest and most important places of worship, is at its liveliest during the Lunar New Year. For a uniquely Chinese New Year experience, join the thousands of Taoist followers who gather at the Wong Tai Sin Temple in Kowloon to place incense sticks before a painting of the Great Immortal Wong to earn good luck for the year ahead.
Victoria Harbour is the centerpiece of the organized Lunar New Year celebrations, hosting a dazzling fireworks display that lights up the skyline. Traditional lion and dragon dances weave through the streets across the city, and a holiday spirit pervades, with bustling flower markets and colorful parades in Tsim Sha Tsui.
February also marks the start of one of Hong Kong’s premier cultural events, the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Extending into March, this world-class event dishes up a feast of music and performing arts. The entertainment ranges from classical music to contemporary dance performances and lasts for several weeks, with big crowds gathering at Kowloon’s East Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront promenade.
The bad news is that hotel prices can skyrocket during Lunar New Year, often doubling or tripling due to high demand. Many shops and restaurants close on the first and second days of the Lunar New Year, and some stay closed even longer as owners take time off to celebrate with relatives. 
March to May is the best time for fine arts and cultural festivals
Hong Kong’s weather gradually warms from March to May as the summer approaches, with average temperatures ranging between 20°C (68°F) and 26°C (79°F). Still, the rainy season begins in March and doesn’t let up until September.
Hotel prices from March to May are lower than in the peak season during Chinese New Year, but they can still be moderately expensive, especially as the weather improves and more tourists arrive. But there are still good reasons to visit.
Spring is the peak season for arts and culture in Hong Kong, with March often called “Super March” due to the abundance of creative events. The Hong Kong Arts Festival, starting at the end of February, reaches its peak in March with widespread music and performing arts events.
Later in the month, the annual HKWalls street art and mural festival transforms districts like Wan Chai, Central and Sheung Wan into colorful canvases, featuring the work of street artists from all over the world. The Hong Kong International Film Festival takes place over two to three weeks in March and April, screening hundreds of art-house and award-winning films from Asia and around the world.
Around the same time, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre becomes the epicenter of the international art scene during Art Basel Hong Kong, attracting collectors, curators and art professionals for a three-day showcase of contemporary art. In May, the Affordable Art Fair offers a more accessible and budget-friendly platform for beginners looking to start collections.
Spring also brings some of Hong Kong’s most unique cultural festivals. Usually held in the middle of May, the Cheung Chau Bun Festival is a four-day extravaganza of parades, events and dances that brings thousands of visitors to Cheung Chau island. The highlight is the “bun scrambling competition,” when attendees climb huge towers of steamed buns at midnight on the third day of the festival.
Another important event, the Tin Hau Festival in April or May (depending on the year), celebrates the Goddess of the Sea (also known as Mazu) with lively temple ceremonies, traditional dances, opera and parades, particularly in New Kowloon.
Beyond the cultural bonanza, this is a good time to take advantage of the great weather by climbing Victoria Peak. Reached by the gravity-defying Peak Tram, the summit offers one of the world’s most iconic views – a jungle-framed panorama of soaring skyscrapers and sapphire-blue sea.
June to July is the best time for smaller crowds… if you can withstand the weather!
Summer in Hong Kong is the low season for tourism. The weather is hot, damp and unpredictable, with temperatures ranging from 28°C (82°F) to 32°C (90°F) and humidity levels pushing 80 percent. Sudden downpours and occasional tropical storms keep tourists – and even locals – away in June and July.
But for those willing to brave the elements, the inclement weather means fewer tourists at major attractions and this is a good time for quieter day trips to Hong Kong’s surprisingly lush green outdoor spaces (with an umbrella or raincoat to hand).
Top of the crop when it comes to natural escapes is the Sai Kung Peninsula, an undeveloped wonderland of lush hills, secluded beaches and dramatic coastlines, particularly in the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark. Hong Kong also has over 260 islands, large and small – try laidback Lamma for its hippy vibes or Cheung Chau for temples, trails and beaches.
Pick a clear, sunny day to visit Chi Lin Nunnery & Nan Lian Garden, as this striking Buddhist complex is mainly outdoors and dry weather will make all the difference for photos. If you need to keep cool, hit the malls. Times Square, Hysan Place, Pacific Place, SOGO and Lee Garden Two provide powerful air conditioning as well as retail therapy.
Families can also cool off at Ocean Park, Hong Kong’s original amusement park, which is packed with thrilling waterslides and has a giant wave pool. There’s more theme park fun at Hong Kong Disneyland, home of the world’s first Frozen-themed ride zone.
Summer also brings the Dragon Boat Festival in June, drawing the world’s best dragon-boaters to Hong Kong for three days of intense racing and partying at Victoria Harbour. Stanley Beach, Tai-O and Aberdeen also host major races, with more than 20 dragon-boat races taking place between May and July. 
July to September is typhoon season
Tropical storms, known locally as typhoons, make landfall in Hong Kong around seven times per year, usually between July and September, though storms can strike anytime from May to November. These storms can last just a few hours or several days, bringing heavy rain and sometimes causing ferries and flights to be canceled and tourist attractions to close.
Occasionally, a tropical storm can cause more significant disruption. In September 2023, Typhoon Haikui brought more than 16 hours of heavy rainfall to Hong Kong, causing flooding and landslides. If you visit during the typhoon season, monitor weather reports, and follow local advice in the event of severe weather conditions.
This article was adapted from Lonely Planet’s Hong Kong guidebook published in December 2024.
