Hong Kong rewards efficiency and punishes checklists. You could sprint between ten attractions in two days and remember none of them, or you could do four things properly and come home with the city under your skin. I have done both, and the second one is better.

It helps to accept one thing early: this is a city where eating, walking and getting from A to B are the attractions, not the time you spend between them. A morning of dim sum and a slow ferry ride will stay with you longer than a rushed stop at a viewpoint. So the plan below is deliberately loose.

Day one, morning: dim sum, properly

Start with dim sum, and start early. The traditional places open around seven and fill up by nine with families reading newspapers and drinking endless pots of tea. This is not a quick breakfast, it is a two-hour social event, and the etiquette is simple: pour tea for others before yourself, and tap two fingers on the table to say thank you when someone pours for you.

What to order for two people

• Har gow, steamed prawn dumplings with a translucent skin.
• Siu mai, open-topped pork and prawn dumplings.
• Char siu bao, fluffy buns filled with barbecue pork.
• Cheung fun, silky rice noodle rolls. Get the prawn version.
• Egg tarts to finish, warm from the oven.

Budget around HK$150 to HK$250 for two, which is a bargain for the amount of food. In many old-school places you tick a card as you order, so watch what the table next to you does.

Day one, afternoon: Central, the escalator and the harbour

Ride the Central to Mid-Levels escalator, which is exactly what it sounds like, a long outdoor moving walkway up the hillside through the streets of SoHo. Get off halfway, wander the lanes of small galleries, bars and shops, and continue on foot.

In the late afternoon, take the Star Ferry from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui. It costs a few dollars, takes eight minutes, and is one of the great cheap experiences in Asia. Sit on the upper deck and look back at the skyline. Then walk the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade toward the clock tower and stay for the lights.

Day two, morning: Victoria Peak

Get up the Peak early. The tram is the classic way up, and the queues after nine are notorious, so either arrive at opening or take a taxi up and the tram down. From the top, the view over the harbour is the one you have seen a thousand times, and it still works in person.

Rather than just doing the viewing deck, walk the circular path around the peak, which takes about an hour, is mostly flat and shaded, and gives you the view from several angles with almost nobody around. This is the part most visitors miss.

Day two, afternoon: pick one neighbourhood

Do not try to do all of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Choose one and go deep.

• Sham Shui Po, for electronics markets, cheap eats and the most authentic street life in the city. The noodles here are outstanding.
• Mong Kok, for the markets: the flower market, the bird market and the wet market streets. Loud, crowded, unforgettable.
• Sai Kung or Stanley, if you want a harbour village and seafood and a slower end to the trip.

Things that will make your life easier

Get an Octopus card at the airport, which works on the metro, the ferries, buses, trams and most convenience stores. The MTR is one of the best metro systems on earth. It rains a lot in spring and summer, so carry a compact umbrella. And book the Peak Tram and any popular restaurant ahead when you can, because this city does not wait.

Originally published on 71Asia Tours blog.