Hong Kong
Macau
China · Multi-city itinerary
Hong Kong & Macau itinerary — December 2026
By Tripsapien Research · Updated May 20, 2026
December 2026 is one of the best times for the Hong Kong & Macau trip (Hong Kong & Macau). Daytime highs run from about 20°C / 68°F to 21°C / 70°F across the stops. Plan around 6–8 days for the full Hong Kong & Macau loop. Tripsapien checks every place on your list against your exact dates — hours, closures and booking pressure at each stop.
The route
About 6–8 days · 2 cities
Two former European colonies an hour apart across the Pearl River Delta: vertical, harbour-front Hong Kong and Portuguese-flavoured, casino-lined Macau, now linked by the world's longest sea-crossing bridge.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong in December
Temperature
68°F / 59°F
20°C / 14.9°C
Precipitation
6d
1.1in · 28.1mm
Daylight
10.9h
Sea
69.6°F
20.9°C
Cool and dry — light jacket needed evenings. Christmas decorations across Central, Causeway Bay, and TST.
Cool and dry — light jacket needed evenings. Christmas decorations across Central, Causeway Bay, and TST.
City overview
Hong Kong is a vertical city pressed between mountains and the sea — a former British colony where the world's densest skyline rises off a deep-water harbour, and where the Star Ferry has been crossing the same 12-minute route since 1888. The territory splits across Hong Kong Island (financial centre, Victoria Peak), Kowloon (Tsim Sha Tsui's harbour-front, Mong Kok's markets), and a string of New Territories and outlying islands where the country parks cover 40% of the land.
Food & drink
Hong Kong eats dim sum for breakfast and lunch — Cantonese small dishes (har gow, siu mai, char siu bao) at tea-house restaurants. Cha chaan tengs (literally 'tea restaurants') are the local diners: milk tea, pineapple buns, macaroni soup. Street food survives in the dai pai dong stalls of Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po (fish balls, curry brisket, egg waffles), and Hong Kong now has more Michelin stars per capita than any city outside Tokyo — including the world's cheapest Michelin meal at Tim Ho Wan.
Top sights
Ranked for December suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Victoria Peak (The Peak)
- 2Tian Tan Buddha & Po Lin Monastery (Lantau Island)
- 3Star Ferry (Tsim Sha Tsui ↔ Central)
- 4Hong Kong Park & Aviary
- 5Hong Kong Disneyland (Lantau Island)
- 6Ladies Market (Mong Kok)
- 7Temple Street Night Market
- 8A Symphony of Lights
- 9Hong Kong History Museum
- 10Man Mo Temple (Sheung Wan)
1Victoria Peak (The Peak)
4.6★ · 4,870outdoorThe 552m mountain on Hong Kong Island, with the territory's most-photographed view across the harbour to Kowloon. The Peak Tram funicular has run since 1888 — book online to skip the queue.
Peak Tram tickets sell out same-day in peak season; book the Peak Tram Sky Pass online 24h ahead.
2Tian Tan Buddha & Po Lin Monastery (Lantau Island)
4.6★ · 19,355outdoorOpen dailyThe 34m bronze 'Big Buddha' sitting on a lotus throne, reached by the Ngong Ping 360 cable car from Tung Chung MTR. The cable car ride itself is the attraction — 25 minutes over the South China Sea.
3Star Ferry (Tsim Sha Tsui ↔ Central)
4.5★ · 1,307outdoorThe 12-minute green-and-white double-decker ferry that's crossed the harbour since 1888 — HK$5 upper deck. Sunset and the 8pm light show are the photogenic windows.
Show 7 more sights
- 4Hong Kong Park & Aviary
- 5Hong Kong Disneyland (Lantau Island)
- 6Ladies Market (Mong Kok)
- 7Temple Street Night Market
- 8A Symphony of Lights
- 9Hong Kong History Museum
- 10Man Mo Temple (Sheung Wan)
Neighborhoods
1Central
The financial district at the foot of Victoria Peak — colonial buildings (LegCo, Court of Final Appeal), the Mid-Levels Escalator (longest outdoor covered escalator in the world at 800m), and the towers above. Most ferries, the Star Ferry pier, and the Peak Tram all start here.
2Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon)
The harbour-front tourist core opposite Central — major hotels, the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong Museum of Art, and the Star Ferry pier. The 1881 Heritage complex and Peninsula Hotel afternoon tea anchor the colonial-era atmosphere.
3Mong Kok
The densest urban district in the world — Guinness-listed. Sneaker Street (Fa Yuen Street), Ladies Market, Goldfish Market, Flower Market all within a few blocks. Loud, neon, packed.
4Causeway Bay
Hong Kong Island's shopping-and-eating engine — Times Square, Sogo, and small back-street alleys with cha chaan tengs (Hong Kong-style cafés). The noon-day gun at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club has fired daily since the 1860s.
5Sheung Wan
Older Hong Kong Island neighbourhood just west of Central — dried-seafood shops on Des Voeux Road West, the Man Mo Temple, antique stores on Hollywood Road, and a younger boutique-and-coffee-shop layer arriving the past 10 years.
6SoHo & Mid-Levels
South of Hollywood Road — bars, international restaurants, boutique galleries — all reachable on foot via the Mid-Levels Escalator (descending only before 10:00, ascending after).
Getting around
The MTR (subway) is the spine — fast, clean, runs to roughly 01:00. Buy an Octopus card (HK$50 deposit, refundable) and tap on for transit, convenience stores, taxis, ferries, even some restaurants. The Star Ferry (HK$5), red-cab taxis (cheap by global standards), and Hong Kong Island's century-old double-decker trams ('ding dings', HK$3 flat fare) cover the corners the MTR doesn't.
Macau
Macau in December
Temperature
68°F / 59°F
19.8°C / 15°C
Precipitation
7d
1.1in · 28.6mm
Daylight
10.9h
Sea
68°F
20°C
Cool and dry — light jacket comfort. Christmas-themed decorations across the historic centre and Cotai resorts.
Cool and dry — light jacket comfort. Christmas-themed decorations across the historic centre and Cotai resorts.
City overview
Macau is a 33km² Special Administrative Region 60km west of Hong Kong where Portuguese colonial-era Catholic chapels and Cantonese temples sit on the same square. Handed back to China in 1999 after 442 years under Portugal, it's the world's largest gambling hub by revenue — but the UNESCO-listed historic centre on the Macau Peninsula is the reason to come for a day or two, with the Cotai Strip's mega-resorts a second-night option.
Food & drink
Macanese cuisine fuses Portuguese colonial cooking with Cantonese ingredients — African chicken (peri-peri spice rub from Mozambique-via-Portugal-via-Macau), minchi (ground meat and potato hash, the unofficial national dish), bacalhau (salt cod), and pastéis de nata (custard tarts — Lord Stow's in Coloane has the most famous recipe). Cantonese roast meats, dim sum, and Portuguese wines round out the menu; the historic centre's Rua do Cunha in Taipa Village is the most concentrated stretch of bakeries and snack stalls.
Top sights
Ranked for December suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1The Venetian Macao
- 2Giant Panda Pavilion (Seac Pai Van Park)
- 3Macau Tower
- 4Senado Square (Largo do Senado)
- 5House of Dancing Water (City of Dreams)
- 6A-Ma Temple
- 7Taipa Village
- 8Coloane Village
1The Venetian Macao
4.5★ · 28,388outdoorCotai Strip mega-resort styled on Venice — indoor canals with gondolas, a replica St Mark's Square, and the largest casino in the world by floor area. Free entry to the shopping mall and canals.
Wikipedia
2Giant Panda Pavilion (Seac Pai Van Park)
4.5★ · 1,929outdoorClosed MonFree park on Coloane housing two giant pandas (Kai Kai and Xin Xin) plus red pandas and a flamingo aviary. Closed Mondays.
3Macau Tower
4.4★ · 8,185outdoorOpen daily338m observation deck and home to the world's highest commercial bungee jump (233m). The skywalk around the outer rim is a glass-floored alternative.
WikipediaBungee and skywalk: book ahead online — limited daily slots, especially weekends.
Show 7 more sights
- 4Senado Square (Largo do Senado)
- 5House of Dancing Water (City of Dreams)
- 6A-Ma Temple
- 7Taipa Village
- 8Coloane Village
- 9Ruins of St Paul's
- 10St Dominic's Church
Neighborhoods
1Macau Peninsula (Historic Centre)
The dense, walkable old core — Senado Square, Ruins of St Paul's, the network of pedestrian lanes around Rua da Felicidade. Most one-day visitors never leave this peninsula.
2Cotai Strip
Reclaimed land between Taipa and Coloane islands — the Venetian, Galaxy, City of Dreams, Wynn Palace, Studio City. Free shuttle buses run between casinos, the ferry terminal, and the airport.
3Taipa
Mid-island residential plus Taipa Village — a quieter contrast to the Cotai mega-resorts a few hundred metres south. Light Rapid Transit stops here; airport and ferry terminal both on this island.
4Coloane
Macau's southernmost island and its rural escape — Hac Sa and Cheoc Van beaches, hiking trails on the hills, the panda pavilion, and Coloane Village's chapel-and-bakery square. Practically traffic-free.
Getting around
Free casino shuttle buses connect every major Cotai resort to the ferry terminal, airport, and border gates — the most reliable way to move long distances. The Macau Peninsula historic centre is small enough to walk, though hilly. Light Rapid Transit (LRT) covers Taipa and Cotai but not the historic core; public buses (MOP$6 flat fare) and metered taxis fill the rest.
Best time to do the Hong Kong & Macau trip
In December, the Hong Kong & Macau trip runs daytime highs from 20°C / 68°F to 21°C / 70°F, with nights down to about 14°C / 57°F at the coolest stop. Expect only a few wet days — up to 5 at the rainiest stop. Weighed across both stops, December is one of the best times to travel.
The most comfortable months across Hong Kong & Macau are December, November and January, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall at every stop. December 2026 is one of the best months to go.
Check this route against your dates
Tripsapien starts with the sights on this page or places you paste, then checks hours, closures, booking pressure and neighborhoods for your exact December dates — across every city on the Hong Kong & Macau trip.
Plan this Hong Kong & Macau tripCommon questions about the Hong Kong & Macau trip
- When is the best time to do the Hong Kong & Macau trip?
- The most comfortable months across Hong Kong, Macau are December, November and January, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall at each stop. December is one of the best times — see the per-stop weather below for the exact picture in December 2026.
- How many days do you need for the Hong Kong & Macau trip?
- A comfortable Hong Kong & Macau trip runs about 6–8 days, allowing roughly Hong Kong 4, Macau 2 nights plus travel between stops. Add a day if you want a slower pace or extra day trips.
- What's the route for the Hong Kong & Macau trip?
- The classic order is Hong Kong & Macau. Each city below has its own December weather, events and top-sights list.
- Will the sights be open during my December Hong Kong & Macau trip?
- Opening days and hours vary by weekday, season and public holiday, and they differ from city to city on a multi-stop trip. Paste your Hong Kong & Macau list into Tripsapien and it checks every place in Hong Kong, Macau against your exact dates, flagging closures and what needs booking ahead before you go.