The Best Shopping

• Looking for Chinese Souvenirs: Hong Kong has some great Chinese emporiums, selling vases, vase stands, porcelain figurines, chinaware, calligraphy brushes, bird cages, jade, jewelry, silk jackets, furniture, teas, and various Chinese crafts and products. 

• Browsing Antiques Shops on Hollywood Road: Whether you have thousands of dollars to spend on Ming dynasty heirlooms or just a couple of bucks for a snuff bottle, there's something for everyone in the dozens of antiques shops lining this famous Hong Kong Island road and from outdoor vendor stalls on nearby Cat Street. A sightseeing bonus is Man Mo Temple, Hong Kong's oldest temple, on Hollywood Road.

• Window-Shopping on Nathan Road: Open-fronted clothing boutiques, jewelry stores, camera shops, tailors, tourists from around the world, international cuisine, huge neon signs, and whirling traffic combine to make this boulevard Hong Kong's most famous shopping street.

• Feeling Groovy at Shanghai Tang: This 1930s-style Chinese department store is oh-so-chic, with lime green and fuchsia jackets, 1930s reproduction home decor, and more. The shopping bag that comes with your purchase is a bonus -- just way too cool -- and the shop's free postcards are also pretty fab.

• Bargaining at a Street Market: Hong Kong has more street markets than you can shake a stick at, located on both sides of the harbor and in operation from morning to night. Most famous is Temple Street Night Market, where you can shop for casual clothing, music, toys, and accessories; enjoy a meal at a dai pai dong (roadside food stall); watch amateur street musicians; and have your fortune told.

• Bargain Hunting in Stanley: Stall after stall of casual wear, silk clothing, tennis shoes, accessories, and souvenirs and crafts imported from China make this a shopper's paradise. And after a day of bargaining, I like to recuperate in one of Stanley's trendy yet casual restaurants.

• Getting Mall-ed: Hong Kong is famous for its shopping malls, and with good reason. Ranging from humongous affairs like Harbour City to chic, high-end complexes like ifc mall, shopping malls are great escapes on humid or rainy days and offer everything from clothing and toys to electronics and antiques. 

• Visiting a Tailor: Nothing beats the satisfaction of having something custom-made to fit you perfectly. If this is your dream, make a trek to a tailor one of your first priorities so that you'll have time for several fittings.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.