For activities, check with the Hong Kong tourist board, always an eager source of information. Chinese New Year is very much a family activity, to the point that many restaurants etc. used to close -- but this is old information, so it could be wise to investigate whether that situation still prevails. The hotels you mention are expensive and full-service and might respond to e-mail questions.

Some thoughts and suggestions:

1. Hong Kong is very safe and I would not have any concerns on that point. You can go out and about by yourself at virtually any hour of the day or night. (OK, at 3 am in certain parts of Wan Chai or Kowloon you may not want to be out by yourself, but I doubt you will be anyway).

2. I always think it is worth upgrading to a view room if you can afford it. While you will miss the fireworks (you can’t extend the trip another night to see these?) the skyline itself is really fantastic day and night. In addition, the skyscrapers will be decorated with neon lights for the Lunar New Year which adds even more colour to the scene at night. The new Ritz-Carlton Kowloon would be my first choice for a view room. The views from the Penn or the Intercon are of course classic, but it really is stunning to look down onto Hong Kong from the Ritz-Carlton. They also have a terrific indoor pool (with lovely sunset views) which would be appreciated in January when you won’t want to swim outdoors. The views from the Four Seasons on the Hong Kong side is quite pretty as well.

3. Your arrive on Jan 22 which is the eve of the holiday and a sort of holiday of its own. It’s like Christmas Eve in other places. Many shops will close by about 3 pm so that people can get home for their “reunion dinner”. The evening of the 22nd would be an excellent time to go to the Peak, as it will not be crowded (something which cannot be said for the rest of the holiday). You may find many restaurants closed that evening and on the 23, although in hotels and many malls you won’t have any problem. You will find most shops closed as well, although in larger malls you will find about ½ or more of the shops open (this is a phenomenon of recent years). Smaller family-owned shops and restaurants will be closed from the eve of the 22 and for the rest of your trip, but this should not really affect you (I doubt you will need your hair or nails done, and if so, hotel spas will be open). Grocery stores are generally open (some may be on shorter hours), and you can also find pharmacies which are open. Musuems and most all tourist sights will be open.

4. One activity to consider for sure is going to one of the local pre-holiday flower markets. The biggest one is in Victoria Park on Hong Kong Island. It runs up until about 2 am on Jan 22, but I would go n the late afternoon in order to actually see some flowers (if you go later they will mostly be gone and a frenzied sale takes place. However, as you don’t really need to buy any plants, you would be going for the fun family atmosphere and to see all the plants and flowers on offer.) There are also smaller flower markets in many parts of Hong Kong. Your hotel may have suggestions, although the probably will suggest Victoria Park as it is the largest and best known.

5. Another thing to try to do is walk one of the local “wet” market areas on the 22nd, as they are vibrant with red decorations and special holiday foods and other items on offer. (In addition to the live fish and street butchers which always make these markets lively and interesting.) The Peel and Graham Street areas as well as the Wan Chai markets, both on Hong Kong Island would be good choices, I esp like the Wan Chai market at this time. The Bowrington Raod market in Causeway Bay would also be a good choice. Either that or the Wan Chai market could be combined with a street tram trip through this area to the flower market in Victoria Park. These street markets will be closed on the 23 and will start closing early on the 22nd, so I would go before or around lunch time if you can.

6. On the 23rd, I would suggest trying to get to a local temple to see people making their new year visit. There are numerous temples in Hong Kong, you might try one close to your hotel. (I think I might avoid the Wong Tai Sin temple as it may be too crowded to be comfortable.) The Tin Hau temple in Stanley is a good choice, and gives you the opportunity to take the fun, very scenic bus ride over and have a meal outside along the waterfront. Most of the shops in the market will be closed, but a small number are open if you feel the need to shop. There are also walks in this area (and a great walk to or from Stanley), drop me a line at ciceronehongkong@live. hk if you want suggestions, or see my posts like http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/cicerones-favourite-hong-kong-walks-iii-the-dragons-back.cfm which describes the Dragon’s Back walk.

7. Odd as it sounds, one of my favourite things to do on the first day is to go to downtown Central on Hong Kong Island where (most unusually) everything is shut up tight. It’s kind of fun to wander the stock exchange and other areas that are usually so busy. The Kennedy Town area is also another good place to go, as this is still a more traditional neighborhood, and again, all shops will be shut. You will see families walking around, but otherwise it is so quiet and peaceful. (If you have not seen it on other days, you may not appreciate the contrast so much, but I enjoy it.)

8. Public transport will be running on a holiday schedule on the 23 which means in most cases more frequently than usual, and ferries and buses to outlying areas which only operate on Sundays and public holidays are running so you can get to remote countryside areas should you want to. As you only have 2 days, this may not be the best use of your time, but is certainly beautiful. A long ferry ride to someplace like Tung Lung Island can be a very nice way to spend the morning or afternoon.

9. January is typically excellent in terms of temps; it can be sunny or it can be overcast, simply a matter of luck. But we rarely have rain or fog, and daytime temps are very pleasant (can be cool to even cold at night so bring some layers).

10. If you stay on the Kowloon side you will be close to the route of the parade, which is on Jan 23. TO be honest, I think it is a bit of a yawn and there are other things to do, but if you like parades you might consider it.

11. If you have any interests in going to the Buddha on Lantau, I would suggest the 22nd as it will be least crowded. It will be rather crowed on the 23 and 24th think. Certainly still doable, but you could have a long line for the bus or cable car. (If you ant to take the cable car, make a reservation, see http://www.np360.com.hk/html/eng/front/index.asp. You want the “crystal cabin” as this will allow you to jump most of the line for the cable car. A reservation for a regular car allows you to skip the line for tickets, but there is then a line for the cars themselves, which can be just as long as the line for tickets. With the “crystal cabin” you skip both the ticket line and most of the cable car line, but even with that, you probably have about an hour in line.

12. Your post seems to indicate that you will already have been in Hong Kong as part of a tour, so without knowing where your tour is taking you, it’s hard to make other reccos as you probably don’t ant to repeat things (although thing like the Star Ferry trip and the Peak never get old, IMO). You can take a look at my post http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/cicerones-reccos-for-what-the-locals-do-for-fun-in-hong-kong-hint-we-dont-go-to-those-awful-night-ma.cfm which might give you some other ideas.

Sorry, the flower market in Victoria runs until about 2 am on Jan 23 (i.e. early in the morning of the first day of the new year).

Wow - Great advice! Thanks for all the tips. Can hardly wait for my trip.

Just wanted to add that I spent last weekend alone in Hong Kong and felt very safe. I had a fabulOus time and can't wait to return.

I stayed at the Shangri La in Kowloon. Great lovation for walking and ferries. Close to metro. Wonderful harbor view!

Cicerone, your post is invaluable!
I am also going to Hong Kong to meet Chinese New Year 2012. I will be there from 21th Jan to 28th Jan. Could you help me with couple of questions?
1. Where can I find dancing lions? Are they only in Night Parad on Jan 23?
2. Where can I find a bird - fortune-teller? I saw it in promo video of HK.
3. I'd like to buy some lens for my camera. When photo shops are closed?
Thank you.

1. Where can I find dancing lions? Are they only in Night Parad on Jan 23?

Lion dances are held all over the city during about a 10-day period following Lunar New Year. You would see them in one of the parades; but traditionally, the dancers are hired by businesses to bring good luck for the coming year. As a tourist, you can see them in shopping malls, hotels and restaurants. They consist of a “lion” made up of 2-3 men forming the head and body of the lion and then a band of percussionists. In a really traditional performance, the lion will jump up to catch some lettuce or other green tied in a bunch in a high position over a doorway or other high spot, “chew” on them for a moment and then toss the contents onto the business owner, thereby showering the luck on that person. To find a lion dance, ask if your hotel is having one, or if they know if any nearby mall or restaurant is having one. Otherwise, listen out for crashing symbols and drums in the streets or in a mall and follow the crowd.

2. Where can I find a bird - fortune-teller? I saw it in promo video of HK.

OK, first I have heard of this. I assume the bird picks out tarot cards or iching sticks or something. My guess is that you will find these in the bird market, which is in Kowloon. Any guide book or the Hong Kong tourism board website at Discoverhongkong.com can give you information and directions to the bird market. I assume there will be English fortunes available.

You may want to consider going to the Wang Tai Sin temple and consulting one of the human fortune tellers in the "mall" there. The temple is quite interesting as well.

3. I'd like to buy some lens for my camera. When photo shops are closed?

If you are from the US, you really won’t find any bargains on camera lenses. If you are from Europe, you may find some bargains here. Please do some shopping at home first to make sure you know what a good price is. Given your travel dates, you probably would find most camera shops closed on January 23 which is the first day of the holiday; although in large malls like Pacific Place, IF and Elements Mall, you may find camera shops to be open on that day. You may be better off shopping on the 21 and 22nd. Otherwise, most shops will be open again on the 24 and virtually all should be open on the 25th.

I personally would avoid shops along Nathan Road or otherwise on the tip of the Kowloon side, it is just too touristy and you will overpay. Two places to consider going to are Fortress Electronics and Broadway Photo; both reputable chains. See http://www.fortress.com.hk/en/home.html for locations, they give prices for some items. For Broadway Photo Supply, you can see prices at http://www.broadway.com.hk/, although most of the website is in Chinese. They have branches at Time Square and Taikoo Plaza, both on Hong Kong Island, the latter is on the MTR line, and the former is near Happy Valley. These chains are fixed-price and you can't bargain unless you are buying a good number of items and generally also paying cash, then you might get 5 or 10% discount. In smaller shops you can of course bargain and you should. There are some camera shops on Lyndhurst Terrace and Stanley Street in Central which would also be worth looking at.

In any event, be sure to open the box and see the lens before leave the store, there have been cases of people paying for what turned out to be empty boxes. Make sure that any warranty is international, that is, you can get it repaired under warranty in your home country if there is a problem with it.

Cicerone,
So many useful advice and concrete information!
HK Tourism Board should pay you for your invaluable help for tourists))
Thank you very much!

Cicerone,
Thank you for informative useful information.

I will be going to HK as well from 21-26jan..we are a family of 4, with 2 young children. we are planning to go to disneyland and oceanpark. What dates do you think i should go, to avoid too much crowds?

and, is it easy to travel by subway? or better city tourist bus?

thanks

Subway trains and local buses are very easy to use. Definitely no need to ride those expensive tourist buses.

Disneyland and Ocean Park will be crowded over the holidays, but if I had to choose the date to go I'd try Sat the 21st, as it's NOT public holiday, and some still have to work. Or go early on the 23rd, as many may not start the new year that early at a theme park. Another possible time is evening of 24th, as many will be in the city watching the big fireworks - but of course you may also want to do that rather than spending time in a theme park.

I have been planning a trip to HK and this is the best advice I have seen so far. It is the first to provide advice on closures and crowds. I'm arriving on the 20th and will be in and out (visiting mainland) through the 31st.

Like fdviajara21 I am middle aged (feel 16!) and have no interest in clubbing. I think HK will be a great place to explore and will look forward to future visits.

Thanks to all and Happy New Year!

Hi, IQ am also going to be in Hong Kong from 21 - 31. my daughter and I are hoping to do the "Behind the scenes Kowloon" tour on Thursday 26 Jan, 2012. They need more people to run the tour. Is any one interested? The main highlight is the Dim Sum cooking class after lunch.