Peng Chau Island

Peng Chau is about one square kilometre and takes an hour to walk around, which is most of its appeal: a small ferry pier, a single market street, a Tin Hau temple, a few cafes run by residents who moved out from the city, and almost nothing built for visitors. Finger Hill, the high point at ninety-five metres, is climbed in twenty minutes on steps for a view across the channel to Lantau and Hong Kong island. The ruins of a leather factory that closed decades ago stand overgrown near the shore and have become the island's odd landmark, with murals and rusting machinery. Small kaito ferries cross to Lantau and the Trappist monastery landing.

What you actually see

• Finger Hill - a twenty-minute climb to the island's viewpoint.
• The abandoned leather factory - overgrown ruins near the shore.
• The single market street - the island's whole commercial centre.
• Kaito boats to Lantau - the small local ferries across the channel.

When to go

October to April. Two to three hours, which covers the whole island. Weekday visits are very quiet; weekends bring day trippers to the cafes.

Honest expectations

There is genuinely little to do, which suits some visitors and bores others. Beaches are small and not the best in Hong Kong. Cafes keep irregular hours and several close midweek. Ferry frequency is lower than to the larger islands.

Nearby

Lantau is west; Discovery Bay lies opposite.