Hi,

Not sure about dining but

(1) Walk along the Avenue of Stars (waterfront) to
(2) Star Ferry- ride across to Hong Kong island
(3) On a good day take the Peak tram up to the Peak for great views)- you can take a bus/taxi or walk up
(4) Kowloon park
(5) Harbour City shopping centre- rooftop offers nice views
(6) Nan Lian Garden
(7) Sik Sik Yuen wong tai sin temple
(8 ) Walk around the streets around kowloon
(9) Several museums if the weather is particularly bad

The visit to the Peak is best done on a reasonable day as on a low cloud day you may not see anything at all from the peak

Probably try not to take too much in and take some time to relax ( I liked sitting at the waterfront by the Kowloon star ferry terminal ( close to the space museum and museum of art) and just watch the activity on Victoria harbour especially at sunset with the lights coming on. Hong kong park on the island is also nice with the tea ware museum in it .The Maritime museum by the Hong Kong island Star Ferry dock is good also

Regards

TBS

Only thing I'd add is that Golden Time for the Peak is dusk, as the city below lights up. Even on a cloudy day it's worth it, unless there's rain.

Since the OP is from YYZ, there is no point going for dim sum in HKG. Toronto's dim sums are just as good. If the OP is flying directly from YYZ to HKG, there will be a significant jet lag because of the 12 hours time difference. Maybe just the first 5 items suggested by TBS would be sufficient, possibly adding the Light Show at 8 p.m. which one can watch along the Avenue of the Stars before leaving.

Nah.

Yes Dim sum here in Toronto is good but since I"m there might as well compare if it's good if not better which I think it will be. Seeing I"m there the whole day I should be able to see the main sties and if not raining I should be able to head up to the peak.

If you are going to visit the Nan Lian Garden, consider eating at the Chi Lin Vegetarian restaurant. Normally , vegetarian meal is not my thing, but my meal there several years ago was excellent and I may go back again if I am in that area.

:td:

​Totally agree. ​​​​​​

Toronto - Good
Hong Kong - BETTER, full-stop.

I also haven't been back to HK since COVID. Is everything back to normal? Is there a list of "important" malls to visit? I've been to the "obvious" ones like Pacific Place and Harbour City.

Hong Kong is mostly normal now. Quite some empty shops here and there but gradually picking up. People still voluntarily mask up due to local COVID cases surges.

K11 Musea on Salisbury Road is quite nice. Worth checking it out.

Agreed x 2. Dim sum is mediocre in Hong Kong compared to Toronto. Go for local eats like dai pai dong, 潮州 (teochew) food, street eats like siumao and fishballs, desserts like 雞蛋仔 egg waffles etc. You can google or search these on openrice.

It depends if you just want to walk around nice malls. K11 is mentioned as a newer fancy mall, but I would like go to the heart of Fa Yuen Street (旺角花園街) to shop for cheap clothes / experience local eats and culture near there.

What else is new or built since COVID? I'm not too keen on going back to the same tourist spots besides going up to the Peak for sunset (always do this once) or walk along the harbour in the evening, or taking the Star Ferry.

I am thinking of going back to Tai O since it's been more than a decade since I went there.

The last time I was in Hong Kong(pre-covid), I went hiking, with some locals, from Tung Chung to Tai O, and had a late lunch at Tai O. Afterwards, we took a bus from Tai O to Mui Wo, and a ferry back to Central. The hike from Tai O took about 4 hours, and was mostly easy hiking on a pathed path along the coast. We saw the Hong Kong - Macau bridge being built. We did it in December, when it was not hot, and the trip was very enjoyable.

Nothing much has changed compared to pre-Covid now.
Hordes of mainlanders are back; prices have significantly hiked; a few new high rises are popping up on HK Island...

One thing you can do is go one last time to the Ferris wheel in Central. It has a target on its back, so do it while you can!

They're taking down the Ferris Wheel? I don't know if I want to do it in the summer heat. I'll be back in HK during winter time so maybe then?