Surprisingly compact, Hong Kong is an easy city to explore on foot. If it weren't for the harbor, you could walk everywhere--Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei, the Central District, Wan Chai, and Causeway Bay. Walking affords a more intimate relationship with your surroundings, permits chance encounters with the unexpected, and lets you discover that vegetable market, temple, or shop you would have otherwise missed.

If, for example, you're in the Central District and want to have dinner in Causeway Bay, you can walk there in less than an hour, passing through colorful Wan Chai on the way. Causeway Bay is good for exploring, since it's full of little sidewalk markets, Japanese department stores, restaurants, and shops patronized by the locals. Another great place for walking is the Western District, fascinating because it encompasses a wide spectrum of traditional Chinese shops, from chop makers to ginseng wholesalers. If you like panoramic views, nothing can beat the hour-long circular walk on Victoria Peak.

On the other side of the harbor, a walk up Nathan Road from the harbor to the Yau Ma Tei subway station takes less than 30 minutes, although you might want to browse in some of the shops and department stores along the way. And Yau Ma Tei itself is another good place for wandering about since it, too, offers insight into the Chinese way of life, with its markets and traditional shops. For easy strolling with great views of the harbor, walk along the waterfront promenade that stretches from the Star Ferry all the way through Tsim Sha Tsui East.

What follows are three recommended strolls: one through the Central financial district, where a few colonial-era buildings are sprinkled in among the modern skyscrapers; another through the Western District, with its Chinese shops and antiques stores; the third along Nathan Road in Kowloon, from Tsim Sha Tsui to Mong Kok.

If you're really interested in the history and architecture of Central, Kowloon, or Tai Po in the New Territories, you may want to take one of the three self-guided walking tours offered by the Hong Kong Tourist Board. Called the Heritage and Architecture Walks, these 4-hour walks include a detailed audio commentary and a booklet that describes some of the city's most interesting buildings, sites, and monuments, and includes historical background and interesting events that have taken place. Cost for the walks is HK$50 (US$6.50), plus a HK$500 (US$66) refundable deposit for the audio system. Less detailed information is given in a free HKTB pamphlet called Hong Kong Walks, which covers points of interest in Central, Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok, Sha Tin in the New Territories, and Cheung Chau and Lamma islands. For more information, contact the Hong Kong Tourist Board (tel. 852/2508 1234).