The Garden Café/Pub offers a range of refreshment from Taiwanese Shaved Ice in the day to a range of bottled and draft beers. Whatever the time, the drinks are cold, the welcome warm. Either sit at a padded stool at the bar, in a booth in the main bar or enjoy the warmth of the garden that gives the bar its name on the opposite side of Tung Wan Road – great for people watching and keeping your eye on the live sport on the bar’s big screens.

Set on a rocky headland between the island’s two main beaches supervised by lifeguards –Tung Wan and Kwun Yum Wan – the Windsurfing Centre is also the birthplace of Hong Kong’s sole Olympic Gold Medallist, Lee Lai San (San San) who learned the ropes here from the age of 12 under the tutelage of her uncle Lai Gun – founder and himself a veteran windsurfing medallist – before winning gold at Atlanta in 1996, aged 26. The Cheung Chau Windsurfing Center almost overnight became THE first institution that made the colony of Hong Kong and the island of Cheung Chau famous worldwide. All manner of water sports from windsurfing, SUP and Kayak rentals available with windsurfing courses and certificates included. Over the years, it’s also become a popular spot with people keen to escape the hustle and bustle of the city for a day on the waves. The friendly bar with its breathtaking view of the bay and the south side of Hong Kong Island in the far distance is a marvel no one should miss when in Hong Kong.

Every year, usually in May, thousands of visitors descend on Cheung Chau for the Bun Festival. It dates back to the tail end of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), when the island was beset with a plague. Surviving islanders built an altar in front of the Pak Tai Temple and paraded statues of the deity through the lanes of the village. The plague ended after these rituals, Pak Tai rose to be a spiritual hero who has been worshipped annually on the island ever since, and the rituals are still performed more than 100 years on. The weeklong event features the erection of giant papier-mâché statues of deities and bun towers, formed from the white ‘lucky buns’ inscribed with the Chinese characters ‘Ping An’ for ‘peace’ – which sell in their thousands from the island’s bakers during the festival. There is also a season of Chinese opera and Taoist rituals. The event culminates in the Piu Sik ‘floating colours’ parade. Tens of thousands of people line the streets TO SEE children depicting anything from gods and politicians carried shoulder high on colourful floats to appease the village’s wandering ghosts. The event concludes with the late-night Bun Scrambling Competition. Teams scale the bun towers in a set time period to collect as many buns a possible, with those at the top of the tower having a greater value. 

These are the two public beaches on the island. Both offer shark nets for safe bathing, lifeguard stations, shower and toilet facilities. The beaches are manned with shark nets and diving pontoons. Operational from April to October.Tung Wan is the bigger of the two beaches and has more of a family feel. It is reached by walking across from the ferry terminal through the main square and across the narrow spit that forms the main village – Tung Wan Road. It offers clear water and great views across to Pok Fu Lam on Hong Kong Island and Lamma Island. Kwun Yam Beach is smaller and set in a cove past the Warwick Hotel, beyond the helipad and Windsurfing Centre. It is quieter, surrounded by jungle covered slopes to give a more intimate feel. It is also served by Hing Kee Beach Bar offering refreshments and respite from the sun.

Pak Tai is the Taoist God of the Sea; his full name is ‘Pei Fang Chen Wu Hsuan T'ien Shang Ti’ (True Soldier and Superior Divinity of the Deep Heaven of the North). Cheung Chau has been a fishing settlement since people first settled, and people have long believed that their safety is assured by the blessings of this supernatural sea divinity. The temple was built in 1783 in recognition of his curbing of the great plague, but it has undergone substantial renovations and reworkings, the latest of which was completed in 2003 at a cost of HK$13m. The temple's layout is in the form of a traditional Chinese temple with a spacious main hall accommodating the Pak Tai statue and two side halls. It contains a number of historic artefacts including gold­plated woodcraft dating from the Qing Dynasty (1644 –1911) and a Song Dynasty (960–1279) iron sword. The sculpted dragons adorning the roof are classic Chinese architectural features. The Pak Tai Festival falls on the third day of the third lunar month.

One of the sites of interest ahead of the reaching the Mini Great Wall walk, or up a small footpath from Kwun Yam Wan, the Kwun Yam Temple is small place of worship to the goddess of mercy. It is believed that it is possible to borrow money from Kwun Yam on one of the days after Chinese New Year. The red temple walls make a spectacle set against the green jungle of the hill.

Craft beer, live music and easy-going fun next to the waterfront – and a beer garden with a harbour to enjoy it in. Food is from a modern western menu with all the favourites including buffalo wings, salads, nachos and cheesy fries. This venue is also renowned for its open-mic nights where musical talent local and distant come together to jam. Check the Facebook page for details.

A little bit of the Tyrol in the South China Sea. Along with pork knuckle and knoedel and sauerkraut, there are plenty of fresh seafood dishes that reflect the best of the day’s catch at the market. Drinks include a wide range of craft beers from Germany, Austria and the UK, and it’s just a one minute walk from the public beach along Tung Wan Road.

The Windsurfing Memorial Garden is set behind Tung Wan Beach and features a sculpture to commemorate the Gold medal won by Lee Lai Shan – ‘Shan Shan’ – in the 1996 Olympic Games at Atlanta. The Windsurfing Memorial Garden is set behind Tung Wan Beach and features a sculpture to commemorate the Gold medal won by Lee Lai Shan – ‘Shan Shan’ – in the 1996 Olympic Games at Atlanta. 

Piracy was big business in days of yore, and Cheung Chau is a natural harbour with a difference – no matter what direction the wind, you could set sail from it. That makes it great for evading the authorities. One notorious pirate was Cheung Po Tsai, who at the height of his lawless powers, is said to have commanded a fleet of 600 ships and 50,000 men in the late 1700s. He hid out in this cave, but eventually surrendered to the Qing Government in 1810. Then in the best tradition of poacher-turned-gamekeeper, he helped the authorities round up pirates as an officer in the Navy. Captain Sao Feng, portrayed by Chow Yun-fat in The Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is based on Cheung Po Tsai. The buccaneer has also featured in numerous films and TV dramas.

The myth states that the Great Wall of China can be seen from space. Not true, and the Mini Great Wall of Cheung Chau certainly won’t be bothering the telescopes of curious aliens. This wall, so named because of its granite railings, forms part of the Cheung Chau Family Walk behind Kun Yam Beach and offers spectacular coastal views.

Several rock carvings have been found across the coast of Hong Kong, some showing geometric patterns, some taking the form of animals or monsters. The age of those found on Cheung Chau is uncertain, but they have a similar pattern to those found on Bronze Age pottery and bronze vessels, which suggest they are around 3,000 years old. Declared an ancient monument in 1982 they are under the protection of the Antiquities and Monuments ordinance, and they can viewed under the protective coverings directly below the Warwick Hotel between the village’s two public beaches.

The Dragon Boat Festival marks a lunar holiday on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month – the Tuen Ng holiday. It is celebrated with Dragon Boat races across Hong Kong, including Cheung Chau harbour. The festival commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a popular poet and minister who having already been exiled for reacting against the royal house of Chu allying itself with the powerful house of Qin during the Zhou Dynasty. On hearing the news that Qin had captured Ying, the Chu capital Ying, Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 278BC. Such was the esteem with he was held for his integrity; fishermen tried to save him but were unable to recover the body. This is now represented by the dragon boat races. Mourning the death of the poet, the people threw cooked rice into the river so that the fish would eat that rather than Qu Yuan. His spirit then appeared in the river to say that these offerings had been devoured by a river lizard and suggested that they wrap the rice in silk and bind it with threads before throwing it in the river. This later turned into the custom of eating Zong Zi (boiled glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves) and rice dumplings. Now the event is a colourful and competitive festival of raw rowing power, community and delicious street food.

This is a secluded beach at the south western end of the island. Because of its seclusion and because there are no facilities it is quieter than the main public beaches on the eastern side of the island. There is a small stretch of sandy beach at the end of a rocky inlet, and its tranquil waters are fine for swimming, but watch out for rocks below. 

Built in 1973, and situated on Kwun Yam Wan Road this temple is dedicated to the god of war and wealth Kwan Tai, a general in the Han Dynasty. His sword, the Kwan Dou is also located in the Kwan Kung Pavilion, along with an eight-feet-tall statue of the general turned deity, hewn from a single piece of camphor wood, which was a gift from a monastery in Taiwan. Worshipped by both the police and secret societies, Kwan Tai is seen as a symbol of loyalty and integrity, hence the appeal to organised and authoritarian groups. To the front of the pavilion-style edifice are two dragons and an incense burner. Early spring sees huge congregations of both locals and tourists flock to see the bloom of Cherry Blossoms or Sakura Bloom. The chrysanthemum and the cherry blossom are both considered the national flower of Japan. Kwan Tai’s Birthday falls on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month. 

Once packed with up to 600 keen movie-goers staring transfixed at the one screen, the rather elegant but now permanently closed Cheung Chau cinema is memorial both to fine architecture and a bygone age. Opened in 1931, the cinema showed both western and Chinese films, with one afternoon screening and two in the evenings; a programme it stuck to up until closing in the 1990s, save for the hiatus of the Japanese occupation during the Second World War. Set on the back street, its grand entrance is a recognised landmark, and the interior was used in the Cantonese film Just One Look in 2001.

Located at 1A Chung Hing Street and built in 1813, the Grade II-listed Hung Shing temple is one of many in South China dedicated Saint King Hung the Widely Beneficial of South Sea –or Hung Hing for short. Hung Hei was a government official in the Tang Dynasty who promoted the study of geography, meteorology and astronomy to his citizens many of whom were fishermen and sailors. His title was bestowed upon him after his sadly premature death. It is said that he continues to protect his people from natural disasters even after death. The Hung Shing festival is celebrated here on the 13th day of the second lunar month. 

Tin Hau (Putonghua Tian Hou), the goddess of the sea, is revered by not just fishermen, but anyone whose life and destiny is tied to the sea. Temples that honour her are found in abundance in Chinese coastal communities. There are four on Cheung Chau including this one at Sai Wan. It was built approximately 200 years ago and contains a bronze bell dating back to the Qianlong era (1736–1796). Why not catch a sampan from the public pier to Sai Wan and enjoy a cruise on the harbour behind the typhoon shelter – what more appropriate way to pay your respects to this protector of sea-going a folk.

One of the sights, or in fact five of the sights, along the Mini Great Wall, are five huge eroded rocks, which rest at the edge of the sea near Cheung Po Tsai cave. The biggest of them seems to be on the verge of tipping over. Take note that the coastal footpath here is passable only at low tide.

The highest point of the island, the North Pavilion is on the Cheung Chau Family Walk and offers spectacular views across the island, over the harbour and beaches to the south, the Macau jetfoils forging their way through the Adamasta Channel that separates Cheung Chau from Lantau Island, and back over to Lamma and Hong Island. It’s an uphill pull from the Pak She Temple, but well worth it for the views on a clear day. And for the brave, it’s the starting point of a walk with many stairs down to the small sandy Coral Beach. It’s a long way down and, more significantly, up again.

This is a farm with various levels of camping accommodation set in the tranquillity of the island’s south east coast. This is working farm and tourist attraction, with animals, and working exhibits of farming techniques. There are also an array of camping options from family tents on concrete bases to Native American tepees and geodesic domes with clear panels for stargazing at night.