Cheung Chau (Long Island), one of the most popular of all the outlying islands, lies 24km southwest of Hong Kong and covers just 2.4sq km. 

It is far from empty -some 40,000 people live here - but a network of surfaced paths (there are no cars) allows you to explore the hills above the handful of streets that make up Cheung Chau village. 

In the village be sure to drop into the local market and to visit the Pak Tai Temple (1783), dedicated to the 'Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven'. Walks around the headland to the north offer lovely views over the island. Also visit the island's two popular beaches, Tung Wan and Kwun Wan, and scramble to the Cheung Po Tsai Cave, reputed hideout of a notorious 19th-century pirate. 

Cheung Chau is most famous for its week-long Bun Festival, held during the fourth moon in the lunar calendar (April/May). The celebration culminates in a unique and colourful street procession.