Hong Kong · Hong Kong
January
Cool, low humidity, excellent hiking weather — the underrated winter window before CNY.
Best match
#5 of 12 months
There are better months for Hong Kong — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
18°C
Low
13°C
Rain
22mm
Sun
4.4hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How January scores in Hong Kong
Weather
Very good
Value
Very good
Crowds
Good
Events
Above average
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in January
- ↑January's 18°C days and low humidity make Hong Kong's extraordinary network of hiking trails genuinely comfortable: the Dragon's Back ridge trail on Hong Kong Island, the MacLehose Trail across the New Territories, and the Lantau Trail to Sunset Peak are at their most accessible. The city's mountain-and-harbour geography is at its most visible with the cleaner winter air.
- ↑The pre-Chinese New Year lull means hotel rates are reasonable by Hong Kong standards and major attractions — Victoria Peak, Repulse Bay, Nan Lian Garden — are uncrowded. Dim sum at Maxim's Palace City Hall or Fook Lam Moon in Wan Chai is easier to book.
- ↑Night views of Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade are spectacular in January: the Symphony of Lights laser show at 8pm plays across 44 buildings on both sides, and winter air clarity makes the display crisper than the humid summer months.
What you sacrifice
- ↓Hong Kong winters are grey: January's 4.4 sunshine hours per day mean frequent overcast skies that flatten the harbour views photographers seek. The temperature can dip uncomfortably on windy days near the peak or on the Outlying Islands ferry crossings.
- ↓January lacks the festival energy of February's Chinese New Year, and some traditional teahouses reduce hours between the post-December lull and CNY preparations.
How January compares to October (best month)
| Factor | January | October ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 7 | 9 |
| Value | 7 | 5 |
| Crowds | 6 | 4 |
January in other destinations
Lisbon (13.6°C)Barcelona (13.2°C)Tokyo (9.8°C)Bali (30.2°C)Santorini (13.4°C)Paris (7°C)New York (3.3°C)Marrakech (17.3°C)Amsterdam (5.6°C)Maldives (30.1°C)Rome (11.6°C)Bangkok (31.1°C)Istanbul (8.7°C)Vienna (3.2°C)Seoul (1.1°C)Dubrovnik (11.1°C)Rio de Janeiro (30.9°C)Kyoto (9.2°C)Phuket (31.5°C)Cape Town (26.1°C)Prague (2°C)Amalfi Coast (12°C)Mexico City (21°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (31°C)London (8°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (2°C)Tulum (28°C)Dubai (24°C)Singapore (30°C)Hoi An (24°C)Chiang Mai (29°C)Miami (24.1°C)Florence (9.2°C)Queenstown (22°C)Madrid (9.4°C)Porto (14°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (4°C)Budapest (4°C)Kraków (2°C)Tbilisi (6°C)Palawan (29°C)Hanoi (18°C)Osaka (9°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (30°C)Mykonos (13°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (28°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (13°C)Seville (15°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (29°C)Havana (26°C)Split (10°C)Taipei (19°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (15°C)Ho Chi Minh City (33°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (4°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (28°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (18°C)Jordan (12°C)Azores (17°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (19.8°C)Cairo (19.1°C)Kenya (26.8°C)Jaipur (22.2°C)Las Vegas (13.9°C)San Francisco (13.2°C)Madeira (19.5°C)Vancouver (6.9°C)Muscat (26.4°C)Lima (26.2°C)Cinque Terre (11°C)Kotor (10°C)Tel Aviv (18°C)Santiago (30°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (5.8°C)Penang (31.5°C)Lombok (30.8°C)Cape Verde (26.2°C)Fez (13.8°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Oslo (-1°C)Auckland (24°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Hong Kong, not across destinations. Methodology →