It’s the night of September 30th, and the only sound in my dorm is my own typing.

My roommate’s suitcase is already packed by the door. She’s catching an early train from West Kowloon back to Guangzhou tomorrow. Leaning against the doorframe, she asks, “You’re really not going home?” I tell her no. Between the round-trip ticket and the gifts I’d have to bring for relatives, it would cost me about half a month’s rent. “Fair enough,” she says. “I’m leaving early, so lock up behind me.”

I arrived in Hong Kong this September for a one-year taught master’s at one of the city’s major universities. It’s been exactly a month, and most of it has gone to figuring out bus routes, sorting out paperwork, and chasing deadlines. There are whole neighbourhoods in Kowloon I still haven’t set foot in.

Back in mainland China, National Day meant a full week off. Here, it’s a single public holiday on October 1st. When my parents asked how long my break was, I said one day, and they thought I was joking. Luckily, this year it falls on a Thursday, and I don’t have classes on Fridays, so with the weekend I’ve got four days. For someone just a month in, that feels like a luxury.

I didn’t want to sleep through it, and I didn’t want to spend it fighting crowds either. After scrolling through plenty of posts and grilling a few seniors who’ve lived here for years, I landed on a simple rule: one direction a day, and stay away from wherever everyone else is going.

Oct 1: Fireworks over Victoria Harbour

The National Day fireworks are something of a Hong Kong tradition. When I walked along the harbourfront in my first week, it was nearly empty. Now the whole city seems to be counting down to tonight.

A senior warned me in advance. Roads around Tsim Sha Tsui get closed, and MTR stations may have crowd control. If you want a front-row view, you need to stake out a spot by 4 or 5 p.m., and you’ll be surrounded by people with folding stools and picnic mats. When it’s over, the queue at the MTR exits can stretch 200 metres.

My plan is to come in from the Tsim Sha Tsui East side around 5 and find somewhere to stand near the Cultural Centre. If it’s too packed, I’ll fall back to the eastern end of the Avenue of Stars. The angle’s a bit off, but I’ll see most of the sky instead of the back of someone’s head.

Afterwards, I’m skipping the MTR crush entirely. I’ll walk up Chatham Road North to Hung Hom and take the East Rail Line from there. According to my senior, the detour is actually faster than queuing.

Oct 2: Ferry to Lamma Island

Holidays are short enough during a one-year master’s. Spending all four days in the city would feel like a waste, so for the rest of the break I’m heading wherever the crowds aren’t.

Day two is Lamma Island. The ferry leaves from Central Pier 4 and takes about half an hour to reach Yung Shue Wan, for roughly HK$20 to 30. A local classmate tipped me off: during the holiday, tourists pile into the harbour, Disneyland and the Peak, which leaves the outlying islands surprisingly quiet.

The plan is to walk the Family Trail from Yung Shue Wan to Sok Kwu Wan, about two hours in total. The first half is flat concrete path, the second half climbs, and you pass Hung Shing Yeh Beach along the way. Note to self: charge my phone fully. In the city I’ll happily head out on 30% battery, but there’s nowhere to borrow a power bank on the island.

At Sok Kwu Wan, I’ll grab a table at any of the waterfront spots and order fried rice with an iced lemon tea. I’ve heard the restaurants there are pricier than in Yung Shue Wan, but for one meal, I can live with it. Then it’s the ferry back to Central.

Oct 3: Hiking Dragon’s Back

I’d originally planned on Sai Kung, but a classmate said the views from Dragon’s Back are better: from the ridge you can see Shek O and Big Wave Bay. That settled it.

Plenty of students here are into hiking and hit the country parks on weekends more often than the malls. The biggest surprise about studying in Hong Kong is how close the mountains and sea are to campus. Ride the MTR to the end of the line, hop on a bus, and you’re on a trail. Hong Kong is so much more than shopping and photo spots, and that’s something I’ve only started to understand since arriving.

The route is easy. Take bus 9 from Shau Kei Wan station to To Tei Wan, about 30 minutes of winding road. The trailhead is right at the stop, and it’s roughly 40 minutes of steps up to the highest lookout. Looking south, the sea should be that deep, almost unreal shade of blue.

Reminder: don’t wear thin-soled running shoes. There are a lot of steps, and by the second half your feet will be burning. Head down towards Big Wave Bay and in just over an hour you’re on the beach, where you can kick off your shoes and wade in.

For dinner, back to Kennedy Town and the cha chaan teng downstairs: a rice plate with the soup of the day for around HK$40. Eating alone there never feels awkward. There’s always an uncle or two at the next table debating horse racing at full volume, like they’re in their own living room.

Oct 4: No plan, just wandering

For the last day, no itinerary. I’ll take the tram to Sheung Wan and let my feet decide. I’ve ridden the trams countless times this month, and I still make a beeline for the front seat on the top deck.

I’ll probably start at Tai Kwun, the old Central Police Station compound on Hollywood Road, now restored as a heritage and arts centre. The courtyard is free to enter; only some exhibitions charge admission. There are a few old trees, and people sit beneath them reading or just zoning out. Ever since I walked past, I’ve wanted to spend an afternoon there.

From there, I’ll wander down Hollywood Road past PMQ, then duck into the Graham Street market for a pineapple bun as lunch. If the afternoon’s free, I’ll ride the Central–Mid-Levels Escalator up, then take my time walking back down.

Towards evening, I’ll head to Sham Shui Po. Tai Nan Street has filled up with coffee shops over the past couple of years, all packed with young people. One street over, Apliu Street is another world entirely: old electronics and second-hand phones spilling onto the pavement, stallholders fanning themselves on little stools. I might pick up something I don’t need, like an old camera strap, as a souvenir.

Dinner will be claypot rice somewhere near Temple Street, queue and all. The crispier the rice at the bottom, the better.

If plans fall through

Early October in Hong Kong still hovers around 30°C, so bring plenty of water for any hike.

If it rains, swap in something indoors: the Hong Kong Palace Museum and M+ in the West Kowloon Cultural District, or Tai Kwun. Any one of them can easily fill a day.

Ferries to the islands don’t run that often, so try to head back before dark. Otherwise you’ll be standing on the pier in the wind for a while.

Keep your Octopus card topped up for ferries and buses, and carry some cash too, since small shops on the islands and at the markets don’t always take cards.

Looking back over this list, it’s pretty packed. I might just end up sleeping in one of these days. But spending a holiday on your own somewhere new doesn’t have to be about ticking boxes.

The workload here is heavier than I expected, and some of my classmates are spending all four days in the library writing papers. Anyone who’s done a master’s in Hong Kong knows exactly what I mean.

After the holiday, I’ll come back with a follow-up on how reality compared with the plan. If you’re also new to Hong Kong this year and staying put for National Day, feel free to borrow this itinerary. And if you’re applying for a master’s here, save it for later. This time next year, it might come in handy.

For now, I’m leaving this plan here as a promise to myself.