Hong Kong is full of extraordinary photo opportunities for travellers. It is a region of marked contrasts: slick vertiginous skyscrapers, ramshackle traditional Chinese buildings, bustling markets, breathtaking mountains and gorgeous beaches. Travellers with an interest in photography will be richly rewarded by a visit to Hong Kong. Here are our top spots for hot Hong Kong shots.

Top Hong Kong Views:

• City skyline from Kowloon
  This just never fails to impress. Hong Kong is a seriously photogenic city!

• Hong Kong from The Peak

Again, a classic spot to get a fab Hong Kong shot, and one that won't let you down (unless the weather is miserable). If you want the city by night shot prepare to jostle with other photographers at dusk for a prime spot along Lugard Road.

• Neon Signs on Nathan Road

In many respects Hong Kong comes to life after dark. The city is full of neon signs like this one, especially around Nathan Road, Mongkok, Causeway Bay and Wanchai.

• Pristine Beaches in Sai Kung Country Park
  In a city as hectic and (often) as polluted as Hong Kong, the beaches in Sai Kung - such as Tai Long Wan - have got to be seen to be believed. Deserted, unspoiled and tranquil are the three words that spring immediately to mind.

• Sea and mountain views along The Dragon's Back trail, Shek O
  Dubbed "Best Urban Hike" by Time Magazine, The Dragon's Back Trail is an 8.5km trail (with a 5km get out option!) through lush forests, across gurgling waterfalls and along the Dragon's Back ridge. It offers fantastic views of Hong Kong island's mountains and southern coast line. On a good day you can see out to some of the outlying islands.

Hong Kong History & Culture

• Man Mo Temple, Hollywood Road

Built in 1847, the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road is dedicated to two gods, Man the god of literature and Mo the god of war. The centre of the temple is filled with hundreds of burning incense sticks and coils. Watch a video of the Man Mo Temple.

• Mahjong
  You'll hear the clicking and clacking of the tiles before you see the players. Mahjong matches take place in shops and cafes across the city.

• Fortune Tellers, Temple Street Market (near Tin Hau temple)
  You can have your fortune told by a man or a bird (no joke); whatever you choose you're guaranteed great photos.

• Tian Tan Buddha (aka The Big Buddha), Lantau Island
  This imposing statue makes a great photographic subject. The 110 ft tall Buddha sits serenely near the Po Lin Monastery at Ngong Ping on Lantau Island.

• World War II bunkers
  There are masses of deserted World War II bunkers across Hong Kong. They serve as a reminder of what happened before and after the Battle of Hong Kong, which began on 8 December 1941 and ended on Christmas Day with Hong Kong surrendering to Japan.

• Junks
  There are very few traditional junks (Chinese sailboats) left in Hong Kong, but there are certainly some to snap. The most obvious is the reproduction Aqua Luna, with its distinctive red sails, which crosses between Hong Kong island and Tsim Sha Tsui daily and nightly. The second one that springs to mind is the Duk Ling junk.

Hong Kong's Architecture

• Bank of China Tower
  Criticised by some practitioners of Feng Shui, but praised by most others, The Bank of China Tower is one of the most recognisable buildings in Hong Kong. The design is said to resemble growing bamboo shoots, symbolising livelihood and prosperity.

• International Finance Centre (IFC)
  So photogenic that it featured in the recent Batman film, The Dark Knight. The IFC was the city's tallest building until 2008, but has now been usurped by the ICC.

• The Center
  Another location used in The Dark Knight, The Center is best viewed at night when the building's neon lights change colours.

• Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wanchai
  Whether you think it looks like a turtle of a strange armadillo, this building definitely got some interesting curves!

• Statue Square
  The 19th century Statue Square, with its colonial architecture, makes a great place to photograph the old against the new. Nearby buildings include the impressive HSBC headquarters building, and the IFC.

• Traditional Shop Fronts, Central and Wanchai
  Dotted amongst the ultra-modern buildings of Central and Wanchai are pockets of traditional shop fronts that have (so far) survived demolition. Where you do find them you can get a sense of what Hong Kong must have looked like until reclamation began on a large scale.
  
  

Hong Kong Icons

• Star Ferry
  As well as being a Hong Kong icon in its own right, the Star Ferry is also a brilliant place to photograph the famous view of Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong skyline.

• Peak Tram
  The Peak Tram has been running from Central to Victoria Peak since 1888. It covers 1.4km up a staggering gradient, and offers impressively vertiginous photo opps over the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong.

• Happy Valley Racecourse
  From September to early July Hong Kong's horse races at Happy Valley are not to be missed. Jockeys in colourful silks, gleaming race horses, and a very vibrant crowd make this a hot spot for photographers. Watch a video of the racing at Happy Valley.

• Trams

Hong Kong has the only tram network in the world that exclusively runs double decker trams. The trams have been running since 1904 and still serve 240,000 commuters every day. They trundle between Shau Kei Wan and Kennedy Town, with a branch connecting to Happy Valley. A trip costs just HK$2 per adult, which is amazing photographic value-for-money.

The Quieter Side of Hong Kong

• Seafood restaurants and villages, Lamma Island
  See a fish, pick a fish, eat that fish. The seafood restaurants on laid-back Lamma are legendary. Let your lens go into overdrive as you capture village life and seafood feasts.

• Hiking trails, New Territories
  Dramatic views, seclusion and a whole lot of green. These trails offer photographers fantastic shots of Hong Kong's wild side.

• Tai O village, Lantau Island

Visit Tai O to shoot the scenic Pang Uks (stilt houses), that reach out right over the water. The traditional salted fish and shrimp paste shop fronts also make good photographic fodder.

• Tai Chi
  In the early morning people all over Hong Kong head to their nearest outdoor space to practise Tai Chi. The Zoological and Botanical Garden is a great place to shoot if you're willing to get up early (Tai Chi kicks off at about 6:30am).

Hong Kong Festivals

• Chinese New Year
  Chinese New Year is a great time to photograph heaving temples, bustling flower markets, Lai See packets, and the city's biggest celebrations.

• Autumn Festival

After Chinese New Year, this is Hong Kong's biggest celebration and makes for great photographs. Shops, restaurants and outdoor spaces are decorated with lanterns and ribbons. Mooncakes are exchanged, and dragon dances take place across the city. One of the best places to celebrate the Autumn Festival is Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.

Hong Kong Markets

• The Wet Markets
  More death, decapitation and de-scaling than you can imagine, but the wet markets are a brilliant place to get interesting, vibrant shots of Hong Kongers buying their fresh fish, meat and vegetables. Check out the market on Graham Street in Central. Watch a video of a Hong Kong market.

• Bird Market, Mong Kok
  The Yuen Po Street Bird Market is where Hong Kong's songbird owners gather to show off and sell birds in intricately carved cages. Open daily from 7am - 8pm.

• Flower Market, Mong Kok
  The Flower Market's exotic blooms make for some great photographs. Come before Chinese New Year to see families buying auspicious plants to celebrate the new Lunar year. Open daily from 7am - 7pm.

• Goldfish Market, Mong Kok

Goldfish and exotic species of every size, shape and colour are on display here in aquariums and bags. Head to Tung Choi Street to shoot the spectacle. Open daily from 10:30am - 10pm.

We hope you have a brilliant photo tour of Hong Kong and a fantastic time capturing this amazing city on film. To see more photos of Hong Kong from iloho.com click here.

Photo Credits: 'Hong Kong from The Peak' by Emma Torry; 'Nathan road, Kowloon' by JoopDorresteijn; 'Prayers...' by Hina :-); 'Traditional shop in Central' by Emma Torry; 'Blue House in Wanchai' by Taekwonweirdo; 'Apocalypse Now' by .mushi_king; 'Lantern Festival Bird' by timlam18; 'Goldfish Market' by sebr.

By Kate Harris

Motorbikes, motorbikes, motorbikes. If a single image can represent a city, for Saigon it is the motorbike. It would be possible to fill an entire photo album with pictures of them alone; a motorbike as a school bus, a motorbike as a grocer's cart, a motorbike as a removal van. On the roads they flow like water through the city, churning like rapids at busy intersections. On the pavements they stand in endless metal rows of makeshift parking lots.

Motorbikes, however, are not the only things to capture the eye, or the imagination, in this city. Spectacular structures and scenes are woven together to reveal vivid impressions of Saigon past and present. Remnants of the Chinese and French occupations form the backdrop to the energetic hurly burly of this modern metropolis.

Two birds with one stone

The square at the top of Dong Khoi, one of District 1's most prominent streets, is an ideal place to get photographing. A central location, it includes two of the most notable architectural legacies of the French colonial era. The Notre Dame Cathedral, built towards the end of the 19th Century using bricks transported from Marseilles, stands at the north-east side of the square. In a city where open space is at a premium, make the most of the plot of grass in front the church to capture an image of this imposing structure.

Rotating ninety degrees to the right, is a similarly beautiful French structure, which at first glance appears to be a railway station but is in fact Ho Chi Minh City's Central Post Office. Under a dome shaped roof, individual wooden phone booths, adorned with clocks displaying times across the world, evoke the feeling of a black and white movie played out on cine reel. If you venture to the back of the post office, you will see a painting of Ho Chi Minh.

Located at the top of Dong Khoi. Notre Dame Cathedral: Han Thuyen. (The front gate may be locked. Also try the entrance on the south west side of the basilica.) Central Post Office: 2 Cong Xa Paris. Open 7am – 9.30pm.

Hard to miss

You won't be the only person photographing the People's Committee Building. This central landmark is right at the heart of downtown Saigon and hard to avoid. The building was originally constructed at the beginning of the 20th Century as the Hôtel de Ville (city hall) and it maintains its ornate colonial edifice. The interior, however, is off limits, so keep your snaps to the outside only.

People's Committee Building, located at the north-west end of Nguyen Hue.

Art's fine by me

Only a few hundred yards from the hectic Ben Thanh Market, the Fine Arts Museum is cloaked in an aura of calm and instantly transports you to colonial Saigon. Shuttered windows adorn a faded yellow façade, contrasted with blue ceramic detailing. The museum itself is not particularly notable for its art, but the interior does offer some interesting shots of its wrought iron staircase, tiled floors and the courtyard that the building encircles. Alternatively, you can wander around to the back of the museum (where you can stroll through some contemporary art galleries) and walk into the courtyard through the back entrance.

Fine Arts Museum, 97A Pho Duc Chinh. Open 9am – 4.30pm.

Gilded glory

Cholon, Saigon's Chinatown, straddles districts 5 and 6. It has the highest concentration of pagodas in the city and is well worth a visit with your camera. Quan Am Pagoda is one of the most notable and is popular with both Vietnamese and Chinese Buddhists. Arrays of colours greet you at the gatehouse, and inside, shafts of sunlight bounce off the heavily gilded altar, statues and wall decorations. Look out for the ornate panels just next to the entrance door, fashioned in gold and lacquer and be sure to walk behind the main altar to the rear courtyard where there is a statue to Quan Am, the goddess of mercy.

Cholon has a different feel to the rest of the city, and the best way to explore it is on foot, absorbing the sights and smells and unearthing the vast array of items on sale from fabric (see below) and handmade scissors to Chinese herbs and lion masks.

Quan Am Pagoda, 12 Lao Tu, Cholon.

The story lies within

Cha Tam Church, built at the turn of the 19th Century, stands in a courtyard so languid and picturesque that it feels a world away from hectic downtown Saigon. In fact, it played an integral part to the city's history when President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu fled to it for refuge from an attempted coup on 2 November 1963. Upon surrendering, they were escorted from the church under orders of the coup leaders but the soldiers executed the brothers before arrival back in central Saigon.

Cha Tam Church, 25 Hoc Lac, at the western end of Tran Hung Dao, Cholon.

In a city teaming with commerce, almost every street offers an array of wares appealing to the shutterfly. Here's a selection to seek out:

Well heeled

Le Thi Hong Gam, the street adjacent to the Fine Arts Museum, displays a sea of shoes, from sandals to trainers, work shoes to flip-flops. Other leather goods such as belts and wallets lie nestled in between these knock-offs of well known brands. This street doesn't have the bustle of the market, but is impressive for its sheer quantity of goods.

I want to ride my bicycle

If the road isn't full of motorbikes, then it's full of motorbike parts. Pham Huu Chi in the Cholon district of Ho Chi Minh City is a grease monkey's and photographer's dream. The street is covered with everything you could need to build or repair a bike. Wing mirrors dangle from shop ceilings, lights are heaped in piles by the doorway, spare tyres stack up on the pavement and there is a constant racket of clanging metal.

Like the cut of your cloth

The rolls of fabric on sale in Saigon offer myriad photo opportunities. In Tan Dinh Market, cloth merchants sit atop of mountains of material, or perch on small stools eating noodles in the tiny gangways between each stall. The colourful silks in Ben Thanh Market brighten the dimness of this vast covered market built in 1914. But beware, by far the most tourist savvy of the markets, you may want to think twice before taking your camera out. Pop outside to see the main entrance with its belfry and clock, which has become a symbol of Saigon. To view the fabrics in the natural light, journey to Nguyen Trai and Do Ngoc Thanh streets in Cholon. Wait for a store-owner to unravel a spool and you can capture an unending parade of shapes and colours.

Tan Dinh Market: Hai Ba Trung, Walk 200 yards north-west along Hai Ba Trung from the intersection with Vo Thi Sau; Ben Thanh Market: intersection of Le Loi, Ham Nghi, Tran Hung Dao and Le Lai.

Knick Knack anyone?

War memorabilia abounds in Saigon and there are a variety of places to go to peruse for GI Zippos and combat boots. Dan Sinh Market, also known as The War Memorabilia Market, houses all of this and more and you have to fight through the busy networks of hardware stalls to track down your goods. The more photogenic option is the nearby street, Le Cong Kieu. This street has a large number of shops opening onto the road, offering an eclectic mix of artefacts and bric a brac. Old money, ceramic vases, gramophone players all jostle for space. If you switch from taking pictures to taking pieces, be careful, as not all of what is for sale is authentic.

Dan Sinh Market, 104 Yersin.

We like it fresh

The mountains of fresh food piled high on carts, or transported on motorbikes make excellent photo opportunities and there's no shortage of markets and street restaurants to snap away at. Most central is Ben Thanh Market, which is also surrounded by a hubbub of food stalls. For some more open-air markets, take a wander along the streets leading off Nguyen Trai in Cholon. Down here, you can also weave in and out of the stalls selling traditional Chinese herbs around Trieu Quang Phuc Street.

And finally... time to unwind

Ho Chi Minh City does not have many parks to boast of, and yet there is an unmistakeable feeling of tropical greenery in some areas of the city, most notably along the banks of the Saigon River. Perhaps the most relaxing way to record the river, and tune your zoom lens onto the vibrant pink bougainvillea leaves, is to take a taxi out to District 2, known as An Phu. Visit the waterside bar and restaurant The Deck for a sundowner and snap away in peaceful seclusion.

The Deck Restaurant, 38 Nguyen U Di, An Phu, District 2, HCMC; Tel: +84 (0) 8344 6632.

Photo Credits: Photos by Kate Harris, apart from 'The Notre Dame Cathedral in Saigon' by Quang Minh (YILKA) and 'Hotel de Ville de Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam' by yeowatzup.