Hong Kong packs an astonishing amount into a small space: five of Asia's leading universities, a subtropical coastline of beaches and hiking trails, and one of the planet's most efficient transport systems. It is intensely international, English is widely used, and everything from dim sum to a mountain summit is minutes away. Yes it is expensive, but few cities give an exchange student this much energy and reach.

• HKU, CUHK, HKUST, CityU and PolyU all run large, well-supported exchange programmes
• English is widely spoken and the MTR makes the whole city effortless
• Beaches, islands and hiking trails sit right beside the skyscrapers

Student life is fast and social, from campus societies to the bars of Lan Kwai Fong and Soho in Central and the more local scene in Wan Chai. Weekends flip between rooftop views, junk-boat trips around the islands and hikes up Dragon's Back. The exchange community is huge, so you will never be short of people up for a plan.

• Nights out cluster in Lan Kwai Fong and Soho (Central) and around Wan Chai
• Hire a junk boat with friends for a classic Hong Kong island day out
• Join campus societies and hall life for an instant social circle

Hong Kong is the priciest city in this guide, so budget around HK$10,000-16,000 (roughly 1,100-1,700 euros) a month, and much more if you rent privately. University halls are by far the cheapest housing. You will save by eating at cha chaan teng and dai pai dong, where a full meal costs a fraction of Western prices.

• Get a university hall place if you can, as private rent is brutal
• Eat at cha chaan teng and dai pai dong for meals around HK$40-60
• Load an Octopus card for transport, shops and convenience stores

University halls of residence are the cheapest and most social option, so apply the instant you are eligible; some exchange students are guaranteed a place, others enter a lottery. Private renting is expensive and rooms are tiny, so if you go that route, look at Kennedy Town, Sai Ying Pun (near HKU) or Hung Hom (near PolyU). Use a licensed agent and read the lease.

• Apply for a hall place immediately, as it is cheap, central and social
• For private rooms, try Kennedy Town, Sai Ying Pun or Hung Hom near campus
• Ask the Hong Kong group on Studcasa for flat-share leads and agent tips

The MTR is fast, cheap and covers almost everywhere, and one Octopus card pays for the metro, buses, trams, ferries and most shops. The century-old ding ding trams crawl across Hong Kong Island for a few dollars, the Star Ferry crosses the harbour for pennies, and green minibuses fill the gaps. There is a student Octopus discount worth sorting out.

• Get an Octopus card and use it for the MTR, buses, trams and shops
• Ride the Star Ferry and the Hong Kong Island trams for cheap, scenic trips
• Ask your university about the Student Octopus for discounted MTR fares

Hong Kong's universities are research powerhouses with a British-influenced system: HKU and CUHK are the broad all-rounders, HKUST leads in science, business and engineering, and CityU and PolyU are strong in applied and professional fields. Teaching is rigorous, with tutorials, continuous assessment and demanding group work. Most courses run in English.

• HKU and CUHK for breadth; HKUST for science, business and engineering
• Expect heavy group projects, tutorials and continuous assessment

This depends on your nationality, but almost everyone needs a student visa to study here. Hong Kong runs its own immigration system, separate from mainland China, so a Chinese visa won't cover you and won't get you across the border either. Your host university acts as your local sponsor and walks you through the whole thing, and you can't sensibly do it alone.

You'll fill in the study application (form ID995A), your uni submits it with a sponsorship undertaking, and processing takes roughly six to eight weeks, so start the moment you're nominated. Keep your passport valid well beyond your stay. The visa is for study only, so you generally can't work off-campus. And if you want to pop into Shenzhen or the rest of mainland China, that's a separate Chinese visa you sort out yourself.

• Sponsor: your host university handles the application
• Form ID995A + sponsorship undertaking, allow 6-8 weeks
• Separate regimes: a HK visa is not a China visa (you need both for the mainland)
• No off-campus work on a student visa

Food is a religion here: dim sum trolleys, roast goose and char siu, wonton noodles, pineapple buns and the silky milk tea of the cha chaan teng. Street-level dai pai dong and wet markets sit under gleaming towers, and Temple Street night market comes alive after dark. Eating out is often cheaper and better than cooking in a tiny kitchen.

• Do dim sum (yum cha) at least weekly, as Tim Ho Wan is a cheap Michelin classic
• Grab milk tea and a pineapple bun at a cha chaan teng
• Explore Temple Street night market and the Sham Shui Po food stalls

Central and Sheung Wan are the polished, pricey business-and-nightlife core; Wan Chai and Causeway Bay buzz with shopping and bars; Kowloon's Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui and Sham Shui Po are denser, cheaper and full of markets. Kennedy Town and Sai Ying Pun near HKU have become popular student districts, while Sai Kung to the east is the seaside escape.

• Kennedy Town and Sai Ying Pun for student life near HKU
• Sham Shui Po and Mong Kok for markets, cheap eats and street life
• Sai Kung for seafood, beaches and hiking on your days off

Hong Kong is a brilliant springboard. Macau is an hour by ferry or bus across the mega-bridge, Lantau Island holds the Big Buddha and long beaches, and the outlying islands of Lamma and Cheung Chau are ferry-hop getaways. The airport's cheap flights make weekend trips to Taiwan, Japan or South-East Asia genuinely doable.

• Ferry or bus to Macau (about 1h) for Portuguese-Chinese history and egg tarts
• Take the ferry to Lamma or Cheung Chau for car-free island days
• Hike Lantau or ride the cable car to the Big Buddha at Ngong Ping

A few essentials: keep your Octopus topped up, respect the typhoon signals (a T8 means the city shuts and classes are off), and do not be fooled by the skyline, as 40 percent of Hong Kong is country park, so pack hiking shoes. Summers are brutally humid, so plan indoor escapes and carry water.

• Watch typhoon and rainstorm signals, as a T8 or black rain cancels classes
• Pack hiking shoes, since Dragon's Back and the MacLehose Trail are world-class
• Beat the summer humidity with early starts and air-conditioned refuges