Hong Kong / Kowloon / Mong Kok & Sham Shui PoMong Kok & Sham Shui Po
Street Markets, Temple Street at Night and Wong Tai Sin
Kowloon at its most crowded and most local. Mong Kok's street markets fill whole blocks: the Ladies' Market on Tung Choi Street, Sneakers Street, the Goldfish Market, the Flower Market and the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden; Temple Street Night Market and the Tin Hau temple are a stop south at Yau Ma Tei. Sham Shui Po, two stops north-west, is the old working-class district of electronics stalls on Apliu Street, fabric and button shops, dai pai dong street kitchens and its famous tofu-pudding shop. Wong Tai Sin Temple and the wooden Chi Lin Nunnery with Nan Lian Garden (and its vegetarian restaurant) are a few stops east on the Kwun Tong line. Hotels here cost less than in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Highlights
- Ladies' Market
- Temple Street Night Market
- Goldfish Market and the Bird Garden
- Flower Market Road
- Apliu Street's electronics stalls
- Tofu pudding in Sham Shui Po
- Wong Tai Sin Temple
- Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden
- Vegetarian lunch at Nan Lian Garden
Things to do
- Wong Tai Sin Temple, then Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian GardenMorning · 3h
- Buddhist vegetarian lunch in Nan Lian GardenAfternoon · 1h 30m
- Flower Market, Bird Garden and Goldfish Market walkMorning · 2h
- Ladies' Market and Sneakers StreetEvening · 2h
- Temple Street Night Market and street foodEvening · 2h
- Sham Shui Po: Apliu Street, the fabric streets and a dai pai dongAfternoon · 2h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: October – December
Worth knowing
Typhoon Season
July to September is the height of the typhoon season. When the Hong Kong Observatory raises the No. 8 signal, almost everything shuts for hours to a day or two: ferries stop, the cable car, Disneyland, Ocean Park and most shops close, buses thin out, the MTR runs a reduced service and flights are cancelled. Watch the Observatory's app, keep a spare day before your flight home, and book refundable rooms and tickets.
Heads up
Typhoon Risk
Typhoons can reach Hong Kong from May to November, less often than in high summer. If the No. 8 signal goes up, ferries, theme parks and most sights close until it comes down: keep plans flexible and check the Hong Kong Observatory's app.
Heads up
Rainstorms and Summer Heat
From May to September Hong Kong is hot (31-34 °C) and humid, with sudden downpours. Under a black rainstorm warning stay indoors; shops and the MTR keep going, but streets flood. Plan outdoor sights for the morning and keep the air-conditioned museums and malls for the afternoon.
Worth knowing
Chinese New Year: Market Stalls Close
Chinese New Year falls on 6 February 2027. Mong Kok's and Sham Shui Po's market stalls, small shops and family restaurants close for two to four days, and Wong Tai Sin Temple is packed from midnight on New Year's Eve as people queue to offer the first incense. Malls, chain restaurants and hotels stay open. In 2028 it falls in late January.
Heads up
Golden Week Crowds
From 1 to 7 October, mainland China's National Day holiday fills Hong Kong with visitors and lifts hotel prices across the city. Markets, ferries and the busiest sights are crowded all week.
- Chinese New Year (flower fairs, parade and harbour fireworks) — Hong Kong's biggest festival. In the days before it, flower fairs fill Victoria Park in Causeway Bay and other parks until the small hours of New Year's Day; Wong Tai Sin Temple is packed from midnight with people offering the first incense of the year; a night parade with floats goes through Tsim Sha Tsui, and fireworks are set off over the harbour on the second night when the city holds them. Many small shops and family restaurants close for two to four days.
- Buddha's Birthday — A public holiday. Po Lin Monastery below the Big Buddha on Lantau holds the ceremony of bathing the Buddha, and Chi Lin Nunnery and the other monasteries are busy with worshippers; expect long queues for the cable car.