What is the best area to stay in Hong Kong? If you are going to travel to this impressive city you will surely have asked yourself this question. You will wonder if it is convenient for you to stay in one of the districts of the island of Hong Kong or to do so in one of those in Kowloon. Do not worry. We solve all your doubts.
The territory and city of Hong Kong has been defined under the topics of ‘a sophisticated place in which the West and the East merge’, that of ‘the Manhattan of the South Seas’ or that of’ a city that is a true kaleidoscope of the life’. Clichés that, unlike what usually happens, happen to be revealers of the true reality of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is that, it is like that.
Today its reality is as unique as its status as a “special” administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. The city organizes the life of its more than seven million inhabitants on a delta that form three rivers of the southeast of China and on 260 islands that are distributed on 730 kilometers of coast.
It is a territory dominated by a large concentration of population in which the average annual temperature is maintained at a magnificent 17 degrees Celsius with peaks between 27 and 29 degrees in the months from December to February. The frequency of the rainfall regime counts how wet the Hong Kong area is.
A tropical attraction that adds to the list of originalities of a city-territory that is worth discovering in the first person.
The best areas and neighborhoods to stay in Hong Kong
So, what should be taken into account when finding a place in the city? Where to stay in Hong Kong? The most glamorous part and preferred by almost everyone is the island of Hong Kong with districts such as Central, Admiralty, Mid Levels, Sheung Wan, Cause Bay or Southern District, but it is also the most expensive.
If you want to save something, opt for Kowloon before the island of Hong Kong. The offer of accommodation is larger and prices are significantly cheaper. With good communications and transportation, all districts are accessible at any time and from virtually anywhere in the city.
On the other hand, the Tsim Sha Tsui area, south of Kowloon, has the highest concentration of hotels in all of Hong Kong because tourist attractions are nearby.
If what you are looking for is to be close to the traditional markets, then you have to choose the hotels of You Ma Tei or the Mong Kok district.
Admiralty, Central District, Mid Levels, Sheung Wan, Wan Chai, Cause Bay, Southern District, Tsim Sha Tsui, Jordan, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok are the most popular districts. We recommend you choose one of them to sleep in Hong Kong.
They are areas where the most interesting places to visit are concentrated, well connected, have an atmosphere, and where you can find the most recommended accommodation for any traveling experience in this part of southern China. We see in detail each of those districts of Hong Kong:
Hong Kong Central
Central is the city’s business district. It is located on the north coast of the island of Hong Kong. It is the location of many multinationals and consulates of different countries, in addition to being the location of the headquarters of the local government.
In Central, the monumentality of the old buildings of the British period and the new wedge constructions, in the form of glazed towers, are part of the proven charm of downtown Hong Kong.
Thus, in the line of seeing and discovering that contrast, in Central you should not miss the Alexandra House, the Charter House, the towers of the banks of America and China, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with its Exchange Square, the Wheelock House.
You also have to find a time to walk along the Battery Route, the Charter Road or the Cotton Tree Drive to admire and confirm these contrasts. A stop at Edinburgh Place, in front of Port Victoria, offers a maritime and terrestrial view of Hong Kong of all time.
It is an area very well connected by the convergence of several subway lines and other bus lines that guarantee travel between districts and outside Hong Kong with other cities in the area.
It should be noted that the Lan Kwai Fong area, the epicenter of Hong Kong’s nightlife, is located in this district.
Hong Kong Central Hotels
Admiralty
And what to say and what to see in Admiralty. To begin with, Admiralty is confused with that of Central as the center of Hong Kong given the concentration of official buildings and company headquarters.
Admiralty is the extension of the Central District of Hong Kong and located to the east with Victoria Harbor to the north. Admiralty refers to the existence of an old Admiralty pier in the area that housed a Royal Navy shipyard. It was the area where the British built their military barracks.
Today, the Admiralty metro station is part of the space that one day the shipyards occupied. The area is full of buildings dedicated to offices and government agencies, but also to hotels and shopping centers. In what is a perfect place to shop, like in the Quensway Plaza, a commercial space located on the Admiralty station.
The buildings of the Bank of America Tower, those around the Pacific Place or those of the Queensway government offices are prominent in the area. Most of the large buildings in the area are connected to an elevated walkway that extends to the western part of the Central district.
On the transports in the zone, the trams cross Admiralty in Queensway. The bus exchanger is located above the Admiralty MTR station, a key place for commuting in and out of Hong Kong.
Undoubtedly Admiralty is one of the best options to stay in Hong Kong. It is totally central, excellently well connected, has places for shopping, restaurants, and the nightlife of Lai Kwan Fong is two steps away.
Accommodations in Admiralty
Mid Levels
Mid Levels is one of the most expensive and exclusive residential areas of the island. It sits on the side of a mountain midway up the Victoria Peak. In the district, professional residents and many foreigners abound. Although its hotel offer is much smaller than in other areas it is one of the best bets to stay in Hong Kong.
In the area, you have to see the religious temples that can be known on a walking route and that are a reflection of the most multicultural Hong Kong. The Ohel Leah Synagogue and its Jewish center must not be missing from the list of temples; the Hop Yat church; the Jamiah Masjid Mosque; the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Hong Kong or the popular Man Mo Temple.
One of the main attractions of the place and at the same time one of the most genuine transport systems in a city with large orographic slopes is the Mid Levels-Central Escalator. The staircase has a length of more than 800 meters and happens to be the longest in the world.
In the same area, you can admire two equally unique leisure spaces, the Hong Kong Park and the city’s Zoo. The first has an area of 80,000 square meters; The second is also a reserve of botanical interest that exhibits many natural plant species in the southern part of China.
In Mid Levels, there is a peculiar offer of very luxurious apartments and other small apartments with unique unique details. There is a wide variety of apartments whose prices are set based on the size, location of the property and the age of the building.
In addition to the panoramic view over Victoria Harbor from Mid-Levels, the area is close to Central and Admiralty, both very important commercial areas within the city and for which there are good communications (such as the escalator of Mid Levels).
Mid Levels Accommodations
Sheung Wan
Sheung Wan is a neighborhood located northwest of Hong Kong Island between Central and Sai Ying Pun forming part of the Western Central District. It owes its name to the difference in height of its location with respect to those in the vicinity. The area was the first occupied by the British who settled in Hong Kong in 1842.
Sheung Wan offers some unique attractions. Among them, the Centre The Center ’, the fifth tallest skyscraper in the city; Hollywood Roa Park, Pak Tsz Lane and Blake Garden, three very popular parks in the district that are authentic natural islands where you can stroll and eat outdoors.
Soho is the most important leisure area in Sheung Wan that it shares with the Central District. In any of its restaurants, you should not stop asking for some of the city’s gastronomic excellence such as fish balls, typhoon crab, goose roast or egg tarts.
More. A museum worth visiting for its originality is the Museum of Medical Sciences of Hong Kong where the traces of the medical and medical history of the city are exhibited (buses 12, 12 M and 13, also accessed from the station subway Sheung Wan).
For those who want to follow a pre-established route in the city, you can follow ‘The Sheung Wan Route’ which is part of the Central and Western Heritage Trail designed by the Antiquities and Monuments Office and Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
The route includes 35 Sheung Wan historical buildings and locations, including the Western Market, a red brick building that once was the city’s market.
The area is very well connected, like the rest of the city, with the bus lines and with the MTR public metro network. In addition, you can go to Central, Admiralty, or Mid Levels for a walk, making it an excellent alternative to these neighborhoods to stay in Hong Kong.
Accommodations in Sheung Wan
Wan Chai
Wan Chai is one of the northern districts of Hong Kong and a commercial area where offices and the location of small and medium-sized businesses abound. It is a space organized around office buildings, parks, hotels and an international conference and exhibition center (the HKCEC).
It is an area that is currently undergoing an intense process of urban renewal. In Wan Chai, you have to approach to see the old post office of Old Wan Chai and the popular temples of Pak Tai and Hung Shing.
And a curiosity in the area, in Wan Chai, the stores are numbered something that is an inheritance of the time when the houses dedicated to prostitution of the district had their own distinctive numbers.
The Central Plaza building, with its 78 floors, is the third tallest in the city. On the second floor of this skyscraper, there are open-access art exhibitions, while the first floor allows access to the network of walkways for walking on foot in Wan Chai that connects, for example, with the Hong Kong Convention Center , the Harbor Center, the Central Plaza or the Johnston Road, the city tram line at the southern end of your itinerary.
If you want to see an original show, a very colorful flag raising ceremony takes place every day at Golden Bauhinia Square. A ceremony that is more spectacular on July 1, date of the retrocession of Hong Kong to China, and October 1, National Day of China.
On the Tai Fat Hau catwalk you can see the fingerprints of 30,000 citizens of Hong Kong, something that appears in the Guinness Book of Records. The Lover’s Rock on the slope of Bowen Road, near Shiu Fai Terrace is a very popular location whose contact is said to grant the grace of happiness to marriages.
Metro (MTR), buses, trams and even a ferry line at the nearby Wan Chai Pier pier allow combinations of transports within the city and with the different islands that make up the Hong Kong area.
Wan Chai Hotels
Causeway Bay
Causeway Bay is one of the most urbanized shopping areas on the island of Hong Kong and also the most expensive in the city and also in the world. For that reason, it is considered ‘Fifth Avenue in Hong Kong’. And all, when originally, the place was a fishing village on the coast.
In the area, The Excelsior and Regal Hong Kong Hotel hotels stand out for their exclusivity. In recent years, different boutique hotels as well as luxury apartments have been opened in the district. If you do not have a comfortable budget this is not an option you should consider to sleep in Hong Kong.
To go shopping in this district, you can choose between the Times Square area, with its skyscrapers; the World Trade Center, the Hysan Place or the Windsor House, where the first brands of the fashion world are present.
A curiosity worthy of being observed and photographed. At noon, in the Jardine Matheson Park, a firing cannon is fired coinciding with noon. It is the ‘Noonday Gun’ that served to set all the clocks in the city during British rule.
For those who prefer to enjoy their time outdoors without leaving the city, Victoria Park and the Central Library of Hong Kong are two combinable and interesting options. A recommended area to enjoy the best of local and Cantonese cuisine are Kingston Street restaurants.
Mobility options in public transport in the area are many and combinable to move from this district to other parts of the city: Island Line (MTR subway); tram to Kennedy Town, Happy Valley or Witthy Street; bus (Citybus or New World First Bus) or minubus, red or green lines.
Causeway Bay Accommodations
Southern District
South District is located in the southern part of the island of Hong Kong and its seafront is open to the South China Sea, behind it a series of hills and reservoirs that are national parks are grouped. On the coast, some of Hong Kong’s most popular beaches stretch.
In the western part of the district, the residential area and local industries are located. Chinese mainland residents and a community of foreign emigrants abound. The place is especially attractive to local residents because of its low population density, the proximity of natural areas and the proximity to downtown Hong Kong and the Central district.
There are a number of private urbanizations for residents with high purchasing power. One of the attractions of the area is that of the islands of the district that are preferred leisure places for local residents: Magazine, Po Toi, Tai Tau Chau, Ap Lei Pai or Lo Chau.
Also noteworthy are the floating restaurants that offer traditional food, the picturesque fishing port of Aberdeen, a water park, the Ocean Park, the house where Teresa Teng, a famous Taiwanese singer and the Stanley Maritime Museum lived.
Southern District Hotels
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui is a portion of HK’s metropolitan territory that is accommodated over a space reclaimed from the sea in Hung Bay on the Kowloon Peninsula in front of the Central District. It is the most tourist area of the city and a place where shopping centers and hotels abound. It is without a doubt one of the best areas to stay in Hong Kong.
It is the city’s museum district. Among them there is much to choose from. There is the Hong Kong Space, the Art Museum, the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Center, the History of the City, the Health Education Exhibition and Resource Center and the funds that the Cultural Center exhibits.
More to see. One of the attractions of the area is the tower of the missing British railway station of the Kowloon-Canton line, opened in 1910. A place where walking near the sea in the area is the Tsim Sha Tsui Boardwalk.
The pier of the Star Ferry Company and the Avenue of the Stars are two very photographed places in this part of the city. On Avenida de las Estrellas, you can see sculptures that commemorate the fame of some film performers and singers that the city has given, including Bruce Lee and Anita Mui.
If extra time is available, you should not miss the Hong Kong Observatory building, that of the former Kowloon British school and the former headquarters of the Marine Police on Salisbury Road.
Tsim Sha Tsui is connected to the rest of Hong Kong by subway (Tsuen Wan line), with ferry and hydrofoils that also approach the Chinese towns of Macao, Guanghzou and various locations of the Pearl River Delta.
Accommodations in Tsim Sha Tsui
Jordan
Jordan is located in the center of the Yau Tsim Mong district. It is a fully urbanized space in which pedestrian and car traffic is very dense at peak times. Jordan is a microcosm of the working class of Hong Kong.
In it, old residential buildings are mixed in little space, with office towers, street markets, hotels, restaurants and an almost infinite variety of small shops. There is no shortage of karaoke, bars and massage parlors.
It is the neighborhood where many Asian immigrants live, particularly Nepalese, Indians and Pakistanis. It is the preferred place for alternative tourists looking to discover new experiences, and especially cheap accommodation in Hong Kong. Jordan offers the cheapest accommodations in the entire city.
In Jordan, you have to see the Jade Market, the Kwun Chung Street Market and the King George V Park. The best, enjoy strolling through its cultural diversity. Its central location in the Hong Kong area allows the area to enjoy good public transport services and better connections.
Jordan Accommodations
Yau Ma Tei
For its part, Yau Ma Tei is part of the southern Kowloon peninsula. The area is a commercial and residential space. It is well connected by what is a practical alternative to sleep in Hong Kong to other areas where accommodation is more expensive.
On what is to be seen in the area, on Waterloo Road there is a centennial fruit market, near which is the Yaumatei Theater, which was once the largest in Kowloon. The Kown Wah Hospital, built in 1911, remains in place, being the first care center on the Kowloon Peninsula.
Over the area’s transport, most bus routes run along Nathan Road to North Kowloon and New Territories. The subway runs under the area and has stops for the Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines. The reference station is MTR Yau Ma Tei.
Accommodations in Yau Ma Tei
Mong Kok
Mong Kok is located in the west of Kowloon. It is the most populous district in Hong Kong and the world and, as such, is also included in the Guinness Book of Records.
The area is eminently commercial and residential middle class. Restaurants abound, especially fast food, but also bars, nightclubs and massage parlors.
In the center of Mong Kok, it is marked by Argyle Street and in the neighborhood streets with shops and food stalls open to the road are popular, such as those in Ladie’s Market (area specializing in women’s clothing), Sai Yeung Choi Street South (of electronic products), Fa Yuen Street (sports equipment) or that of Flower Market Road (flowers).
The neighborhood offers the typical stamp of narrow streets and the most typical that any traveler expects to find in Hong Kong. If you are looking for something authentic and different from the rest Mong Kok may be an option to consider to stay in Hong Kong
Accommodations in Mong Kok