Kowloon Hong Kong is the city’s slightly grittier side and also home to many hotels. In our tourist guide we walk through the temples, the markets and some of the other must see sights.
Kowloon Hong Kong was long the overlooked ugly sister to Hong Kong Island’s Cinderella. Sat north of Hong Kong Island - where Central, the skyscrapers and the famous skyline are found –Kowloon is bordered by Victoria Harbour to the south and the New Territories in the north the Kowloon Peninsula was often - and only half jokingly - referred to as the ‘dark side’ by residents on Hong Kong Island.
Kowloon is home to some of the most densely populated neighbourhoods not only in Hong Kong but on the planet. This is very much working class Hong Kong and its streets bulge with hawkers, markets and salary men. For an idea of Hong Kong daily life, this should be your destination, but the area isn’t homogenous and there is more to Kowloon than stacks of residential blocks.
Tsim Sha Tsui is Hong Kong’s premium tourist district, with hotels and museums, while Mongkok hosts the best markets in town. Over in West Kowloon skyscrapers have sprung up to rival Central across the water and the area is now home to ICC – the tallest building in the city.
Museums and more in the Tsim Sha Tsui tourist district
Most tourists will start off in Tsim Sha Tsui. This is the sharp end of the peninsula that faces Hong Kong Island, where the Star Ferry connects, and, a key tourist district; home to most of the city’s mid range hotels as well as a sprawl of museums across the waterfront.
Tsim Sha Tsui is home to more bonafide tourist attractions than any other district in Hong Kong. Along the waterfront you’ll find both the landmark Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Museum of History. This is also the best place to get a glimpse of that famous Hong Kong skyline, with the Avenue of Stars, the DHL balloon and the newly crowned tallest skyscraper in town, ICC all offering top notch views. Also worth a mention on the waterfront is the Peninsula Hotel. This grand old dame of the Hong Kong hotel scene has retained its century old colonial airs and graces and its afternoon tea remains a destination event.
Inland, Nathan Road is the area’s main drag. Once known as the Golden Mile for its sparkling neon signs, while the shops remain the bargains don’t. This is tourist trap haven; with knock off watches and suits being the two most popular scams and con artists always refining new ways to trick tourists into parting with their money.
Chungking Mansions and Kowloon Food
While you should skip the shops, there are a couple of stops worth making on Nathan Road, including Hong Kong’s haven of multiculturality, Chungking Mansions. Packed with immigrants, phone shops and superb Indian and Pakistani restaurants, this is Hong Kong at its most vibrant, as is tjhe Kowloon Mosque and Park across the road.
Unfortunately, Tsim Sha Tsui is not an area associated with good value food, with tourists instead being lured to overpriced and overspiced tourist traps. Instead try Yau Ma Tei and Mongkok. These are some of the busiest streets in Hong Kong and their streets are packed with markets, street side restaurants known as dai pai dongs and basic, but excellent noddle and rice restaurants.
