Looking for something fun and interesting to do in Hong Kong? Look no further as I present to you 20 Not As Touristy Things To Do right now in Hong Kong.
quick update (as of Oct. 15, 2023): This post was made almost 8 years ago so many things have changed. Some shops you see on Star Street and Ship Street are no longer here. I think the Tai O Infinity Pool is banned from entering now. Bubble Football is no more. If you want a complete list of many more activities to do in Hong Kong, I suggest you check out my travel bucket list page, where I wrote a lot of things to do in Hong Kong.
Driving at Route Twisk
Don’t worry, I wasn’t the one taking pictures.
If you have a car in Hong Kong and want to take a spin, try venturing to Route Twisk. From New Territories you can enter from Kam Tin Rd. or Kam Sheung Rd. and you will be twisting and turning all the way to Tsuen Wan. A much more thrilling ride than anywhere else in Hong Kong (and by thrilling, I am not encouraging anyone to drive fast). Take caution as plenty of cars enter this route.
Alternatively, I also like the drive to Repulse Bay and continuing on to Tai Tam as the roads are very narrow and also provides plenty of turns as well. Crossing the Tai Tam bridge is nice when there aren’t many cars as you can enjoy the scenery, but since it is a tight bridge it does get very congested during busy hours.
Bus 15 to the Peak
Forget about taking the Peak Tramway. Honestly, if there was anything that’s overhyped, it would be taking the tramway to the Peak. Not only is it much more expensive than taking the bus, often the lines are packed with tourists so queuing time is long.
Take bus 15. Convenient places to get on include from Central Pier 5, Exchange Square, Three Pacific Place (click here for full route). Before it gets on peak road, the charge is HKD $9.8 per person (Peak Tram costs HKD $83 for return, HKD $71 for single). The drive on the bus 15 takes longer since it goes through twists and turns along Stubbs Road and the Peak, but the waiting time and the driving time is often equivalent to the queuing time and driving time of the peak tram. Not only that, on bus 15 you are rewarded with breathtaking views of Hong Kong, something you won’t be able to enjoy on the tram.
PMQ
PMQ has certainly been the landmark of what’s been the revamping of Sheung Wan. It’s dubbed itself as a creative hub and has centered itself as a place for unique stores, boutiques, and restaurants to congregate together, while at the same time hosting many lively events, including its famous night markets. Located on 35 Aberdeen Street, it’s a must visit for the fashionistas and the curious cats. On a side note, be sure to check out the area around PMQ as it offers a splendid amount of amazing restaurants and stores as well.
Star Street
If you are looking for some hidden and unique shops, look no further than Star Street.
Go to St. Francis Street. It’s near Pacific Place phase 3.
Go up this slope.
On your left there should be a street sign that says Sau Wa Fong. Walk up the stairs and you should see some shops there.
Notice this basketball net? Walk up to it.
After, turn left. You should see this narrow pathway. Go through it and keep walking until you see more shops.
When you reach Ship Street, that marks the end of these secret shops. Retrace your steps back to before you climbed the stairs to Sau Wa Fong, and there you will see more shops as well.
Ship Street
After some shopping from star street, head down towards Queen’s Road East and walk a couple streets towards Wan Chai and you will come across Ship Street. There, you can find a great vibe and a number of astonishing restaurants for you to dine. For more details, you can read the New York Times article about this fabulous street.
Mong Kok Street Food
And since we are on the topic of food, why don’t I introduce you to the legendary place for street food in Hong Kong on Dundas Street? So many things to eat here, including octopus, fried chicken, spicy noodles, fries in exotic flavors, fish balls, intestines, takoyaki etc. From Mong Kok Mtr take exit E2, head south until you hit Starbucks, and on your left will be food paradise.
Portland Street
Portland street is most famous for being a prominent ‘red light district’, but I cannot resist to tell you that this street is also filled with amazing local authentic restaurants as well. From Mong Kok MTR, take exit C4 and head south towards Yau Ma Tei and check out the local restaurants there.
As you can see, you can find a lot of local beef brisket noodles around the area.
Kam Tin Market
Just right outside the Kam Tin MTR, the Kam Tin Market hosts a bunch of shops that only open during the weekends, and public holidays.
Kam Tin Red Brick House
It’s a hidden gem in Hong Kong that houses clothes, wine, art, decorative items, and more. Sort of like the Hong Kong local version of PMQ. Opens on Fri, Sat, Sun, and public holidays from 10am – 8pm. From Kam Tin MTR station exit B, cross the bridge and keep heading straight until you are on Kam Sheung Road. Turn right and eventually you’ll see the red brick house on your left.
Tuen Mun Seafood
Move aside Sai Kung and Lei Yue Mun, Tuen Mun offers better deals and better taste for seafood. Go to Sam Shing Hui Seafood Market for your next food adventure. I recommend Chinese Legend.
Golden Computer Arcade
The Golden Computer Arcade is famed for the diversity and economic prices of electronics, computers in particular. Take the MTR to Sham Shui Po station and at this arcade, you can find everything – computer parts, computer peripherals, phone peripherals, accessories, television sets, adapters, external hard drives etc. In fact, the popular Hong Kong Golden Forum was named due to this computer mall. For the HK Island alternative, you can visit the Wan Chai Computer Center.
Take exit D2 and the entrance is directly across the street.
If you take the exit on the other end of the mall from when you first entered (assuming you took the entrance directly across MTR exit D2), cross the street and you will be on Yen Chow Street. Make a right and keep heading straight (you should see this huge company called Garden; if you do you’re in the right direction). Before you cross another street, you should chance upon this local gem – spicy tofu rice noodles (see pic below) Sooooo good and ridiculously cheap.
They no longer exist as of Nov. 16, 2022
HKJC Horse Racing
What makes Hong Kong different from many cities in the world is that you can come and gamble on horse races. Public entrance fee to the races on Wednesday nights at Happy Valley is only $10! There’s alcohol, entertainment, and adrenalin filled in the air. Horse racing stops during the summer season though (and during adverse weather conditions), so be sure to check the event beforehand to see if it’s happening. Races also happen on Sundays at Sha Tin. For more info, click here.
I know right? Seriously?
Fast & Furious 8?
Ryze Ultimate Trampoline Park
Want to jump around? Look no further. The Ryze Ultimate Trampoline Park is one of the latest buzz to happen in Hong Kong. It has 7,000 square feet covered with over 40 trampolines. Btw, they also have dodgeball… I know right!?
Ozone Bar
Why pay to see Hong Kong’s harbour when you can see it absolutely free at Ozone Bar? Located on the 118th floor of Ritz Carlton, the place is furnished luxuriously and the drinks there are impeccable. Be sure to check the weather beforehand to ensure that your view won’t get fogged up. Come to this place by going to Elements Mall (from Kowloon station) and heading to Ritz Carlton. They also impose a dress code so don’t turn up too casual. Click here for the Ozone Bar website.
Image credit: ritzcarlton.com
View from outside the bar. Image credit: tripadvisor.com
Inspiration Lake Recreation Centre
On a good weather day, instead of heading to Disneyland (which isn’t worth it compared to other Disney places if you ask me), head next door to the beautiful Inspiration Lake. They have pedal boats and surrey bikes for rental, and a fountain in the middle of the lake. Opens from 9am – 7pm. Click here for more info about Inspiration Lake.
Hiking
I’ve done a couple of hikes in Hong Kong and some of the views from the hikes are breathtaking! Hong Kong provides many different hiking trails in varying difficulties. Much has been talked about for Hong Kong’s hiking trails so best for me to direct you to a famous source for more information about Hong Kong hiking at Enjoy Hiking.
Tai O Infinity Pool
Ever since Timeout magazine’s publication of this hidden gem,people have flocked to this place every weekend and holiday. It’s a bit of a walk to get there, but once you arrive, this place is just amazeballs. For information on how to get there, click here. Oh and a word of caution – there are a LOT of spiders along the way (but they don’t obstruct your path in case you were wondering).
Sai Kung Waterfall Cliff Diving
Image from ‘Epic Cliff Jumping Hong Kong’ youtube video
There is a place that many go to for cliff diving in Sai Kung. The height is about 2-3 stories high (check out this video to gain some perspective). It’s fun and a great way to cool off. For directions to get there, click here.
Shek O Beach
Forget about the Repulse Bay Beach. Head over to the Shek O Beach for a greater, less touristy location. You can also go to Big Wave Bay Beach in Shek O as well for surfing and other water activities. Want to check the surfing conditions for Big Wave Bay? No problem, just go to Surf-reports.com or Surfline. How to get there? From the Shau Kei Wan MTR Exit A2, you can take the red mini bus that says Shek O and ride it to the bus terminal (or get off earlier for Big Wave Bay, ask driver) or you can take the orange-green buses #9 and get off at the bus terminal. Bus 9 route click here. For the red mini buses, you pay the driver before you get off the bus. You can drive there as well, but be sure to get there early during peak season.
Cheung Chau
If you want to venture to one of the islands of Hong Kong, pick Cheung Chau. There are so many good things you can do there – you can eat seafood, eat local street snacks, chill at the beach, and you can even do a bicycle rental to go around the island. To get to Cheung Chau, go to Central Pier No. 5.
Image from Discover Hong Kong
Image from Asia Web
Image from Bea’s Bites
Honorable Mentions
Into solving mysteries and puzzles? Hong Kong has Room Escape Games for the detective in you. Click here to be directed to HK Magazine’s article.
Eager to train your snowboarding skills but got no place to go? Slope Infinity, located between Tin Hau station and Fortress Hill station, provides training decks to help you improve your skiing / snowboarding. Your mistakes will be amplified and you will be forced to develop good fundamentals. Check out their website here.
Bubble Football is the new craze in Hong Kong. Tangle yourself in a bubble and see which one of your friends can score the most! Click here to be directed to their webpage.
Of all the twenty (plus three) activities listed here, which one is or do you think will be your favorite?
*Originally published on Feb. 12, 2015
Last updated on Nov. 16, 2022 as all the images were broken. I managed to get most of the photos recovered, but a couple of them such as the Mui Wo Infinity Pool I couldn’t find 🙁 Hopefully I will have another things to do in HK post again as these are quite outdated
