Ultimate Old Town Central Hong Kong Review – The Best Itinerary
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This is the ultimate guide for visiting Old Town Central Hong Kong. Based on my over twenty years of living experience in the neighbourhood as a world traveler, I will show you the best things to do in the area, how to get there, and the best route to navigate.
Old Town Central is one of the districts is the most historic district in Hong Kong. It used to be the central part of the city. Nowadays most of the buildings have been revitalized as museums while reserving the historical architecture. It is also the place housing the famous Man Mo temple, antique street, and dried seafood street. Thus, for every visitor, it should be the first destination for your travel in Hong Kong.
You probably need half or a day for the whole area. Let’s begin with the exact location first.
Where Exactly Is Old Town Central Hong Kong?
If you take a look at the HK MTR map, you will be confused. Because none of the stations is called “Old Town”, “Old Town Central” or “Old Central”. The name would be confusing at first even if you ask any local like me. Most of the people would miss “Central Station” (where you get on boat to Cheung Chau or a tram to the Peak) to Old Town Central.
In fact, Old Town Central Hong Kong refers to the area between Central and Sheung Wan in the Central district of Hong Kong. The area used to be the heart of British colonial administration in the 19th century with signature landmarks like Tai Kwun, Man Mo Temple, and Central Market.
Other than that, you would find a blend of local restaurants with a long history (i.e. Lin Heung Tea House), modern cafes, murals in narrow streets, antique shops, and even a “movable type printing shop” (活字印刷) there.
How to Get There
I would recommend you to start exploring the area with Old Central Market. In that, the easiest way to get to either “Sheung Wan” or “Central” station is via MTR.
For Sheung Wan station, the closest exit is E1. From the station, you just need to walk around 5 minutes along Des Voeux Road Central toward Central. Likewise, for Central Station, the closest exit is C. From there, you just need to walk around 5 minutes along Des Voeux Road Central toward Sheung Wan.
Alternatively, you can also take a Tram (Ding Ding). All you need to do is just hop on the East-West line and alight at Pedder Street for Central Market.
Then you will enter the old town area with Old Central Market as the first icon.
Old Town Central Hong Kong Map
Similar to every main district in Hong Kong like Mong Kok, you will find a hong kong tourism notice board with a map available in Sheung Wan as well. Unfortunately, you will either find a board showing Sheung Wan only or Central only (on the Central side).
During my visit to the area last time, I was surprised that some main attractions such as Central Market and Tai Kwun were not included in the official map. So you should be mindful not to miss that. The attractions are scattered like a circle in the area. It is not a long walk but you may want to bookmark the below streets just in case.
- Main Streets: Hollywood Road, Queen’s Road Central, Des Voeux Road Central, Stone Slabs Street.
- Key Intersections: Graham Street (food stalls), Ladder Street (near Man Mo Temple), Aberdeen Street (antique shops).
The Best Route & Best Time
The map shows that all the attractions of Old Town Central are scattered within a 3 km radius. The walking time for all the attractions is only around 45 minutes. The best route is to start from Central Market, then go all the way up to the Medical Science Museum, and then return to Sheung Wan city center ending at Western Market.
The best time for a visit is 10 am to 1 pm. Most of the shops will be open at 10 am including the museums. Other than that you can have a great dim sum lunch around 1 pm after your visit. At the same time, you could leave time for visiting other districts such as Mong Kok or take a street food tour in the afternoon.
For smooth navigation from tourist point of view, you can follow the below top 10 things to do in the area by order. I alsp made a tailor-made route for you to follow.
1. Visit The Old Central Market (中環街市)
Address: 80 Des Voeux Road Central
Hours: 10 AM–10 PM (shops vary)
Entry: Free
The Central Market revitalized in 2010s by Chinachem Group, is now a shopping complex with food court at the ground floor and several local boutiques on 1st and 2nd floor. Despite its modern appearance, it was once Hong Kong’s largest wet market (opened 1842).
Along with Hong Kong’s development it has been revitalized more than 5 times and transformed to be the modern building you see nowadays. On the 2nd floor or the market, there are regular exhibitions showcasing the building’s history with several pops for you to take picture.
2. Take A Picture At The Stone Slabs Street (石板街)
Address: Pottinger Street
Hours: 24 hours (shops usually open from 10 am to 9 pm)
Entry: Free
Pottinger Street (aka Stone Slabs Street) is one of the Grade 1 historic building in Hong Kong . It is a photogenic alley lined with boutique shops on both sides. Given its stair-like structure, it is one of the hot photo spots in Hong Kong with a lot longer history than some of other recent popular attractions like monster building since 1840. This signature street is just 5 minutes walk from Central market.
3. Tai Kwun (大館) – Centre for Heritage & Arts
Address: Pottinger Street
Hours: 8 am to 11 pm
Entry: Free
3 minutes walk from the stone slabs street you will arrive the Tai Kwun, A cultural hub/museum opened in 2018 after revitalizing the old central police station and the old prison complex in the same location.
Nowadays it is a multiple purpose complex with bar, restaurants, historical exhibitions, cultural events and shops on it. In particular, you can visit the old prison cells exhibition for free.
Other than that it is also a popular place for hosting festival events during Xmas, Halloween, and New Year. Free tour guides and other programs are also available on the official website.
4. Breakfast Around Graham Street
Address: Graham Street, Old Bailey Street, Staunton Street, Hollywood Street
Hours: 24 hours
Entry: Free
From Tai Kwun to the famous Graham Street Murrals, it takes just around 3 minutes to walk. Around these areas, you will see the famous murals on the street at the nearby hidden alleys. It is also the area that has lots of historic shops and restaurants. Feel free to pick any traditional-looking Cha Chaan Teng or modern coffee shop for a quick breakfast.
5. Explore the PMQ
Address: 35 Aberdeen Street
Hours: 12 PM – 11 PM
Entry: Free
PMQ (元創方) used to be a police married quarters in 1951 and now revitalized to be an arts center. There are multiple arts shops on the two residential blocks with a courtyard connecting both buildings. It is home to over 100 local designers, artists, and entrepreneurs with their studios or shops. On the ground floor, there are also multiple cozy cafes for you to take a break from the long walk.
The courtyard is also one of the hot photo spots in Hong Kong.
6. Make A Prayer At Man Mo Temple (文武廟)
Address: 124 Hollywood Road
Hours: 8 AM–6 PM
Entry: Free
Around 5 minutes from PMQ you will reach the Man Mo Temple. Built in 1847, this Taoist temple honors Man Cheong (God of Literature) and Mo Tai (God of War). Its smoky interior, filled with hanging incense coils, offers a serene escape from the city’s chaos.
You can light a coil for blessing or even consult the fortune sticks. For dos and don’ts, you can refer to the guidance on the temple’s official website. They have the details even on the praying process for study and success.
As a tourist, you should not miss this temple. Because it is also the place where you can take the signature photo of “hanging incense coils”.
7. Shop At The Antique Street (Hollywood Road & Upper Lascar Row )
Address: Hollywood Road, between Aberdeen Street and Ladder Street; And Upper Lascar Row
Hours: 11 AM–7 PM (Shops vary)
Entry: Free
From the Man Mo Temple, turns left and walk along the Hollwood Road. You will start see multiple antique shops on each side. While I am not an archaeologist, it is a very unique street in Hong Kong to see all the antique shops showcasing their best statues.
From local perspective, I would say the shops at Hollywood Road is probably overpriced. However, if you walk to the street nearby Upper Lascar Row 摩羅上街, you will find souvenir-type antique stores for tourist.
I love upper lascar Row more given the sourvenirs there are more budget friendly. For antique, not only you can find vintage watches, jade jewelry and even some old Hong Kong CDs.
The shop owners will usually greet the tourists enthusiastically and even explain which Chinese zodiac you should use to bring the best luck for the year. Plus, a little Chinese zodiac synthetic jade charm is as low as 10 HKD (~1.5 USD) .
Other than antique, the area is similar to Graham Street full of traditional shops. Each visit you will probably discover a new hidden gem. For example, during my last visit this year, I found one of few surviving “movable type printing shop” (活字印刷) called Kwong Wah Printing nearby.
8. Visit The Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences (香港醫學博物館)
Address: 2 Caine Lane
Hours: 10 am –5 pm (Tue–Sat) / 1 pm – 5 pm (Sun)
Entry: 20 HKD
Around 5 minutes walking uphill from the antique street, you will find another revitalized museum – The Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences (香港醫學博物館). It is another over 100 years history building founded in 1906. It used to be a bacteriological institute constructed to combat the bubonic plague outbreak in 1894.
Since 1996, it has been revitalized as another landmark in Old Town Central as a medical science museum. While the content of the museum is a good showcase of Hong Kong public health and medical history and the entrance fee is less than 3 USD, the best part is the exterior of the building.
The historic Edwardian-style design of the museum has become one of the hot spots for photos in Hong Kong.
Other than the museum the nearby Caine Lane Garden is also another IGable spot with its red & white rectangular walls. It is also one of the popular location for wedding photo.
9. Stroll Along Chinese Medicine, Dried Food, Tonic Food Street
Address: Ko Shing Street (Chinese Medicine Street), Des Voeux Road West (Dried Seafood Street), Wing Lok Street (Tonic Food Street)
Hours: 24 hours (Shops usually open 8 am to 7 pm)
Entry: Free
Within around 10 minutes of walking distance from the Medical Science Museum, you will reach Sheung Wan city center again. From there, you can navigate Chinese Medicine Street, Dried Seafood Street, and Tonic Food Street by order.
First, Begin your walk on Ko Shing Street, a narrow lane lined with shops overflowing with traditional Chinese herbs and remedies. From there you can see several shops putting shelves stacked with dried roots, bark, mushrooms (like reishi), goji berries, and medicinal teas.
From there, you can cross the road to the Des Voeux Road West for the dried food street. There you will see bunch of traditional Chinese dried seafood such as dried abalone, scallops, fish maw, shrimp, and squid.
After that you can end your walk on Bonham Strand, Wing Lok Street (Tonic Food Street), On the street you will see local shops specializing in in high-end tonic foods such as bird’s nest, deer antler, and gingsen.
These three streets are the best for you to indulge in local traditional culture and a great place to take some cultural photo. As for shopping, I may have some reservations. Because the price and even the weight of the dried seafood or tonic goods are not very transparent even to local like me.
Based on my experience, there have been multiple local news indicating shopping scams in the nearby area.
10. Visit The Western Market (西港城)
Address: 323 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Hours: 10 am – 12 am (shop varies)
Entry: Free
Just 3 minutes from Wing Lok Street, we will reach our final destination the Western Market. Similar to the Old Central Market, this Edwardian-style building was once a wet market In 1906. Now it has been revitalized as a shopping complex since 1991. Similar to most of the landmarks in Old Town Central, it has great architecture featured by its arched windows, clock tower and a distinctive red façade.
On the second floor of the building, there are several boutique stalls selling silk fabrics and traditional crafts. On the ground floor, there are several dessert houses, café, and convenience shops.
This icon is the best to end your Old Town Central tour. Because it is at a convenient location just next to the tram and Sheung Wan MTR station. From there you can get to other Hong Kong tourist districts like Mong Kok to explore more.
Alternatively, you can also take the HK island MTR line from Sheung Wan to the Eastern District of Hong Kong for attractions like Monster House or Tai Tam Family Walk.
The opposite of Western Market at New Market Street, there are two local Chinese restaurants Victoria Harbour Restaurant and North Garden Restaurant 北園酒家. In case you want to take a dim sum lunch to conclude your half-day visit, North Garden is another long history local restaurant since 1928.
Based on local comments, it is considered as cheaper and with high quality compared to some popular Chinese restaurants like Lin Heung Tea House (蓮香樓).
The market also has a skybridge nearby connect to Shun Tak Center (Hong Kong – Macau Ferry Terminal ). This is the place where you will can buy a boat ticket to Macau .
Final Tips On Visiting Old Town Central
The walking tour compared to other destinations such as HK Ocean Park or HK Disney, provides you a good historical and cultural experience with revitalized buildings.
As a local with world travel experience, I always find Hong Kong a magnificent place with great history while providing luxury experience like buffet at the tallest building , leisure family hiking or challenging hiking at the same time.
In short, Old Town Central is worth budgeting at least half a day for the visit.
