Hong Kong Shopping guide
where, what & when
There is plenty of street-side shopping since Hong Kong is a
very integrated city. Chances are, you will be staying in a tourist
area where there are shops everywhere. Tsim
Sha Tsui and Causeway
Bay are two popular tourist areas where many hotels
are.
In fact in Hong Kong, you don't have to go shopping in order
to shop. If you have walked on Nathan
Road in Tsim
Sha Tsui area, you know what I mean. "Copy watch? Hand bag?"
you would be asked on the street by people holding a stack of
photos of Rolex-look-alikes. If you have a suitcase in tow there,
the product offered is tailored to your apparent need. But don't
get me wrong, Tsim Sha Tsui is not an area to avoid. Just enjoy
the attention and ignore the sales pitch if you don't need the
product!
In addition to the shops along the streets,
there're also many conveniently located shopping centers and malls
easily accessible via the nice subway system (MTR).
Where
There're malls and shopping centers just about everywhere, but a high concentration can be found in Tsim Sha Tsui
and Causeway Bay. And then Stanley Market is
a one-stop place to shop for souvenirs. See the districts section below for a summary of each.
When
Other than grocery shopping and the like, many malls, shopping centers & stores don't open till 11 am. Malls close at
9 pm or later.
As for sales, there're the end of season sales, and the
holiday sales. One to note would be the pre-Chinese New Year sale.
It is said that one can expect more discounts because owners want cash to pay their employees the year-end bonuses.
What
Here're some places to find what you're shopping for:
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Antiques
- Cat
Street
- that's not a pet
street, nor can you find feline cuisines there. Actually
located on Upper
Lascar Row, it's an antiques market with much more old stuff
than your grandma's attic. Chairman Mao's badges, old Chinese
locks (some posing as such), vases, photos, you name it, they
have it in one of the piles.
- Hollywood Road - there are plenty of stores selling antiques
there. From spectacles to furniture, you can find them there.
But don't expect bargains!
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Aquariums & supplies
- Goldfish
Street
- Looking for a gift for your goldfish that you left behind guarding your house?
"Goldfish street" in Mongkok/Prince Edward area is your
best bet. Tanks, rocks, pumps, fish food, turtles, little divers with old-style metal diving helmet,
you name it, they have it. If they don't, probably no need to go elsewhere.
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Mobile phones/smart phones
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Children clothing
-
Ocean Terminal, TST - there's a concentration of children clothing stores in Ocean Terminal around 'Toys R Us'. Accessible by MTR.
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Clothing
- "Ladies'
Market / Women Street" - Tung Choi Street,
Mongkok. Accessible via MTR.
more about Ladies Market
- Granville Road -
located in Tsim
Sha Tsui, there are many stores selling inexpensive slightly
flawed or outlet clothing there - look closely before you leap
to the cashier!
- Stanley Market - located on
the southern shore of Hong Kong Island, not too convenient, but has clothing catering to tourists, especially in terms of size.
more about Stanley Market
- Wanchai -
there are a few stores on Johnston
Road right across from the MTR station that sell what seem
to be outlet goods.
more about Johnston Rd
- malls -
if you like designer labels & name brands, malls
and shopping centers in Tsim
Sha Tsui, Central,
Causeway
Bay, and Admiralty districts, plus department stores will
be the places to go. And then there's the Citygate
Outlets shopping center in Tung Chung.
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Designer labels & luxury/name brands
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Computers & supplies
- Golden
Shopping Arcade - in Sham
Shui Po; books, computer supplies, video games and machines
in basement and upper ground floor, then the 1st floor has all
the computer hardware stores (it seems you must enter this through
the outside stairs around the corner). It is just next to the
Sham Shui Po MTR
station. But beware that the hallways are so crowded with people
and the storekeepers' goods that it is downright dangerous in
case of any emergency.
- Winsor House - in Causeway
Bay; close to the Causeway Bay MTR
station. It is one of the most pleasant computer centers to
look around in with two floors of shops. Unfortunately, at
the time of writing, many computer shops seem to have moved elsewhere.
- 298 Computer Shopping Center
- 298 Hennessy Road, Wanchai; between the Wanchai & Causeway
Bay MTR
stations. Probably easiest to get to by taking a tram going
east towards Wanchai
from Causeway Bay MTR. It is on the south side of the street
close to Heard Street.
- Mongkok
Computer Center - Mongkok,
close to intersection of Nelson St and Tung Choi Street. Close
to the Bank Center exit of the Mongkok MTR
station. Beware: though smoking is banned in shopping centers,
there is still cigarette smoke here.
- Wanchai
Computer Center - located next to the Wanchai
MTR, it
has two floors of shops. It could get a bit crowded though.
- Star House - next to
the Star Ferry Pier in TST
in Kowloon. Unfortunately, the
number of stores is down to very few and it's no longer even called a computer shopping center.
(2012.3)
- chain-stores
- there are a few chain
stores that sell computers and electronic products. Good
to check their prices first.
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Consumer electronics
- cameras, cell phones, smart phones, mp3 players, video game consoles
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Electronics parts
- transistors, resistors, DIY electronic kits & circuits, wires and cords of all kinds
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Furniture
-
Hollywood Road - located
in Central,
this street is known for antique and cool furniture.
-
Wong Nai Chung Road - located
in Happy Valley
next to the horse race track, there are many designer furniture
stores.
-
Queen's Road East in Wanchai -
there're a number of furniture shops along the stretch between Spring Garden Lane to Hennessy Road near
Hopewell center, in which the revolving restaurant is located. If moving to Hong Kong is on your agenda, the strip may be a good place to check out.
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Pets & pet supplies
-
Cannon Street
- Cannon Street in Causeway Bay is the place to go on Hong Kong Island if you want to get a gift for your pet.
You'll find pet stores cum pet supplies shops,
and even a pet clinic, which I assume 'equipped' with veterinarians to do whatever necessary.
Hmm... do they have sweet-and-sour flavored bones?
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Victory Avenue
- on Kowloon side the place to go for pet supplies is Victory Avenue in Ho Man Tin (near Mongkok).
In fact there're more of them there than Cannon Street - probably because the rising rent in Causeway Bay had driven out
many of them.
-
"Goldfish Street"
- if you want a cute little ceramic Chinese pavilion for your goldfish or turtle, the
Goldfish Street, aka Goldfish Market, is the place to be.
It's accessible from either Mongkok MTR station or Prince Edward
MTR station.
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Souvenirs
-
Stanley Market
- pretty much a one-stop souvenir place. It's not as convenient as other places to get to but it's accessible
by buses and taxies. And near the market is the seaside and the beach, plus restaurants with side-walk dining.
Stanley is a nice area to spend a good part of a day.
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Tsim Sha Tsui (TST)
- since TST is a tourist area, there are some stores that sell nothing but souvenirs. It's easily accessible by
MTR subway.
How
How you want to spend your money is certainly none of our business, but if you don't
like to be scammed, check out our cautions & precautions page
especially if you're shopping for cameras and Chinese herbs.
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Bait and switch tactics like "Oh sorry, we found out that model is sold out. Let's recommend this other model!"
which of course is far from being such a good deal like the first 'sold-out' one.
But since you've already paid, and have a plane to catch, you are the lamb to the slaughter. Even calling the police
doesn't help.
Then at the Chinese herbal shop, there's the ambiguous price tag trick. By the time you realize the price
is for the ounce rather than the pound (or the equivalent in Chinese weighing system), "Oh sorry, the ginseng has been
cut already. You HAVE to buy it!"
More on our cautions & precautions page.
Why
Since I've covered every other aspect of shopping in Hong Kong, might as well cover this too! Why shop in HK?
- That's what you do when you travel: get stuff for those who aren't with you - especially those who are house-sitting for you,
fish and snake-sitting for you, milking your cows, keeping your clients happy for you (and not poaching them),
doing your homework for ... okay, maybe not.
- Get the hat or whatever to remind you how wonderful a trip you had - even though you'll never wear it.
- "Because it's so cute!"
- Because you are a hoarder in denial.
Price Comparison
In terms of prices, chain stores are likely to charge the same in all their branches - at least the list prices. But for other stores in the major shopping areas,
you would more likely find better prices in Mongkok than Central or Causeway Bay. And among the computer centers, the
Golden computer shopping complex in Sham
Shui Po probably has lower prices.
In terms of tourist souvenirs in tourist areas like Ladies' Market, TST,
Stanley Market, you can count on the prices marked up.
Feel free to bargain with them. They have a calculator on hand to do that with you!
Stanley Market has the widest variety
and more souvenir stores than the other areas.
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Districts top |
Tsim
Sha Tsui - you
can just call it TST if you can't quite figure out how to
pronounce it. It is the area at the southern tip of Kowloon.
Some shopping hot spots include Harbor City mall,
iSquare mall,
K11 shopping center,
Silvercord shopping center,
The One shopping center,
Ocean Terminal,
Nathan Road,
and
Park Lane. Yes, you get the idea: basically all of Tsim Sha Tsui is one big shopping zone!
If you're looking for designer labels and luxury brands, other than the malls there, Canton Road has a high concentration of them around the Harbor City shopping center.
BEWARE Many of the electronics stores in TST put a code instead of the price tag on their
products which only they can interpret. Then when you come
along, they price the item according to your facial expression,
accent, and size of your wallet. Beware
that many tourists have thought they were getting bargains
only to regret it afterwards. Even calling the police won't help. Often times such stores have flashing neon lights of electronics brand names rather than
that of their own store. But then of course, other
kinds of stores are also there where the prices are marked
and somewhat reasonable. Our advice: go to a chain store. more about TST
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Causeway Bay always has plenty of pedestrians.
Causeway Bay
- for locals living on Hong Kong Island, this
is pretty much the "grand central station" when it comes
to shopping.
Most of the action is concentrated around the MTR
station - which has exits going as far as the Times
Square. The pedestrain crossing
on Yee Wo Street in front of Sogo Department store is often
so crowded that the traffic light is not long enough for all to
finish crossing the road.
With the shortage of street-level shop
space, a lot of restaurants have moved upstairs. There are buildings
with multiple restaurants on various floors. more about Causeway Bay
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Stanley Market, one-stop souvenir shopping
Stanley
- located in the southeast corner of Hong Kong Island, Stanley
is away from the more populated parts of Hong Kong. The Stanley
Market has become one of the must-go's for tourists. It is the location
with the most concentrated souvenir shops. There are also some places
to stroll around in the area, a good place to spend an afternoon
and have a seaside dinner. more about Stanley
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Shopping Malls top |
Times Square shopping mall, Causeway Bay, HK Island.
Times Square mall, Causeway Bay, HK Island.
Harbor City mall, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. As you can see, it's surrounded by name brand stores.
Harbor City mall, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.
1881 Heritage, a small but nice shopping center and hotel complex in Tsim Sha Tsui.
1881 Heritage, a small shopping center & hotel complex, Tsim Sha Tsui.
Cityplaza, a major mall in Tai Koo area, east Hong Kong Island.
Cityplaza mall in Tai Koo area, Hong Kong Island.
Pacific Place shopping mall, Admiralty, HK Island.
Pacific Place mall, Admiralty, HK Island.
Plaza
Hollywood
New Town Plaza shopping mall, Shatin.
New Town Plaza mall
Citygate Outlets mall, Lantau Island.
Citygate
Outlets
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There are many malls where you can find a variety of goods. Convenient
ones include :
- Times
Square - a mall linked to the Causeway
Bay MTR
station on Hong Kong Island, complete with a cinema.
- iSquare
- a mall linked to the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR
Station on the red Kowloon line. It opened at the end of 2009.
- Elements
- a mall linked to the Kowloon MTR
Station on the Tung Chung line.
- Harbor City - a shopping mall in TST
on Canton Road close to the Tsim
Sha Tsui MTR
station in Kowloon. It is a mall with some 700 stores, among which are a cinema, a food court, a supermarket, and a
cruise liner terminal,
Ocean
Terminal. In some parts of it, the lack of high ceilings makes it feel more crowded.
- 1881 Heritage
- although not a mall per se, but a nice little shopping center cum historical site worth seeing in TST, Kowloon, across
from Harbor City and near the Star Ferry.
- Cityplaza
- A nice mall with an ice-skating rink and cinema on Hong
Kong Island, linked to the Taikoo MTR
station. more about Cityplaza
- Festival
Walk - a shopping mall linked to the Kowloon Tong MTR
station in Kowloon, complete with ice-skating rink, movie theatres, food
court, and a supermarket.
- Pacific
Place - a mall on Hong Kong Island, linked to the Admiralty
station of the MTR,
complete with a cinema.
- Langham Place - a mall in Mongkok, Kowloon, linked to the Mong Kok
station of the MTR,
complete with a cinema.
- The One
- a shopping center in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Has fine dining restaurants with a nice view.
- Telford Plaza - a shopping center in Kowloon,
linked to the Kowloon Bay MTR
station on the green line. Phase 1 of it has two floors while phase 2 has a few floors. The latter has more restaurants. There's also
a cinema, a supermarket, and a small bus terminal. The taxi stand on the ground floor below phase 2 is where you can catch the shuttle bus to get to Mega Box,
another mall nearby. The pedestrian-only podium garden with a water fountain gives the mall nice breathing space.
- apm
- a good-size mall by HK standard linked to the Kwun Tong MTR station in Kowloon.
It has a nicely done food court.
more about apm
- MegaBox
- a mall in Kowloon Bay accessible by a shuttle bus from Telford Plaza at the Kowloon Bay MTR
Station on the green Kowloon line.
- Grand Century Place - a
mall linked to the MTR
Mongkok East Station in Kowloon, complete with a cinema. Count on it being
crowded - after all, it is in Mongkok!
- Lok Fu - a shopping center
with local clientiel; linked to the Lok Fu MTR
station in Kowloon.
- Plaza
Hollywood - a mall linked to the Diamond Hill MTR
station in Kowloon.
- New Town Plaza
- a good-size shopping mall linked
to the Shatin MTR Station in the New Territories. It's also connected to
some other shopping centers. The Snoopy house is part of it. But beware, the mall is quite crowded.
- Citygate
Outlets - a small mall on Lantau Island near the Hong Kong airport - not very convenient since it's a ways from the main parts of HK, but since it's linked to the MTR
station in Tung Chung, it's not as bad.
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Department Stores top
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AEON (Chain)
A chain specializing in products from Japan, formerly known as Jusco.
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Chinese Arts & Craft (Chain)
A chain specializing in products from China.
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Lane Crawford (Chain)
Started in 1850 by two Scots, it became the first department store in HK.
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Marks & Spenser (Chain)
A chain from UK.
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Seibu
A store specializing in products from Japan.
- Sincere (Chain)
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Sogo
A chain specializing in products from Japan.
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UNIQLO (Chain)
A chain specializing in products from Japan.
- Wing On (Chain)
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Hong Kong shopping map
(updated 2011.7.8)
Cityplaza
is one place that I like. It is
not overly crowded. It has some interesting water fountains sculptures
- like the one shown to the right here: the big spherical
pot in the middle fills up with water gradually and then
rolls to empty it. Down the hill from this mall is the Kornhill
Shopping Center with a big Japanese department store (complete
with a supermarket).
Cityplaza also has an ice-skating
rink.
more details on Cityplaza
Festival
Walk is a big mall by Hong Kong standard.
Among other things it has a big bookstore
with plenty of English titles, a large ice-skating rink (in
the mall, not in the bookstore!), a cinema, and many restaurants.
more about Festival Walk |
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2012.1
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