So, your barkada has finally decided to take your post-pandemic revenge travel trip and the destination is Hong Kong. Besides the staple Hong Kong Disneyland and Temple Street Night Market, there are a host of new activities that have popped up in the city that will make your visit there even more exciting this time round.
Here’s a list of Hong Kong tourist spots that’ll make every member of your barkada happy – from dining spots and vintage stores to a world inside a board game.
Table of Contents
View of M+ from Victoria Harbour.
Image credit: M+
Opened in November 2021, M+ is attention-grabbing, to say the least. From Victoria Harbour, you’ll see on the other shore a bamboo-inspired skyscraper and a huge LED sign that mark the spot that the museum of visual culture occupies.
Image credit: @mplusmuseum
Your artistic friends are going to love it here, as the museum features 4 permanent collections with Asian roots.
Projector art at M+.
Image credit: @mai_osuga
It also hosts exhibits that showcase a vast variety of media from international artists. Among its current displays is Hong Kong and Beyond, which presents the city’s visual culture since the 1960s.
Image credit: @mplusmuseum
The museum offers free entry throughout its first year, so if you want to save on HK dollars, book your trip before 11th November 2022.
Address: West Kowloon Cultural District, 38 Museum Drive, Kowloon
Opening hours: Tue-Thu, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm | Fri 10am-10pm | Closed Mondays
M+’s website | Facebook | Instagram
One of the photo spots at Monopoly Dreams.
Image credit: @_prajnaparamita_
Many barkadas have fond memories of playing Monopoly during hangout sessions. But you can take your barkada’s experience to the next level and jump into the world of the board game at Hong Kong’s Monopoly Dreams.
Image credit: NN CHIU
This destination that just opened in 2019 is the first Monopoly-themed attraction in the world. You can visit locations from the board game and even get your own title deed to a lot, so you can flex your new property, even if it’s just within the game.
Earn Monopoly money at the money booth.
Image credit: @adimilmc
You’ll be able to unleash your inner child here, with games including a money booth where you can win Monopoly cash to use at the gift shop later.
Image credit: Antony Lam
Tickets start at HKD260 (~P1,899.39, ~USD33.13) for adults. Admission includes a 30-minute guided tour, but you’re free to roam around and take as many pictures after.
Address: Shop 301, 3rd Floor, Peak Galleria 118 Peak Road, The Peak, Hong Kong Island
Opening hours: 10am-8pm, Daily
Telephone: 3905 4511
Monopoly Dreams’ website | Facebook | Instagram
Revitalized buildings.
Image credit: @xavierwky
You’ll find many budget-friendly street markets in Hong Kong. But if you and your friends love all things vintage, be sure to add 618 Shanghai Street to your itinerary.
This shopping street which consists of 14 restored historical buildings opened just in 2019. Many of the shops and dining spots here follow the architecture’s theme of nostalgia.
Bunkaya Zakkaten.
Image credit: @albertchuyingteo
Go vintage shopping at Harajuku-inspired Bunkaya Zakkaten or Midwest Vintage for Americana gear. Then get refreshments from the old-school stationery store-themed dining spot, Silver Cafe.
Pasalubong-worthy items on sale at small stalls.
Image credit: @botanica.magica and @handcraftkukkia and @bonnie_eui_hh
Address: 618 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon
Opening hours: 11am-9pm, Daily
Telephone: 852 2618 8980
618 Shanghai Street’s website
ARTLANE.
Image credit: LI Lisa
For those who appreciate street art, want to do some street photography, or simply want to take OOTD pics with an artsy background, go to one of Hong Kong’s mural villages.
These collections of murals are peppered across the city. But if you only have time to visit one, we recommend the vibrant ARTLANE in Sai Ying Pun.
A series of murals in ARTLANE.
Image adapted from: Ken
Hong Kong’s mural villages feature art by local and international artists. The murals change occasionally, so checking them out is a fun activity you can do each time you visit Hong Kong.
ARTLANE
Address: Chung Ching Street, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong Island
Opening hours: Open 24 hours
Telephone: 852 8200 3788
ARTLANE’s website
Bikes are the main mode of transportation in Cheung Chau.
Image adapted from: Ma Cheene Chan
For your Filipino friend who’s a rom-com fan, Cheung Chau island is one of the filming locations of the high-grossing movie Hello, Love, Goodbye, starring actors Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards.
As seen briefly in the film, bikes are the main mode of transportation on this car-free, slow-paced island, so you’ll be able to explore Hong Kong like a local here.
OXY in Cheung Chau.
Image credit: @fern_demands
Check out IG-worthy shops and cafes around the island such as OXY, a coffee shop with fern walls that’ll make great backdrops for photos. You can also find long-standing establishments such as Kwok Kam Kee, a bakery that’s been selling Hong Kong’s version of siopao for 45 years.
Bike rental at Cheung Chau costs around HKD30 (~P219.16, ~USD3.82) for the first hour and HKD10 (~P73.05, ~USD1.27) for every succeeding hour.
Address: Cheung Chau Island, Hong Kong
Audrey Hepburn wax figure.
Image credit: @grapeschloe
Your pop culture fan friend can “meet” her favorite celebrities at the wax museum Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.
There are wax statues of Western icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. Our Filipino pride, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, has a wax figure there as well.
Image credit: Madame Tussauds
You can also meet Korean actors spanning the different generations of K-dramas, from Bae Yong Joon of Winter Sonata to Kim Soo Hyun of My Love From The Star. For K-pop fans, there are also statues of idols to take photos with, from the K-pop duo TVXQ to GOT7’s Jackson Wang, who’s Hong Kong-born himself.
Peak Tram.
Image credit: Hong Kong Tourism Board
Madame Tussauds’ admission fee starts at HKD240 (P1,753.28, ~USD30.57) for adults. This is inclusive of round-trip tickets via the Peak Tram, Asia’s first funicular railway.
Address: Shop P101, The Peak Tower, No. 128 Peak Road, The Peak, Hong Kong Island
Opening hours: 11am-8pm, Daily
Telephone: 852 2849 6966
Madame Tussauds’ website | Facebook | Instagram
K11 Musea.
Image credit: Hong Kong Tourism Board
K11 Musea is an over-the-top mall dubbed Hong Kong’s “Silicon Valley of Culture”, brimming with art installations, shops, and seemingly endless dining options.
It has everything from cafes to high-tea spots to fine-dining restaurants. You can even find some chain restaurants from different countries here, from South Korea’s GOPIZZA to Five Guys from the US.
Takano Ramen.
Image credit: @ememhappylife
Get Hainanese chicken rice from the Singaporean Chatterbox Cafe or ramen from the Michelin-recommended Takano Ramen from Tokyo.
And don’t be intimidated by how fancy this shopping center looks. You can enjoy good food while sticking to your budget with vouchers from the mall’s website.
After dining, you can shop for high-end products that are not available in stores in the Philippines, including perfumes from the brands Le Labo and Penhaligon’s.
Address: Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Opening hours: 10am-10pm, Daily
Telephone: 852 3892 3890
K11 Musea’s website | Facebook | Instagram
Central Market.
Image credit: Hong Kong Tourism Board
Upgrade your pasalubong and pasalubong-shopping experience at Central Market, a historical shopping center that reopened in 2021. A spacious and air-conditioned mall, it allows you to shop comfortably.
Get your family gifts such as seasonal pastries from Imperial Patisserie or the numbingly spicy Mrs. So’s XO Sauce. You can still buy keychains and other souvenirs at stores such as the Hong Kong Tram Store.
Hong Kong Tram Store.
Image credit: @852_and_91
There is also a vast selection of dining spots here, from the Hong Kongese hawker institution On Lee Dai Pai Dong to Cantonese restaurant LottaJoy to treat yourself to before you head home.
Don’t forget to snap a few pics with the retro dioramas and 1960s-themed shop displays at the mall for extra keepsakes of Hong Kong, too.
Address: 93 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong Island
Opening hours: 10am-10pm, Daily
Telephone: 852 3618 8668
Central Market’s website | Facebook | Instagram
360 Hong Kong Moments: New Adventures at Every Turn.
Image credit: Hong Kong Tourism Board
Hong Kong offers plenty of tourist spots that you’ll find a place for each of your friends’ interests. And with this list, Type A friends no longer have to dig deep into the internet to organize a fun itinerary for all.
Luckily, Filipino citizens can also stay in Hong Kong visa-free for 2 weeks. Now, all there’s left to do is to find a schedule and book tickets for the entire barkada!
Also check out:
This post was brought to you by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
Cover image adapted from Hong Kong Tourism Board, Ken, @mplusmuseum, and @xavierwky
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