When going traveling, I like to go all local. Eat the local food, shop the local shops, visit the local sights and if possible stay off the beaten track. Thus, I prefer Kowloon side as Hong Kong Island has a lot of shops selling global brands, which are most likely found in Singapore too. Also, I was in the mood for bargain-hunting! Hehe. However, if you are traveling with little kids, you might want to stay in Hong Kong Island more since there's better accessibility to more modern shopping malls and facilities i.e. clean toilets, feeding areas and baby rooms.
☆ Hong Kong Island ☆
Central
Landmark, The Galleria and IFC Mall are the main shopping malls here selling mostly high-end goods. However, if you want to find some inexpensive clothing, accessories, luggage etc. visit the stalls at Li Yuen Street East and Li Yuen Street West.
Admiralty
Pacific Place and Lane Crawford malls that are famous for branded good located here.
Wan Chai
Stop by the Chinese Resources building for the multi-floored Chinese Arts & Crafts for Chinese clothes like the cheongsum, jewelry and artifacts. Also check out Spring Garden Lane for clothes at competitive prices, and sportswear along Johnson Road.
Causeway Bay
There's Fashion Walk, Island Beverley and Causeway Place for trendy foreign & local brands. Huge shopping malls Times Square, Sogo, wtc more, La Foret etc. are located in this area. On weekends some streets are closed for just pedestrians due to the crowd. There's also Jardine's Crescent and Jardine's Bazaar for clothing, accessories and souvenirs but I think the street markets at Kowloon offer better choices {see below}.
Ap Lei Chau
Horizon Plaza here that has several floors selling antiques, furniture and clothing at wholesale prices. Factory outlets for Armani, Ralph Lauren, Bally, Dolce & Gabanna, Diesel etc. are here. My HK friends Emily & Wilson like to shop here.
Stanley Village
Coastal area with many stalls selling Chinese paintings, handicrafts, furniture and souvenirs. There's shops called Sun & Moon that sell factory outlet and reject goods.
☆ Kowloon ☆
Tsim Sha Tsui
This area is also known for branded goods, especially in The Peninsula, The Langham and 1881 Heritage. We liked 1881 Heritage more for its architecture though, very pretty place for taking photos. Malls like i Square, The ONE, and Miramar Shopping Centre have more affordable wear and youthful goods and Harbour City is HK's biggest mall with basically everything. Go to China Hong Kong City or walk along Granville Road for factory outlets and bargain shopping.
Mong Kok & Yau Ma Tei
My favourite area this trip with bargain-hunting at Electronics Street, Ladies Market, Temple Market, Jade Market, Sportswear Street etc. Shantung Street and Dundas Street are also famous for Japanese & Western fashions, while you can find a lot of kitchenware at Shanghai Street. A good mall at this area is Langham Place that is 11-storey high and has more famous brands like H&M, Aape, Muji, Seibu etc.
Sham Shui Po
Apliu Market is well-known for electronics and its accessories while there are more clothing wholesalers along Cheung Sha Wan Road.
Kowloon Tung
Another big mall here, Festival Walk, with over 200 shops inside and an ice-skating rink!
Of course, this guide is by no means extensive but should help you in planning your trip on where to stay and shop in Hong Kong :)
When traveling, what do you like to shop for? Food, books, trinkets, clothes, electronics? ... Erm, babies?! (just joking!)
Read more about our Hong Kong travels here.
14 comments:
i'd loveee to go shopping in hong kong now! sounds like funnn :)
Hong Kong does look like the shoppers paradise! I love buying trinkets and clothes when I go shopping. Food is always good too if it's a cultural trip.
This is a great guide. I've just been getting interested in visiting Hong Kong so I'll bookmark it! I love eating local too, and it's great to have recommendations.
Bri: oh, it definitely is! :)
Theresa: yes snacks are definitely a must for me too! Some we can get in S'pore but slightly more expensive.
The Kids are All Right: I'll be writing about the glorious food soon so hope you find that useful too :)
I miss Hongkong. I always stay at the Hongkong side, but I go to Kowloon whenever I need to buy gadgets. The next time I visit Hongkong, I would like to explore more places in Kowloon.
Hi Ai,
I've visited your blog a few times now but this is my first time commenting. So jealous that you've been to Hong Kong recently! My parents are from Hong Kong and I was born there but I haven't been back for some six years now. Reading your post has brought back so many font memories. Causeway Bay and Mong Kok were two of my favourite shopping spots. Oh, and Tsim Tsar Tsui - Granville Road was a regular haunt of mine. You've done an awesome shopping guide here.
Ronnie xo
Seems like I really need to bring my kids to the HK disneyland soon :P
We go there every year! Love the food omg. Can't wait to go back there again =)
I lure shopping in Hong Kong !!! Like you suggested, we stayed on the Kowloon side and definitely had a lot of fun!
I was lucky to go over and meet my girlfriends from Tokyo and some who have made HK their home so we went all the way local on the food...yum!!!
You've helped bring back so many wonderful memories!
I went to Hong Kong SO long ago now - 1997! I loved every minute, it was such a culture shock for me, I'd never been overseas before. I loved the markets, so many amazing things to buy. I still regret not buying a particulary knock off purse while there. I thought I could come back for it but of course I couldn't find it again. Lesson learned! I'd love to go back to Hong Kong again one day.
I absolutely adore Singapore, but I've been hankering for a HK trip!
We go to Bali all the time, at least twice a year for a few weeks at a time. It's so cheap and close for us from Perth.
I justify any and all shopping sprees while on holiday by shopping for the kids. It's for the children therefore it's a legitimate need, definitely not a shopping spree. Hubby never questions me when it's for the kids.
On a possibly related note...my kids have exceptionally large feet for their ages, and really like high heels. Even my son. ;-)
I loved shopping in Hong Kong, your post reminded me of those good old times before kids ;)
Hi, from your newest liker! What a gorgeous blog you have:) I have heard shopping is good in HK but this is a great resource for future reference, thanks:)
We go shopping in HK every 2- 3 years. The prices of things there have certainly increased a lot since the 1990s.
Post a Comment