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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 06 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Lee Cobaj

Sure, Temple Street Night Market is touristy, but it’s also terrific fun and still somewhere it’s possible to bag a bargain. More than just a place to burn cash, this is also one of Hong Kong’s oldest neighbourhoods; a place where pensioners gather to play mah-jong in the parks and lovelorn youngsters seek the advice of fortune tellers (tourists are also welcome to try face and palm readings and astrological charts).

Aside for the usual souvenirs – faux silk pyjamas, Bruce Lee t-shirts, novelty chopsticks – you can also pick up good quality leather bags, pretty wooden ornaments and cool gadgets. Don’t’ be afraid to haggle hard, just remember to keep it friendly.

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

Start at the quieter end of the market by taking the MTR to Yau Ma Tei and working your way down. The market starts to set up about 5pm, but doesn’t get going until after dark when the fortune tellers, dai pai dong (open-air food stalls) and street karaoke singers come out to play.

When to do it

The market officially opens daily at 2pm, when the road is closed to cars, but most vendors don’t set up until around 4pm, when the surrounding buildings throw shade across the streets. Serious shopping (and eating) tends to start around 7pm, and the market is at its busiest from then till around 10pm. Vendors tend to shut their stalls when they’ve had enough, but most close up around midnight.

Sellers believe it’s good luck to make a sale as soon as they open or just before they close, so these are the best times to visit if you’re hoping for a bargain.

Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Eaton Hotel

Hong Kong, China[0.2 miles]

Fashionable, socially aware four-star hotel near Temple Street Night Market, with plenty of facilities and a buzzing bar.

Official star rating:

Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong

Hong Kong, China[1.1 miles]

One of the tallest hotels in the world, oozing opulence and luxury. This is the place to come for jaw-dropping views at every turn – and some of the city’s best cooking.

Official star rating:

Hotel Icon

Hong Kong, China[1.2 miles]

A youthful design hotel with regal harbour views, a refreshing lack of attitude and a fantastic, harbour-facing rooftop pool.

Official star rating:

The Peninsula Hong Kong

Hong Kong, China[1.3 miles]

Hong Kong’s oldest and grandest hotel offers palatial surrounds, superlative service and some of the most enviable harbour views in the city.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Hong Kong

China

One of the world’s most extraordinary cities, where rippling mountains, a kaleidoscopic waterfront and futuristic architecture merge with fabulous food, sizzling nightlife and top shopping.

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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Chinese Opera

Hong Kong, China[0.6 miles]

Head to the landmark Xiqu Theatre to experience this uniquely Chinese performing art – either a full four-hour extravaganza or a shortened 90-minute version with dim sum.

Best for ages: 18+ | £25 | 1 or 4 hours

Hong Kong’s best food & drink

Hong Kong, China[1.4 miles]

Home to Michelin-starred street food, buzzing dim sum joints and sensational seafood, Hong Kong is one of the world’s great foodie hubs. Tastes, flavours, cooking styles & foodie experiences.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free

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Aqua Luna

Hong Kong, China[1.5 miles]

This cinematic junk boat, complete with stiff fan sails, is the most stylish way to cruise Hong Kong’s mesmerising harbour.

Best for ages: 12+ | £23 | 45+ mins

Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

Hong Kong Museum of Art

Hong Kong, China[1.4 miles]

Hong Kong’s premier art museum houses an outstanding collection of traditional and modern Chinese art, set against the spectacular backdrop of Victoria Harbour.

Best for ages: 18+ | £1

Exterior of a Chinese tea house
Experience

Luk Yu Tea House

Hong Kong, China[3.1 miles]

This traditional Cantonese restaurant has been around since 1933 and has art deco interiors, septuagenarian waiters in white tunics and wonderful dim sum. Try the British-Hong Kong hybrid roast duck pie.

Best for ages: 13+ | £20

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Row of souvenir shops with red lanterns
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Antique and souvenir shopping on Cat Street

Hong Kong, China[3.2 miles]

Formally known as Upper Lascar Road, Cat Street is the place to buy genuine antiques, as well as pretty souvenirs and artsy trinkets.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free

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Interior of the temple, filled with lanterns, incense spirals, and bamboo beams
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Man Mo Temple

Hong Kong, China[3.2 miles]

Hong Kong’s oldest temple is also its most atmospheric, with lavish interiors hung strung about with gigantic coils of beehive incense. A unique glimpse of the traditional side of the city.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free

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