18 Best Shopping Experiences in Kowloon

Temple Street Night Market is the largest market in Hong Kong so it’s a firm fixture on the shopping itineraries of most visitors to Hong Kong. You’ll find all sorts here: clothes, bags, shoes, watches, DVDs, home furnishings and plenty of souvenirs. It gets going around sunset and lasts until around 11pm. Never accept the first price as bargaining is all part of the fun at Temple Street Night Market.

Located in a huge hangar-like complex running along the harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui, Harbour City is home to over 700 shops and pretty much any regional cuisine you might fancy. The mall is divided up into 5 different areas – Ocean Terminal, Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel Arcade, Ocean Centre, Star Annex and Gateway Arcade – but owing to the sheer size of the shopping mall, finding individual shops can be tough. 

We recommend picking up a map at the information counter at reception. Designer label stores such as Hermes and Chanel occupy the anchor stores facing Canton Road.

The palatial 1881 Heritage shopping complex is the place to pick up the latest collections from the world’s premier fashion and jewellery houses. Boutique stores here that stock limited edition collections include Shanghai Tang, Jaeger Couture, Cartier, and Van Cleef & Arpels.

1881 Heritage is a Declared Monument, meaning it’s protected for its cultural importance as the former headquarters of Hong Kong’s Marine Police Force. The architecture is immediately indicative of Victorian Britain, with ornate bannisters and arched entryways. Part of Heritage 1881 is the exclusive hotel Hullet House.

Elements is a shopping mall with a fantastic collection of top-end and mid-range fashion stores, as well as a whole host of entertainment options. It’s got an ice rink, a multiplex cinema and many dining options.

Split up into different zones based around the 5 elements of metal, wood, water, fire and earth, Elements is very well laid out and particularly popular for families. Complimentary pushchairs and wheelchairs are available at reception. Located directly above Kowloon MTR Station, Elements also has direct access into The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong.

Ladies’ Market is a bustling shopping street in Mong Kok with stall after stall of clothes, shoes, fashion jewellery and tourist souvenirs. From one side to the other it’s about 1 km and it gets very crowded, especially on weekends. Expect the quality of items to vary massively, and be prepared to bargain hard because the aunties running the stalls will start with inflated prices every time, expecting you to haggle them down.

Ladies’ Market is located in the Mongkok area of Kowloon, just off Nathan Road. Take the MTR to Mong Kok. The market opens at midday but really gets going in the mid-afternoon and stays open until 11pm every day.

iSQUARE is a shopping and entertainment complex on Nathan Road. It consists of 12 floors of shopping and a further 12 floors of dining and entertainment. That sounds like a lot but bear in mind that each floor is quite compact. Some of the most high-profile brands on offer at iSQUARE include Marks & Spencer, BOSE, Elle, Crocs, HMV and Market Place by Jasons, a luxury supermarket. 

With an IMAX cinema (the biggest in Hong Kong), Eyebar (a highly recommended rooftop bar), and lots of restaurants, there is plenty to occupy the whole family here.

Fa Yuen Market is the local Hong Konger’s equivalent of Temple Street Night Market. Both markets stock similar sorts of products (fashion and apparel, cheap jewellery, electronics, etc.), but this one has items catering more to locals. On Sundays, many housemaids from the Philippines and Indonesia come here to enjoy their day off.

Fa Yuen Street Market is particularly popular for shoes and trainers, giving it the nickname of Sneaker Street. It’s located in between the Mong Kok and Prince Edward MTR stations.

Langham Place Shopping Mall and is one of the best places in Hong Kong to buy international beauty products from the world’s top brands. It also stocks an excellent range of fashion jewellery and accessories from the likes of Pandora and Accessorize.

Another big draw at Langham Place is the Japanese luxury department store Seibu, which stocks plenty of Japanese brands which are hard to find elsewhere. Show your passport at the reception to receive the ‘LP Card’, which entitles you to instant discounts and exclusive offers.

Jade Market is a collection of traders all dealing in fashion jewellery, ornaments, rings, pendants – anything made from the semi-precious stone jade, in fact. The street next to the undercover market houses a whole row of shops and traders dealing in jade and other precious stones.

The quality of the jade is usually reflected in the price, and although the purest green stones are very expensive, it’s also possible to pick up some rather inexpensive items – typically yellow or brown jade. The closest MTR station to the market is Yau Ma Tei Station.

Cheung Sha Wan Road Fashion Street is the best place in town to buy cool threads at wholesale prices. Most of the shops are located between Wong Chuk Street and Yen Chow Street.

The clothes are generally extras from clothes factories in and around Sham Shui Po, with a few rejects added for variety. A lot of the dealers running the shops are genuinely knowledgeable about what they're doing so you're in good hands and will be able to get some excellent deals and bargains.

Put simply, Nathan Road is the major shopping area of Kowloon. Starting from the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, Nathan Road runs the whole length of Kowloon. The lower part of the road, marked at one end by the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and the other end by the Jordan MTR Station, is the place to go if you are bargain hunting. Everything – from tacky stores aimed at tourists to high-class brand names – can be found in this district.

Halfway along, between the Tsim Sha Tsui and Jordan MTR Stations, along the Nathan Road side of Kowloon Park, is the Park Lane Shopper’s Boulevard. It’s here where you’ll find a gaggle of stunning boutiques stocking both international and local brands.

Apliu Street Flea Market really is the place to come for cheap, second-hand and new electronics in Hong Kong. Situated just north of the more popular Temple Street Market in Kowloon, many would argue that this more local-feeling market is a much better place to grab a bargain, even if there isn’t as much on sale.

Those looking for cheap phones, TVs, computers, tablets, radios, stereos, DVDs and household electrical items will easily find what they’re looking for. While the emphasis at Apliu Street is firmly on the gadgets, some stalls also sell cheap clothes, watches, accessories and antiques.

Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong is one of the most popular shopping malls in town. Bathed in natural light, there are countless retail outlets offering everything from home furnishings to fashion in this vast complex. 

In addition to the fabulous shopping, you'll find many restaurants and bars, Hong Kong's largest ice-skating rink and a multiplex cinema. It's conveniently located right above the Kowloon Tong MTR Station.

Sham Shui Po is well known for its electronic gadgets for sale on the street and indoors. Here, you'll be able to pick up virtually any computer product at a price that beats anywhere else in Hong Kong. Once infamous for pirated software but today considered one of the cheapest places in Hong Kong (if not the world) to get a personal computer, the Golden Shopping Centre is a prominent IT shopping centre.

Wing On is a household name across Hong Kong, well-known as one of the most established department stores. The Wing On Plus, Yau Ma Tei branch at the Kowloon Centre on Nathan Road is a great place for frugal shoppers to buy household items, electrical appliances, kids’ toys, clothing and accessories. 

Although Wing On isn't the best place to go shopping for fashionable clothes or cutting-edge designer footwear, it’s great for snapping up practical items and especially home basics including kitchen items from brands like Philips and Kenwood.

Many beautiful birds can be seen at the Hong Kong Bird Market. This Chinese-style market also has a selection of traditional bird-keeping paraphernalia. Located on Yuen Po Street, the market contains some 70 songbird stalls as well as interesting courtyards and moon gates.

The Mong Kok Flower Market is a veritable jungle of exotic and colourful blossoms, lucky houseplants and sweet scents, all featured in more than 50 shops. Before Chinese New Year, families flock here to buy auspicious plants to celebrate the most important festival on the lunar calendar.

Hong Kong citizens believe that aquariums bring luck and natural beauty to their apartments, making the Goldfish Market a popular spot. This specialist market is the preferred source for goldfish (obviously) and other exotic fish of every shape, size and colour. You can also buy aquariums, corals and aquatic ornaments here.