Shopping is unofficially a national pastime in Hong Kong, and it’s a great way to explore the city. Here’s our guide to where to find the best shopping in Hong Kong and the various destinations around the city. Whether you are looking for chain stores, malls, boutiques or local designers, we’ve got you covered!
Central, Soho & Poho
High Street Highlights
This is an easy district to spend the day running errands and shopping. Each area offers varied options – from Central’s big names to Soho’s smaller boutiques and restaurants, and the cooler, quieter back streets of Sai Ying Pun and Sheung Wan.
Queen’s Road Central holds a lot of the big labels and fast fashion. To name just a few, there’s Gap (31 Queen’s Road), Top Shop (59 Queen’s Road) Adidas (#36) and a large Zara. Drop into Marks & Spencer (#22-28) for British fashion, shoes and food, and A&M for US groceries (#59-65).
Head up the escalator a few rides to Soho and the strip-shopping gets interesting. The area is also a hub for beauty salons. You can walk from the escalator along Hollywood Road to PMQ (35 Aberdeen Street), which has a great restaurant for lunch between shops, and has an assortment of stores on each level. Wind your way along Peel Street and Elgin Street and down to Gough Street for small boutiques with a similar vibe and lots of options.
Must-visit Malls
IFC: This is Central’s biggest mall and offers the best mixture of upscale brands and fast fashion. Here you’ll find Lane Crawford, Sephora, Zara, Tiffany&Co and much more. ifc.com.hk.
Landmark: This luxury retail centre has a smaller selection but houses some of the biggest international fashion houses like Louis Vuitton and Gucci. landmark.hk
Pacific Place: This is in Admiralty, a short cab ride or a single MRT stop away from Central. There are great food options here, and they usually have a lovely Santa at Christmas. pacificplace.com.hk
Causeway Bay
High Street Highlights
Causeway Bay is bursting with people and retail of all shapes and sizes. It has the largest mix of brands and offers a serendipitous approach that allows for stumbling your way through the streets discovering shop after shop. The eclectic variety of high-end luxury fashion, fast fashion and random interesting boutiques is simply fab. But don’t make the rookie mistake of going early in the morning; it’s all closed until just before midday.
Fashion Walk (Paterson Street, Great George Street, Cleveland Street, Kingston Street & Food Street) is the most exciting area of shopping in the CWB district; there’s just so much to see. It’s here you’ll find the likes of Michael Kors, Isabel Marant, a huge H&M, Kate Spade and more. fashionwalk.com.hk
Grab a coffee or some lunch at a café, recompose yourself, and then hit the streets again for more. Yiu Wa Street (just behind Times Square as you’re heading to Happy Valley) is full of boutiques and many of them are small vintage stores which are great for one-off pieces.
And, for something a little quirky, check out Japanese discount retailer Don Don Donki, which opened in Pearl City in mid-2020.
Must-visit Malls
Times Square: This is Causeway Bay’s biggest mall and boasts 260 shops spread over 16 floors. There’s a cinema here, and often a fun exhibition for the kids to explore, but be warned: it’s very busy on weekends. Among our retail picks are Benefit, City’Super (international supermarket), Faceless (cosmetic emporium), Fortress (general electronics), LEGO Store, Mannings (drug store) and much more. timessquare.com.hk
Lee Gardens (One & Two): These two relatively small malls cater mostly to high-end luxury but are well worth the stroll. leegardens.com.hk
Quarry Bay
Must-visit Malls
Cityplaza: Quarry Bay is a mixture of residential and commercial office buildings. It’s not a place where you would go to find boutiques, but Cityplaza, the main shopping mall in the area, is packed to the brim with brands from all over the place. If you’re looking for a mall with a more middle-of-the-road approach to fashion then this is it. It houses the likes of ALDO, Muji, Max&Co, Oriental Traffic and Uniqlo, and more. You can easily catch the MTR here. cityplaza.com
Southside
Must-visit Malls
The Pulse: On top of a great location and fantastic dining options, The Pulse has a large retail section. There are several floors of shops, where you’ll find toys, books and clothing brands like Seed Heritage (Shop 201A&B). There’s also a gym (Pure) and pet grooming. thepulse.com.hk
The Repulse Bay Arcade: Not to be confused with The Pulse, The Repulse Bay Arcade also houses a range of shops and services which include lifestyle stores Indigo and INSIDE. therepulsebay.com
Stanley Plaza: While the area is famous for the popular Stanley Markets, there’s much more to see, eat and buy at Stanley Plaza plus dining options galore. stanleyplaza.com
Kowloon
High Street Highlights
Granville Road is the place to go for reasonably-priced fashion from chain-stores and boutiques in Tsim Sha Tsui. Nathan and Chatham Roads have so many shops it’ll be an assault on more than just your credit card. Shopping in Kowloon is not for the faint-hearted!
Must-visit Malls
K11 Musea: Opened in late 2019 in the heart of the Victoria Dockside district, this exciting hub has a whopping 1.2 million square feet of retail space, with dining, entertainment, art and culture across 10 stories and under one roof. k11musea.com
Harbour City: This is a behemoth of shopping in Hong Kong divided into three smaller malls: Ocean Centre, Ocean Terminal and Gateway Arcade. There are over 700 shops, 50 food and beverage outlets, three hotels, and a strip of high-end luxury labels that stretches for over a kilometre down Canton Road. harbourcity.com.hk
Elements Mall: This mall houses plenty of well-known brands, from H&M to Hermès, and plenty in between. It’s a lovely shopping experience, and there are some nice dining options as well. There’s even an ice rink. elementshk.com
New Territories
Like every other area in Hong Kong, the New Territories is peppered with malls and complexes. Bargain hunters, serious shoppers and visitors will not be disappointed if they come here for some shopping in Hong Kong. Check out Newtown Plaza (18 Sha Tin Centre Street, Sha Tin), Discovery Park (398 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan), Landmark North (39 Lung Sum Avenue, Sheung Shui), Maritime Square (33 Tsing King Road, Tsing Yi), Plaza Hollywood, (3 Lung Poon Street, Diamond Hill), Megabox, (38 Wang Chiu Road, Kowloon Bay), Metro City Plaza (8 Yan King Road, Po Lam) and many more!
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This article appeared in the City Guide issue of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue.
