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 districts around the city. Whether you are looking for chain stores, malls, boutiques or local designers, we’ve got you covered!
Best Shopping in Hong Kong by District
Where To Shop … In Central, Soho And Poho
This is an easy district to spend the day running errands and shopping in Hong Kong. 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 mainly big labels and fast fashion. There’s Adidas (36 Queen’s Road), a large Zara (#70), a new Decathlon (#30) and a new flagship for American Eagle (#31). 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. This 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 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.
Best malls in the area
- IFC: This is Central’s biggest mall and it offers upscale brands, cosmetics and fast fashion. Here you’ll find Lane Crawford, Sephora, Zara, Tiffany&Co and much more. ifc.com.hk/en/mall
- 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/en
- Pacific Place: This is in Admiralty, a short cab ride or a single MTR stop away from Central. There are great food options here, and they have a lovely Santa at Christmas. pacificplace.com.hk
Where To Shop … In Causeway Bay
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. 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. It’s here you’ll find Michael Kors, Isabel Marant, a huge H&M, Kate Spade and more. Grab a coffee or some lunch at a café, recompose, and 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 that are great for one-off pieces
Best malls in the area
- Times Square: This is Causeway Bay’s biggest mall and boasts 260 shops spread over 16 floors. There’s often a fun exhibition for the kids to explore, but be warned: it’s very busy on weekends. Among our retail picks are Woke Up Like This, Benefit, CitySuper (international supermarket), Facesss (cosmetic emporium), Fortress (general electronics), LEGO Store, Mannings (drug store) and much more. 1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay. timessquare.com.hk
- Hysan Place: Part of the larger Lee Gardens retail precinct, this mall has a big Apple store and other popular shops like Lululemon, Hollister and Eslite, with a decent range of English language books. 500 Hennessy Road. leegardens.com.hk
- Lee Garden (One-Six): These smaller malls cater mostly to high-end luxury but are well worth the stroll. 33 Hysan Avenue. leegardens.com.hk
Just east of Causeway Bay is Quarry Bay, which has a mix of residential and commercial office buildings. It’s not great for boutique shopping, but it does have Cityplaza (18 Tai Koo Shing Road; cityplaza.com). This is the main shopping mall in the area, and it’s packed to the brim with brands from all over the place. If you’re looking for a more middle-of-the-road approach to fashion, this is it, with the likes of ALDO, Muji, Max&Co, Oriental Traffic and Uniqlo and more. You can easily catch the MTR here.
Where To Shop … In Southside
- The Pulse: On top of a great location and fantastic dining options, The Pulse has a 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. 28 Beach Road, Repulse Bay. thepulse.com.hk
- The Repulse Bay Arcade: Along the same stretch of coast, The Repulse Bay Arcade also houses a range of shops and services, including lifestyle stores Indigo and INSIDE. 109 Repulse Bay Road. 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. 23 Carmel Road. stanleyplaza.com
Where To Shop … In Kowloon
Granville Road is the place to go for reasonably priced fashion from chain stores and boutiques in Tsim Sha Tsui, while 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!
Best malls in the area
- 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 a shopping centre, 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 stretch 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 lots 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
Where To Shop … In The 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.
Check out these …
- 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!
More Great Shopping in Hong Kong
Where To Shop … For Odds & Sods
Looking for a blender for breakfast smoothies? Or bedsheets? Or some of the basics you left behind when you moved here? If you’re overwhelmed by your shopping list, then the following roundup should help you home in on the things you need
Kids’ books, toys and more
- Bookazine (bookazine.com.hk) is Hong Kong’s leading chain of independent English-language bookshops; it’s a family run business that has been around since 1985. Along with locations across HK stocking books, magazines and more for adults, it recently launched Bookidzine, a concept store in IFC Mall with hundreds of toys, games and activity kits for kids.
- With multiple store locations and an e-shop, too, Partytime (partytie.com.hk) is the perfect place to shop a huge selection of party supplies: from themed partyware to hundreds of balloons, piñatas, accessories galore, imported sweets and toys.
Homeware and furniture
Beyond IKEA, there are a couple of malls specifically for kitting out a home
- Horizon Plaza (horizonplazahk.com) – probably the best-known retail haven for homes
- HomeSquare (homesquare.com.hk) – over 350,000 square feet of shopping in Sha Tin
- Cyberport (arcade.cyberport.hk) – another good option
- Prince’s Building – the place for designer homeware and furnishings
- High Street – don’t forget that Zara, H&M and Francfranc have homeware sections too, and we’re also loving the new TRIBE by Indigo.
- Local tip: Shanghai Street in Mong Kok is the spot to find affordable kitchenware.
Hardware
While there’s no equivalent of Bunnings or The Home Depot here, you will likely find a small hardware store in your local area. Try showing a picture on your phone of what you want; shop owners are often happy to help you rustle through and find it. If you’re after tools, renovation supplies, interior fittings, soft furnishings, picture framers or plumbing supplies, take a stroll down Lockhart Road, Wan Chai.
Local Tip: Reclamation Street in Mong Kok is a handyman’s dream.
Sporting goods
For sporting goods seek out:
- Marathon Sports (imarathon.com)
- Escapade (escapade.com.hk)
- Decathlon (decathlon.com.hk).
Local tip: You’ll find hiking gear, camping equipment and sporting goods of every shape and size in Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok.
The rest!
- Art and antiques – visit Cat Street and Hollywood Road, Central
- Clothes and accessories – try Cheung Sha Wan Road, Sham Shui Po
- Electronics and gadgets – Apliu Street, Sham Shui Po
- Fabrics and craft supplies – Ki Lung Street, Shek Kip Mei Street and Yu Chau Street, Sham Shui Po
- Outlet shopping – Tung Chung (citygateoutlets.com.hk)
This article first appeared in the City Guide 2021/22 issue of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue.
