The newest part of Hong Kong

West Kowloon is a stretch of reclaimed waterfront that has quietly become the most interesting place in Hong Kong for a rainy afternoon or a slow Sunday. It holds two major museums, a theatre complex, and a long promenade looking straight back at the island skyline.

The whole district is easy to reach and easy to walk. Everything here sits within about fifteen minutes of each other on foot, and much of it, including the outdoor space, costs nothing at all.

M+ Museum

M+ opened in 2021 and is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary visual culture in the world. Its collection covers visual art, design, architecture and moving image, with a strong focus on Asia.

The building itself is worth the trip. The facade is a huge screen that shows works after dark, and the interior has a vast, hangar-like gallery that is used for large installations. Some of the galleries hold the permanent collection, others host touring shows.

Practical details

• General admission is a moderate fee, with some galleries free and special exhibitions charged separately.
• The museum is closed on Mondays.
• Book a timed slot online at weekends, when it fills up.
• Allow three hours minimum, more if you like design and moving image.

Hong Kong Palace Museum

A short walk from M+, the Palace Museum shows Chinese art and artefacts from the imperial collections, including pieces on loan from Beijing. The building faces the harbour and is a good counterpart to M+ if you want something older and more classical.

Tickets are timed and it is worth booking ahead. If you only have time for one museum, choose based on whether you prefer contemporary or historical, because they cover completely different ground.

The waterfront and Art Park

Between and around the museums is a long, flat promenade with lawns, benches and public art. This is the part I come back to most. From here you look across Victoria Harbour at the full Hong Kong Island skyline, and at night the lights come on across the water.

There are cafes and a couple of restaurants in the district, plus plenty of space to sit with a takeaway. On weekends there are often markets and performances on the lawns.

Getting there

• MTR to Kowloon Station, then follow the covered walkways and footbridges.
• Or MTR to Austin Station, which puts you closer to the park entrance.
• From Tsim Sha Tsui, it is a pleasant twenty-minute walk along the waterfront.
• The Airport Express stops at Kowloon, which makes this an easy stop if you have a long layover.

How to spend a day here

Start at M+ when it opens, break for lunch in the district, spend the afternoon in the Palace Museum if you have energy, and finish on the promenade at sunset with the skyline lighting up. It is a calm, unhurried day, and it shows you a side of Hong Kong that the shopping districts never do.

Eating and drinking in the district

Food here is more expensive than in the older parts of Kowloon, and the choice is thinner than you might expect. There are cafes inside both museums, a couple of sit-down restaurants along the waterfront, and a small food hall. None of it is bad, but none of it is the reason to come either. If you want a proper meal, walk or take the MTR back toward Jordan or Tsim Sha Tsui, where the same money buys far better food.

Bring a light jacket. The waterfront is windy and the museums are cold, which is a combination that catches people out.

Originally published on 71Asia Tours blog.