Hong Kong/Central



Central and Western is a district of Hong Kong Island. It is the political, administrative and financial hub and home to some fantastic skyscrapers and Victoria Peak.

Understand
The area's proximity to Victoria Harbour led it to become an early centre of trade and finance. Today it remains Hong Kong's administrative centre.

Orientation
Central in this guide means the administrative district of Central and Western. It includes the following neighbourhoods that are either in or close to the Central Business District:


 * Central (中環) &mdash; previously known as Victoria, this is 'downtown' Hong Kong and may be defined as the area within walking distance of Central MTR station. Head north towards the harbour and you will find modern buildings such as the IFC shopping mall. Alternatively, make your way uphill towards the mountain and you will encounter some of the oldest parts of Hong Kong.
 * Lan Kwai Fong (蘭桂坊) &mdash; a small area just southwest of Central Station focused on the L-shaped street of Lan Kwai Fong and also including parts of D'Aguilar Street, Wellington Street and Wyndham Street forming a square around Lan Kwai Fong. The area is packed with restaurants, bars and clubs. Popular with expats and local drinkers.
 * Soho (荷南美食區) &mdash; entertainment zone between Hollywood Road and Bonham Road-Caine Road, featuring restaurants, bars, clubs, galleries and shops. Take the elevated walkway from the IFC mall to catch the escalator up.
 * Mid-Levels (半山區) &mdash; continue up the escalator to find the high-end residential area half way up Victoria Peak. In the morning the escalator moves residents down the mountain to their offices in Central.
 * Sheung Wan (上環) &mdash; interesting area below Mid-Levels between Central in the east and Sai Ying Pun in the west. Although adjacent to Central, it has its own identity and is worth exploring if you are interested in small shops and remnants of the territory's colonial past.

Further afield, you might explore:


 * Victoria Peak (太平山) &mdash; high class neighbourhood and popular tourist destination that looks down on Central and Victoria Harbour. Before World War II, non-white people were banned from setting foot on the Peak unless they were domestic workers in the one of the resident white families' homes, and even today, this is still one of Hong Kong's most exclusive neighbourhoods.
 * Sai Ying Pun (西營盤) &mdash; traditional Chinese residential neighbourhood that is host to Hong Kong University and is populated by a large number of dried seafood shops.
 * Kennedy Town (堅尼地城) &mdash; famous for being at the end of the tramline and little else. This used to be the place to find undesirable people and noxious industries. With the arrival of the MTR, Kennedy Town has become gentrified.

By boat
Due to a land reclamation and waterfront redevelopment project in Central/Admiralty, access to the ferries can be a little confusing - take heed of signs warning about the ever-shifting arrangements.

The Transport Department provides an online directory of Hong Kong's ferry services.


 * Star Ferry operates boats between Central or Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The cost is $2.5 on weekdays, $3.4 on weekends and holidays
 * Sun Ferry also boats between North Point on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon
 * Fortune Ferry operates one route between North Point on Hong Kong Island and Kwun Tong in, Kowloon
 * Coral Sea Ferry operates two routes between Sai Wan Ho on Hong Kong Island and Kwun Tong or Sam Ka Tsuen in Kowloon.

By bus
For details of cross-harbour buses, see Hong Kong.

Bus fares range from $8.90 to $11.10 for routes linking the urban areas in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Some routes to remote places have higher fares.

By MTR
Central is the end of the Tsuen Wan Line and is on the Island Line. The Tung Chung Line, the South Island Line and the East Rail Line, which was extended in 2022, provide service to Central.

By airport express train
The Hong Kong Station on the Airport Express is in Central.

By tram
The tram serves Hong Kong Island from Shau Kei Wan (筲箕灣) in East Hong Kong Island to Kennedy Town in the far west.

Victoria Peak
Get a great view of Hong Kong from the giant wok-shaped Peak Tower on Victoria Peak, one of the highest points on the island, as long as the air is clear – it can be obscured by air pollution or cloud. Views of the natural landscape are a stark contrast to views down in the city. The Peak Tower has an observation platform, and it and the Peak Galleria are full of souvenir shops and overpriced restaurants with spectacular views. There are also some museums and viewing galleries.

From the dawn of British colonisation, the Peak hosted the most exclusive neighbourhood for the territory's richest residents, where local Chinese weren't permitted to live until after World War II. The rich were carried to the Peak in their sedan chairs to escape the summer heat.

Since 1888 the Peak Tram ($37 one way, $52 return) has run directly up from Garden Rd in Central. It stops at the bottom of the Peak Tower. It makes a few stops on the way, so it is possible to go half-way and hike the winding roads on the sloping geography. To get to the start of the tram, follow the signs for ten minutes from Central Station, or bus number 15C runs regularly from the Star Ferry pier. A more picturesque, cheaper and slower way of reaching the Peak is by taking bus 15 (not 15C) from the Star Ferry pier in Central. Not only is it cheaper at $10.30 but, as the bus snakes up the mountain, you can enjoy beautiful views of both sides of Hong Kong Island and passing the territory's priciest neighbourhoods. You can also walk to the Peak from Mid-Levels along Old Peak Road.

The observation deck of the Peak Tower offers panoramic views of both sides of the island but there are a number of nice walks around the Peak Tower that also offer good, but less panoramic, views (getting out is not intuitive as the exits are by design not well-signed; they are located on the ends of the ground floor), One of them is the Lion Pavilion Lookout on Findley Road, about one minute walk from The Peak Tower. You will be able to catch a laser show at 8PM every night. On sunny days, you can find an old man outside the pavilion, offering rickshaw rides along Findley Road. A 10-minute ride costs $100.

For the best views and to get away from the crowds, there is a circular walk along Lugard Rd and Harlech Rd. From Lugard Rd there are views of the skyscrapers of Central and Victoria Harbour. From Harlech Rd, the views are of Lamma and other Outlying Islands. The walk takes around an hour.

From Harlech Rd, you can hike into the Lung Fu Shan Country Park and explore the relics of World War II.

Do

 * Mount Davis. Walk up Mount Davis to see the abandoned Second World War-era gunnery fortifications. Take the steps up from Victoria Rd just west of Kennedy Town; or follow Victoria Rd until you reach the roundabout (about a kilometre), and take the mountain road up. The climb will take a while, but there are many ruins to explore, and great views. There's also a youth hostel at the top if you are too tired to make it back in one go.

Eat


Central is a world-class place to eat, with prices to match. Although Downtown Hong Kong has a reputation for posh nosh, travellers on a budget will not starve if they are careful. When it comes to food, Central justifiably feels like ‘Asia’s World City’ and has the full range of Chinese cuisines punctuated by restaurants from around the world. There is even a British-style fish and chip shop.

Eateries are found across Central and if you wander, perhaps looking for evidence of its colonial past, you can trust serendipity to stumble upon somewhere interesting to eat. If you are lost, the famous escalator will guide you past some of the best restaurants and will take you up the mountain to Soho. Soho (Staunton and Elgin Street) is a focus for mid-range and more expensive places to dine. Drinkers will find that the bars of Lan Kwai Fong provide a good range of international food. Adjacent to Lan Kwai Fong is ‘Rat Alley’ (Wing Wah Lane) where a selection of cheaper restaurants can be found. Despite the nickname, Wing Wah Lane is a popular place to eat, and has the advantage of having some places to sit outside in a car-free street.

The IFC shopping mall has a roof terrace where you will find a choice of bars and restaurants. The roof is public open space: here you can eat and drink outdoors with a view of Victoria Harbour.

While you're here, also be sure to check out the main branch of (泰昌餅家), the most famous purveyor of the Hong Kong-style egg tart (蛋撻), and a favourite haunt of Chris Patten, Hong Kong's last colonial governor, during his days in office.

Lan Kwai Fong
If you want good food, a party atmosphere, or just to people watch, head to Hong Kong's traditional expat hangout of Lan Kwai Fong, a few blocks uphill from Central MTR. Dozens of bars sell pricey drinks: even basic beer costs $50 and up. The 7-Eleven store sells beer and mixed drinks much more cheaply than the bars - and the staff will even open the bottles for you. There is always something going on in The Fong, be it street festivals during the Halloween and New Year's celebrations or the Beer and Food Festivals that pop up in the summer.



Soho
Jump on the Mid-Levels escalator, and you'll find plenty of bars and restaurants on your way up the hill on Hollywood Rd, Staunton St and Elgin St:



Connect
A list of many free Wifi hotspots in Central is provided on Wi-Fi.HK, courtesy of the Hong Kong Government. Besides, five complimentary sessions of 15 minutes each are available in the Hong Kong MTR station. The IFC mall above the station provides free Wifi as well, and so does the large Apple store inside the IFC, with Apple computers to surf the internet with.

Go next

 * An interesting way to spend your day is by taking the tram to Wan Chai and Causeway Bay in the east.
 * The shopping mecca of Kowloon is just across Victoria Harbour; take the Star Ferry for the experience or the MTR for speed.
 * Take a ferry directly out of the hustle and bustle to the relaxation of Mui Wo or Lamma, Cheung Chau and many other outlying islands.