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Above:
Nathan Road in Mongkok with all its neon signs beckoning passers-by to the shops.
There
is plenty of off the street shopping since Hong Kong is a very integrated city.
Chances are, you will be staying in a tourist area where there are shops everywhere.
Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway
Bay are two popular tourist areas where many hotels are. In fact in Hong Kong, you don't have to go shopping in order to shop. If you have walked on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui area, you know what I mean. "Copy watch?" you would be asked on the street by people holding a stack of photos of Rolex-look-alikes. If you have a suitcase in tow there, the product offfered is tailored to your apparent need. But don't get me wrong, Tsim Sha Tsui is not an area to avoid. Just enjoy the attention and ignore the sales pitch if you don't need the product! | 
Above:
Are you shopping for shoes? There are shops everywhere.
| | In addition to the shops along the streets, there're also many conveniently located shopping centers and malls easily accessible via the nice subway system (MTR). |
| |
Districts | | Tsim
Sha Tsui - you can just call it TST
if you can't quite figure out how to pronounce it. It is the area at the southmost
tip of Kowloon, it is the greatest place to shop if you want to test your bargaining
skills.
Many of the electronics stores there put a code on their products that only
they can interpret. Then when you come along, they price the item according to
your facial expression, accent, and size of your wallet. But then of course, other
kinds of stores are also there where the prices are marked and somewhat reasonable. more
| | Causeway
Bay - for the locals living on Hong Kong Island, this is pretty much the "grand central" when it
comes to shopping. Most of the action
is concentrated around the MTR station - which has exits going as far as the Times
Square. The pedestrain crossing
on Yee Wo Street in front of Sogo Department store is often so crowded that
the traffic light is not long enough for all to finish crossing the road. With the shortage of street-level stop space, a lot of restaurants have moved upstairs. There are buildings with multiple restaurants on various floors. more
| Mongkok
- known as the most densely populated area in Hong Kong, it is also one of
the most popular shopping areas for locals in Kowloon. The intersection of Nathan
Road and Argyle Street is sort of the center of all the action, though things
change with times as new shops and malls open. Mongkok
Computer Center, Ladies'
Market, Sai Yeung Choi Street (with many consumer electronics stores), Nathan
Road, and Langham
Place (mall) are some of the places in the area. more
| Stanley
- located in the southeast corner of Hong Kong Island, Stanley is away from
the more populated parts of China. The Stanley Market has become one of the must-go's
for tourists. It is the location with the most concentrated souvenir shops. There
are also some places to stroll around in the area, a good place to spend an afternoon
and have a seaside dinner. more |
| Item
Categories | | If you want to look for a specific item, here is where the locals shop for:
| | |
Electronics
| | |
- consumer electronics (e.g. cameras, mp3 players, PSP, DiscMan, MiniDisc players, video cameras,
multi-system VCR/TV) - Sai Yeung Choi St. South, Mongkok.
I would suggest that you check out the prices at the chain
stores first.
| | |
Clothing |
 Above: a T-shirt stall in Ladies' Market | | | |
Computers
& supplies | | |
- Golden
Shopping Arcade - in Sham Shui Po; books and computer supplies
in basement and upper ground floor, then the 1st floor has all the computer hardware
stores (it seems you must enter this through the outside stairs around the corner).
Next to the Sham Shui Po MTR
station. But beware that in the basement, the hallways are so crowded with people
and the storekeepers' goods that it is downright dangerous in case of any emergency.
- Winsor House - in Causeway
Bay; close to the Causeway Bay MTR
station. It is one of the most pleasant computer centers to look around in with
three floors of shops. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, many shops seem
to have moved elsewhere.
- 298 Computer Shopping Center
- 298 Hennessy Road, Wanchai; between the Wanchai & Causeway
Bay MTR stations. Probably
easiest to get to by taking a tram going east towards Wanchai from Causeway Bay
MTR. It is on the south side of the street close to Heard Street.
- Mongkok
Computer Center - Mongkok,
close to intersection of Nelson St and Tung Choi Street. Close to the Bank Center
exit of the Mongkok MTR station.
Beware: though smoking is banned in shopping centers, there is still cigarette
smoke here.
- Wanchai
Computer Center - located next to the Wanchai MTR,
it has two floors of shops. It could get a bit crowded though.
- Star
House - next to the Star Ferry Pier in TST
in Kowloon; some stores not open on Sundays. It is one of the more pleasant computer
shopping centers. Unfortunately, the number of stores seems to be in decline. (2008.2)
- chain-stores
- there are a few chain stores that sell computers
and electronic products. Good to check their prices first.
| | |
Phones / stereo / electronic parts
| | |
- Ap Liu Street,
Sham Shui Po, accessible by MTR.
more...
| | | Furniture |
| |
- Hollywood Road - located in
Central, this street is known for antique and cool furniture.
- Wong
Nai Chung Road - located in Happy Valley next to the horse race track, there
are many designer furniture stores.
| | | Cell
Phones | | |
- chain-stores - there are a few telecom
chain stores that sell cell phones and cellular service.
-
Ap Liu Street in Sham Shui Po area, accessible
by MTR. You can even find second-hand
stores there. (It may not be a good place to shop for cell phones if you are gullable.)
more...
| | | Antiques | | | - Hollywood
Road - there are plenty of stores selling antiques there. From spectacles to furniture,
you can find them there. But don't expect bargains!
|
|
Shopping
Malls | |
There are some malls where you can find a variety of goods. Convenient ones
include : - Elements : linked
to the Kowloon MTR Station on the Tung Chung line.
- New Town Plaza : linked
to the Shatin MTR Station and
some other shopping centers. There is a fountain with regular water show synchronized
to music. (It may be on the hour.) The Snoopy house is also around there. But
beware, the mall is very crowded.
- Ocean
Center : in TST on
Canton Road close to the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR
station. It is also linked to a few other shopping centers. It gets sort of crowded
too.
- Cityplaza : A nice
mall with an ice-skating rink and cinema on Hong Kong Island, linked to the Taikoo
MTR station. (see
more comments)

- Pacific
Place : on Hong Kong Island, linked to the Admiralty station of
the MTR, complete with a cinema.
- Telford Plaza : in Kowloon,
linked to the Kowloon Bay MTR
station.
- Grand
Century Place : a mall linked to the MTR Mongkok East Station, complete with a cinema. Count on it being crowded - after all, it is in Mongkok!
- Times
Square : a mall linked to the Causeway
Bay MTR station, complete
with a cinema.
- Lok Fu : a
shopping center with local clientiel; linked to the Lok Fu MTR
station.
- Festival Walk :
linked to the Kowloon Tong MTR
station. Quite new, complete with ice-skating rink, movie theatres, food court,
and a supermarket.
- Plaza Hollywood : linked to the Diamond Hill MTR
station. Doesn't seem as crowded as others.
- Citygate Outlets : a small mall linked to the MTR station in Tung Chung with mainly outlet stores.
|

Above: Plaza Hollywood
| | | Cityplaza
is one place that I like. It is not too crowded and it also has a little games
arcade for kids. It also has some interesting water fountains - like the one shown
to the right here: the big spherical pot in the middle fills up with water gradually
and then rolls to empty it. Down the hill from this mall is the Kornhill Shopping Center with
a big Japanese department store (complete with a supermarket). Cityplaza also
has an ice-skating rink. more Festival
Walk is the one of the newer malls. It is huge also. Among other
things it has a giant bookstore with plenty of English titles, a large ice-skating
rink (in the mall, not in the bookstore!), and many restaurants. more |

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