Culture and cycling: A stopover itinerary for 6 hours in West Kowloon

Nobody likes a long layover in an airport - that’s why you shouldn’t spend it there. Got time to kill while you wait for your connecting flight in Hong Kong? Here’s how to spend 6 hours in West Kowloon - located just 22 minutes away from HKIA.

11.30am

You’ve got a day to spend in Hong Kong on your stopover, so it’s time to hit up one of the city’s newest, artiest corners. The West Kowloon Cultural District is next to Kowloon Station on the Airport Express Line , and full of culture, food and fun.

12.15pm

A short walk from Kowloon Station, the Xiqu Centre  is a homage to the dwindling art form of traditional Chinese opera. You may not have time to catch a show, but do check out the building’s impressive Chinese lantern-inspired design.

88 Austin Road West, +852 2200 0217

1.15pm

For lunch, slurp up traditional Hong Kong cart noodles at Peony Garden  on the ground floor of the Xiqu Centre, and then head to Daily Tea Time by Don’t Yell At Me  for refreshing drinks from one of Taiwan’s favourite specialist bubble tea makers.

2.30pm

Cycle away those post-flight aches by renting a bike via West Kowloon’s SmartBike  rental programme (HK$20 an hour) to explore the Art Park – home to the yet-to-open M+ visual culture museum – and get that must-snap shot of Hong Kong’s skyline.

3.45pm

Visit M+ , Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture occupying a 700,000 square-foot building. Housed within the museum is the Sigg Collection, which features 1,500+ works of Chinese contemprary art,  by the finalists of the Sigg Prize, Antony Gormley's Asian Field, and a collection of more than 250 films and videos in the Interactive Media Room. Read more about the museum here.

5.00pm

Head to Ozone  on the 118th floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong – the highest bar in the world. Stay for a cocktail, take some photos as the sun sets over Victoria Harbour.

118/F, ICC, 1 Austin Road West, +852 2263 2270