The most iconic Hong Kong streets

Hong Kong is a city of fascinating contrasts, where historic streets, market lanes and financial hubs sit side by side. Below, we’ve compressed our densely packed home city into a hit list of unmissable Hong Kong streets, each offering a unique glimpse into this multi-faceted metropolis.

Hong Kong Island

Cat Street (Upper Lascar Row), Sheung Wan

Highlights: antique hunting, coffee breaks 

This pedestrian street is beloved for its eclectic antique stores and charming stalls, and has recently become a hipster hub of trendy cafes and restaurants. While its official name is Upper Lascar Row, after the Arab and Asian sailors who once lived here, the street later gained a nickname referring to the sale of stolen goods, called “cats” in Cantonese. Nowadays, everything is aboveboard, and it’s an ideal place for souvenir hunting, with old-school posters of Bruce Lee and perfume ads, jade zodiac animal charms and serious dynastic antiques.

Read our neighbourhood guide to Sheung Wan.

Hollywood Road, Central to Sheung Wan

Highlights: Tai Kwun, Man Mo Temple, bar hopping 

Hollywood Road is one of Hong Kong’s oldest and best-known historic streets, regularly topping lists of the world’s coolest thoroughfares. Running through the city’s Central and Western District, from the edge of Soho to Sheung Wan, it predates its Los Angeles namesake by a few years. There’s no shortage of glamour here, where you’ll discover some of Asia’s best bars, boutiques and independent art galleries. Locations like the atmospheric Man Mo Temple and heritage landmark Tai Kwun are sightseeing highlights, while neighbouring Peel Street is a vibrant nightlife hub and nearby Aberdeen Street offers picturesque views.

Pottinger Street, Central

Highlights: historic stone steps, photography, costume shopping 

Visitors are frequently surprised by Hong Kong’s steep inclines, an aspect exemplified by this historic street dating back to the 1850s and named for the city’s governor at the time. Paved with stone slabs, Pottinger Street attracts photographers charmed by its cobbled staircase and pedigree as a popular filming location. Colourful costume stores hawk their wares along the main stretch, which is why the street hums with activity in the lead-up to the Hong Kong Sevens, Halloween and Christmas. 

Hatton Road, Mid-Levels to Victoria Peak

Highlights: hike the Morning Trail, skyline views, The Peak Galleria

Hiking is one of Hong Kong’s greatest pastimes, and many travellers fall in love with it on Hatton Road, known to walkers as the Morning Trail. Sweeping up the forested mountainside from Mid-Levels to The Peak, you’ll pass a historic stone marker outlining the boundary where the former City of Victoria district used to be. It’s now frequented by avid fitness fanatics, aunties exercising to Chinese opera music blasted from handheld radios and adorable dogs on their daily walks. With beautiful green interludes and stunning views over Hong Kong, it’s a fantastic way to sightsee and reconnect with nature.

Rednaxela Terrace, Mid-Levels

Highlights: Philippine history, quiet coffee stops

Sandwiched between the Mid-Levels escalator and the historic Prince’s Terrace steps, this unassuming alley is a favourite haunt for dog walkers and discerning coffee drinkers alike. It’s said the street was intended to be named after its owner, a Mr Alexander, but was transcribed backwards by local clerks or sign-makers accustomed to writing from right to left. A famous early resident was Filipino national hero José Rizal, who is honoured with a plaque at one end of the street.  Though nowadays you’re more likely to bump into brunch-goers at charming café Halfway Coffee . 

Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan

Highlights: traditional Chinese medicine, dried seafood and spices

For a full sensory overload, head to this Sheung Wan mainstay. Row after row of family-run traditional Chinese medicine, dried seafood and spice shops fill the area with unique aromas, while a chorus of clattering supply carts intermingles with chimes from the nearby tramline. It’s worth joining a tour of the area to learn about popular goods like dried scallops, morel mushrooms and edible bird’s nest, as trade is typically conducted in Cantonese or with generous hand gestures. Keep an eye out for the shop cats keeping a vigil over the wares at many stores.

Kowloon 

Toy Street (Fuk Wing Street), Sham Shui Po 

Highlights: toy shopping 

Toy Street, officially known as Fuk Wing Street, is a paradise for children and collectors of all ages, with vibrant stores selling everything from rare Pokémon cards to vintage discontinued figurines. Toys, music and bargains abound, though it’s best to visit ahead of the holiday crush, when crowds are dense and decorations spill out of storefronts. Be sure to spend time exploring the surrounding area as well, including Apliu Street for electronics, Nam Cheong Street for beads and ribbons, and Tai Nan Street for vibey restaurants, boutiques and cafés. 

Read our neighbourhood guide to Sham Shui Po. 

Shanghai Street, Yau Ma Tei

Highlights: tong laus, kitchen shopping

If you’re upgrading your kitchen or opening a new restaurant, there’s only one port of call: Shanghai Street. This Yau Ma Tei spot is famed for its restaurant supply stores, filled with everything from industrial cookware to charming rooster-patterned ceramics. It was renamed Shanghai Street in 1909 and for a time rivalled retail thoroughfare Nathan Road. Beyond crockery and dim sum steamers, this is where you’ll find the famous tong lau – historic tenement buildings – including the mint green and cream façade of 176-178 Shanghai Street.

Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei 

Highlights: Dai pai dongs, fortune telling, night markets 

Temple Street consistently tops Kowloon guides and has undergone a revitalisation in recent years, with a complete revamp of its iconic night market. Packed with dai pai dongs slinging fiery chilli crab platters and karaoke stalls, it’s a fascinating cross-section of the city and a photographer’s playground. Looking for spiritual guidance? Fortune tellers specialising in Chinese astrology and palm reading ply their trade here, a nod to the street’s namesake Tin Hau Temple, dedicated to the goddess of the sea. 

Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui to Prince Edward

Highlights: shopping, Chungking Mansions, The Peninsula 

Formerly called Robinson Road, this busy thoroughfare was renamed in the 1900s after a former city governor. It’s since become a mainstay for shopaholics and travellers, filled with mega malls, fascinating architecture and diverse restaurants. Over time, it’s grown to become the sweeping 3.6km stretch it is today, yet still includes nods to its past, including ancient banyan trees, the Kowloon Masjid, and 1881 Heritage, a former police station turned luxury hotel.