Best museums in Hong Kong

Exploring museums is one of the best ways to understand more about the culture of a place. It is a kind of comfortable and inspiring leisure activity that is suitable for all ages. Want to learn more about this tiny important international city where the East meets West but don’t know where to start? No worries, I have selected some of the best museums in Hong Kong for you to enjoy. I have been to all of them personally and they are all very exciting.

To celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the establishment of HKSAR, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) cooperates with the Palace Museum, the British Museum and the Louvre Museum to present three world-class special exhibitions this summer. Check them out below and have fun!

Hong Kong Museum of History

The Hong Kong Museum of History was established in 1975 and was moved to its present site in 1998. Covering an area of 7,000 square meters, with a total of eight galleries, the permanent exhibition – The Hong Kong Story, showcases Hong Kong’s natural environment, folklore and historical development. You can learn more about Hong Kong in prehistoric times, from the Han to the Qing Dynasties, during the colonial and wartime periods. I have written about this museum earlier here.

Opening Hours:

• Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 10am – 6pm
• Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 10am – 7pm
• Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve: 10am – 5pm
• Closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays), and the first two days of the Chinese New Year

Admission: Free for the permanent exhibition

• Address: 100 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon (opposite to the Science Museum)
• Official website: https://hk.history.museum/en_US/web/mh/

How to get there: The easiest way to get there is by MTR.

• Tsim Sha Tsui Station Exit B2. Walk along Cameron Road towards Tsim Sha Tsui East for approximately 20 minutes.
• Jordan Station Exit D. Walk along Austin Road towards Tsim Sha Tsui East for approximately 20 minutes.
• East Tsim Sha Tsui Station Exit P2. Walk along the Chatham Road South for 10 minutes.

Hong Kong Science Museum

Hong Kong Science Museum has provided an ideal and unique place for learning science since its opening in 1991. Visitors are encouraged to explore exhibits in their own way as most of them are interactive and suitable for all ages. The most distinctive exhibit is the 22-m high twin-tower Energy Machine which is the largest of its kind in the world. There are 17 galleries in total covering a wide range of science and technology topics.

Opening Hours:

• Monday to Wednesday, Friday: 10am – 7pm
• Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 10am – 9pm
• Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve: 10am – 5pm
• Closed on Thursdays (except public holidays), and the first two days of the Chinese New Year

Admission:

• Standard Ticket: HK$20
• Group Ticket (20 people or more per visit): HK$14
• Concessionary Ticket: $10
• Free admission on Wednesdays for all, free admission for full-time students

How to get there: the same as Hong Kong Museum of History, please see above for details.

• Address: 2 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon (opposite to the History Museum)
• Official website: https://hk.science.museum/en_US/web/scm/index.html

Hong Kong Heritage Museum

The Hong Kong Heritage Museum is a fusion of history, art and culture with a wide range of programmes and exhibits. Opened in 2000, it has an exhibition area of some 7,500 square metres featuring five permanent galleries – the Jin Yong Gallery (newly opened on 1st March, 2017) , the Cantonese Opera Heritage Hall, the T.T. Tsui Gallery of Chinese Art, the Chao Shao-an Gallery and the Children’s Discovery Gallery – as well as six thematic galleries.

Opening Hours:

• Monday, Wednesday to Friday: 10am – 6pm
• Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 10am – 7pm
• Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve: 10am – 5pm
• Closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of the Chinese New Year.

Admission: Free for permanent exhibitions

• Address: 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin, New Territories
• Official website: https://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/en_US/web/hm/highlights.html

How to get there:

• MTR East Rail Line: 15-minute walk from either Tai Wai or Sha Tin station
• MTR Ma On Shan Line: 5-minute walk across the river from Che Kung Temple station

Hong Kong Railway Museum

The Hong Kong Railway Museum is an open-air museum, which is converted from the old Tai Po Market Railway Station. The station was built in 1913, declared a monument in 1984, and transformed into a museum in 1985. Occupying some 6,500 square meters, the museum features six historical coaches, a narrow-gauge steam locomotive and a diesel electric engine No.51. The most exciting thing is that you can get on board the nostalgic coaches. You may also visit a nearby declared monument, Man Mo Temple.

Opening Hours:

• Monday, Wednesday to Sunday: 10 am to 6 pm
• Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve: 10 am to 5 pm
• Closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of the Chinese New Year

Admission: Free

• Address: 13 Shung Tak Street, Tai Po Market, Tai Po, New Territories
• Official website: https://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/en_US/web/hm/museums/railway.html

How to get there:

• MTR Tai Wo Station Exit B – East Rail Line: Get to Tai Wo Plaza and reach the ground level. Walk pass Tai Wo Estate to Po Nga Road, take the Tai Wo bridge to cross the Lam Tsuen River and get to Pak Shing Street. Turn right to Yan Hing Street and walk to the end of it. Then, turn right and walk up a few steps to get there. It takes about 10-15 mins walk.
• You may take a taxi at Tai Po Market MTR Station or Tai Wo MTR Station.

Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence

The Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence was opened in 2000. It is converted from the Lei Yue Mun Fort built by the British forces in 1887. Occupying a total area of 34,200 square meters, the permanent exhibition covers the Ming and Qing period, the British period, the Japanese invasion and the period after the resumption of Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong. The exhibition also features some 400 military artefacts supplemented by multi-media programmes.

Opening Hours:

• The Museum is now closed for revamping until 2020.
• March through September: Monday to Wednesday, Friday to Sunday: 10am – 6pm
• October through February: Monday to Wednesday, Friday to Sunday: 10am – 5pm
• Closed on Thursdays (except public holidays), and the first two days of the Chinese New Year

Admission: Free for the permanent exhibition

• Address: 175 Tung Hei Road. Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong
• Official website: https://hk.coastaldefence.museum/en_US/web/mcd/aboutus.html

How to get there:

• Shau Kei Wan MTR Station Exit B2 – walk for 15 minutes following road signs
• City Bus route No.85, running between Braemar Hill and Siu Sai Wan via Citypalza.
• First Bus route No.82X, running between North Point Healthy Village and Siu Sai Wan via Kornhill Plaza.

Which museum in Hong Kong are you planning to visit? Which one is your favorite? Please feel free to leave us comments or contact us if you have any questions.

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