One of 2 self-guided walks in Hong Kong. See every walk.
In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Ride the covered Central–Mid-Levels Escalator uphill, walk through the colonial courtyards of Tai Kwun and the design studios of PMQ, follow Hollywood Road past the antiques shops to Man Mo Temple, drop down to Cat Street, and finish at the red-brick Western Market: about 2 km and 2.5 to 3.5 hours with stops. Start after 10:00: the escalator runs downhill from 06:00 to 10:00 and uphill from 10:00 to midnight. Or book a tour: Hong Kong Must-See Attractions Walking Tour with a Guidead (from HK$515, 4.2 stars from 10 reviews) covers Central Market, the escalator, Tai Kwun and Man Mo Temple with a licensed guide.
The route
Map of the walk numbered stops in walking order
Open the whole route in Google Maps: all eight stops in walking order, set to walking directions on your phone.
The route climbs the hillside of Hong Kong Island from the offices of Central to the old Chinese merchant streets of Sheung Wan. The escalator does the climbing; the rest is flat or downhill along Hollywood Road and the steps beside it. The Star Ferry gives a quick way on to the Tsim Sha Tsui to West Kowloon walk afterwards.
| Stop | Open | What is there |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Central station and Central Market | MTR daily | Start of the elevated walkway to the escalator |
| 2. Central–Mid-Levels Escalator | Downhill 06:00 to 10:00, uphill 10:00 to midnight | 800 m of escalators and walkways |
| 3. Tai Kwun | Compound 08:00 to 23:00 | Former police station, magistracy and prison |
| 4. PMQ | Studios 12:00 to 19:00; cafes 09:00 to 23:00 | Design studios in former police quarters |
| 5. Hollywood Road | Shops keep their own hours | Antiques shops and galleries |
| 6. Man Mo Temple | Free | Temple of the gods of literature and war |
| 7. Cat Street | Stalls and shops keep their own hours | Antiques and curios market street |
| 8. Western Market | Shops keep their own hours | Edwardian market building |
Tours that cover this route
The walk is free and every stop is marked below. A guide adds the stories and a fixed meeting time. These GetYourGuide walks run through Central and Sheung Wan.
Guided walk through Central and Western
From HK$515 · 4.2 stars from 10 reviews · 3 hours · private option · free cancellation
Hong Kong Must-See Attractions Walking Tour with a Guidead: a three-hour guided walk of the Central and Western districts through Central Market, the Mid-Levels Escalator, Tai Kwun and Man Mo Temple. It is the closest match to this route; the listing offers a private group and asks for booking at least 10 hours ahead.
Heritage walk in Central
From HK$459 · 4.5 stars from 28 reviews · 3 to 4 hours · private option · free cancellation
Hong Kong Heritage - Past to Presentad: a heritage walk among the historic buildings left between the skyscrapers of Central, with a private option and pick-up. It suits anyone who wants the history behind the buildings more than a list of stops.
Introduction to Hong Kong
From HK$150 · 4.8 stars from 198 reviews · 2 hours · free cancellation
Hong Kong: Introduction to Hong Kong Walking Tourad: a two-hour talk-led walk on Hong Kong’s legal and financial systems, its political relationship with China and its history, told through the guides’ own story. The listing marks it as likely to sell out and takes bookings up to 30 minutes ahead.
1. Central station and Central Market
Central station Exit D1, or Hong Kong station Exit E · MTR daily
Tai Kwun gives two ways to reach the escalator. From Central station Exit D1 (Wheelock House), walk along Queen’s Road Central towards Sheung Wan, turn left at Queen Victoria Street and take the escalator in 100QRC. From Hong Kong station Exit E (One IFC), the Central elevated walkway leads to the former Central Market, where the escalator system begins (taikwun.hk). Getting back is cheap: Central to Sheung Wan costs HK$4.90 with an Octopus card or HK$5.00 for a single-journey ticket (MTR fares).
2. Central–Mid-Levels Escalator
Free · Downhill 06:00 to 10:00, uphill 10:00 to midnight daily · 800 m
The Central–Mid-Levels Escalator in SoHo. Photo: WingLuk, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The system is 800 m long and climbs 135 m from Queen’s Road Central to Conduit Road in the Mid-Levels. It opened on 15 October 1993 and cost HK$240 million to build. The Transport Department counted about 85,000 trips a day in 2010. End to end takes about 20 minutes, less if you climb the stairs beside it (Wikipedia).
- Direction: one way at a time. It runs downhill from 06:00 to 10:00, then uphill from 10:00 until midnight. In the morning, going up means taking the stairs and ramps alongside.
- Where to get off: you do not need to ride far. Get off at Hollywood Road; Tai Kwun’s Footbridge Gate, on Hollywood Road at Old Bailey Street, connects straight to the escalator (taikwun.hk).
- SoHo: the stretch above Hollywood Road is lined with restaurants and bars. It is called SoHo, short for “south of Hollywood Road”.
3. Tai Kwun
Free to walk round · 10 Hollywood Road · Compound 08:00 to 23:00 · Visitor Centre 10:00 to 20:00
The Parade Ground at Tai Kwun. Photo: Wpcpey, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Tai Kwun means “Big Station” in Cantonese. It is the former Central Police Station, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison, restored as a heritage and arts centre with 16 historic buildings and two modern additions. The oldest structure is the 1864 Barrack Block. Tai Kwun’s timeline records that Ho Chi Minh was arrested in Hong Kong and held in Victoria Gaol between 1931 and 1933 (taikwun.hk).
- Parade Ground: the open square at the heart of the compound, framed by the Barrack Block and the Police Headquarters Block.
- Central Magistracy: the courtroom exhibition shows how a hearing ran.
- JC Contemporary: the art gallery, open 11:00 to 19:00, Tuesday to Sunday. The heritage exhibitions open 11:00 to 19:00, with the Main Heritage Gallery and Operation Central from 10:00.
The full guide is Tai Kwun and PMQ.
4. PMQ
Free to walk round · 35 Aberdeen Street · Studios and shops 12:00 to 19:00 · Cafes and restaurants 09:00 to 23:00
From Tai Kwun, walk west along Hollywood Road and turn up Aberdeen Street. PMQ was built in 1951 as quarters for junior police officers, on the grounds of Queen’s College, and opened as a creative hub in April 2014 (Wikipedia). The former flats now hold design studios, shops and restaurants. Studios open at 12:00, so arrive after lunch or eat here first; individual studios list their own hours on pmq.org.hk.
5. Hollywood Road
Shops keep their own hours
Hollywood Road was the second road built in the colony, after Queen’s Road Central, and the first to be completed. It became known for antiques sold by sailors and merchants who brought objects from China, and it is still lined with shops selling Chinese furniture, porcelain, Buddha sculptures and rugs. It has also become a gallery district; the first gallery, Plum Blossoms, opened in 1987 (Wikipedia). Walk west from PMQ and the road leads straight to Man Mo Temple.
6. Man Mo Temple
124–126 Hollywood Road · Free · 08:00 to 18:00 daily
Incense coils hanging inside Man Mo Temple. Photo: Aethelfirth, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Man Mo Temple dates from 1847 and is dedicated to Man Cheong, the god of literature, and Kwan Tai, the god of war. It has been run by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals since 1908, was graded Grade I in 1993 and is a declared monument. The complex has three blocks: the temple itself, Lit Shing Kung, for all the heavenly gods, and Kung So, the assembly hall where community disputes were settled (Wikipedia). Students come to pray for exam results. The coils hang from the roof beams, each with a red tag, and the air inside is thick with smoke. The temple is open 08:00 to 18:00 daily, and from 07:00 on the 1st and 15th of every lunar month and on four temple festivals (Tung Wah Group of Hospitals).
7. Cat Street
Upper Lascar Row · Stalls and shops keep their own hours
An antiques shop and stall on Cat Street. Photo: Tungpengmaliu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Cat Street is the nickname for Lascar Row, which is Upper Lascar Row and Lok Ku Road (formerly Lower Lascar Row). Upper Lascar Row is a narrow lane of about 150 m, parallel to Hollywood Road on its north side. The name comes from the Cantonese “mouse goods”, meaning stolen goods, and shoppers picking carefully through the stock were likened to cats stalking mice. The area has been an antiques and second-hand market since the 1920s (Wikipedia). From Man Mo Temple, take the steps down beside the temple to reach it.
8. Western Market
323 Des Voeux Road Central · Sheung Wan station Exit B
The granite arch at an entrance to Western Market. Photo: Shamiu Shiaok Hungiw, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
From Cat Street, walk down to Queen’s Road Central and on to Des Voeux Road Central. Western Market is a four-storey Queen Anne Revival building with bands of red brick and granite, built in 1906 as the North Block of the original market. It is the oldest surviving market building in Hong Kong, was declared a monument in 1990 and reopened in 1991 (Wikipedia).
- Back to the MTR: Sheung Wan station Exit B opens at Western Market (Wikipedia). To Central it costs HK$4.90 with Octopus, HK$5.00 for a single ticket.
- By tram: Western Market is the western end of the Western Market to Shau Kei Wan line. Adult fare is HK$3.30; first tram 05:42 and last 00:06 (hktramways.com).
Where to go next
- Across the harbour: the Star Ferry crosses from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui in about 9 minutes (Transport Department data); the adult upper-deck fare is HK$5 on weekdays and HK$6.50 at weekends and public holidays, and ferries run from 06:30 to 23:30 (starferry.com.hk). It drops you where the Tsim Sha Tsui to West Kowloon walk begins.
- Up the Peak: the Peak Tram is a 10 to 15 minute walk from Central station Exit J2; see Peak Tram and Sky Terrace 428 tickets.
- Eat nearby: Hong Kong food tours compares the guided tasting walks, and the where to eat guide lists the noodle shops and tea cafes of Central.
- More to see: Tai Kwun and PMQ covers the compound in detail, free things to do in Hong Kong lists more places with no entry fee, and things to do in Hong Kong is the full list.
Common questions
How long does the Central to Sheung Wan walk take?
The route is about 2 kilometres and takes roughly half an hour of actual walking. Allow 2.5 to 3.5 hours with Tai Kwun, PMQ, Man Mo Temple and Cat Street.
Which direction does the Mid-Levels Escalator run?
Downhill from 06:00 to 10:00, then uphill from 10:00 until midnight, every day. Start after 10:00 to ride up. The whole system takes about 20 minutes end to end.
Is it free to visit Tai Kwun and PMQ?
Both are free to walk round. Tai Kwun's compound is open 08:00 to 23:00, and PMQ's studios and shops 12:00 to 19:00 (cafes and restaurants 09:00 to 23:00).
What is the best time of day to do this walking route?
Start at Central after 10:00, when the escalator runs uphill, and reach PMQ after 12:00, when its studios open. Man Mo Temple is free to enter and open 08:00 to 18:00.
Where does the walk start and finish?
It starts at Central station and finishes at Western Market, 323 Des Voeux Road Central, a short walk from Sheung Wan station (Exit B) and the tram stops on Des Voeux Road Central.
