For those hunting for bargains on clothing, footwear, and accessories, the Ladies Market remains the best street market to shop in Hong Kong.  Contrary to the name, items in this market are not just for women.

You really can find just about anything from cell phone cases to toys, clothing, quality silk, pashmina scarves and even some souvenirs.

This market is also great if you are shopping for wallets, purses, backpacks, tote bags, and even suitcases.  Wallets/bags are actually quite cheap and have decent quality. 

My Picks at the Ladies Market?

Jerseys! Mostly NBA jerseys. This place has a really good quality ones and for quite cheap too. You can get them for about $20 a pop!

T-shirts. Very good quality, the prices are up there though. I think the prices match the quality though so don’t expect dirt cheap prices like in mainland China. I think they’re worth it though.

Overall, there’s really good value for the quality of the products at this market.

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. And being such a hot tourist destination, there are a ton of options for both luxury as well as inexpensive places to stay in the city.

The first thing I recommend is figuring out where you want to stay in the city. Major areas for travelers include popular areas of Hong Kong Island, such as Causeway Bay and Wan Chai. But if you want to be in a more traditional area and near the Ladies Market in particular, then staying in Kowloon and the Mong Kok area provides a lot of convenient options for accommodations.

You can find a number of international hotels in Hong Kong, but also many smaller guest houses that are quite affordable. There are some hostels in Hong Kong as well; however, for the price, you can pay just a couple bucks more and get a decent room all to yourself. 

Keep in mind that rooms are super small in Hong Kong! Even in a private hotel room you might barely have room for the bed, bathroom and if you are lucky a small table or desk. 

It’s tight! But with so much to do just outside your door, you likely won’t be spending a lot of time in your room anyway. 

Another option is to get an Airbnb in Hong Kong. There are many of them around the city, and it’s really cool to have more of a “homey” space of an apartment. But again, they will probably still be small on space!

Hong Kong is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Asia and is made up of a wide mix of neighborhoods. The city consists of two main parts: Kowloon, which is more on the traditional side, and then there’s Hong Kong Island, the more modern part of the city.

Mong Kok (where the Ladies Market is located) is just one part of the Kowloon area. But the whole Kowloon area is a great, traditional part of Hong Kong within itself. It has that classic, lively Hong Kong character. This is the area you think of when you think Hong Kong.

Other popular areas on Hong Kong Island Include:

• Central District Hong Kong Island is a must-visit area for anyone who wants to see glittering skyscrapers and modern-art galleries.
• Sheung Wan is a hipster-dominated area with bohemian stores, trendy coffee shops, and cutting-edge eateries.
• SoHo – which is short for South of Hollywood Road. It has many cool bars, restaurants, comedy clubs, galleries, and boutiques.
• Causeway Bay is a modern entertainment and shopping district that feels less like Hong Kong and more like New York city in some ways.
• Wan Chai – Near Causeway Bay, this is also a top spot for entertainment and nightlife, especially for expats and visitors to China.

Popular Sights to See in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of the most impressive cities in the world and has one of the most impressive and recognizable skylines on Earth.

Some of the best places to see the Hong Kong skyline are from the top of Victoria Peak and the Kowloon waterfront promenade. 

Other popular sites away from the city include the Big Buddha statue above Lantau Island’s Po Lin monastery. The statue was built in 1993 and is still the largest Buddha statue of its kind in the world. 

There are also a number of traditional temples to explore around Hong Kong, and even some countryside and islands – if you are up for it. 

The Mong Kok area near the Ladies Market offers a ton of food choices! From classic Hong Kong street food to Indian, Turkish, Japanese… Just to name a few. Food joints line the buildings going the length of the market (behind the tents).

Variety of Foods to Try in Hong Kong

Hong Kong cuisine was largely influenced by Cantonese cuisine, European cuisines, Southeast Asian cuisines, and others such as the Hakka, Hokkien, Teochew, and Shanghainese cuisines. Hongkongers are extremely fond of seafood and have developed many ways of cooking it. They also enjoy their pork, chicken, goose, tofu, noodles, and rice.

After many years under British rule, the people have also developed the routine of drinking tea and eating snacks in tea houses in the morning or afternoon. You can have your tea anywhere; there are numerous restaurants and refreshments carts that serve this delicious hot beverage. The most famous is Hong Kong-style milk tea made with evaporated milk.

Best Food in Hong Kong

One of the best reasons you should go on a culinary (and shopping) trip to Hong Kong is to eat dim sum. This dish translates as “one cup, two pieces” and is made of savory or sweet ingredients to complement tea, which is why it’s often served at teahouses.

Sweet and sour pork is also one of the comfort foods in Hong Kong. The Cantonese original is made with vinegar, preserved plums, and hawthorn candy, but nowadays it’s mostly made with ketchup. Other must-try dishes include roast goose, wind sand chicken, Phoenix talons, steamed shrimp dumplings, stinky tofu, and for those with a sweet tooth, the delicious egg tarts.

Popular Food Markets in Hong Kong

Food markets have been part of the Hong Kong culinary experience for over a century. They serve affordable yet delicious traditional foods in a communal setting with a variety of options to choose from. Although you can find many food stalls at the Ladies Market on Tung Choi Street, you can explore other areas of the city in search of good food. A lot of street food in Hong Kong is made to be eaten on the go due to the busy city life!

Hong Kong is a crammed area inhabited by more than 7 million people. And when the Hongkongers need to shop, they head over to Mongkok, or “busy corner” in Cantonese. Mongkok is the Guinness World Record holder for the most densely populated place on the planet. It’s one of the liveliest districts of Hong Kong, full of shops, stalls, and the world-famous Ladies Market.

Hong Kong’s Ladies Market was set up in 1975 when the authorities decided to define an “authorized hawking zone.” In the beginning, the market occupied a smaller area and most traders sold only women’s clothes and accessories. As the market got more and more popular, the government extended it and tourists can now find a broader range of products for men and women alike.

You should also know that the market is usually livelier towards mid-afternoon than in the first part of the day. On weekends, it gets even more packed, so consider visiting the Ladies Market in the early hours of the day to avoid the crowds.

Modern-day Hong Kong is best known for its dazzling skyscrapers, but this territory was once a quiet backwater of rural settlements and fishing communities, where the mountainous terrain dominated the landscape. Human life in Hong Kong can be traced as far back as the Stone Age. It later became part of the Chinese empire, having been incorporated into the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC).

Hong Kong started out as a farming village and became a major free port and eventually an important international financial center. In 1842, the Qing dynasty ceded the city to the British Empire and it became a British crown colony for a limited period of time. From 1941 to 1945, Hong Kong was occupied by Japan, but by the end of WWII, it was returned to British rule. Alas, on July 1, 1997, the Handover of Hong Kong returned Hong Kong to Chinese rule. Today, the city continues to enjoy its long-lasting success as a financial center.

Hong Kong’s economic history has been largely determined by its geographical location. By 500 BCE, the technology used by the Chinese population was dozens of years ahead of that used by Middle Easterners and Europeans. For hundreds of years, China continued to be the largest economy in the world.

Since the island was barren and lacked in resources, its principal asset was a sheltered deepwater harbor that attracted the commerce of all nations. The Chinese offered low taxes and – more importantly – freedom from official interference.

European traders visiting the Chinese Empire were dazzled by the amazing products such as tea and porcelain. The textile industry also expanded, and this was due to the skilled manufacturers that knew exactly what to deliver: affordable cloths for Africans, woolen gloves for Europeans, and drip-dry shirts for Northern Americans. To this day, Hong Kong remains a success story.