Temple Street Night Market Place guide

The biggest and most famous night market in Hong Kong is Temple Street Night Market, a vibrant bazaar set around Tin Hau Temple. It’s one of the best places to visit in Hong Kong for total immersion in the chaos of local life.

Due to its iconic status, many movies have been filmed at Temple Street Night Market including the Queen of Temple Street (1990) and the Prince of Temple Street (1992). Gangster films have traditionally portrayed it as a place for street crime, but in reality, apart from a small risk of pickpocketing, it’s a safe area of town frequented by many tourists traveling to Hong Kong.

See: The Temple at the heart of the market is Tin Hau, dedicated to the Goddess of the sea. Once upon a time, it was situated on the waterfront, pushed back after decades of land reclamation. Many Chinese coastal cities have such temples in order to guide home fishermen and those who work at sea. Any Hong Kong guide will tell you to visit this colorful shrine with spirals of incense while exploring Temple Street.

Do: Not only is Temple Street Night Market a popular place for shopping, but it’s an atmospheric evening venue where opera singers and fortune tellers come out after sundown. Here tourists and locals can sit with a fortune teller to get insight into what the universe has in store for them, or relax on the streets and watch as talented performers put on vibrant shows late into the evening.

Shop: For shoppers, there are many goods and services on offer at Temple Street Night Market. Jade and antiques are famously sold at markets across Hong Kong and there are no shortage of these at Temple Street. Shoppers can haggle over the goods, many of which are decades old and date back to days of colonial rule. Other goods to be found include men and women’s clothes, watches, jewelry, chopsticks, chinaware, trinkets, electronics and souvenirs. 

Eat: Foodies will also be well catered to at Temple Street due to its reputation for serving authentic Hong Kong street food. Food has long since been an important part of the culture and there’s no exception at this vibey market.

Both snacks and full meals can be found at the market. Seafood, noodles, claypot rice can be found at ‘dai pai dongs’, or small food stalls. Restaurants and cafes also line Temple Street so that hungry shoppers can sit for a full meal and sample regional local dishes from Hong Kong.

Get there: MTR Yau Ma Tei Station, Exit C or MTR Jordan Station, Exit A.