Old Hong Kong: Kennedy Town Travel Guide

A 1950s street inside a theme park

Start with the location, because it trips people up. Old Hong Kong isn’t in Kennedy Town. It is a themed zone inside Ocean Park, at 180 Wong Chuk Hang Road on the island’s south side. You walk through the park gates first, then into a stage-set version of the city your grandparents might remember.

Everything here is built to look like mid-20th-century Hong Kong. You’ll find antique trams parked along the street, painted shop signs and narrow frontages styled after the old-school shops that once lined Western District. It is a replica, not a heritage site. Treat it as a photo walk and a snack stop between rides, not a museum.

Getting there from Kennedy Town

The trip takes one change and is easy.

• Board the MTR Island Line at Kennedy Town Station, heading east.
• Change at Admiralty to the South Island Line.
• Ride one stop to Ocean Park Station. The park entrance is right beside the exit.

Before you leave Kennedy Town, have a look at the real thing. The city’s double-decker trams, known locally as the “ding ding”, run to their western terminus in Kennedy Town. Seeing those first makes the replica trams at Old Hong Kong much more fun to compare.

Opening days and planning your time

Check the calendar before you plan the trip. Old Hong Kong is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

• Monday, Thursday, Friday: 10:00am to 6:00pm
• Saturday and Sunday: 10:00am to 6:30pm

Allow 30 to 45 minutes to walk the street, board the trams for photos and browse the shopfronts. The zone is only a small part of Ocean Park, so fold it into a full park day rather than making a separate trip. Entry is covered by your Ocean Park ticket. Current prices are listed on the park’s official website and at the gate, and buying online saves you the ticket-window queue.

Walking Old Hong Kong like a Hongkonger

A little background makes the street much more interesting. Here is how to get the most from it.

• Read the signs. Many of the painted shopfronts copy traditional Cantonese signage. The calligraphy style and the trades they advertise are the real history lesson here.
• Pay with Octopus. The stored-value Octopus card you use on the MTR is accepted all over Hong Kong, including at most park outlets. Cards work too.
• Skip the tip. Tipping isn’t expected at counters in Hong Kong.
• Go early or late. Most visitors head straight for the big rides, so the replica street can feel busy or quiet depending on where the crowd has moved. If you want empty tram photos, walking through near opening or near closing is the safest reasoning.
• Know your expectations. Reviews are mixed-to-positive. People who enjoy it treat it as nostalgia and scenery. People who complain expected a full attraction.

Afterwards, ride the MTR back to Kennedy Town and walk the Belcher Bay waterfront. There you’ll see the streets this zone is imitating, still in everyday use.