There are so many things to love about Hong Kong, and if you love places that exude nostalgic, retro, or old-fashioned vibes, then you will also love Hong Kong. Much of the old-fashioned culture has been preserved (however of course things are slowly changing). Here are 9 activities that you can do in Hong Kong to truly experience retro Hong Kong!
1. Visit a cha chaan teng
When you’re in Hong Kong, the one thing you MUST do to experience local Hong Kong culture is to visit a cha chaan teng (CCT). A cha chaan teng is basically a Hong Kong style cafe, serving up baked goods, Cantonese dishes, and westernized Hong Kong dishes.
Here are some of the classics:
- Milk tea: Black tea with evaporated milk (hot version), or black tea with condensed milk (iced version).
- Pineapple bun: Actually not containing any pineapple, this bun gets its name from the sugary crust that resembles the exterior of a pineapple. In Cantonese, the name is “bolo bao”. May be served with a slab of butter inside, or some cha siu (BBQ pork).
In addition, cha chaan tengs are known for their old fashioned interiors. Forget modern cafes – cafes decorated in the vintage style serving up nostalgia are in!
Two that I visited on my trip and decorated in the retro style are:
Cheung Hing Coffee Shop
Kam Wah Cafe
2. Shop for nostalgic souvenirs
There are multiple items that are iconic to Hong Kong, including good morning towels, red-white-blue plaid bags, rooster bowls. If you visited a cha chaan teng and want to recreate the cha chaan teng aesthetic at home, you can also pick up either the Black & White brand cup (the cup with a cow on it!) or the red/green rimmed cup.
You can read more in my nostalgic souvenir shopping guide:
Or check out my Instagram reels about the cha chaan teng cups & plaid bags:
3. Search for the remaining neon signs
Most of Hong Kong’s neon lights have been taken down or replaced with LEDs due to government safety regulations. Although the streets of Hong Kong may not look the same as they did in the 70s, or even a decade ago, with some searching, there’s are a few lighted signs you can hunt for on and around Nathan Road/in the Mongkok area.
Here’s some neon signs that I found:
If you walk around Mongkok, likely you will stumble upon these signs. However, here are some recommended destinations:
📍Changsha & Portland St
📍Argyle & Portland St
📍Wo Hing Victory Mahjong
4. Admire the MTR station tiles
Hong Kong has the prettiest MTR stations in the world! Don’t miss out on visiting as many as you can to enjoy the different wall and marble floor tiles. Did you know most stations are adorned with tiles, or are a unique color? These tiles were used to bring color and help distinguish stations for the large illiterate population in the 1970s.
Some of my favorite stations were:
📍Prince Edward
📍Mong Kok
📍Yau Ma Tei
📍Sham Shui Po
5. Visit Sham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po is one of Hong Kong’s oldest neighborhoods. You can find a bunch of fabric shops, local style street shopping, and some vintage shops. It’s also home to Kung Wo Beancurd Factory, a restaurant specializing in soy products that’s been in business for over 60 years. Plus, Sham Shui Po has one of the prettiest MTR stations with beautiful green tiles.
A visual guide is available here:
6. Enjoy Hong Kong’s public housing architecture
Hong Kong is extremely densely populated, and to accommodate all those residents, you are going to see tons of tall public housing apartment buildings. Some are uniquely designed, such as:
📍Choi Hung Estate
Literally meaning ‘Rainbow Estate’, this public housing building consists of a colorful basketball court and a rainbow colored apartment building. Get off at Choi Hung MTR and go to the top of the car park.
📍Yick Cheong Building (Monster Building)
5 apartment buildings connected to each other and is home to 100,000 residents. Located in Quarry Bay.
📍Kwong Fung Building
A hidden gem consisting of a row of pastel colored buildings. Located in Mongkok
8. Visit old shops
If you walk around Hong Kong, you are bound to stumble upon shops run by generations of families that specialize in certain products. There are ones that make hand-embroidered Chinese slippers (such as Sindart), handmade bamboo steamers (such as Tuck Chong Sum Kee), or my favorite, Fuk Shing Yuen Kee, a stall in Sai Ying Pun filled to the brim with dishes.
9. Ride the tram
Also known as “Ding Ding”, because of the noise it makes at stops, the tram is Hong Kong’s oldest form of public transportation. It’s slower than MRT, but you get to see the streets. The tram is available on the Hong Kong side only.
Here’s a guide to riding the tram:
And here are some additional tips:
- Use Google Maps to find the nearest tram stop
- Because trams go in both directions, you’ll know you’re at the right stop if you see your stop listed on the map at the tram stop
- The trams will be labeled with the end destination of the route
- Follow along on Google Maps or look at the stop names because the stops are not announced verbally
- Trams stop at every stop so you don’t need to press any stop buttons
- Enter from the back and pay when you exit at the front (flat fare of 3 HKD/adult)
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