Small-Group Tour: Kowloon Temples and Markets Discovering

Meet your tour guide at Diamond Hill MTR station at 2pm,

Begin at Nan Lian Gardens. Here, you'll find over 3.5 hectares of landscaping and greenery. This is the only Tang Dynasty landscape garden layout that can be traced today. Each stone, tree, rock or water elements are landscaped after specific rules and regulations. It is built with a one-way circular path that will take you through the best views of the garden. Next, head to Chi Lin Nunnery, where Buddhist nuns meditate and seek enlightenment. It covers 33,000 square meters and consists of dozen of different halls, lotus ponds, and a five-floor Buddha pagoda. As a Buddhist temple, Chi Lin Nunnery also has the statues of Sakyamuni Buddha, Guanyin and other buddhas.

Then visit Wong Tai Sin Temple. A Taoist temple, Wong Tai Sin draws tens of thousands of worshipers to pray to their ancestors and the temple deities. Wong Tai Sin is popular among locals, but also well-known among Chinese around world. At the temple, you may kneel in front of the altar to make a wish and shake a bamboo cylinder to receive a fortune stick. These are exchanged for a piece of paper which can be interpreted by the soothsayers next to the temple. The fortunes given at this temple are often revered for their accuracy.

Make your next stop at Sneaker Street. Located on Fa Yuen Street between Argyle and Dundas, here you will find a large selection of sneakers from all the big brands. If you find something you like, don’t hesitate too long, as it might be sold out later due to the fast turnover at this location. Then head to Ladies Market, the most popular open-air market on the Kowloon side. It offers something for everyone: from t-shirts, watches, clocks, handbags, to DVDs and phone covers.

The tour will end at Mongkok, where your tour guide will see you off at the Mongkok MTR station at approximately 6pm.