Nathan Road


Named after Hong Kong's only Jewish governor, Matthew Nathan, Kowloon’s main drag is a bit of a traffic- and pedestrian-choked scrum of malls, jewellery stores and fashion boutiques. It’s nonetheless an iconic Hong Kong scene where guesthouses rub shoulders with luxury hotels. And it’s completely safe – which is just as well since you won’t be able to avoid using it if you spend any time in the area.

Be sure to wander as far as the stretch running parallel with and north of Kowloon Park, shaded by a glorious canopy of banyan trees.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Former Kowloon British School

0.05 MILES

One of the oldest surviving school buildings in Hong Kong, the Kowloon British School was established in 1902 to teach the children of expat residents…

2. St Andrew’s Anglican Church

0.08 MILES

Sitting atop a knoll adjacent to the Former Kowloon British School is this charming building in English Gothic style that houses Kowloon’s oldest…

3. Kowloon Mosque & Islamic Centre

0.15 MILES

With its splendid dome, quartet of 11m-high minarets and lattice window tracery, the Kowloon Mosque is a captivating building and an important place of…

4. Kowloon Park

0.15 MILES

Built on the site of a barracks for an Indian regiment of the British Army, Kowloon Park is an oasis of greenery and a refreshing escape from the Nathan…

5. Hong Kong Observatory

0.18 MILES

This lovely historical monument, built in 1883, is sadly not open to the public, except for two days in March every year (see website for dates). It…

6. Fook Tak Ancient Temple

0.24 MILES

Tsim Sha Tsui’s only temple is a smoke-filled hole in the wall with a hot tin roof. Little is known about its ancestry except that it was built as a…

7. Rosary Church

0.31 MILES

Kowloon’s oldest Catholic church was built in 1905 with money donated by a Portuguese doctor in Hong Kong, initially for the benefit of the Catholics in…

8. Kowloon Union Church

0.33 MILES

This red-brick church with Protestant roots was constructed in 1930 with money from an English businessman of Armenian descent. It was built in a neo…