Free Museums and Parks in Hong Kong: A Guide For Budget Travelers

Exploring Hong Kong can hurt your wallet. Aside from the expensive food, many tourist spots have exorbitant fees. A 1-Day Ticket to Hong Kong Disneyland, which is one of the top tourist attractions in HK, costs almost five grand (in PHP; get discounted tickets via Klook here). Tickets to The Peak Team (book here) and Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car (book here) aren’t too cheap either.

But if you’re on a tight budget, you can still explore Hong Kong by visiting free attractions. In this article, I’m listing down the free museums and parks that we’ve visited and highly recommend.

City Gallery

The City Gallery showcases the history of Hong Kong’s urban development, as well as the city’s urban future. It’s founded in August 20, 2012 and housed in the former City Hall Annex Building.

Inside one of the areas in the City Gallery

Like many of the museums in this list, the City Gallery has interactive elements, which make learning more fun. An example is a huge room with LED walls and floors (see the photo below). The LED panels interact when stepped on it.

You can also “fly” a virtual drone to explore Hong Kong’s developing areas:

There’s also a Lego miniature of the City Gallery building:

We easily spent almost 4 hours here! That’s how much we enjoyed the City Gallery!

Address: 3 Edinburgh Pl., Central, Hong Kong | Operating Hours: Monday, Wednesday & Thursday, 10AM-6PM; Friday-Sunday, 10AM-7PM | Contact No.: +852 3102-1242 | Website

Hong Kong Museum of History

As its name suggests, this museum tells the (his)story of Hong Kong, back from the ancient times, through the British occupation, and down to becoming an renowned international metropolis that it is today.

A Miniature Version of Old Hong Kong Buses

When we visited, there were interesting special exhibits, such as the “Multifaceted Hong Kong” Exhibition Series, which has three exhibits. One of the three, is the “Sojourning in Gold Mountain: Hong Kong and the Lives of Overseas Chinese in California”, which tells the story of Chinese immigrants to The Golden State during the Gold Rush. It’s really interesting, and it now makes Jackie Chan’s Shanghai Noon more believable! LOL.

At the Sojourning in Gold Mountain Exhibit

We’re also fortunate that at the day of our visit, there was a free Minibus Sign Keychain Crafting Workshop. Although the mode of instruction was in Cantonese, the steps were easy to follow.

At the Minibus Sign Keychain Crafting Workshop

Here’s my keychain:

Address: 100 Chatham Rd. S, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong | Operating Hours: Monday & Wednesday-Friday, 10AM-6PM; Saturday, Sunday & Public Holiday, 10AM-7PM; Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year, 10AM-5PM (except on closed days) | Contact No.: +852 2724-9042 | Website

Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens

Built in 1860 and opened to the public in 1871, the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is the oldest park in Hong Kong. It has a nice collection of birds, mammals, reptiles, and flowers.

It’s our first time to see otters here:

The zoo also keeps incredible primates. They’re also fun to watch!

We went here because we learned that there are flamingos, which my wife loves. It’s also our first time to see these pink birds:

And this zoo is also keeping up with the museums when it comes to interactive elements:

Inside the Education and Exhibition Centre

This zoo is one of the best zoos I’ve ever visited in my life, and I can’t believe that there is no entrance fee at all!

Address: Albany Rd., Central, Hong Kong | Operating Hours: Daily, 5AM-10PM (Fountain Terrace Garden); 9AM-4:30PM (Green House and Education and Exhibition Centre); 6AM-7PM (Mammals Section); 6AM-7PM (Other Areas) | Website

Tai Kwun

Located in Central, Tai Kwun is a vibrant hub for arts, culture, and heritage. It’s the product of the partnership between the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Hong Kong government.

Tai Kwun is also the location of three revitalized Declared Monuments in Hong Kong: Central Magistracy, Central Police Station, and Victoria Prison (which were all placed together so that it’s like a one-stop shop).

While Tai Kwun has become a mixed use development, it turned the declared monuments into museums. My favorite is the permanent exhibition in the Central Magistracy, which shows Hong Kong’s criminal justice system.

I like that it also has interactive elements like the touchscreen displays below. It shows true life examples of people who went through the Magistracy.

A part of the Victoria Prison is converted into a cafe:

And here’s a rock casually hanging out in Tai Kwun LOL:

Address: 10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong | Operating Hours: Daily, 8AM-11PM; 10AM-8PM (Visitor Centre); Tuesday-Sunday, 11AM-7PM (JC Contemporary); Daily, 11AM-7PM (Heritage Exhibitions; Main Heritage Gallery & Operation Central open at 10AM) | Website

The HKMA (Hong Kong Monetary Authority) Information Centre

Opened to the public in December 1, 2003, the HKMA Information Centre has an exhibition centre and library, aiming to show the work of the HKMA. It also promotes awareness of banking and monetary matters.

The information here can be overwhelming. Good thing they have a lot of interactive elements, including games.

There’s also a mural made of coins:

But aside from learning about the HKMA’s work, the Information Centre also has a stunning view of the city, since it’s located at the 55th floor of the Two International Finance Centre (IFC).

Address: 55/F, Two International Finance Centre, 8 Finance St., Central, Hong Kong | Operating Hours: Monday-Friday, 10AM-6PM; Saturday, 10AM-1PM (no entry 20 minutes before closing) | Contact No.: +852 2878-1111 | Website

Which free Hong Kong museum or park should we visit next? Comment below!