Where to stay in Kowloon

Kowloon (), formerly Kaulung, is one of the three areas of Hong Kong, along with Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. It is an urban area comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon.

"Kowloon" means "nine dragons" in Cantonese. The mountains that overlook Kowloon account for eight of Kowloon's nine dragons while, as the story goes, the ninth dragon refers to the emperor who counted them. The most famous of these mountains is Lion Rock, which when seen from the right angle, really does deserve its name. "Kowloon side", as it is often known, managed to escape some of the British colonial influences that characterise the "Hong Kong Island" side.

A large number of guesthouses and hostels are located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and Jordan offering cheap, small but generally comfortable and safe accommodation licensed by the Hong Kong government. These are barebone places to stay so there will be no restaurants, souvenir shops or newspaper delivery. Most owners will only speak basic English. Chung King Mansions and Mirador Mansions, both on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, and the Sincere House on 83 Argyle St in Mong Kok are famously home to a number of budget hotels and hostels. Having attracted western backpackers for decades, these guesthouses have become increasingly popular with budget travellers from mainland China.

Getting around

Most of the local bus routes mentioned above are well-suited for getting around within Kowloon as well. The 5 follows Chatham Road north at first on its run from the Star Ferry pier to Fu Shan, with the 6 going northwest from the dock to Lai Chi Kok and providing access to the western side of the peninsula. In the east-west direction, bus 215X leaves from the Kowloon airport train station for Lam Tin, via Tsim Sha Tsui and Kwun Tong. Routes 40 and 214 are some of the main bus routes that travel along hillside developments.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.