Walking route - Causeway Bay to Wan Chai

Walking around Causeway Bay you'd be forgiven for asking yourself "Hey! Where the hell's the bay?!"

It's a fair question. The waterfront here is now hidden behind a wealth of shopping centres such as Sogo and the WTC. But for the more adventurous who take the time to seek out what must have at one time been a very peaceful harbour, you will be rewarded with a promenade which is good for a walk all the way back to Wan Chai almost to Admiralty, with great views over the harbour, the city, and even with a little bit of history thrown in for good measure too.

Start the walk off in Victoria Park, where there are fountains and gardens and nearby cafes for grabbing something to eat either before you get going or to take on the walk with you. At the bottom end of the park down by the water there is a bridge which will get you over the monster of a main road (follow signs for the Noon Day Gun), and once on the other side you come out on a wide harbour-side promenade right next to the Typhoon shelter. From here there is a great view down the island back towards Wan Chai and Central (pictured above) and views across the harbour to Kowloon.

For the more adventurous, there is the typhoon shelter itself to discover. Turn right after coming off the bridge and you'll see steps leading down to the water. At the bottom little sampan boats will be waiting to take you out into the harbour to boats selling seafood and the like. Now, we have not tried this (as the smell of the harbour does not get my appetite up, I'll be honest!) so we can't recommend it. But, as we said, for the more adventurous, the option is there!

For those of you not willing to risk an evening on the toilet and who want to stick to the walk the views of the boats and the city is more than reward enough for heading out here. Head down the path towards the big pointy spire of Central Plaza in Wan Chai (Fact of the Day: Central Plaza is the world's tallest building made from reinforced concrete, apparently!). After a few hundred yards, just past the end of the shelter, you'll come across the Noon Day Gun: a small cannon owned by the Jardine company which is still fired every day at noon. Jardine, Matheson and Co was one of the first big companies set up in Hong Kong, and after setting up their warehouses in Causeway Bay they installed a cannon to protect their waterfront. The story goes that this cannon was always fired to celebrate the return of one of their ships, but one day this event coincided with the arrival of a new Governor, who was so shocked by the sound of this cannon fire as he entered the harbour that he ordered the gun to be fired at midday from then on for ever more. It isn't a spectacular sight in itself, being stuck behind bars and often covered in tarp, but it is one of the few historic relics knocking about in HK. A plaque at the site explains the story, and also tells you that the site behind you across the road was the first patch of land bought in Hong Kong and is known as Plot One. However, seeing as the coastline was considerably further back when the gun was first used (and even when the plaque was put up) it's unlikely that what you're looking at really is the historic Plot One.

From here you can carry on the route or head back into Causeway Bay via a nearby tunnel which comes out at the WTC shopping centre. If you carry on this stretch heads right by the road (not so pretty) for a few hundred yards, then you have to turn right and follow the path past the Hong Kong yacht club on a patch of land that juts out into the harbour, and used to be a small but separate island.


Past the yacht club you go through a gate on your right that leads onto the Wan Chai stretch of the path. Here you'll see people fishing, sitting by the waterfront reading books, couples sitting together admiring the view, and lots and lots of very proud dog owners walking their pride and joy. Dog lovers will have a field day.


All in all it's a pleasant walk on a sunny afternoon, with great views of the harbour, and a much better alternative to getting into Wan Chai down the choked Hennesey Road.


Once you reach Wan Chai your choices are to head into the centre through the Harbour Centre, which has a couple of good cafes and restaurants (LostInHK top tip: try the chocolate cheesecake at Main St Cafe in the Harbour Centre. You get views over the harbour and the best cheesecake this side of Germany!), or you could catch the Star Ferry from the Wan Chai Ferry Pier and continue your journey on the other side of the harbour along the Avenue of Stars (ferries are generally every 6-12 mins, cost approx $2.30). The Star Ferry of course is one of the highlights of Hong Kong in itself, and while most people go for the Central-Tsim Sha Tsui route, the Wan Chai crossing is longer and the boat turns side-on to offer better views. Sit on the far side of the boat as you get on for views of the Central skyline. Don't go in the end compartments, you'll see nothing. Get a seat in the middle of the boat.



Alternatively you can walk past the ferry pier and continue along the harbour front past the Wan Chai Conference and Exhibition Centre, a relatively new addition to the harbour skyline. The path leads along to the right again to Bauhinia Square (pictured right), which sits in front of the CEC and commands great views of Tsim Sha Tsui and Central. It was here that the British officially handed Hong Kong back to the Chinese in 1997. Two statues stand here to commemorate the occasion: The Golden Bauhinia, which is the symbol of Hong Kong; and a big black obelisk type structure that the Chinese erected to show they had arrived. A plaque on this statue describes the occasion from a Chinese perspective, and offers an interesting take on how the new rulers were greeted on that day.


Also down here there are cafes, benches to sit and watch the boats or admire the skyline, and it is also one of the top spots for watching the Symphony of Lights (see the post of the same name for more info). A walk all the way around the building and across the road will bring you into a quiet park surrounded by the glass skyscrapers. From here you can get onto the elevated walkways that will take you into central Wan Chai if you head left, or into Admiralty and Central if you go right.