City: Stanley
Top Things to do in Stanley
Top Restaurants in Hong Kong
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What to do and see in Stanley, China: The Best Things to do
Delectable dim sum, floating islands, and a one-of-a-kind skyline are just some of Hong Kong’s unique features. Get an eyeful of traditional Chinese architecture in Ngong Ping village, then take the tram to the tippity-top of Victoria Peak for unparalleled views. The rocks and gentle hills of Nan Lian Garden will bring you inner peace, as will a calming cup of tea in a Stanley café. Become one with everything at the Chi Lin Nunnery, a serene Buddhist complex.
Restaurants in Hong Kong
1. Kwan Tai Lo Milestone
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
2. Tai Tam Valley
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 14 reviews
Reviewed By Mairwen1
Tai Tam valley is a beautiful green belt, lying in the heart of the Tai Tam Country Park. The deep ravines are studded with dams, reservoirs and natural waterways and are very scenic. An excellent way to explore the area is via the Waterworks Heritage Trail. The 5km hiking trail takes you right down through the valleys and past the four historic reservoirs, built between 1888 and 1917. The trail includes detailed information boards that describe the history of these early constructions and provide more information about the aqueducts, valve houses, stone bridges, workmen’s buildings and other various structures that you see along the way. I was intrigued to learn that a sunken Hakka village lies beneath the dam waters, under about 1.4 billion gallons of water. It was submerged over 100 years ago when they built the Tai Tam Tuk dam. Recently, researchers have recovered relics of mud bricks, several banyan trees, century-old soda water bottles and small opium containers from the site of the village. WHAT TO TAKE: Water, sunscreen and a hat are essentials as there’s nowhere to buy anything en route. There are a few picnic and BBQ areas with toilet blocks. GETTING THERE: The trail begins at the entry gates to the country park, just past the Parkview residential complex. As you approach, you will notice other trail signs but ignore these and go just past them until you get to the park gates. From Central, a taxi will cost about $75HKD and will take about 15 min. Or you can take the #6 Stanley Market bus (don't get the 6X bus which also goes to Stanley via another route). Get off on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road beside a petrol station (just past the tennis courts and cricket club), where you’ll see a set of stairs that lead up to Tai Tam Reservoir Rd. It is a 15 minute walk up this steep road to Parkview and the gates of the Country Park.
3. Che Pau Teng - Rhino Rock
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
4. Turtle Cove Beach
5. Stanley Ma Hang Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 27 reviews
Reviewed By mosto - Hong Kong, China
I’ve been to Stanley a few times but never thought of visiting this park. When I arrived, I asked a few people where the park was located and realized only very few of them know this park. This park is a gem! Head towards Murray Building and walk towards the seafront. You will find the park on the right end facing the sea with Murray Building at your back. Make sure you give yourself at least an hour to explore it. It is very scenic as the park overlooks Stanley Bay and is green and lush. It has board walks, paved walks and stairs that have handrails. There’s plenty to see and enjoy as it is peaceful, a huge Banyan tree with interesting roots, 2 temples. The Pak Tai temple is not to be missed. It is really interesting- built on a cliff with rocks and very picturesque. There are toilets in the park (located at the Hilltop) and seats at various places for resting. There are signs warning of wild pigs and snakes. It’s also like a little maze inside the park as there’s lots of detours you can take and I did end up by the seaside in one of the detours. There are many signs in the park and you won’t get lost. It’s a good idea to bring a bottle of water as all the climbing up and down may make you thirsty.
6. Tai Tam Waterworks Heritage Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 31 reviews
Reviewed By Mairwen1
This is an excellent 5 km hike through the Tai Tam Country Park. The walk is centred around the 4 main reservoirs and dams that were built here between 1888-1917. The walk also takes in 22 historic structures and relics related to the dams, including stone bridges, masonry dam walls, valve houses, pumping stations and aqueducts. The views and surrounding area are very scenic. LEVEL – it is a moderate to easy hike. You definitely don't need to be an experienced hiker. It is suitable for families. Kids might find it a bit long (5km) but being able to run across the bridges and aqueduct can keep them engaged and make it more interesting. TRACK CONDITIONS–The terrain is varied. From Parkview, it starts with an easy, downhill stretch of road. Mostly you will be on paved paths but at other times you will walk along dirt bushland tracks which have quite a lot of gnarly roots but are otherwise pretty good. There are stairs and these can be uneven and roughly made. You don't need hiking boots but a decent pair of runners is advisable. SIGNAGE - The path is well marked with clear signs and maps. There are also detailed information boards positioned along the route, describing the history of the reservoirs and the other structures. This is a really excellent feature of the walk. FACILITIES - there are several BBQ and picnic spots and a few public toilets WHAT TO TAKE - water, sunscreen and a hat are essentials. Also snacks if you want them because you cannot buy anything inside the country park. STARTING POINT: The trail begins at the entry gates to the country park, just past the Parkview residential complex. As you approach, you will notice signs for the Wilson Trail and other tracks but keep going past these until you get to the black and white gates at the start of the park, where you will see wooden signs for the Tai Tam Country Park and the Heritage Trail.
7. Tai Tam Country Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By Mairwen1
The Tai Tam Country Park is a wonderfully scenic area with green peaks and deep valleys studded with reservoirs, dams and natural waterways. It covers about a fifth of Hong Kong Island. Entry to the park is free and you can join any one of several hiking trails - Stage 1 of the Wilson Trail, Jardine’s Lookout, the Tai Tam Family Trail, parts of the Hong Kong Trail and a unique Waterworks Heritage Trail. Some overlap and criss-cross each other but for the most part, they are well sign-posted. The hikes are easy to access and offer different degrees of difficulty, from relatively easy to very steep and difficult. All of the trails have a range of terrain. Mostly you will be on dirt bushland tracks but at other times, you’ll walk along a stretch of road or on paved paths that follow the water catchments and at other times, you will climb up or down stairs. The dirt tracks can be uneven and rough in places, with gnarly tree roots but they are cleared trails and there is no bush-bashing or scrambling involved. For a challenging hike, the Wilson Trail heads relentlessly up Violet Hill and the Twin Peaks, then down to the south side of the island, ending at Stanley Gap Rd. For easier walks, the Family and Heritage Trails are both suitable for families and you don't have to be a seasoned hiker. They still provide variation with stunning views and lots of points of interest. These trails are well marked with regular, clear signs and maps. The Family Trail has information panels on flora and vegetation. Recently it has had clusters of the very pretty Ericaceae, a pink, bell-shaped flower that blossoms around Chinese New Year. The Heritage Trail focuses on the history of the area and follows a path leading past 22 Declared Monuments. Detailed information boards describe the history of the 19th century reservoirs and dam walls, as well as the aqueducts, stone bridges and various other structures that you see along the way. Intriguingly, a sunken Hakka village lies beneath the dam waters, submerged over 100 years ago. WHAT TO TAKE: Water, sunscreen and a hat are essentials - you can'y buy anything inside the park. Decent shoes or runners are recommended because you’ll wan't steady footing and you’re walking some of the way on red dirt. There are a few toilet blocks and some picnic and BBQ areas but you’ll need to bring all food and drink in with you. GETTING THERE: You can join many of the trails from outside the Parkview residential block. From Central, a taxi will cost about $75HKD and will take about 15 min. Or you can take the #6 Stanley Market bus (don't get the 6X bus which also goes to Stanley via another route). Get off on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road beside a petrol station (just past the tennis courts and cricket club), where you’ll see a set of stairs that lead up to Tai Tam Reservoir Rd. It is a 10 -15 minute walk up this steep road to Parkview where you can easily join the various trails.
8. Historic Structures Of The Tai Tam Reservoirs
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By Mairwen1
Between 1888 and 1917 a massive program of reservoir and dam building at Tai Tam took place. An excellent hiking track, the Waterworks Heritage Trail, has gathered all the historic relics from this time together and created a path that takes you through the Tai Tam valley and past the reservoirs. It leads across the aqueducts and old stone bridges and takes in other features such as the valve houses, pumping stations and workmen’s quarters. Altogether there are 22 heritage monuments or graded buildings included on the 5 km walk. Detailed information boards are posted along the route, describing the history of these early constructions. The scale of the dams is striking but even more striking is that fact that they were built over 100 years ago, at a time when most of the work would have been completed using only manpower and relatively basic equipment. It would have been gruelling work in punishing conditions. Ongoing research has recently uncovered even more landmarks including brick caissons, remnants of a pier. Most intriguingly, a sunken Hakka village has lain beneath the dam waters for over 100 years. Diving teams have been recovering relics, including mud bricks, banyan trees, century-old soda water bottles and small opium containers. Make sure you take plenty of water as you can’t buy it inside the country park. Sunscreen and a hat are essentials. GETTING THERE: The trail begins at the entry gates to the country park, just past the Parkview residential complex. As you approach, you will notice signs for the Wilson Trail and other tracks but keep going past these until you get to the black and white gates for the park, where you will see signs for the Tai Tam Country Park and the Heritage Trail. From Central, a taxi will cost about $75HKD and will take about 15 min. Or you can get the #6 Stanley Market bus and get off on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road beside the petrol station (just past the tennis courts and cricket club). From here, you’ll still have to walk about 15 min uphill, up Tai Tam Reservoir Rd to Parkview and the country park.
9. Stanley Market
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 2,029 reviews
This historic street market on the city's serene south coast is as popular with locals as it is with tourists. Go here for souvenirs like lacquerware, embroidered tablecloths, prints and paintings.
Reviewed By 521maryh - Cavan, Ireland
We stumbled on the markets in a visit to the beach on a recent trip. We fell In love with the whole area. On the day we went mid week all was quiet and beautiful. Swimming restaurants etc were excellent. We headed for the markets in the evening and had we known they were as good as they were we would have gone earlier. Great selection of stalls and some lovely art work, Preferred them to Ladies Market. The stall holders themselves were friendly and not too intense. Would highly recommend.
10. Stanley Military Cemetery
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 25 reviews
Hong Kong fell to the Japanese on Christmas Day 1941 following a brief but intense period of fighting. During the Japanese occupation, Stanley jail and village were used as a prisoner of war and civilian internment camp and the cemetery, which had not been used for more than 70 years, was reopened for burials from the camp. After the war, the cemetery was extended on its northern side when graves were brought in from civilian burial grounds and isolated sites in the surrounding country. Although the cemetery as a whole is laid out and maintained as a military cemetery, in the older part, service graves and the graves of civilian internees who died during the Japanese occupation are intermingled. A number of the graves in this part of the cemetery are still marked by the original headstones erected by the prisoners of war, who collected the granite from the 19th century fortifications and carved the inscriptions themselves. Nearly all casualties of the local defence forces, chiefly the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Force and the British Army Aid Group, are buried in this cemetery. The British Army Aid Group was a military establishment which came into being early in 1942 to encourage and facilitate escapes, to assist escapees and to get information and medical supplies into the camps. Attached to the establishment was a large staff of civilian employees operating in an extensive area of enemy held territory and the group gradually developed into an organisation for the collection of intelligence of military value and later into an escape and evasion organisation for the American Air Force. There are now 598 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 175 of the burials are unidentified, but a number of special memorials commemorate casualties known to be buried among them. The names of the 96 civilian internees buried in this cemetery are recorded in volume 7 of the Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour. The cemetery also contains the new Hong Kong Memorial, which commemorates, by name, Chinese casualties of the two world wars who have no known grave. There are also three special memorials to First World War casualties buried in cemeteries in Kowloon and Hong Kong, whose graves have since been lost.
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