Hong Kong Museums
Most Hong Kong museums are managed by the government's Leisure and Cultural Services Department. A few are operated by private groups or other government departments.
Hong Kong Museums are tourist and visitor friendly. Displays are bilingual in Chinese and English. LCSD museums are usually closed on one weekday per week - check each listing for details.
Keep in mind, too, that municipal museums are closed December 25 and 26, January 1, and the first 3 days of the Chinese New Year. Private museums are usually also closed on bank holidays.
Hong Kong Film Archive
Want to see kung fu epic or technicolour costume drama? Hong Kong has been producing Chinese- language movies for nearly 100 years. The Film Archive was set up to preserve films prints and other materials from the golden ages of Hong Kong cinema. As well as putting on retrospective programs the centre shows regular exhibitions on different aspects of film it is open daily except Thursdays 10:00-20:00.
Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre
The Discovery Centre is housed in two old military buildings in the middle of Kowloon Park. It aims to educate the public about Hong Kong's archaeological and architectural heritage. Thematic exhibitions are on display it is open from 10:00 to 18:00 except on Sundays when it stays open until 19:00 closed on Thursdays.
Hong Kong Museum of Art
Established in 1962, this museum aims to conserve the cultural heritage of China and promote local art. There are more than 14,000 items in its collections, including Chinese calligraphy and paintings it is open 10:00-18:00 daily but closed on Thursdays entrance fee is $10.
Hong Kong Museum of History
Originally located in Kowloon Park, this museum now has its own purpose-built premises on which to tell the story of Hong Kong's development. The main exhibition includes over 4,000 items and uses of multimedia displays and dioramas. Other thematic exhibitions focus on particular aspects of Hong Kong's heritage opening hours 10:00-18:00 except on Sundays its open until 19:00 closed on Tuesdays.
Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences
This privately-run museum is housed in the old Pathological Institute which was built in 1906. Galleries in each room of the beautiful old building track the advances made in health in Hong Kong, including in times of plague. Grounds of the museum are planted with herbs used in Chinese medicine. Open from 10:00-17:00 Tuesdays and Saturdays 13:00 to 17:00 Sundays closed on Mondays
Hong Kong Racing Museum
This museum overlooking the racecourse looks at the long history of horse racing in the country and the chartable activities carried out by the Jockey Club. One exhibit is the skeleton of the three-time champion horse 'Silver Lining' it is open 10:00-17:00 except on racing days when it closes early at 12:30 closed on Mondays.
Hong Kong Science Museum
This four-storey facility covers a wide range of science subjects, from robots and communications to food science and meteorology. Kids can learn because some exhibits require participation, its open weekdays 13:00-21:00 and on weekends 10:00-21:00 closed on Thursdays
Hong Kong Space Museum
This planetarium was the first to bring Omnimax film projector to Asia. As well as film shows, the dome-shaped museum has two exhibitions halls focusing on astronomy and science.
Museum of Tea Ware
This branch of the Museum of Art occupies Flagstaff House in Hong Kong Park, which for many years was home of the commander of British Forces. It is in fact the oldest colonial building still standing in Hong Kong. Exhibitions of Chinese ceramics and the art of drinking tea displays here,
Police Museum
Located behind a public garden at the junction of Coombe road and Stubbs Road, the Police Museum tells the story of the Hong Kong Police Force from Victorian times to today. There is a permanent display on the rituals and paraphernalia associated with triad societies. Open on Wednesdays to Sundays closed on Mondays and public holidays.
Museums - Out of City
Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum
Outside the forbidding walls of Stanley Prison you'll find the entrance to the Correctional Services Department's collection of artifacts relating to law and order.
Hong Kong Heritage Museum
Opened in 2000, the Heritage Museum is modeled on the structure of a typical Chinese courtyard home, but on a much greater scale. Exhibits subjects like Cantonese opera, Chinese art and New Territories heritage which are interactive. A special Children's Discovery Gallery introduces archaeology, history and the Hong Kong toy industry.
Hong Kong Maritime Museum
Murray house used to be located in Central but the colonial edifice was taken apart stone by stone and rebuilt on the waterfront at Stanley. The ground floor serves as the new Maritime Museum which looks at South China's connection with the sea from prehistoric times up to the present. One attraction is you have to hands on pilot a huge modern ship through Victoria Harbour.
Hong Kong Railway Museum
Stream trains used to make the journey from Tsim Sha Tsui to the border. Learn all about the early days of the Kowloon Canton railway at this small but charming museum. The old Tai Po station building acts as the exhibition hall, being the only station on the line built in Chinese style.
Law Uk Folk Museum
Chai Wan nowadays is a roaring industrial suburb. But until fairly recently, it was a quiet rural bay inhabited by Hakka farmers. Only one village house - Law Uk - survives from that time, and it has been converted into a small museum. 'Law Uk' means 'house of the law clan'
Museum of Coastal Defence
Although one of Hong Kong's more recently opened attractions, this museum occupies part of the 19th century Lei Yue Mun fort. This cape overlooks the eastern approaches to Victoria harbour and such it was a natural place to build coastal fortifications. A top-secret Brennan Torpedo was also installed at the water's edge to head off feared French and Russian attacks. Now, the central redoubt of the fort serves as a series of absorbing exhibitions galleries and historical trails takes in some of the hillsides batteries and other military relics.
Sam Tung Uk Folk Museum
This Hakka walled village dating from 1786 was evacuated in the 1970s as Tsuen Wan new town sprang up around it. It has a classic symmetrical layout, with the clan's ancestral hall in the centre. Now, it's run as a small museum with a permanent display of village life and local history.
Sheung Yiu Folk Museum
Sometime in the 1800s, a Hakka clan built a small fortified village overlooking the kilns where they made lime. As this rural industry declined, the inhabitants moved out. Now, Sheung Yiu is a small folk museum holding an exhibition of rural life beautiful location beside the mangroves of the Pak Tam Chung stream.
The Hong Kong Museum Passes gives unlimited admission to the various Museums of Hong Kong. If you plan to visit all five of Hong Kong's main museums -- the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong Space Museum, Hong Kong Science Museum, and Hong Kong Heritage Museum -- you can save money by purchasing the Museum Pass for HK$30 (US$3.90).
Valid for one week, the pass is available from Hong Kong Tourist Board Visitor Information and Services Centres and participating museums. The total price of purchasing single tickets to all five museums is HK$65 (US$8.45). Note that museum admissions are free on Wednesdays.
The pass also entitles you to some discounts in the museum shops.
