Kowloon Walled City Park

Kowloon Walled City Park is one of Hong Kong’s most atmospheric and beautifully designed public parks — a tranquil escape built on the site of what was once the world-famous Kowloon Walled City. Today, the chaos is gone, replaced by a stunning Qing-style garden that blends history, culture, and calm in a way few parks can. The park’s landscaping is exceptional: classical pavilions, stone bridges, lotus ponds, winding walkways, and perfectly maintained greenery. Every corner feels thoughtfully arranged, offering plenty of spots to sit, reflect, and enjoy the peaceful environment. Despite being in the middle of Kowloon, the park feels serene and almost timeless. One of the highlights is the Former Yamen Building, the only surviving original structure from the Walled City. The museum-style exhibits inside give visitors a vivid look into the Walled City’s past — from its origins to the dense, vibrant community it became before demolition. Many informational plaques throughout the park also help you visualize what once stood here.

A beautiful park commemorating Kowloon Walled City, one of the most interesting historical places in Hong Kong. The city itself was demolished with only 1-2 buildings remaining. There is a little exhibition you can check out or just enjoy a walk in the park. I would recommend to visit Kai Tak before/after this as its close by and is also an interesting piece from the local 20th century history

Visited the Kowloon Walled City Park to visit the free exhibition of the History of the Kowloon Walled City. Replicas of shops during the era of the Walled City were on display and they were breathtaking. Replicas of the Fishball Manufacturing Shop, Dental Clinic etc were all display and you can have a look through. Tickets are free but you have a 15min slot to enjoy yourself in the exhibition. Well worth the trip.

Beautiful treed park with Tang Dynasty recreated garden and building elements along with well used sporting courts. There is also a bike path that little kids careen freely around. Bikes of all sizes can be conveniently rented on-site. We came to view the movie sets for "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In," which are housed on site. You have to get a free timed ticket to enter the sets as it's very popular but waiting for our turn was very pleasantly spent exploring other parts of the lovely walled garden. Watch the movie first before coming as you'll have a much better understanding and appreciation for the walled city and the movie sets. The garden itself is beautiful. There were a number of people dressed in period costume taking selfies and doing photo shoots using the garden as backdrop.

"Kowloon Walled City Park sits on the site of the former Kowloon Walled City. Many historic relics are well preserved in the Park and they evoke visitors, memories of the past. The Park is laid out in the Jiangnan garden style of the early Qing Dynasty, producing a green and peaceful environment studded with Chinese pavilions and ponds. Before embarking on the design of the Park, officers of the Architectural Services Department had conducted in-depth research and gone to the Mainland China for site visits in order to select the most appropriate design. In 1993, Kowloon Walled City Park was awarded a Diploma at the IGO Stuttgart EXPO 93 (International Garden Exposition). The Park was officially opened for public use on 22 December 1995. Kowloon Walled City Park occupies an area of 31,000 square metres. In its centre stands the Yamen, a restored three-hall structure, which offers to visitors a glimpse of the physical appearance of the Walled City in the old days. The whole Park is mainly composed of eight landscape features, namely the Yamen, Old South Gate, Eight Floral Walks, Garden of Four Seasons, Garden of Chinese Zodiac, Chess Garden, Mountain View Pavilion as well as the Fui Sing Pavilion and Guibi Rock. Each of the landscape features has the characteristics and elegance of its own, and they ingeniously blend into the overall layout."

Visited mid Oct, and travelled via west rail which was super convenient as we existed Sung Wong Toi B3 station and headed above ground to Kowloon City. The walk from the station to the park was approx 5-10mins. The park was well maintained with good signage, plus clean public bathrooms. The museum was free to enter but you need to obtain a free ticket with 15 intervals per session. Once inside you will find history of the Kowloon Wall City, with mock up of stores you would find back in the days. Very detailed visuals and worth a visit.

Visited on a very sunny afternoon. A very well kept park, offering an insight into HK's history and worth visiting. Free admission too.

Due to the issuance of Signal No. 8 today, the Twilight Warriors exhibition was closed. It’s unfortunate, but I’ll come back another time. I found it smooth to enter from the south gate after exiting from Exit B2 of Sung Wong Toi Station on the MTR. Let’s check the weather forecast before heading out next time. - Update - Last time, it was closed due to a typhoon, but this time I was able to visit. When I went around early afternoon on Sunday, it was crowded and the wait time was about an hour, so I gave up. Around 10 a.m. the next day, I could get in right away and it wasn’t crowded at all.

My original plan was to head up to Victoria Peak but woke up to rain & major overcast. After dim sum lunch with a client she suggested be spontaneous & ride the ferry somewhere - What a brilliant suggestion! The Walled City of Kowloon was so sketchy back in the day that we didn't come near it. Of course, the buildings in this park preceded the crime histrionics of Kowloon City and you can read about it in the welcoming center.

Very informative. Better than a typical museum. You will learn about a history the Chinese and British governments are ashamed to talk about openly.

Cool City Park. Great to go here to know about the history of the one time densest place on earth. I learned about this place when I learned about the tenements in NYC and how crowded those were, but it had no comparison to kowloon walled city. Theres just a peaceful park here now. Don't skip the center where they have some recreated exhibits to show what it used to be like.

It's like a warm, quiet hug in the middle of a crazy city. While today it's a peaceful enclave in the middle of Tokyo, it was once one of the most densely populated place on earth. ON EARTH. It contained 50,000 people in just 6 acres. And boy, was it crazy in there. If you look learning more about a place's mysteries, legends and lores look no further than Kowloon Walled City Park. To be clear, there is no longer a city here as it was demolished in the 1990s due to organized crime, sex trafficking, drugs and other illicit activities. There are some exhibit areas with English translations, so be sure to spend time reading more about the area's unusual history. The best part of our experience in the Kowloon Walled City Park is Uncle Man (yes, that's his real name), a longtime volunteer at the park who is obsessed with the art of paper tearing. Uncle Man will lovingly create anything your heart desires and can even do silhouette portraits. A true performance artist. He also plays the flute (well, of course he does) and likes to play traditional Chinese tunes for visitors. There's really no place quite like it! Pro Tips: - Do the extra research (ah hem, Wikipedia) to learn more about Kowloon Walled City Park, because it's truly worth a visit in Hong Kong - Look for an elder gentleman called Uncle Man to show you the art of paper tearing...he can create just about anything! - Take the Subway (Lok Fu) for easier access - Spend about 45 minutes here, more if you find Uncle Man

This is a nice park with a lot of history and remnants of the Kowloon Walled City. Schools often take students here on an educational field trip to learn about the once densely populated city. Walking through the entire park, you will see the various entry points that were once labeled with north, south, east, and west. It was amazing to see what the living conditions were like for the residents and the amount of space (or lack thereof) that separated each of the buildings. The room that is air conditioned shows a slideshow which captures it's past. I recommend everyone to go see the remains and explore the park to learn about the walled city.

It's hard to imagine how crazy it was for families living in the Kowloon Walled City given how quiet and tranquil the park is today. But after reading about some of the history throughout the park and some research on my own, I find myself very intrigued with what used to be here before it became a park over twenty years ago. If you don't know the story behind the Kowloon Walled City, according to Wikipedia: "Kowloon Walled City was a largely ungoverned, densely populated settlement in Kowloon City in Hong Kong. Originally a Chinese military fort, the Walled City became an enclave after the New Territories were leased to Britain by China in 1898." Basically it's not a place that even that the Hong Kong police would touch. Lots of illegal activities took place in the Walled City. And living conditions were very poor. They'd stack homes on top of each other with poor to little no support. Imagine stacking a bunch of blocks on top of each other with no reinforcement and the blocks leaning on one another. So if one fell, the others would fall. Luckily that didn't happen. But the park that has taken its place is such a nice place to come visit. There are a lot of artifacts that they have kept in the park, so it's definitely cool to see that. Come for a nice and peaceful stroll if you're tired of the hustle and bustle of the other parts of the city and rewind.

I came across this place of listed on things to see and do and while I'm still in full tourist mode(aka...yes I live here but trying to get the hang of it!) I might as well take advantage of seeing some of the lesser yet interesting areas in the not so popular districts like Tung Tsing. I took the MTR to Lok Fu and got off at exit B and then it's less than 10 minute walk over to the park area. You will exit near the Lok Fu Plaza and walk through another park this one is nice but I keep going. While Google maps put me at the back entrance off of Tung Tau Tsuen Road, I would have preferred coming in by the front gates off of Carpenter Road...At least I made it and I'm directionally challenged! Kowloon Walled City Park is quite fascinating if you're into history and culture like myself. If you're not into that part, at least come for the landscape and stroll around the area. The wall was initially constructed as a way to house military personnel during WWII then later turned into a small city. Once you get there it's hard to imagine that at one time over 41,000 people were living inside these walls and making a living right here. The history and what was taking place within the walls and between the government is similar to what any large would go through, just hard to believe it was within 31,000 square meters. It was finally demolished back in 1993 and the gardens replaced it. The areas are divided up into seven gardens each representing different areas. There's even a gorgeous waterfall and an area where you can see remnants of the old wall. There's an exhibition which is open everday except on Wednesday but I would definitely recommend it. It just a very small area with nice photos and explanations of how it looked along with miniture scale buildings in an enclosed, plastic case box. I don't think you would need to spend more than a half an hour or maybe an hour (max) just wandering and walking around the area. While it might not be high on the list if stuff to see and do, if you have extra time and want to get out of the "city" and head to a calmer "city" it's a great way to see a slice of the old vs new!

Although a bit in the middle of nowhere, this park is free and you get to learn a piece of history in Hong Kong. Located away from any major MTR station, nearest one is Lok Fu station. The walk from the station isn't that bad, it took me roughly 10 minutes to walk. The park has the new sections and old sections of the walled city and is well maintained. There are signs and information posters posted around that tells you what happened and what you're looking at.

It is a place full Hong Kong history. Also there is a TV series about it. Their cool kung fu moves are stunning. It's name is Walled City Hero (城寨英雄).

I saw someone doing tai chi in one of the more isolated pavilions here and for a second, thought that I was watching a Chinese movie. The architectural buildings and gardens here are beautiful. It's a great oasis away from the daily hustle and bustle of Hong Kong life but it can get touristy since this park stands where the Walled City used to be. Kowloon Walled City was a densely populated settlement with history dating back to the 1880s. It was later demolished but the yamen (government official building) and remnants of its South Gate were preserved. There's a bronze model of a cross section of the original Walled City by the South Gate so you can get a sense of how crowded it was. The current paths inside the park are named after the historic streets.

This is a lovely little park but I would recommend coming here just for that slice of HK history. It's a little bit difficult to get here as it isn't on the MTR line. If you can get to Kowloon City then it's just a five minute walk to the entrance. (You can take the 25M green minibus from Kowloon Tong Station) Also be careful, it is a park within a park so make sure you go through Carpenter Road Park and into Kowloon Walled City Park. Going I the main entrance you get to see the remains of the old south gate and there is an exhibition with videos and photos showcasing the areas history. It is very interesting and I loved hearing the stories from the people who actually lived there. The park is a lovely Chinese style garden with pavilions and walkways leading you around. I really liked the Chinese zodiac statues. It is also a place for the local elders to gather and chat or play cards as they don't have much space to do so in their homes. It's a quiet escape from the crazy city.

Nice park to walk off all the delicious food in Hong Kong. In America, it would be a 4 or 5 Star yelp review, but compared to other parks in Hong Kong it is average. There is some history to this park, but they don't explain it well enough within the park and you need to do your own digging to read about it.

The area where the infamous Walled City housing 33,000 people once stood is now Kowloon Walled City Park, which is filled with interesting things to read and see, to learn about its checkered past. The park is divided into eight areas with the winding paths and pavilions named after streets and buildings from the Walled City. It's mindboggling to imagine just how many people used to live in the space - mostly in poorly built high rises, the vast majority of which had no lifts - some were 14 storeys tall! It was good to have an amble around, but after half an hour or so you'd probably have found out pretty much all you need to know about its history. It's still a charming place to visit nonetheless if you don't mind a somewhat lengthy walk from the MTR.

Recently a game company in Japan is going to create an arcade using the walled city of Kowloon as the central theme. During the colonial period, there was this part of Hong Kong that was literally untouched by any sort of law; not by the Chinese government nor the british. This is the Kowloon walled city. Due to the lack of law enforcement, criminals, hookers, drug addicts all flocked into this region of the colony and started their lives here. Also due to the ineffective regulations, the buildings were built in the most dangerous possible ways with little to no fire control; a fire eventually broke out and took several lives with it and the HK government that time had decided to demolish the entire complex leaving what is today this park. The park has tried to keep some of the stone stele pillars and part of the "Yamen" building (think of it as a Chinese police station) as well as trying to make it look more Chinese by placing a few pavilions; otherwise it is very much like any ordinary parks. While applauding the Japanese for their imaginativeness and innovativeness in using the "sin city like" walled city as theme, I cant help but question why it is them who came up with this idea but not someone in Hong Kong? Perhaps it is part of the shameful past that the HK government would not like to remind herself of? There is always a struggle between development and conservation; especially in this piece of land which every inch of it is money. The demolition of the walled city was inevitable, even necessary; yet I feel as if there were too little that has been done to preserve this part of history. The younger generation would not have imagined there was once such a place in Hong Kong; nor will they know about the history of Hong Kong should the government not cherish its heritage.

The Kowloon Walled City Park is a must-see for local history buffs who want to investigate the site of - what was at one point - the most densely populated area in the world. Nowadays, the block of apartments, restaurants and manufacturing factories have been torn down to make way for a public park that is free of charge and wonderfully intricate and varied with its architecture. There are plenty of beautiful pagodas for you to relax and sit down in, as walking around the entire park can be quite tiresome. There are lots of winding paths, hidden away from the sun by tree cover and whilst walking through the garden you'll see statues, cannons and other memorabilia that tries to bring the Kowloon Walled City's past to life. There are also little shops to pick up a drink or snack whilst wandering through the park. The temples complement the pagodas well to create a sense of tranquility and they allow you to sit and think about what used to lie here, and what it symbolized for Hong Kong. The Kowloon Walled City was a microcosm in many respects, with the dense patter of societal life sprouting up despite the tension between China and Britain over who owned this locality. At one point in history, the Kowloon Walled City was independent of any external government and there are well-documented pictures of the first set of citizens of took it upon themselves to govern the small municipal themselves. There's even more for the history junkies with a good mix of physical remnants from the tearing down of the walled city, such as the broken sign that hung over the gate that used to welcome its citizens in, as well as the exhibitions recently created to transport visitors back to its historical past. One neat example is the interactive rooms located at the north side of the park, where visitors are encouraged to go in and see how life used to be here. One room shows how business people used to sell and barter with local residents, another shows children playing on the rooftops as planes fly a few meters over their heads and there's even a to-scale map projected on one of the walls for you to explore with your shadow!

They park is ok, I wasn't able to appreciate it. Getting to the park wasn't what I was expecting. Seems to be an area surrounded by a dumping ground for the elderly and disabled. You can tell it's a blue collar area, but the area is mostly low income housing, no real shops to speak of and I would avoid the shopping centered nearby.