Art in Hong Kong: A Guide to West Kowloon, Tai Kwun and the City’s New Museums
Hong Kong's museum decade in one route: M+, the Palace Museum, Tai Kwun, the reopened Museum of Art and the art market around them.
Photo: Rosewood Hotel Group
Hong Kong used to be known for its art market more than its museums. In a few years the balance has shifted: a major contemporary museum, a palace collection, a restored police station and a reopened municipal museum now sit alongside the fairs and auction rooms.
West Kowloon: the new centre of gravity
The West Kowloon Cultural District is where the city’s new museums sit side by side. M+, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, holds modern and contemporary art, design and moving image from Hong Kong, Asia and beyond across dozens of galleries. The Hong Kong Palace Museum, a few minutes’ walk away, shows objects from Beijing’s Palace Museum and other collections, including ceramics and silks. Seeing both in a single day is feasible but it is better to give each a half-day, and to pair them rather than choose between them.
Central and Tsim Sha Tsui
Across the harbour, Tai Kwun occupies the former Central Police Station, a compound of colonial buildings turned into an arts centre for exhibitions, performances and cafés. It is the easiest introduction for visitors staying on the island.
On the Kowloon side, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, which reopened after a long closure, holds a large collection of local and Chinese art and looks out over the harbour. Together with K11 Musea, an art-led retail complex on the waterfront, it makes a natural afternoon on the Kowloon side.
The market
The art trade follows the museums. Art Basel Hong Kong, held in late March at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, drew about 91,500 visitors in 2026, with representatives of more than 170 museums and foundations. Christie’s and Sotheby’s now keep permanent homes in Central, and many of the city’s contemporary galleries are in Central, Sheung Wan and Wong Chuk Hang, so a gallery walk is an easy way to see how the market behaves.
Where to stay
On the Kowloon waterfront, Rosewood Hong Kong at Victoria Dockside sits at Victoria Dockside, beside K11 Musea and close to the Museum of Art. In Central, The Murray sits beside Hong Kong Park, a short walk from Tai Kwun.
The 1928 Peninsula Hong Kong remains the traditional alternative, and for evenings the dining guide to Hong Kong covers the other half of a cultural trip.
Sources: Galerie: Hong Kong for art and design lovers; Art Basel: Hong Kong 2026 closing report. Check the official websites for current information.
Stay
Hotels in this guide
Hong Kong · RosewoodRosewood Hong KongHarbourfront flagship at Victoria Dockside: 413 rooms by Tony Chi, 11 restaurants and bars, and Asaya wellness.
Hong Kong · RegentRegent Hong KongThe Regent brand's historic flagship on the Kowloon waterfront, redesigned by Chi Wing Lo.
Hong Kong · The PeninsulaThe Peninsula Hong KongThe 'Grande Dame of the Far East'.Hong Kong · NiccoloThe Murray, Hong KongA 1969 modernist government tower on the edge of Hong Kong Park.Continue
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