Your Neighbourhood Guide to Kennedy Town in Hong Kong

Located on the western end of Hong Kong Island, Kennedy Town is filled with bustling life and old markets, making it a beautiful place to explore.

Kennedy Town was originally named for Arthur Edward Kennedy, a governor of Hong Kong when Hong Kong was still under the British rule. Kennedy Town used to be a quiet and unpopulated area due to it's location and the lack of transport going nearby, but since the arrival of the MTR, its since become a busy part of the city.

Once part of Victoria City, the culture of Hong Kong in the past time and especially during the British reign can really be seen from historical features within Kennedy Town.

The most well known streets of Kennedy Town are New Praya, Smithfield, Davis Street, Pokfield Road and Victoria Road. Kennedy Town also has a wide variety of public facilities, such as a swimming pool, a sports arena and several parks.

Kennedy Town, a small part of town often overlooked due to its’ lack of any significant landmarks, is actually more interesting than you think. Thanks to the MTR that was built in 2016, this part of the Western district has been gaining more recognition and new businesses opening up in the area.

Despite this, Kennedy Town remains as a quiet and calm town, where you can take a stroll and watch the sunset by the pier, or sit in a fancy western restaurant for dinner with friends and family. Most importantly, there are many spots that offer great photo-taking opportunities.

Hong Kong’s most famous university, its name rather self-explanatory, is also situated in Kennedy Town. While this may seem like an intimidating place where it seems off limits, it’s a place of productivity and relaxation simultaneously, much like your local cafe. Being built in 1911, the university has since expanded into many more buildings consisting of many different courses. The first building is now used exclusively as the English and Linguistics department. Not only is the building a great example of early 20th century architectural development in Hong Kong, it is also a great place to take pictures.

Many graduating students also take pictures around here, so there’s your proof. The campus now spans over 160,000 square meters, making it a pretty big place to explore. There are benches and sitting areas situated all around campus, both indoors and out, allowing you to take a breather and work at a comfortable and relaxing pace.

As Kennedy Town is situated on the west side of Hong Kong Island, this makes it a great place to watch the sunset (and take pictures). The pier beyond the public swimming pool allows visitors to visit at any hour, making it a popular place for dog-walkers to let their dogs run around and interact with other dogs.

If dogs aren't your thing, the view of the ocean is a great selling point. While it is mostly ocean, you can see Kowloon in the distance, continuing to glow even at hours where all seems silent. There are also many graffitied cargo containers lying around, where most people choose to take pictures in front of to “channel” their inner hipster.

Kennedy Town may not seem like a very popular place for a Saturday night out, but instead of diving into the wild life of bright lights within crowds and crowds of people, you might want to take some time off to stroll around a relatively quiet town with a friend or two, and maybe grab a bite of any cuisine you'd like from small corner stores sprinkled all over the area. There’s much to explore around here, and maybe you’ll end up finding your next favourite cafe to unwind and escape reality from.