Features
- A major shopping street
- Long history
- Numerous attractions
- Ethnic heritage
These days, the英里的弥敦道来m the harbor to about Yau Ma Tei Stationis considered the Golden Mile of Nathan Road.
Since most tourists arrive at Tsim Sha Tsui via MTR, they are probably bound to arrive at this section of Nathan Road on a visit to Tsim Sha Tsui. So it is good to know about the street. This mile of Nathan Road throngs with tourists and is known for its shopping, and it also has severaltourist attractions.
In this section of the street you'll findan interesting mix of major museumsat one end, major religious buildings, Kowloon Park, major malls, and small ethnically run stores and hotels.
Taking a Quick Tour of the Golden Mile
It is a north-south running street. From south to north, here arethe major points that would interest tourists. You can take a good quick tour of these sites by just walking from the Space Museum to Jordan Station (there is an underpass under Salisbury Road).
North of that to Yau Ma Tei, there are mainly justsmall shops and hotels, and these probably won't seem as interesting.
- TheMuseum of Artand theSpace Museum(at the head of Nathan Road)
- The Peninsula Hotel (corner of Salisbury Road and Nathan Road)
- Chungking Mansions
- iSQUARE
- Tsim Sha Tsui Station
- Kowloon Park
- Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Center
- Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard
- The ONE
- The Mira Hong Kong
- Miramar Shopping Centre
- St. Andrew's Church
- Jordan Station
- Yau Ma Tei Station
The Peninsulahas some of the highest room rates in Hong Kong. It is located about at the corner of Salisbury Road and overlooksVictoria Harbor.
In marked contrast,Chungking Mansionsonly 200 meters up the street is known for the lowest hostel rates and ethnically managed cheap hotels. Chungking Mansions is a huge building and houses thousands of people a night.
There are a lot ofSouth Asian hotel managers, and if you are walking near the building, you'll probably meet a South Asian person hawking a hotel. It is a favorite place for African merchants to purchase products and stay during their trips to the area.
Caution:建议你be carefulwith your belongings in the area around Chungking Mansions. Be aware that the small shops in the Miramar and Chungking Mansions have a reputation for selling fake products and substandard goods to foreign tourists. This is especially true of the electronics stores.
Atmosphere
You'll probably find the Golden Mile to be a combination ofhectic and interesting. It is interesting for all the tourists and foreigners, the attractions, the small shops run by Chinese, the South Asian restaurants, and the unusual atmosphere around Chungking and Kowloon Park. It is also interesting for the big malls like iSquare.
But thecrowds and the many hawkersselling watches and illegal things or trying to talk about cheap rooms can make spending even an hour on the street tiring.
Then you might want toenter one of the mallson the street or have a meal at a restaurant in the area.
Chungking is known for its relatively inexpensiveIndian and Pakistani restaurants. But don't expect posh conditions. Chungking offers the opposite.
Shopping
Budget Shoppers
On Nathan Road, you find both low price, middle price, and high price shopping. Prices arerelatively low in Chungking, but you'll have to bargain for a real bargain.
Chungking might be a good place to buy someclothing or casual shoes.The clothing and shoe stores around the edges of the first floor offer better bargains than do those in the crowded center where most tourists first go when they enter the building.
Malls
Thetwo big mallsare the iSquare and the Miramar. This is where you can do middle and high-end shopping.
iSquare Mall:The iSquare is a favorite of Chinese shoppers and foreign expats who live in the area. It is right above the Tsim Sha Tsui Station and across the street from Chungking Mansions. What is distinctive about it is that it is avertical high rise mall 31 stories tall. The proximity to the harbour gives the fine restaurants at the top a fine view. You'll find luxury brands here.
Miramar Mall:This is a mall with 400,000 square feet of shopping space and 100 stores. It is consideredone of the smaller mallsin the area, and is known for mid-priced clothing.
Attractions
Kowloon Parkis on the street. You might want to stroll around Kowloon Park,see the aviary and the bird pond, and take a rest or get exercise.
TheKowloon Masjidnext to the park is amajor mosquethat serves mainly African and South Asians in the area. It isn't open to the public.
St. Andrews Church is a small cathedral thatis beautiful inside. It is open to the public and is generally left open during the day for prayer and meditation and for tourists to see.
History
Nathan Road (彌敦道)was the first roadbuilt in Kowloon. The British government built the road when they took over Kowloon in 1860. St. Andrews Church was built along it in 1906.
After WWII, the two mile stretch of Nathan Road between Boundary Street and Salisbury Road became known as the Golden Mile. It wasfamous as a major shopping streetin Hong Kong. It was a favorite stop for international tourists, and the Peninsula Hotel anchored its reputation at one end.
Buttime changes things, and Hong Kong grew, and now other places in Hong Kong are recognized as the main shopping areas.
Now themile between Salisbury Road and Yau Ma Tei Stationis generally thought of as the Golden Mile.
Nearby Attractions
TheTemple Street Night Marketoffers perhapsbetter bargains. Harbour City Mall next to the Star Ferry is Hong Kong's biggest mall.
Transport
- MTR:Getting there is easy. Tsim Sha Tsui Station, Jordan Station and Yau Ma Tei Station are directly under it. At the Tsim Sha Tsui East Station, you'll seesignsdirecting people to the Golden Mile via the pedestrian underpasses.
- On foot:Walking to Nathan Road from the Star Ferry takes about 7 minutes.
- Bus:Bus 7 that goes down Nathan Road to the Star Ferry pier is ideal. The fare is about 4.2 HKD (0.54 USD).
