Museums make a great rainy day or hot weather activity, and these Hong Kong museums provide lots of fun, hands-on activities as well as interesting and educational exhibits that kids will love.
These museums are mostly free or inexpensive, but you can save even more by purchasing a Museum Pass which gives unlimited admission into LCSD museums. An annual family pass is $100, an individual pass is $50, and a child’s $25. Museums covered include Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong Science Museum, Hong Kong Space Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence and Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum.
Children’s Discovery Museum
You must pre-book for this fairly small child-focused museum in North Point. This is a totally hands-on experience and includes a performance area with mini TV studio and stage, a small banyan tree-house, a water play area, a baby/toddler area, a topographic sand tray and a maker-room. There are educational messages about environmental awareness which may be lost on the younger crowd. My 4, 7 and 10 year olds all really loved their visit here, especially tinkering in the maker room.
Cost: Book for a 2.5 hour session, prices range from $60 – $110 per person, depending on age and whether weekday or weekend. Closed on Mondays.
Location: 1/F, China United Centre, 28 Marble Road, North Point
Space Museum
We love the space museum, it’s a really fun and educational museum to visit with kids. Located right by the Star Ferry pier in TST, the permanent exhibits are split over two floors – the ‘Hall of the Cosmos’ and ‘Hall of Space Exploration’. 70% of the exhibits are interactive, such as the ‘space surfing’ game, the gyroscope, a time travelling game, a room that replicates the sensation of being on a space station and loads more. The educational information is accessible to children of all ages at their own level. 2 hours here will cover everything, but you can extend the visit by combining it with a trip to the OMNIMAX space theatre next door.
Cost: $10 adults, $5 children; Omnimax shows $24 adults, $12 children (can use museum pass). Closed on Tuesdays.
Location: 10 Salisbury Road, TST, Kowloon
Maritime Museum
At Central Pier 8 you can find the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. This is a small museum and most of the exhibits are not hands-on, but having said that there a few hands-on exhibits that my kids really love. The biggest hit has to be the real command bridge from a 1960s ship, complete with ship’s wheel, morse code machine, lots of buttons to press, a telephone – their imaginations can run riot. The images and models of Hong Kong’s harbour past and present are fascinating, and there are great views of Victoria Harbour with some telescopes to look out for sea traffic. This museum fills in an hour or so and when you’re done you can head upstairs to Café 8 for a simple but tasty lunch.
Cost: $30 adults, $15 children
Location: Central Pier 8
Science Museum
With more than 500 exhibits, and 70% of them hands-on, you could easily fill half a day here. Galleries cover a wide range of science and technology topics including light, sound, motion, electricity and magnetism, mathematics, life science, biodiversity, environmental protection, transportation, telecommunication, food science and home technology. The Children’s Gallery features special activities for kids including the Big Kids’ Work Site where children can get hands-on learning about building and the Build Your Own Coaster activity. This is right opposite the History Museum so you could potentially have a double museum trip day!
Cost: $20 per person, (can use museum pass)
Location: 2 Science Museum Road, TST East, Kowloon,
Fireboat Alexander Grantham
If you have a fire engine lover or boat enthusiast then they will enjoy a visit to Fireboat Alexander Grantham. This 1950s fireboat was in service in Hong Kong until 2002, and now you can walk around and look at all the firefighting equipment. You can combine your trip with some play time at Quarry Bay Park.
Cost: Free. Closed on Tuesdays.
Location: Quarry Bay Park
Hong Kong Museum of History
This photo of Hong Kong Museum of History is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Explore the history of Hong Kong from 400 million years ago, up until the handover in 1997, through over 4,000 fascinating objects on display in the permanent Story of Hong Kong exhibition. Although this is less hands-on than some of the other museums on this list, the displays will spark interest and conversation. Check the museum website for the latest special exhibitions. This museum is directly opposite the Science Museum so it’s easy to combine both for a day out.
Cost: $10 adults, $5 children (can use museum pass). Closed on Tuesdays.
Location: Location: Science Museum Road, TST East, Kowloon,
Hong Kong Heritage Museum
This photo of Hong Kong Heritage Museum is courtesy of TripAdvisor
The Children’s Discovery Gallery here is specially designed for children aged 4-10. There are 8 learning playzones that include a Mai Po marshes zone, an archaeology zone and a new territories village. There’s also a fun Hong Kong Toy Story exhibition that covers the evolution of toys in Hong Kong and includes a hands on playing area. The museum is right beside Sha Tin Park which has a playground and bike track.
Cost: Free. Closed on Tuesdays.
Location: 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin
Tai Po Railway Museum
If you have transport and train loving kids then they’ll enjoy exploring the historic trains and carriages at this fairly small display in Tai Po.
Cost: Free. Closed on Tuesdays.
Location: 13 Shung Tak Street, Tai Po Market, Tai Po
Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence (currently closed for rennovations)
Lots of excitement to be found amid the tanks and cannons here, and a fun outdoor area to run around in too. It’s currently closed for a revamp so watch this space for updates.
Cost: currently closed (can use museum pass)
Location: 175 Tung Hei Road. Shau Kei Wan
Find more indoor fun and play options in this article!
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