Things to do near Temple Street Night Market
Temple Street Night Market sits in Yau Ma Tei, at the edge of one of Kowloon's oldest districts, and almost everything worth doing nearby is within a 15-minute walk of the market's two ends. This page puts those stops in the order you would actually walk them, with realistic timings, the free-versus-paid split, and a start and finish point at the MTR.
The market itself is free. It is a public street of individually run stalls, so there is no ticket, no gate and no booking, and you pay only for what you eat, drink or buy. Licensed hawker trading runs 2:00 PM - 11:00 PM, the street is car-free from 2:00 PM to midnight, and the busiest stretch is roughly 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
Where to start and finish
Two MTR stations bookend Temple Street. Jordan Station (Tsuen Wan Line) Exit A brings you in at the south end, at the Temple Street archway on Jordan Road; it is a stepped exit. Yau Ma Tei Station (Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong Lines) Exit C comes up on Man Ming Lane at the north end, is signposted for Temple Street and is step-free. MTR's own directions also time the market at about four minutes from Jordan Exit D. Finish at the opposite station to where you began, or loop back. Full step-by-step directions are on how to get to Temple Street.
The three-hour evening plan
An evening on and around the market without rushing. Times assume you arrive about 6:30 PM at Jordan Exit A and leave from the north end.
| Time | Stop | What it is | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:30 PM | Jordan Exit A and the archway | Come out of Jordan Exit A and walk to the landmark archway at the Jordan Road junction, the market's southern gateway. | Free |
| 6:45 - 7:45 PM | Street food on Temple Street | Work north along the food stalls: skewers of fish balls and siu mai, stinky tofu, and claypot rice at the dai pai dong tables. See our Temple Street food guide for what to order. | Pay per item; about HK$80-200 per person for a full sweep (typical) |
| 7:45 - 8:30 PM | The fortune-tellers | Palm, face and other readings at the stalls along the street. Agree the price before the reading starts; most readers speak Cantonese and some speak English. | About HK$100-300 per reading, typically HK$100-200 (indicative) |
| 8:30 - 9:15 PM | Cantonese opera near Tin Hau Temple | Informal Cantonese opera singing in the open, close to the temple at the north end of the street. Sessions vary, and it is free to stop and watch. | Free (a tip is appreciated) |
| 9:15 - 9:30 PM | Walk to Yau Ma Tei Exit C | Finish at the north end, a few minutes' walk to Yau Ma Tei Station Exit C, or turn around and walk back to Jordan for the south end. | Free |
If you only have one hour
Walk the street between the two stations rather than trying to do everything. Start at Jordan Exit A, head straight to the archway, buy one snack (a skewer or a small claypot is the fastest), stop for a single fortune reading if the mood takes you, and finish at Yau Ma Tei Exit C. The full walk between the two ends is comfortably under half an hour at a dawdle, so an hour leaves time for one proper stop.
The half-day version (afternoon into evening)
The daytime sights around the market keep daytime hours, so an afternoon start lets you add them before the market itself comes alive. Times assume you arrive about 2:00 PM at Yau Ma Tei Exit C.
| Time | Stop | What it is | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00 - 2:45 PM | Jade Market | A covered bazaar at Kansu Street and Battery Street selling jade jewellery, stones and trinkets, with the stalls clustered under the Gascoigne Road flyover. No government trading schedule is published for it: the hours most listings give, including Time Out Hong Kong, are daily 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, while other listings give a later close, so treat 4:00 PM as a guide rather than a hard closing time. | Free to browse |
| 2:45 - 3:45 PM | Mido Cafe | A 1950s cha chaan teng at 63 Temple Street, kept almost unchanged, with mosaic floors and marble-topped tables. Listed hours differ between sources and the cafe has long had a weekly closing day, so check before you go or ring +852 2384 6402. | Pay per item; about HK$40-80 (typical) |
| 4:00 - 4:45 PM | Tin Hau Temple | The temple that gives the street its name, at Temple Street near Public Square Street. It is a Declared Monument (2020) and the largest surviving Tin Hau Temple compound in Kowloon. Opening hours are Monday to Sunday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. | Free (donations optional) |
| 5:00 PM onwards | Temple Street as it fills up | The stalls trade from 2:00 PM, but the crowd and the kitchens are only really going from about 6:00 - 7:00 PM. Bridge the gap with an early dinner, then run the evening plan above from 6:30 PM. | Free to enter |
What a stop on the way costs
No official price list exists for the market, because every stall is independent. The figures below are typical, indicative bands seen at street level; treat them as a budget guide rather than fixed prices.
| Item | Typical price (HK$) |
|---|---|
| Fish balls / siu mai (per skewer) | About 10 - 25 |
| Stinky tofu | About 20 - 35 |
| Claypot rice (per pot) | About 65 - 120 |
| Spicy crab (whole crab, sold by weight) | About 200 - 350 |
| Mido Cafe (per item) | About 40 - 80 |
| Budget for a full street-food sweep (per person) | About 80 - 200 |
Free or paid, at a glance
- Free: walking the market, watching the Cantonese opera, browsing the Jade Market, and visiting Tin Hau Temple.
- Pay as you go: all food and drink, and souvenirs. Small stalls mostly prefer cash, though Octopus is widely accepted across the city.
- Optional: a fortune reading (about HK$100-300, typically HK$100-200). Agree the price first.
Getting away afterwards
The last trains and the late-night options matter if you stay for the busiest hours. Last departures checked October 2026; MTR revises timetables, so confirm on the day, and note that you may not pass the entry gates less than five minutes before the last departure.
| Station | Last train towards Central | Last train towards Tsuen Wan |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan | 00:52 | 01:01 |
| Yau Ma Tei | 00:50 | 01:03 |
If you miss the train, a red urban taxi starts at a flagfall of HK$29 for the first 2 kilometres (Transport Department tariff, effective 14 July 2024). Overnight, the N122 night bus runs through Yau Ma Tei and Jordan along Nathan Road, roughly 00:10 - 05:45, and the last 112 departure from its terminus is at 00:30. Full step-by-step arrival directions are on how to get to Temple Street.
Before you go
Temple Street is one stop in a much larger district, and the sightseeing and cultural highlights around it are collected separately on our sightseeing guide. For opening times and the hours the market itself keeps, see opening hours; for where to stay within walking distance, see nearby hotels; and for the layout of the street, see the Temple Street map.
Because the market is a working street, individual stalls open and close to their own schedule, and the indoor sights (the Jade Market especially) keep daytime hours. Build the plan around those fixed windows and leave the evening free to wander.
