Snoopy's World Hong Kong: The Free Sha Tin Playground Worth the MTR Ride

Snoopy's World Hong Kong is free. That is the first thing to know, because the most common searches about it are for tickets and prices. There is no gate fee, no booking and nothing to buy. It is an open-air Peanuts playground on the third-floor podium of New Town Plaza in Sha Tin, open daily from 11am to 7pm, and it even has a short canoe ride that is also free these days.

It is not a theme park, whatever some listings call it. It is a themed playground with one gentle boat ride. Go in with that expectation and it is a good morning stop with young kids, especially if they already know who Charlie Brown is.

Where Snoopy's World is and when it's open

The mall lists it at the Outdoor Platform, L3, Phase 1, New Town Plaza, open Monday to Sunday, 11:00 to 19:00. Older blogs give different hours (one says 10am to 8pm), so trust the mall's own page over anything written years ago.

It opened in 2000 on the site of two little-used tennis courts and was the first Peanuts-themed outdoor playground in Asia. The whole space is roughly 40,000 square feet. That is small.

If you have a dog with you, it can come in, but the mall's rule is that pets stay on the ground and on a leash no longer than 1.5 metres.

How to get to Snoopy's World by MTR

Take the East Rail Line to Sha Tin station and leave by Exit A, which is the exit the mall itself gives as its address. Exit A leads you into New Town Plaza. One visitor's directions are the simplest version: stay on the same level, walk straight across the mall to the far side and out through the doors. There are signs if you lose your way, and the walk is about five minutes.

From Hong Kong Island, the East Rail Line now starts at Admiralty, so it is one train with no change to Sha Tin, and the ride is under 20 minutes. From Kowloon, you can change onto the East Rail Line at Kowloon Tong.

Pushing a pram? Our guide to riding the MTR with a stroller covers the lifts and when to avoid rush hour.

What's inside: the six zones

The park is split into themed zones, and there are around 60 Peanuts figures dotted between them. That is what most people come for: photos with Snoopy, Woodstock, Lucy, Linus and the rest.

• Snoopy House. You walk in through Snoopy's doghouse. It stands 4.5 metres tall, and a giant Snoopy, 5.5 metres long and 3.3 metres high, lies on the roof. Inside, the house doubles as a small museum on the Peanuts characters and their creator, Charles Schulz. Look in for Charlie Brown on the sofa in front of the TV.
• Peanuts Academy. A yellow American school bus with life-size Sally, Charlie Brown and Linus in front. Kids can climb aboard and pretend to drive.
• Boating Canal: Canoe Ride. The only ride. More on it below.
• Peanuts Dugout. A baseball-themed playground where kids can jump and play, with benches for parents around it. Watch for the bone-shaped benches.
• Peanuts Boulevard. A mini street with a bank, a post office and a theatre, plus Joe Cool and Lucy at her doctor's booth. Lots of photo spots.
• Snoopy Wedding House. A community hall where couples actually get married. The area around it has more character photo spots.

The canoe ride: free, short and the one queue

The canoe ride takes you along a small canal past Peanuts scenes in slow-moving boats, and it lasts about three to five minutes. It used to cost something (one older guide says you needed a mall shopping receipt to ride), but visitors in 2016 and again in 2025 report that it is now free.

Because it is free and it is the only ride, it is the one thing at Snoopy's World with a real queue. Visitor reports put its hours at about noon to 6pm, so it starts an hour after the gates open. On weekends and public holidays the line builds early. One visitor who came on a public holiday found a crowd waiting at the entrance before opening. When the gates opened, a lot of it headed for the playground and the rest went straight to queue for the canoe ride, which did not start until noon. If the ride matters to your kids, come on a weekday morning. Check the notices at the entrance for the day's times and rules.

Is Snoopy's World worth it?

It depends on who you are bringing.

Worth it if: you have young kids, anyone in your group loves Peanuts, or you are already in Sha Tin. It costs nothing, the mall it sits on has food, toilets and nursery rooms, and it is an easy add-on to a morning at the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, which is also in Sha Tin.

Skip it if: you are adults on a short first trip and not Peanuts fans. One long-running HK guide says first-time visitors are better off on the main sights unless they love Peanuts, and we agree. It is also not a stand-in for a real theme park. If that is what you are after, put the day into Ocean Park or Hong Kong Disneyland instead.

Plan it as a stop, not a day out. It sits well alongside the other spots in our list of the best playgrounds in Hong Kong.

Bonus: the Dino Park two floors up

New Town Plaza has a second free play area that is easy to miss. Dino Park is on the L5 Outdoor Podium of Phase 1, open 7:00 to 22:00. It is about 35,000 square feet with 14 play structures. The centrepiece is a dinosaur climbing frame seven metres tall and 26 metres long, with a 4.5-metre rope bridge and three slides. There is also a 23-metre zipline four metres off the ground, plus swings, a rocking board and a trampoline.

One parent's read is that Dino Park suits slightly older kids, while Snoopy's World is better for the little ones, so families with a mix of ages can split between the two. The mall says it may bring in ticketed entry for crowd control when it gets busy, so do not be surprised by a queue at the gate.

Tips for a smoother visit

• Go on a weekday morning. Weekend and holiday afternoons are the busy slot, especially for the canoe ride.
• Let the opening rush go in first if you want entrance photos without a crowd in them. One visitor did exactly that and got clear shots of the doghouse.
• It is open-air. Bring water and sun cover in summer, and have an indoor backup in mind if rain is forecast.
• Make a free day of it. Our list of free things to do with kids in Hong Kong has more no-ticket outings.

Quick answers

Is Snoopy's World Hong Kong free? Yes. There is no entrance fee and no ticket to buy, and the canoe ride is free too.

Where is Snoopy World located? On the outdoor platform on L3 of Phase 1, New Town Plaza, Sha Tin, in the New Territories. Use Sha Tin MTR station, Exit A.

Is there a Snoopy amusement park in Hong Kong? Not really. Snoopy's World is a themed playground with one slow canoe ride, not a ride park. For thrill rides, look at Ocean Park or Hong Kong Disneyland.

What are Snoopy's World's opening hours? Daily from 11am to 7pm, according to New Town Plaza. Visitors say the canoe ride runs from about noon to 6pm.

How long do you need at Snoopy's World? Not long. It is about 40,000 square feet, so treat it as a short stop rather than a day out. Allow extra time if you plan to queue for the canoe ride on a weekend.

What is the best theme park in Hong Kong? It is between Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland, and the right pick depends on your kids' ages and what they want to ride. Snoopy's World is a free add-on, not a substitute for either.