Which Hong Kong Temples Are Actually Worth Visiting? (Ranked, With the Ones to Skip)

Most lists of Hong Kong temples worth visiting give you ten names and call them all must-sees. They aren't. A couple are clearly better uses of a spare morning than the rest, a few only make sense if you're already nearby, and one is excellent but can't be visited on a whim. Here's my ranking, based on what you get for the travel time.

The short version

• Only got time for one: Wong Tai Sin Temple.
• Only got 30 minutes on Hong Kong Island: Man Mo Temple.
• Want somewhere quiet: Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden.
• Have a full day: the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery on Lantau.
• Skip unless you're nearby: Che Kung, Tin Hau in Yau Ma Tei, Pak Tai in Wan Chai, Hung Hom Kwun Yum.

All six temples I rank below are free to enter, Tsz Shan included (it just needs a booking). The real cost is travel time. Wherever you go, cover shoulders and knees and keep your voice down near anyone praying.

1. Wong Tai Sin Temple: the one to see if you see one

It's the best-known temple in the city and one of the busiest, it blends Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian worship in one complex, and it's where you'll see kau cim fortune-telling done for real: people kneeling at the altar, shaking a cylinder of numbered bamboo sticks until one falls out, then taking the number to a fortune-teller.

It also wins on logistics: the entrance is a 2 to 3 minute walk from Wong Tai Sin MTR station on the Kwun Tong Line. Our full guide to visiting Wong Tai Sin Temple covers hours and how the sticks work. Go early: it closes in the late afternoon, and the smoke is thickest when locals pray before work.

2. Man Mo Temple: best interior, smallest time cost

Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road has the most photogenic temple interior in Hong Kong: huge spiral incense coils hang in rows from the ceiling and the hall stays hazy with smoke. Built between 1847 and 1862, it's dedicated to the God of Literature and the God of War.

It ranks this high on efficiency. It's small, so 20 to 30 minutes covers it, and it's an 8 to 10 minute uphill walk from Sheung Wan station. Not worth crossing the city for, but near Central it's the easiest win here. Here's whether Man Mo Temple is worth your time.

3. Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden: the calm one

Where Wong Tai Sin is loud and smoky, Chi Lin is quiet. It's a working Buddhist nunnery rebuilt in Tang-dynasty style with wooden joinery and no nails, and across a footbridge sits Nan Lian Garden, a 3.5-hectare classical garden with koi ponds, a gold pavilion and a vegetarian restaurant.

It's one MTR stop from Wong Tai Sin, at Diamond Hill, so the two make the best half-day temple loop in the city. Budget about an hour for each site, and note that photography isn't allowed inside the nunnery's main halls. Our Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden guide has the separate opening hours for each.

4. The Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery: worth it, but it's a day trip

The Tian Tan Buddha, a 26.4-metre seated bronze statue on the Ngong Ping plateau with Po Lin Monastery across from it, is the most spectacular religious site in Hong Kong. It ranks fourth only because it isn't a temple stop. It's a Lantau day: MTR to Tung Chung, cable car or bus up the mountain, then 268 steps. Plan on at least four hours door to door.

With that time and a clear forecast, it beats everything else here. If it's foggy or you're squeezing it in, skip it: low cloud can hide the statue entirely.

5. Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery: the strange one

The most memorable climb in Hong Kong. You walk up 431 steps through Sha Tin woodland, past hundreds of life-size golden Buddhas, each with a different face, to a hall lined with close to 13,000 tiny gilded figures and a nine-storey red pagoda. The path starts five minutes' walk from Sha Tin station.

Two caveats. It isn't a working monastery (there are no resident monks), so don't expect Wong Tai Sin's atmosphere. And there's no lift, so if stairs are hard for you, give it a miss. Keep food hidden from the monkeys. Here's the full honest take on the Ten Thousand Buddhas climb.

6. Tsz Shan Monastery: excellent, but only if you book

Tsz Shan in Tai Po has the biggest wow after the Big Buddha: a 76-metre white Guan Yin statue, 70 metres of it bronze. Open to the public since April 2015, it's far calmer than the city temples because visitor numbers are controlled.

The catch: you can't just turn up. You register online in advance (first come, first served) and show the confirmation email on arrival. It's open 9:30am to 5pm, the dress code is strict (sleeved tops, no shorts), there's no photography inside the halls, and a water offering replaces incense. Getting there means a bus from Tai Po Market station and an uphill walk, unless you catch one of the few weekday shuttles. Worth it on a slower trip, not worth bending a short one around.

The ones to skip (unless you're already there)

Che Kung Temple, Sha Tin. A giant golden statue of a Song-dynasty general and a courtyard of pinwheels you spin for luck. It's right by its own MTR station, but for most visitors it's a lesser Wong Tai Sin. The exception is Che Kung's birthday, the second day of Lunar New Year, when crowds pour in to pray for the year ahead.

Tin Hau Temple, Yau Ma Tei. The 1860s complex that gives Temple Street its name. Worth ten minutes if you're at the night market anyway.

Pak Tai Temple, Wan Chai. A small, quiet temple on a residential street near the Blue House. Nice if you're walking old Wan Chai.

Hung Hom Kwun Yum Temple. Built in 1873 for the Goddess of Mercy, about 8 minutes on foot from Hung Hom station. Its big day is the annual Treasury Opening ceremony, when worshippers ask for wealth in the year ahead. Otherwise it's 15 to 30 minutes and done.

Quick answers

What is the most famous temple in Hong Kong? Wong Tai Sin Temple, known for its kau cim fortune-telling and a short walk from its own MTR station.

Is the Big Buddha in Hong Kong worth it? Yes, on a clear day with at least four hours to spare. On a foggy day or a tight schedule, skip it.

Which Hong Kong temple is the least touristy? Of the major ones, Chi Lin Nunnery feels the calmest. Tsz Shan is quieter still because visitor numbers are controlled through advance registration.

Do Hong Kong temples charge an entrance fee? The major ones don't. All six ranked here are free, though Tsz Shan needs advance registration. At the Big Buddha, only the optional exhibition hall in the base costs money.

How many temples can you see in one day? Three comfortably: Wong Tai Sin and Chi Lin in the morning, then Man Mo in the afternoon. The Big Buddha takes most of a day on its own.