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The Hong Kong Palace Museum, West Kowloon

No. 79 Top 100 Most Visited Art Museums 2025 · 939,880 visitors in 2025

Hong Kong Palace Museum

Hong Kong, China · City guide: Hong Kong

Treasures from Beijing's Palace Museum in a striking new building on the West Kowloon waterfront.

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Photo: xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

The Hong Kong Palace Museum is No. 79 in The Art Newspaper's survey of the world's most visited art museums, with 939,880 visitors in 2025, up 3% on 2024. It opened in 2022 in the West Kowloon Cultural District, near M+.

The museum shows objects lent by the Palace Museum in Beijing, home of the former imperial collection of the Forbidden City, alongside exhibitions from other museums around the world. Its building, by Rocco Design Architects, is inspired by traditional Chinese architecture.

A gallery in the Hong Kong Palace Museum
A gallery in the Hong Kong Palace Museum. Photo: P．汶, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Best time to visit

Weekday mornings are the quietest. The museum is closed on Tuesdays; check the official website for hours.

Highlights & collections

  • 1

    Imperial treasures

    Ceramics, bronzes, jade, textiles and court objects from the Palace Museum in Beijing.

  • 2

    Painting and calligraphy

    Rotating displays of Chinese paintings and calligraphy, shown for limited periods for conservation.

  • 3

    Court life

    Galleries on life in the Forbidden City, its architecture and its emperors' collections.

  • 4

    Special exhibitions

    Major exhibitions with international partner museums.

  • 5

    Harbour views

    Views of Victoria Harbour from the museum's atria and the waterfront park outside.

Getting there

The museum is at 8 Museum Drive in the West Kowloon Cultural District. Kowloon station (Tung Chung and Airport Express lines) is about 15 minutes' walk away, and Austin station is about 20 minutes away.

Visiting tips

Tickets & hours
Book timed tickets online in advance, especially for special exhibitions. Check the official website for prices and hours.
Time needed
Two to three hours.
Currency
Hong Kong dollar (HKD). Cards and contactless payments are widely accepted.
Visa & entry
Hong Kong has its own entry rules, separate from mainland China's. Citizens of many countries, including the US, Canada, Australia and EU countries, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days, and UK citizens for up to 180 days. Check the Immigration Department (immd.gov.hk) for your passport.

Official information: Hong Kong Palace Museum (official website). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.

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