4 Best Sights in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

The biggest attraction east of Causeway Bay for locals and visitors alike is this local legend, where millions of Hong Kong dollars make their way each year. The exhilarating blur of galloping hooves under jockeys dressed in bright silk jerseys is a must-see. The races make great Wednesday nights out on the town. Aside from the excitement of the races, there are restaurants, bars, and even a racing museum to keep you amused. The public entrance to the track is a 20-minute walk from Causeway Bay MTR Exit A (Times Square), or simply hop on the Happy Valley tram, which terminates right in front.

Every Wednesday night during race season (September through June), the first of about eight races kicks off at 7:15.

Hong Kong's maritime past and present are much in evidence on Causeway Bay's waterfront. Beginning in 1883, those who lived on sampans and old-fashioned junks gathered during bad weather in the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter, the first of its kind in the city. Most boat-dwellers have moved to dry land, so these days yachts and speedboats moor here. A few traditional sampans, crewed primarily by elderly women, still ferry owners to their sailboats.

A block east of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club stands the Noonday Gun, which Noël Coward made famous in his song Mad Dogs and Englishmen. It's still fired by a Jardine Matheson employee at noon every day. It is said that the tradition began when a Jardine employee fired a gun in salute of the company's head arriving at the port, angering an officer of the Royal Navy.

Hong Kong Island's largest park is a welcome breathing space on the edge of Causeway Bay. It's beautifully landscaped and has recreational facilities for soccer, basketball, swimming, lawn bowling, and tennis. At dawn every morning hundreds practice tai chi chuan here. During the Mid-Autumn Festival it's home to the Lantern Carnival, when the trees are a mass of colorful lights. Just before Chinese New Year (late January to early February), the park hosts a huge flower market. On the eve of Chinese New Year, after a traditional family dinner at home, much of Hong Kong happily gathers here to shop and wander into the early hours of the first day of the new year.