Hong Kong is one of the world’s busiest and financial centers and commercial ports. The setting is spectacular, with Victoria Peak overlooking the South China Sea and the bay that separates Hong Kong Island, with its towering skyscapers, from Kowloon and the mainland. The city might be crazily busy and congested, but there are some great running options in Hong Kong.
The “go to” running option is Bowen Rd., a 4 km trail easily accessible from Central, with great city and water views. The other “must do” run is the Peak Circle Trail, which is part a great network of trails on Victoria Peak, including the longer Hong Kong Trail. If staying at one of the hotels in Central, there is some pleasant running along the water in either direction of the Star Ferry terminal. Running on the Happy Valley racetrack is one of the more unique runs out there. Across the bay in Kowloon, there are two good waterfront runs, including in the area of the former airport. If you have time for an excursion, there is fabulous running on Lantau Island (also the location of the Hong Kong airport), accessible by ferry. Runners who enjoy hills and trails will find particularly good options in Hong Kong. Note: If you’d like to have a guided running experience in Hong Kong, we highly recommend our affiliate partner Go! Running Tours.
A bit of geographic orientation: most visitors to Hong Kong will stay on Hong Kong Island. “Central” refers to the business district where most of the hotels and offices are located. Most of our running options are accessible from Central or the Mid-Levels. The “mainland”, also known as Kowloon, is a short ferry ride away.There are some good running options there, but except for the immediate waterfront runs, they take some getting to.
If staying on the island, it is very unlikely you will have a car. There is an extensive transportation system, including the hyper-efficient MTR subway, buses and trams. The famous Star Ferry runs between HKI and the mainland, and there are ferries to other islands. The Peak Tram gets you to Victoria Peak, though it’s also possible to run/walk/hike to the peak.
We would like to add our thanks to the Namban Rengo running group in Tokyo for their tremendous help in connecting us with their network, who advised us on great running spots in Hong Kong.