Ultimate Guide to Quarry Bay and Tai Koo

Also known as the ‘Monster Building’ for its conglomeration of five incredibly densely stacked residential complexes, Yik Cheong Building and Montane Mansion are probably the most well-known locations in Quarry Bay and definitely among the most Instagrammed spots in Hong Kong. A perfect reflection of our city’s famed urban density, the photogenic architecture has also featured in Hollywood blockbusters like Ghost in the Shell and Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Unleash your inner child at this indoor obstacle course. At its core, Verm City is an indoor rock climbing gym with a 4.5m colourful boulder gym, top roping and leading wall, as well as Asia’s first augmented wall (which uses projected graphics and proprietary body tracking to create interactive games) that’s perfect for beginners. Verm City is also home to the city’s first and only climbing theme park, where visitors can climb, scale and clamber up 19 different obstacles. And yeah, there’s a 6m-high giant slide, too. $180 per hour. 

You’ll never get bored of your workout routine at H-Kore, as the gym focuses on sharing innovative fitness techniques from around the world. Challenge yourself with inspirational coaching in their new and highly energetic studio in Taikoo Place's Dorset House, where classes are kept small so trainers can focus on one-on-one time with every client each session. The studio is also home to a ‘Megaformer’ machine, which can work over 600 muscles in just 45 minutes. Yeesh. There are also circuit training, kettle-based classes and ‘YogaKore’ classes to try.

Ryze, Hong Kong Island’s biggest trampoline park, is completely lined with trampolines from wall to wall, with foam pits and rope swings allowing the daring to indulge their ninja fantasies. All visitors must sign a liability waiver but once you’re in, you can bounce, flip and jump to great heights to your heart’s content. It’s a surprisingly decent exercise workout too! Starts at $150 for one hour.

Bring home the freshest local produce at this regular Sunday Market in Taikoo Place. With up to 40 stalls offering everything from seasonal fruits, baked goods and organic food, sample and try out healthy delicious nibbles while learning more about sustainable eating. Though the market is on summer hiatus, mark your calendars for when it returns in November.

Encompassing the entire 32nd floor of the spankingly swanky business hotel EAST is Sugar, a soaring establishment that sells itself as ‘bar + deck + lounge’. It’s a tag that succinctly sums up the highlights of this ultra-cool space, except that it omits Sugar’s finest feature: the utterly breathtaking views. Head up to one of Hong Kong's best rooftop bars the next time you're spending a night out in Quarry Bay.

Hong Kong’s only neon-themed indoor playground, Crossfire Arena offers patrons glow-in-the-dark bubble suits to bump about in when playing on their indoor pitch. Learn drills and strategies as teams waddle across the pitch in their bubble suits trying to score before inevitably getting smacked to the floor. Aside from bubble football, Crossfire has a whole host of other fun, neon-themed games including archery tag, dodgeball and light-up sabres that are perfect for any Star Wars fans. $225 per person.

This rink has the smoothest, slickest ice around – not to mention, it’s the only rink on Hong Kong Island. Regular skaters are rewarded with a points card which can be used to collect various skating accessories. However, it’s not the best rink to practice your backward arabesque spiral as this and other advanced moves are banned for the safety of fellow skaters. $75 per hour. 

The hike up to Mount Parker is one of the most popular nocturnal strolls in the city, providing stunning panoramic views of the Hong Kong’s famous night-time landscape and, more excitingly, fireflies. There are several ways to get up to the peak, but the most straightforward route is to follow the bottom of Mount Parker Road – just five minutes away from Quarry Bay MTR station. Have your cameras at the ready to capture illuminated skyscrapers and fireflies lighting up the scene.

Want to impress your friends and family with your Chinese tea expertise? At MingCha Tea House, you can have as many tea tastings as you want for a fixed price – perfect for tea enthusiasts and culture vultures. By the end of this fun and interactive class, you can learn all about the histories and origins of different teas, as well as knowing how to brew a cup of tea like a pro. Bring home some of the wonderful selection of authentic teas MingCha has on offer, all presented in eco-friendly packaging. $350 per person.

This scenic promenade winds its way alongside the harbour giving strollers stunning views towards the New Territories. Connecting Quarry Bay Park and Tai Koo Shing Park with various children’s playgrounds, rollerblading parks and open spaces — tai chi, anyone? – the promenade makes for a brilliant romantic stroll or spot to jog at night. Quarry Bay Park is also one of the few places in the city to see cherry blossoms during early February – take a snap and watch the Instagram likes roll in.

The perfect example of an urban oasis, Quarry Bay Tree Walk is just a few minutes walk away from Kornhill Garden, making it an easy escape from the neighbourhood hustle and bustle. A fairly flat and surprisingly peaceful route, the 1.1km-long stroll takes you through not only beautiful forestry but also remnants of war such as communal stoves and warehouses. 

Para Site is one of the most long-standing independent art institutions in East Asia and continues to build on its success with numerous free showcases for both emerging and established contemporary artists.

Hop on over to Taikoo Shing for some of the best shopping and entertainment in Hong Kong. If there’s something you can’t find in Central or Causeway Bay, you’ll most likely find it in City Plaza. Aside from ice skating, you can also eat your day away or shop and relax at the mall’s cinema where you can catch the week’s newest flicks.

Formerly a large multi-purpose space that previously hosted exhibitions by Tim Burton and Zaha Hadid, ArtisTree has been reinvented as a 7,000sq ft arts-centric performance venue fitted with professional stage equipment, lighting, audio and visual systems and retractable theatre seating. Designed as a platform for emerging new art forms and for exhibiting a diverse range of original works, this is the place to be to discover unique productions and young talent from Hong Kong and around the world.

One of the four lasting standing indoor amusement park under the Aeon brand, Molly Fantasy – no, there’s Molly or other hallucinogens involved – is where you’ll find various kid-friendly rides and retro games like basketball shoot-outs and whack-a-mole type challenges. Game tokens are $1 each and each game costs around five to eight tokens. During weekends, if you spend more than $200 you get 20 free tokens. Bargain!

A multi-purpose space slash art gallery founded by renowned local designer Alan Chan, Space 27 aims to promote design-inspired creativity and serve as a platform for young and emerging creative talents from Hong Kong and around the region. Not limited by genre, Space 27 has previously exhibited the likes of Spanish satirical comic strip artist Joan Cornella and contemporary Chinese artist Deng Xinli.