Your Guide To Tai O Fishing Village

Enjoy a day trip to Tai O Fishing Village with our guide to the island’s best seafood restaurants, souvenir shops, hikes and more…

The quaint fishing village of Tai O is a great place to visit for a respite from modern life in the big city. Sit at a cafe on stilts, book a boat tour and shop locally-made produce like shrimp paste and dried seafood. Scroll through for our favourite place to eat, shop and visit when we’re in Tai O.

Read More: A Local’s Guide To South Lantau

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How To Get There
Where To Eat In Tai O
Where To Shop In Tai O
What To Do In Tai O

How To Get To Tai O Fishing Village

To get to Tai O Fishing Village, make your way to Tung Chung MTR station and walk five minutes following signs to Bus 11. Tai O is the last stop and the ride will take around 45 minutes.

Alternatively, you can take the ferry from Central Pier 6 to Mui Wo (35-40 minutes by fast ferry, 50-55 minutes on the ordinary ferry) then take Bus 1 to Tai O (45 minutes).

Both buses will take you to the bus terminus, which is a parking lot that puts you at the far west end of Wing On Street in Tai O.

Sassy Tip: For the most scenic route to Tai O, hop on the cable car to Ngong Ping from Tung Chung, then catch Bus 21 from there.

What To Eat In Tai O Fishing Village

Tai O Banyan Tree

Tai O Banyan Tree shot to popularity after being featured on Netflix’s “Restaurants on the Edge” and it was also a shoot location for the 2021 hit show “Ossan’s Love”, which starred Mirror members Edan Lui and Anson Lo. This café-cum-lifestyle store is open only on weekends and is known for its desserts and seasonal seafood dishes.

Tai O Banyan Tree, G/F, 68 Kat Hing Street, Tai O, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong, 6999 8213, www.facebook.com/TaiOBanyanTree

Tai O Bakery

Famous for its freshly fried sugar-dusted Chinese-style doughnuts, you’ll want to join the long queue to this popular bakery. Get there early, because it only serves a small batch each day!

Tai O Bakery, 6 Kat Hing Street, Tai O, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong, 2985 8621, www.facebook.com/taiobakery

Tai O Crossing Boat Restaurant

A solid seafood spot, Tai O Crossing Boat Restaurant is famed for using only local produce — in particular, ingredients sourced from Tai O like shrimp paste, dried seafood and pork. You can’t go wrong with the charcoal-roasted goose, Tai O steamed rice wrapped in lotus leaves and fried cuttlefish patties.

Tai O Crossing Boat Restaurant, 33 Kat Hing Street, Tai O, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong, 2985 8343

Tai O Lookout

Housed in the historical Tai O Heritage Hotel, the glass-roofed restaurant offers sweeping views of the South China Sea. As a bonus, the restaurant is combined with an art gallery showcasing pieces created by local artists, with all the money collected from art sales going straight back into the village.

Tai O Lookout, Tai O Heritage Hotel, 14 Shek Tsai Po Street, Tai O, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong, 2985 8383, www.taioheritagehotel.com

Tai O Fei Mao Li

Tai O’s very own cat cafe, Fei Mao Li, is the purr-fect place to enjoy a light meal and meet some of the island’s resident cats (that were initially brought in for pest control purposes). Doubling as a community centre, the cafe also hosts semi-regular workshops and events to promote Tai O’s culture and local artists.

Tai O Fei Mao Li, 67 Kat Hing Street, Tai O, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong, 9497 4206, www.facebook.com/TAIOFEIMAOLI

CAFE Solo

Propped up on stilts above water, this charming cafe specialises in handcrafted artisanal coffee and also serves delicious homemade cakes. Be sure to sit out on the terrace where you can sit and watch boats go by.

CAFE Solo, G/F, 86-88 Kat Hong Street, Tai O, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong, 9153 7453, www.facebook.com/CAFE-Solo

Where To Shop In Tai O Fishing Village

Tai O Market

Tai O is best known for its seafood, which becomes very apparent as you walk through Tai O Market. The market streets are lined with stores selling everything from dried and salted seafood to pufferfish keychains, fresh pearl earrings and Tai O’s famous shrimp paste.

EARTH.er

This fashion brand takes pride in merging sustainable production processes with all-natural, renewable materials. Inspired by the outdoors and using traditional eco-friendly Southeast Asian craft techniques and materials, expect to find hemp backpacks and a line of ‘Down to EARTH.er’ shoes, made by upcycling rubber tires.

EARTH.er, G/F, 83 Kat Hing Street, Tai O, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong, www.earthertaio.com

Read More: 15 Local Sustainable Fashion Brands We Love

What To Do In Tai O Fishing Village

Kwan Tai Temple

Listed as a Grade II historical Hong Kong building, Kwan Tai Temple was built back in the Ming Dynasty and is the oldest temple in Tai O. Inside, you will find statues of the red hare and horseman of the military general of the Three Kingdoms era, named Kwan Tai and whom the temple is dedicated to.

Kwan Tai Temple, 29 Kat Hing Back Street, Tai O, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong

Tai O Heritage Hotel

Revitalised into a Western colonial-style hotel in 2012, this former Tai O Police Station sits on a small hill by the ferry pier. Pay this Grade II historic building a visit to join a free guided tour and learn more about its history, or book a staycation so you can have another day to explore the area!

Tai O Heritage Hotel, 14 Shek Tsai Po Street, Tai O, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong, 2985 8383, www.taioheritagehotel.com

Read More: 8 Historic Revitalised Buildings In Hong Kong

Yi O Farm

A project launched in 2012 with the aim to rebuild the rural community, Yi O Farm encompasses 100,000 sq. ft. of land to grow rice, fruit and vegetables. Join a walking tour or farming workshop to get a feel of the land, or pick up some locally grown produce to bring home.

Sassy Tip: If you don’t want to walk to the farm, you can take the weekends-only free boat ride to Yi O Pier from Tai O Pier.

Yi O Farm, 60 Kat Hing Street, Tai O, Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong, 2345 2075, www.yio.com.hk

Fu Shan Viewing Point

Hike up to the Fu Shan Viewing Point for some breathtaking views of Tai O Bay and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge. The summit is only a 10-minute trek up a stair trail behind the Shaolin Wushu Cultural Centre. Walk along the path of the Tai O Country Trail in the direction of Shek Tsai Po, past the White Dolphin statue.

Read More: 6 Short Hiking Trails In Hong Kong – Easy Hikes Under Two Hours

Tai O Boat Tour

Book a 20-minute boat ride through the waterways of the fishing village, passing by General’s Rock, Tai O Heritage Hotel and a series of stilt houses. If you’re super lucky, you may even spot a Chinese White Dolphin, which the waters are famous for.

Sassy Tip: To book your boat tour to the eastern side of the island or further south to Yi O, head to any one of the booths at Tai Chung Bridge.

Editor’s Note: “Your Guide To Tai O Fishing Village” was most recently updated by Nicole Moraleda in July 2023.