HSBC Main Building
HSBC Main Building
4
About
HSBC Main Building is a headquarters building of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. The building can be reached from Exit K of Central MTR Station and facing Statue Square.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience HSBC Main Building and nearby attractions
The area
Neighborhood: Central
When people think of Hong Kong, most imagine movies with famous skyscrapers dominating the skyline. The area widely known as Central is the major financial hub and entertainment district, which truly lives up to the saying, “work hard, play hard.” Bars stay open late into the night and there just happens to be a street party every weekend. Although everything seems to be operating at lightning speed, Central is full of quiet, hidden gems. Nestled between office towers are wet markets and some of the city’s oldest restaurants dating back to the 1960s. Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Retreat from the crowds by exploring beautifully restored historical buildings and even a green oasis of botanical gardens.
How to get there
- Central • 3 min walk
- Hong Kong • 7 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
6,565 within 3 miles
Attractions
693 within 6 miles
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
263 reviews
Excellent
76
Very good
107
Average
63
Poor
6
Terrible
11
Jeremy m
1 contribution
Oct 2022
I lived in Hong Kong for 19 years. Used HSBC for business and personal banking. It is the worst in the world. Not helpful at all, they simply don't care and don't want to actually help you. Even for the simplest transactions, everything is tedious and overcomplicated. After jumping through all the hoops, issues still come up half the time. Their "English-speaking staff"does not actually understand simple English. Accessing my account and money is sometimes an issue, especially when traveling overseas.
I have spent hours on the phone in order to perform simple tasks or get straightforward information. They simply do not care anymore.
I have now moved out of Hong Kong and I am still having problems closing my account.
Whatever you do, avoid HSBC at all costs.
You have been warned.
Thank you for reading.
I have spent hours on the phone in order to perform simple tasks or get straightforward information. They simply do not care anymore.
I have now moved out of Hong Kong and I am still having problems closing my account.
Whatever you do, avoid HSBC at all costs.
You have been warned.
Thank you for reading.
Written October 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EmmaPeelLondon
London13 contributions
Oct 2017 • Business
4 reviews
Published 3 seconds ago
HSBC Hong Kong
HSBC Hong Kong, The worst bank experience ever!!!!
I have been trying to retrieve my money since June this year we are now Mid-October....
They have been denying me access to my money back in Europe under the pretense they couldn't recognize my signature?!?! Then that documents were missing, I had the proof that I sent the documents and they received them as they signed the receipt. Then it was due to the fact that email + phone call preceded by so many documents were not enough. This morning they refused again to send my money back. I had to deal with a David Qiu several times, the worst of all. If you are a fool and decide to go with them despite all the warnings here, you will have to discuss for hours over the phone to people who barely speak English whom you can't therefore understand and that will ask you over and over the same question though you already replied ten times to it. I found myself screaming on them on the phone. At this stage I hired my lawyer to sue them. Good luck if you are with them!
Published 3 seconds ago
HSBC Hong Kong
HSBC Hong Kong, The worst bank experience ever!!!!
I have been trying to retrieve my money since June this year we are now Mid-October....
They have been denying me access to my money back in Europe under the pretense they couldn't recognize my signature?!?! Then that documents were missing, I had the proof that I sent the documents and they received them as they signed the receipt. Then it was due to the fact that email + phone call preceded by so many documents were not enough. This morning they refused again to send my money back. I had to deal with a David Qiu several times, the worst of all. If you are a fool and decide to go with them despite all the warnings here, you will have to discuss for hours over the phone to people who barely speak English whom you can't therefore understand and that will ask you over and over the same question though you already replied ten times to it. I found myself screaming on them on the phone. At this stage I hired my lawyer to sue them. Good luck if you are with them!
Written October 13, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BradJill
Hong Kong, China159,149 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
One of the fun things to do when visiting Central is to see the HSBC lions which guard the bank entrance. The two bronze lions named Stitt and Stephen are placed on Des Voeux Road, famously guarding the entrance.
If you walk to the other side of the bank and you'll find a pair of Art Deco style lion faces, which guarded over the 12-storey HSBC building (1935-1981) that predated the current building. These are really neat to see and view as well.
Lastly, if you are interested in the history of the bank and its roles in shaping Hong Kong over the past 170 years, there are information boards with photos and text under the building. These are worth 10 minutes or so of your time before or after viewing the lions of HSBC.
If you walk to the other side of the bank and you'll find a pair of Art Deco style lion faces, which guarded over the 12-storey HSBC building (1935-1981) that predated the current building. These are really neat to see and view as well.
Lastly, if you are interested in the history of the bank and its roles in shaping Hong Kong over the past 170 years, there are information boards with photos and text under the building. These are worth 10 minutes or so of your time before or after viewing the lions of HSBC.
Written April 3, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HoHofromHKSars
hongkong27 contributions
Jun 2012
peek this special builing and think about a century history of HK. Someone told me that:
This building can be rebuild then move to any where just loosen bricks and steels.
This building can be rebuild then move to any where just loosen bricks and steels.
Written July 19, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hongkongmay11
Sydney, Australia3 contributions
May 2011
We visited this building on a heritage tour of Hong Kong. Not only impressive that it could be dismantled piece by piece to be relocated if necesary,but step inside. Well ride the escalator onto the first foor and you feel instant calm. No photos are allowed to be taken. Exit on the upslope away from the lions and feel the wind rush!
Written May 31, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
marcus_schuetz
Hong Kong15 contributions
This building is an experiment. Whether a successful one, I don't know. Inside the floors are vibrating and the ventilation blows the dust from the floor upwards. The architecture seems to provide more flexibility than the banks mindset. So there is some reserve.
Written February 1, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
German Perez
Atlacomulco, Mexico4 contributions
Jan 2020 • Business
It is a very nice and professional place to do business with good attention and comfort, I liked the assistant
Written January 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jacquim178
London, UK156 contributions
Oct 2019 • Family
We didn't get to go inside as we visited late at night but we did get to see the famous lions (statues) that sit outside and guard the building and managed to get some photos.
Definitely worth a visit even if it just to look at the building from the outside to say you have seen the main building in the world for HSBC
Definitely worth a visit even if it just to look at the building from the outside to say you have seen the main building in the world for HSBC
Written November 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BradJill
Hong Kong, China159,149 contributions
May 2011
The HSBC main building is quite interesting from a historical, Feng Shui and financial importance perspective. It also makes for an attractive addition to the Hong Kong skyline, best viewed from Kowloon across Victoria Harbor. However, it is also a nice building to view from up close. The two bronze bulls in front of the building make for a nice addition as well, good for a picture during your time spent in the Central district of Hong Kong.
While not a top attraction from a traditional tourist point of view, you can't help but see the massive sky-scrappers in Hong Kong, including the HSBC building. Thus, its worth a few minutes admiring this interestingly designed and built building during your trip to HK, from both the Kowloon and the HK island sides.
While not a top attraction from a traditional tourist point of view, you can't help but see the massive sky-scrappers in Hong Kong, including the HSBC building. Thus, its worth a few minutes admiring this interestingly designed and built building during your trip to HK, from both the Kowloon and the HK island sides.
Written May 23, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mairwen1
United Kingdom9,320 contributions
Sep 2020
Along with the Bank of China, this is one of Hong Kong’s most iconic buildings.
They were built at pretty much the same time in the mid-1980s and comparisons were inevitable.
Norman Foster, the HSBC architect had several advantages at the time. Firstly, he had a stonking great budget of HK$5.2 billion (5 times the Bank of China budget). Foster’s only limitation was that the bank had to be “the best bank building in the world”. No pressure then.
Amazingly, Foster hadn’t built outside the UK before and hadn’t built anything over 3 stories. The HSBC building is 44 storeys and was ground-breaking. The main structure consisted of 5 steel modules, prefabricated in the UK and shipped to Hong Kong.
Unlike the Bank of China, you can go inside because the atrium level is a normal bank branch open to the public. The internal structure is equally as dramatic as the outside and it is worth heading up the street level escalator to have a look. You can take photos of the structure but not of the actual banking areas.
If you walk through the open street level, there are a series of panels describing the history of the site and some great old B&W photos, including some showing the original shoreline before land reclamation pushed it right back (hard to imagine that the water used to come right up to this site).
The HSBC building is part of the Symphony of Lights so one of the best views is at night, from the Star Ferry or Kowloon side where you can see light show that plays out on the façade.
NOTE: Disappointingly, the 2 famous stone lions guarding the building are temporarily covered with hoarding while some damage is being repaired.
They were built at pretty much the same time in the mid-1980s and comparisons were inevitable.
Norman Foster, the HSBC architect had several advantages at the time. Firstly, he had a stonking great budget of HK$5.2 billion (5 times the Bank of China budget). Foster’s only limitation was that the bank had to be “the best bank building in the world”. No pressure then.
Amazingly, Foster hadn’t built outside the UK before and hadn’t built anything over 3 stories. The HSBC building is 44 storeys and was ground-breaking. The main structure consisted of 5 steel modules, prefabricated in the UK and shipped to Hong Kong.
Unlike the Bank of China, you can go inside because the atrium level is a normal bank branch open to the public. The internal structure is equally as dramatic as the outside and it is worth heading up the street level escalator to have a look. You can take photos of the structure but not of the actual banking areas.
If you walk through the open street level, there are a series of panels describing the history of the site and some great old B&W photos, including some showing the original shoreline before land reclamation pushed it right back (hard to imagine that the water used to come right up to this site).
The HSBC building is part of the Symphony of Lights so one of the best views is at night, from the Star Ferry or Kowloon side where you can see light show that plays out on the façade.
NOTE: Disappointingly, the 2 famous stone lions guarding the building are temporarily covered with hoarding while some damage is being repaired.
Written September 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TripSaul
Atlanta, GA26 contributions
Can you go inside the HBSC Building and how much can you see -- how far into the building are you allowed access?
Bagpuss19
Midlands534 contributions
you can take the escalator up to the first floor to look at the interior of the building however you cannot access any further
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingHSBC Main Building - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about HSBC Main Building
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience HSBC Main Building:
- Big Bus Hong Kong Open Top Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour (From $44.96)
- 4-Hour Private Hong Kong Layover Tour (From $263.47)
- Private Shore Excursion: Customized 4-Hour Hong Kong City Tour (From $415.16)
- Private Tour: Customized 6-Hour Hong Kong City Tour (From $419.33)
- 6-Hour Private Hong Kong Layover Tour (From $324.84)
- Hotels near HSBC Main Building:
- (0.11 mi) The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
- (0.13 mi) Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
- (0.14 mi) The Murray, Hong Kong, a Niccolo Hotel
- (0.26 mi) Butterfly on LKF
- (0.32 mi) Ovolo Central
- Restaurants near HSBC Main Building:
- (0.03 mi) MIX
- (0.04 mi) Mott 32
- (0.10 mi) Man Wah
- (0.11 mi) SOMM - The Landmark Mandarin Oriental
- (0.12 mi) The Aubrey
HSBC Main Building Information
Excellent Reviews | 76 |
|---|---|
Very Good Reviews | 107 |
HSBC Main Building Photos | 253 |