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The 10000 Buddhas Monastery is located on a mountain in the New Territories, a bit away from most of Hong Kong’s sights. Therefore, you will meet relatively few visitors on site and can explore the 10000 Buddhas monastery in peace.
10000 Buddhas Monastery (Man Fat Sze) – a half day trip in Hong Kong
A trip to the 10000 Buddhas Monastery in Hong Kong takes some time and you should plan half a day. In this article we show you how to get to the 10000 Buddhas Monastery and what you can expect on site.
How to get to Hong Kong
To travel to Hong Kong, there are many options. The most used is certainly the airplane, because not only from the Asian countries, but also from Europe and America there are direct flights to Hong Kong. Various airlines such as Emirates, Finnair, Cathay Pacific fly to Hong Kong and you can get a good overview on Skyscanner. There you can also easily compare prices.
The second option, if you are coming from China, is the train. There are connections to Hong Kong from Shanghai, Guangzhou or even Beijing. The boat would be another variant, e.g. from neighboring Macau, if it was your first destination. For more information about getting to Hong Kong and tickets that you can book conveniently before your trip, check out our partner 12go.asia.
Accommodation in Hong Kong – our hotel tip
Located in the heart of Kowloon, Hotel Ease Mong Kok is just a minute’s walk from the Yau Ma Tei Station on the MTR train. The rooms are spread over 20 floors and offer great views of the city skyline. They are equipped with private bathroom, air conditioning, TV, safe and a small desk. A good starting point to explore Hong Kong.
Find more hotels in Hong Kong in other parts of Kowloon or on Hong Kong Island here.
How do I get to the 10000 Buddhas Monastery?
I went from Kowloon to the 10000 Buddhas Monastery, which is located in the New Territories. From there, take the MTR Tsuen Wan Line (red) in the direction of Tsuen Wan. Now you have the possibility to switch to the Kwun Tong Line (green) at the following three stations. These are: Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok and Prince Edward. Then it takes a few more stops to Kowloon Tong in the green MTR line towards Tiu Keng Leng.
Now it’s time to change to the East Rail Line (light blue) in the direction of Lok Ma Chau or Lo Wu. After two stops, get off in Sha Tin and take exit B. Now go left, then right along the square. The big building in front of you is the HomeSquare with Ikea etc. Now cross the street and continue to the left. At the next crossing turn right, walk again across the street and then at the end behind the building, which is the Sha Tin Government Office.
It seems a little bit strange, but this is the official way. There’s a small, fenced path that looks like the following photo:
The way to the 10000 Buddhas Monastery
As soon as you see the first golden Buddha statues, the path starts to lead to the top. The life-size figures accompany you all the way and always invite you to beautiful photos. 430 steps are now imminent, but this is half as bad, because the interesting Buddha statues distract you along the way. By the way, each of them is unique and you won’t find a statue a second time.
From time to time you should also take a look behind you, because there could be great views of the mountains of Hong Kong and the skyscrapers. Also watch out for monkeys. I didn’t see any when I visited, but you could possibly meet them.
Nobody can really answer whether there are 10000 Buddha statues on the way or not. The name of the monastery is also not quite correct, because there are actually over 13000 Buddhist statues on the entire site and within the main hall.
The 10000 Buddhas Monastery
On arrival at the 10000 Buddhas Monastery, you can explore all the temple grounds. Founded in the 1950s, the monastery consists of a pagoda, four pavilions and five temples, as well as over 10000 Buddhist statues. The environment is absolutely peaceful and very quiet. Actually, the word monastery is somewhat misleading, as there are no monks living there.
Fun Fact: The pagoda of the 10000 Buddhas Monastery is shown on the back of the 100 dollar bill in Hong Kong. At least if it was printed between 1985 and 2002.
The main hall, also called 10000 Buddhas Hall, is the prayer hall for Buddhists. Taking photos inside is forbidden, but especially the over 10000 small golden Buddha statues are worth seeing and you shouldn’t miss them when you take a look into the main hall.
By the way, between the main building of the temple and the pagoda there are another 18 Buddhist figures, which represent the most important disciples of Buddha.
Also, the view you can see from the 10000 Buddhas Monastery is absolutely fantastic. It offers you a view of the Hong Kong skyscrapers and the mountains, which is a great combination.
A little further up the stairs, there are other buildings, statues and also a great view to explore. So, after visiting the main hall and the pagoda, don’t make your way downstairs just yet, but take the detour upstairs.
10000 Buddhas Monastery opening times
Visiting the 10000 Buddhas Monastery is free of charge and possible daily from 9.00 A.M. to 5.00 P.M. It is worth going there early in the morning, as it is the least busy and you can explore all the statues and the main building in peace without crowds. During this quiet time, the whole area has a special atmosphere and this is the best way to enjoy it.
Address
You can easily find the 10000 Buddhas Monastery on Google Maps by entering the name. Otherwise, the address is the following:
10000 Buddhas Monastery
220 Pai Tau Village
Sha Tin, Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Tours and Tickets
Do you prefer to travel with a guide who knows the area very well? Then we recommend a guided tour with a local. This way you can get to know Hong Kong in a completely different way. GetYourGuide offers a wide selection of exciting tours for Hong Kong.
Have you ever visited the 10000 Buddhas Monastery? Did you like it as much as we did? Leave us a comment.
