Fanling & Sheung Shui, up close

Fanling and Sheung Shui sit in the northern New Territories, close to the boundary with mainland China, and retain more of a traditional market-town character than the larger new towns further south.

Historic walled villages

The area holds a concentration of old walled villages and ancestral halls belonging to some of Hong Kong's oldest local clans, connected by the Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail — a good complement to the single walled village already covered in our Tsuen Wan guide.

Fanling Golf Course

Part of the historic Hong Kong Golf Club already covered in our golf guide, its main 54-hole course sits in Fanling, one of the oldest golf grounds in Asia.

Market town character

Both towns retain a genuinely local, workaday feel with traditional wet markets and family-run shops, less shaped by large-scale planned redevelopment than districts like Tseung Kwan O or Tin Shui Wai.

Getting there

Both are on the MTR East Rail Line, making them straightforward to reach directly, with Sheung Shui also the last stop before the Lo Wu border crossing into mainland China (see our day trips guide).