What's up: Are you looking for a quiet temple to visit? Or maybe you want to see the tallest Guan Yin statue in Hong Kong? This is the place! Transit: Minibus, Bus, or taxi. Per the staff at the temple, Minibus times are not consistent, but they are easily accessible from MTR Tai Po Station; we tried to get 20T but we wouldn't have made our appointment. There were other minibus options, but this one would have dropped us off right at the entrance. The guarantee is to take a taxi, but it will cost a bit more vs the minibus. Their website lists several options to get there. Environment: Reservations are required to enter and can be done on their website. When you arrive, present your confirmation / QR. It's self guided with plenty of descriptions around to describe what you're seeing. Be sure to take a bowl and fill it with water to offer the Guan Yin statue. It's recommended to take mindful steps towards the collection bowl. What was ordered: Free to visit, but reservations are required. Yay/Nay/Meh: Yay. If you're looking for a quiet and peaceful place to visit, this is the place. The reservation system ensures that the place is not too crowded and it's fairly easy to get a spot. Only issue is figuring out how to get here since there are multiple options. Oh, and their cafe gives out free drinks and a piece of cake that you can enjoy in their outdoor resting area. read more

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In my two years of being in Hong Kong, booking a reservation to visit the Tsz Shan Monastery was one of the most difficult things I had accomplished. It was seriously such a hassle because available reservations open up every day at around 9AM, but the reservations fill up very quickly due to the high demand; everyone is trying to visit. I would have to remember to check for availability every morning because I really wanted to visit this monastery. It was nearby where I lived/worked, so it would be an utter shame if I couldn't visit it given its proximity. I was sitting in the restroom one morning when I suddenly randomly remembered to try to make a reservation. Thankfully, I finally did. It was part of my last few weeks of being in Hong Kong, and it was such a beautiful experience. Very hot though, because it was the summer. If you're planning to visit Tai Mei Tuk/Tai Po, try to fit Tsz Shan Monastery into your itinerary. After we left Tsz Shan Monastery, we ended up in Tai Mei Tuk for paddle boating and a BBQ dinner. This was one of those days where every thing we did was unforgettable. A type of day that I hope comes around more often in my life. read more

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Beautiful! Serene! Calming! Unexpected! I had heard about the "giant white Buddha" up in the New Territories, but I did not expect what we experienced. It is the general vastness and void of other people that really made this such a special experience. The monastery limits the number of people who come in (make note: appointments only!) and I think we got a little lucky that the people who were in our same time slot were individuals and not a tour bus. Nestled on a hill, beautifully landscaped and maintained, exceptionally polished and clean. Just lovely and we were intoxicated by our time in the space. A few pointers: 1. Make your reservation on-line a month in advance. If you are lucky, you will find an open spot. It was not easy to even get a spot a month out. I kept having to log on each day as they loaded new days in and hope for the best. They will not let you in if you do not have a reservation. 2. My husband and I took a cab from our Sheung Wan home to the Tsz Shan Monestary. It took about an hour, door to door, and cost $330HKD. A lot time for traffic. The red cab will take you all the way there. 3. There is no charge to visit the monastery itself. Everyone attached to your reservation has to have ID. 4. It is a self guided tour (unless you are there with a group/tour guide). You should be given a map and some general info when you enter the Main Gate. There is an audio guide of some sort, but I know nothing about it and did not utilize. 5. We took our time, slowed down and were contemplative in our walking around (they encourage you to do so...leave the chaos of your outside life outside the gate!). So we took our time, took pictures (only outside, no pictures to be taken inside), had coffee in their little coffee shop and it all took about 2 hours. In the Universal Gate Hall, there is zen calligraphy to participate in and they tell you it will take about 45 minutes. It is something to sit quietly and do in the hall by yourself. Unless you have 45 minutes to complete, they suggest you come back another time. You basically trace over 100 caligraphy symbols they give you on a large piece of paper. It is suppose to meditative, calming, relaxing. I would have done it if I knew we had the time. 6. There are helpful volunteers and staff parked around to assist. Most speak some English and were very friendly and welcoming. 7. Dining Hall serves some coffee drinks (coffee, Americano, latte, etc). There is no charge and they are complimentary at the end of your tour, with lots of places to then sit, but a donation of your choosing is highly encouraged. They give you a little sweet treat along with your coffee. We gave $100HKD for our two coffees, but we saw some people put in $20HKD, some put in $50HKD and others put in nothing. We enjoyed our time at Tsz Shan and wanted to contribute. 8. This place is not a tourist attraction. It is a monastery. Be respectful, be quiet and slow your busy life down when you enter. 9. There was green cab at the exit when we left and we took it into Tai Po Market for an early dinner and then took the MTR back to Sheung Wan. The green cab cannot take you past the new territories, so this seemed the better route to return to Sheung Wan. I loved going to visit this place today. Guan Yin is absolutely impressive, but the entire facility really is a special place to see. read more

Reservations are required before visiting this monastery. Use their online website to make your reservations. Note: they will require you to provide a Hong Kong phone number. Spaces are limited and goes very quickly. Get off the Tai Po Market MTR and you can either have your choice of a shuttle bus or a taxi to get to the location. This was a very beautiful and peaceful place to visit. Surrounded by green trees and beautiful mountains, you can feel very relaxed when you enter the gates. Its also close to the waters, so you'll be able to enjoy the mountain view on one side and the water view on the other. You can have your own self guided tour or you can join a group tour that will lead you through the different buildings and statues. The guide did a great job explaining the different statues and the stories behind them. There was also a zen calligraphy building where you can write the sutras in silence. It seemed like a pretty cool thing to do but we weren't able to get to it in time. I think the last admission was 3:30 or so. The Guan Yin statue was amazing. You can offer a bowl of water instead of the typical incense as that would pollute the clean air that surrounds the monastery. The top thing that we did enjoy about this location is that it's quiet; due to the limited reservations. It makes the Tian Tan Buddha pale in comparison to this place. It's not noisy and it's not surrounded by people. You can truly enjoy a peaceful and quiet visit. read more

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A peaceful Buddhist monastery in busy and noisy Hong Kong. No yelling allowed. The world's second biggest Kuan Yin statue is here. Admission is free, but you must make your reservation online at least a month in advance. http://www.tszshan.org read more

慈山寺 - 3 buddhas - Buddhist Temples Near Me - Hong Kong, HK

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This is the worlds 2nd biggest Kuan Yin statue. You must book at least 1 month in advance online to visit here. Admission is free. It is a working monastery, so you must be quiet. read more

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Never again!!! You would think a Buddhist institution would treat their visitors with respect and kindness -- they didn't!! Instead, we were treated with the utmost rudeness when we requested that our infant and elder be dropped off at the entrance!! More upsetting was that after lining up for more than 30 min, we then were told that our party of 6 adults could not enter as our three month old infant was considered a full participant!! This is harassment!! Can't believe a place about compassion and peace doesn't hesitate to demonstrate such arrogance and hostility toward their visitors!! read more