5 Best Places to View Hong Kong Harbour

View of Victoria Harbour at morning

Fei Yang/Getty Images

Today Hong Kong Harbour, or Victoria Harbour as it is properly known, is all but retired as a maritime motorway but it does remain one of Hong Kong’s major tourist attractions. Squeezed between the mountains of Kowloon and the soaring skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island, its shimmering waters are banked by the neon skyscrapers of Hong Kong harbor. This is the iconic image of Hong Kong.

Below are our five picks of the five locations to get the best angle on the harbor. Make it even more special by turning up for the Symphony of Lights. This grand light and laser spectacular gives the harbor a special shine at night.

01 of 05

The Top Deck of the Star Ferry

Star Ferry cruising on the harbor in Hong Kong
Marco Wong/Getty Images
Address
Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui, 梳士巴利道
Phone +852 2367 7065

What better way to enjoy the water of Hong Kong Harbour than floating on it. The Star Ferry is a Hong Kong icon and has been plying the route between Tsim Sha Tsui and Central for over 100 years. Rides across the harbor take around 10 minutes, during which time you can watch the water and the skyline unfold before you. Unbeatable.

02 of 05

The Avenue of Stars Promenade

A crowd of people looking at the skyline from the promenade on Avenue of stars

 Nik Pillay / TripSavvy

Address
Ave of Stars, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Phone +852 2918 1722

The Avenue of Stars offers outstanding and unobstructed views over Hong Kong Island’s swathe of Hong Kong Harbour and the skyscrapers beyond. You can stroll along this seafront promenade from the Star Ferry Pier to the Intercontinental Hotel and enjoy premium Kodak moments along the way. Most of the jaw-dropping photos you see of Hong Kong Harbour and the skyline splashed across coffee table books were taken here.

03 of 05

The Pinnacle of Victoria Peak

Aerial view of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong
boscochang/Pixabay.com
Address
The Peak, Hong Kong

Highly recommended for those who want to see the shiny crowns of Hong Kong’s skyscraper city, the Peak also affords excellent views over the Harbour. Walk around the path that circles the Peak to see the whole of Hong Kong and the South China Sea spread out before you. This is also the best spot for night views of Hong Kong. You'll find thousands of twinkling skyscrapers laid out at your feet.

04 of 05

The Noon Day Gun

Daily firing of the Noonday Gun in Hong Kong
Peter Stuckings/Getty Images
Address
Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter, Hong Kong

Believe it or not, Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour was once a bustling fishing port clogged by trawlers, junks, and just about anything else that could float. Today, titanic-sized tankers and city-sized ocean liners rule the harbor waves. For a traditional sense of the harbor's colonial past try the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter around the Noon Day Gun. Here the water is swamped by a forest of masts from the nearby Hong Kong yacht club and you can still watch small sampan’s weave their way through the crowded waters to sell freshly caught fish to passers-by.​

Continue to 5 of 5 below.
05 of 05

The Lobby Lounge of the Intercontinental Hotel

Hotel guests dining in the Lobby Lounge of the Intercontinental Hotel
xPACIFICA/Getty Images
Address
18 Salisbury Road Regent, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Phone +852 2721 1211

If all of the above sounds a little too active, try a cocktail at the Intercontinental’s Lobby Lounge. Here you'll have the view laid out for you in widescreen. Perched on an upper floor of the hotel, the panorama from the Lobby Lounge is nothing short of spectacular. The commanding location means cocktails can be expensive...so sip slowly.

If you fancy a room with a view, Hong Kong's hotels are only too happy to help out and several properties can be found on ​the water's edge.

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5 Best Places to View Hong Kong Harbour