Victoria Harbour Hong Kong in 18 images
Awesome, stunning, amazing Harbour views of Hong Kong
Me Jamie, your host, I am English and I have lived in Hong Kong for 52 years - I know the place.
I have personally completed 2,300+ Private Experiences (over 6,000+ guests) since April 2011 and I am considered one of the finest Private Tour Guides in Asia.
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Please note that for the 18 images I am posting I do very minimal editing in photoshop - if you look at my images on my Flickr image site you will notice my photo’s all have a similar look to them.
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I have a thing about Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong as you might expect, I have lived in Hong Kong for 52 years and have been to the waterfront and travelled on the Star Ferry thousands of times.
As a Private Tour Guide I completed 2,324 private tours of Hong Kong between April 2011 - January 2020 with guests from all over the world.
With the exception of one, perhaps 2 particular places at the Kowloon side waterfront, I don’t think the views can compare with those at Victoria Peak, close but not close enough, but who cares what I think! No matter if you use a professional camera or a smart phone on a sunny day the view can be simply jaw dropping and there is one bonus, take a couple of rides on the Star Ferry, one famous comment by a travel writer was along the lines of it is one of the 10 best things in the world to do! I would not go that far but having ridden on it thousands of times I can confirm it is a very special experience and remarkably cheap and I have always had the pleasure of remembering it before they started reclaiming land on Hong Kong Island and it used to take 18 - 20 minutes to cross the harbour, now it takes half the time.
… and talking of the Star Ferry, always check on Google to see if they are running Afternoon Tea by the Peninsula Hotel on the Star Ferry, that is a really special experience.
The other strange thing is that the view of Kowloon from Hong Kong side at the waterfront too me is strangely subdued with only the ICC building (118 floors) providing a sensational frame of reference., it is absolutely a height thing, the view of Kowloon from Victoria Peak is mind boggling, it is not the same at sea level.
Just so we are clear, the best view is that of Hong Kong Island from the waterfront on Kowloon side looking across Victoria Harbour.
…. and now 18 of some of my favourite images I have taken featuring Victoria Harbour, they are in random order.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 1
Amazing, the view of Hong Kong Island from TST Promenade next to the Star Ferry Pier or from “The Deck” in the Ocean Terminal which is also next to the Star Ferry Pier, these days there is minimal traffic in Victoria Harbour but sometimes you get lucky and see a large cruise ship coming into dock at the Ocean Terminal.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 2
We call it the TST Promenade which basically starts at the Clock Tower next to the Star Ferry Pier on Kowloon Side, you have to walk up some steps to the elevated walkway which has to be one of the most used viewing platforms in the world.
It is the perfect place in Hong Kong to record some memories of a lifetime.
The Clock Tower is hard to miss by the way, it is the only one in Hong Kong.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 3
I consider myself quite fortunate, I always have my camera with me (and a fabulous camera it is!) which means that sometimes weather conditions and time of the day merge to give a what I call MOODY shot, they will never win awards but they are perfect for my blog posts. This shows one of the Star Ferries which crosses Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong Island, it is one of the great ferry rides in the world today.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 4
The opportunity to take a picture of the Hong Kong - Macau Hydrofoil happens if you take the Hong Kong Island to Cheung Chau Island ferry, as long as you are on the deluxe deck at the top of the ferry (which has an open section) well, you can get up close and personal with all sorts of vessels.
… and I always recommend that people visit Cheung Chau Island in Hong Kong, the ferry ride is spectacular and if you come back at the golden hour in the late afternoon, then sunset from the ferry is magnificent.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 5
It happens.
Weather can be a curse and a blessing and every now and then in the summer (and sometimes in the winter) we have days with driving rain and low cloud with the result that you cannot really see a darn thing., I always think positive, you get a different type of memory and it is a rare day that stormy weather sets in for the day.
There is always tomorrow.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 6
Bruce Lee on the Avenue of the Stars
… but you know that already, one of Hong Kong’s favourite son’s and rightly so, he was quite the legend and it always seems that every second of his life here has been chronicled, the good, the bad and the ugly and his ultimate tragic passing.
The famous statue is on an extension to the Kowloon Promenade which starts at the Regent Hotel and then there is a ten minute or so walk along what they call the Avenue of the Stars - the walk has stunning views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island but be warned, it can get awfully crowded with Mainland Chinese Tourists at anytime of the day and night 7 days a week, it is a very popular place to visit and Hong Kong joggers love it and they can be quite rude if you impede them in any way.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 7
The start of the Avenue of the Stars down at the TST Kowloon Promenade.
The Regent Hotel has returned (on the left) after being rebranded as the Intercontinental Hotel for decades, we are all very happy to have the Regent brand back again and this 5 star Hotel has probably some of the best views in the world, not just from the Guest Rooms but also from the fabulous lobby lounge. I have been in there hundreds of times.
The Avenue of Stars had a major overhaul a few years ago and the new seating is very welcome but will not protect from rain.
In a nutshell, a great places to enjoy the harbour views.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 8
One of my favourite images
You can see the steps to the walkway on the TST Promenade which ends at the Clock Tower, the old fishing junk is a replica and is called the Aqua Luna (there are two of them) and are a popular way to cruise around the harbour, day and night and you can hire them as a private charter and sometimes they head out to visit some of our 263 islands.
The planets aligned for this image, the junk sails are up and in 30 seconds the junk would have been lost behind the Pier and it was a lovely sunny day in the winter.
If only every day could be like this.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 9
Not much to say other than the view at night of Hong Kong Island across the harbour from Kowloon Promenade is staggering.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 10
A stormy day in Hong Kong and the Star Ferry
… and I got 3 Star Ferries in the image which is quite the rarity. If you have the time do the Star Ferry multiple times, it is very cheap and is a really awesome experience.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 11
The Dukling Fishing Junk
Unlike the Aqua Luna which is a replica, the Dukling is a real, traditional Chinese Fishing Junk
The owners lack the slick marketing skills of the Aqua Luna Company but I always though the fact that it is a very old original traditional fishing boat must count for something.
The Dukling set sail in 1955 as a traditional fishing boat but sank in late 2014 in Aberdeen Harbour on the South side of Hong Kong Island, it was on the shallow sea bed for 3 months before being raised from the depths and made into a vessel again, I should point out that they skip this minor detail on their website (!) but is mentioned on their company bio on the Hong Kong Tourism Board website, go figure.
I imagine a few people might be a tad hesitant to go on a boat that previously sank! but at least it was a glorious sinking at the height of a typhoon with no injuries or loss of life.
I have been on it and it is fabulous and did not dwell on salty sea curses and such.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board loves to hire both boats to impress visiting VIP’s and rightly so, it is a lovely experience.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 12
The odd, strange and subdued view of Kowloon from Hong Kong Island looking across Victoria Harbour, with the exception of ICC at 118 floors the view does not pop at all, there is a lovely walk from the Star Ferry Pier on Hong Kong Island to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (and yes, popular with joggers) but it is generally pretty quiet and not much interest to tourists.
… and I will not go off on one of my rants about the Hong Kong Government’s use of stupid mascots and cartoon characters, any visitor to Hong Kong would get the impression that we were all 5 years old.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 13
The Aqua Luna Fishing Junk no. 2 and the Star Ferry in the same shot approaching sunset in Victoria Harbour.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 14
The Symphony of Lights, Laser and Light Show daily at 8pm
It has been going for quite some time now and the best place to see it is the TST Promenade as previously described or from the Deck at the Ocean Terminal Mall a couple of minutes walk away.
It needs a revamp and for most people this 9 minute spectacle is a tad underwhelming made worse by the over the top description on the Hong Kong Tourism Board website.
“Between the sea and the sky that frame Hong Kong’s iconic skyline, the natural world and human innovation unite in a spectacular two-act tale. By day, the emerald-hued hills assume the central role, but as evening falls the organic landscape takes a bow, allowing the dazzling glass-and-steel chorus to emerge as the stars of the show, and never is the performance more spectacular than during the nightly ‘A Symphony of Lights’ .
Whether observed from the water’s edge along Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade , or enjoyed in a more intimate setting perched above the city in a sky-high restaurant, the 8pm start time is always met with eager anticipation. This fact is not lost on Sydney-based Richard Lindsay, the founder of creative design agency Artists in Motion, who was part of the team tasked with redesigning the world’s largest permanent lighting and music show in 2017, 14 years after it first illuminated Victoria Harbour.”
If you are in the area by the waterfront on Kowloon side by all means watch it but take the hype with a pinch of salt, I think it is the 3rd best city view in the world particularly at night, it does not need the laser part of the show., personal opinion of course.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 15
You can see the TST Promenade steps next to the Clock Tower, this image is taken from the roof top car park of the Ocean Terminal Mall at the waterfront, it is actually very difficult to find the “pedestrian” entrance to the car park, I guess they do not like crowds up there but it does give some more interesting views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island as it is elevated
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 16
I hate the terms Hidden Gems and Secret Spots (I have written blog posts about that!) but a very cool and unusual thing to do is visit the Deck at the Ocean Terminal Mall next to the Star Ferry in Kowloon.
The Ocean Terminal can handle 2 large cruise ships and they built the Deck as an extension to the cruise terminal, so basically you have to walk the entire length of the mall and go up multiple escalators to find the Deck and boy is it worth it, I have been there many times and during the day it is largely deserted and you do get fabulous views.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 17
A close up of the absolutely iconic Star Ferry in Victoria Harbour with Hong Kong Island in the background.
Victoria Harbour Hong Kong Image 18
A winters tale.
Yes, taken in the winter, it was cool, misty, hazy and sunset was underway and the planets aligned yet again at TST Promenade in Kowloon, naturally I am biased but I have had a lot of very nice comments about the image over the past few years.
Looking across Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong Island with Victoria Peak in the background.
One of the many reasons to come and visit Hong Kong.
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| Cultural Tourism At It’s Very Best |
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Jamie, Your Passionate Hong Kong Expert & Storyteller
Discover Hong Kong - Pearl of the Orient
Learn about the unbiased, real Hong Kong | forget what you read in the press!
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Consultants Hong Kong | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | | 2011 - 2024.
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