Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

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Visiting the Avenue of Stars tops my list as one of the best free things to do in Hong Kong. It is a promenade built along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui. Modelled on the Hollywoods Walk of Fame it is to pay tribute to the outstanding contributions of Hong Kong's film professionals and stars to the industry. There are name plaques of film stars, past and present, placed on the pavement. While plaques of the deceased celebrities and film professionals only contain their names, those of the living celebrities and professionals have their hand prints and autographs on them. Besides the plaques there are various movie related icons and sculptures such as that of the Kungfu legend Bruce Lee and a sculpture depicting a movie making process.

This place seems to attract visitors both during the day for a fantastic view of the harbour as well as in the evenings for the laser display. The nightly laser display known as the Symphony of Lights offers visitors a breathtaking view of the skyline with buildings being illuminated on both sides of the harbour. The laser show is based on various themes displaying the history and life of Hong Kong.

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Victoria Harbour is the clear focal point of Hong Kong, and while most people head across to Tsim Sha Tsui and the Avenue of Stars to enjoy a stroll along the harbourside, an alternative, less-crowded option is to take the walk down the Wan Chai Harbour Prominade from Causeway Bay to Wan Chai, or vice versa.
Taking this route you get great views across to Kowloon and Hung Hom, as well as great views across Wan Chai and up to the Peak. Come just before sunset and the walkway will be filled with locals walking their dogs and people coming to take in the Symphony of Lights show. It's much more relaxed than the walk on the other side of the harbour, without the hawkers and the constant jostling for the best spots to view the skyline.
Another bonus of this route is you get to pass the Noon Day Gun, a cannon once fired by the Jardine company (one of the the oldest in Hong Kong) when one of their ships arrived in the harbour. The gun is still fired everyday at noon after a new Governor timed his arrival with that of one of Jardine's ships, and was so shocked by the sound of gunfire that he ordered it to be fired every day at 12pm as a punishment. The governor may be long dead, but they keep firing that gun!
Shoudl you take the walk from Causeway Bay towards Wan Chai, when you arrive at the ferry pier you can continue on to the Wan Chai Convention and Exhibition Centre, and Bauhinia Square to see the symbol of Hong Kong - the Golden Bauhinia - as well as more great views of Tsim Sha Tsui and Central.

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Awesome view! Postcards are nice, but it's definitely better seeing it for real! :-)

I was seeing here the business side of Hong Kong, where those tall buildings are, and you should see them at night for the symphony of lights! I was really amazed how they made the lights and the sounds of ALL the buildings, well, synchronized. It's like I could only wish my own country could do the same. Hihihi!

This is the typical postcard image of Hong Kong that most tourists want photos of when they come. Victoria Harbour seperates Kowloon from Hong Kong Island and it's a great place to come at night to see the great skyline full of neon lights.

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Tha harbour is a huge area and is really nice to sit and relax in. We sat here many times during our stay in Hong Kong, just watching the world. Of course another reason you would come here is to take the Star Ferry across from Kowloon or vice versa. It's particularly nice at night when you can see all of the city lit up.

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The Avenue of Stars got its idea from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where you'll find the hand prints and names of the famous Hong Kong actors, actresses, directors and other famous personalities. Many of the names are unknown to me, as they are from the old black-and-white era. But you'll find stars of today such as Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, etc.

Even if you don't care about the movie industry, the promanade is located by the harbour on the Kowloon side, where you'll get an excellent view of the skyline of Hong Kong Island. It is also a great place to watch the sunset, as well as the light and sound show every night at 8 o'clock.

Take a stroll along Victoria Harbor at night, especially around 8 o'clock to catch the symphony of lights. It's amazing and there are many things to do around the Harbor including bars and restaurants.

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The Star Ferry is a quick and different way to travel between Kowloon and Hong Kong island, and the views are just totally breathtaking... those skyscrapers are huuuge, and there are loads of them.
Its also very cheap to make the quick crossing, and if you have a Octopus Card, they accept that for travel.
The star ferry has 2 levels, first and second class. First class is on the upper deck and second class on the lower deck.
As its very cheap, you can just as well go first class, enjoy the views!!