Sunset at Star Ferry Pier, Wanchai, Hong Kong • The Sunset Blog

9/10

UniquenessThe sunset watched here, how different is it from the others?

6/10

VisibilityIs the sunset likely to be seen from the location?

10/10

AccessibilityHow easy is it to get to the location? ("-" means the location cannot be revisited at will)

4/10

CrowdHow busy is the location? ("-" means the location has no public access or I was on the move)

7.3/10

OverallIs this location worth a sunset visit?

The Victoria Harbour has to be at the top of the list of Hong Kong’s most popular tourist attraction. It is also rated by many magazines and websites to be the Top 3 Most Beautiful Night Views in the world for many years, thanks to the tall buildings of Hong Kong forming a magnificent skyline. Although it is famous for its night view, its sunset view is also spectacular.

The harbour separates the Hong Kong Island down the south and the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. It is also the central location of the annual fireworks displays and its promenades are used as viewing platforms for tourists and locals. Either side of the harbour has a good view of the sunset, but tourists mainly visit Central or Tsim Sha Tsui because they are connected to other famous landmarks and shopping malls.

Victoria Harbour is top choice for sunset photos in Hong Kong, and to get its best view, you can visit any of the Star Ferry Piers and take a ferry ride during the evening, which is a very unique experience.
If you are sailing the harbour on a ferry, you will have a perfect view of the sunset from sea level. Otherwise, the view might be slightly blocked if you are watching from the promenades. The Wanchai Star Ferry pier has a roof garden where you can view the harbour without taking the ferry, or if you want to take a good photo of the ferries running on the harbour.
Apart from watching the sunset from the promenades, it is even more sensational to watch it from the Star Ferry, with routes running between the islands. You can either take the ferry from Central Pier to Tsim Sha Tsui or vice versa, the short ride is less than 10 minutes and only cost a few HK dollars. Make sure you are front of the queue so that you can pick the best seat. You can always wait for the next ferry if you are too far back in the queue, since there are ferries every 10 minutes or so.
There will be large crowds everywhere near the pier and the promenades, but they are usually moving crowds who’ll disappear after a few minutes. It is not hard to find a place to setup tripod and enjoy your sunset session.

Tips & Sharing

If you are catching the Star Ferry from Central or from Wanchai to Tsim Sha Tsui, then you should grab the seats on the left part of the ferry so that you are facing the west. If traveling from Tsim Sha Tsui, then you should take the seats on the right hand side. How to tell which is left or right? When you get onto the ferry, turn yourself and face the other side of the harbour, then your left and right should be the correct sides. The ferry has a front and back section with windows, the middle part are without windows. I strongly recommend you take the middle part if you want to take photos, because the windows can limit your view, and also during summer time, the windows are closed for air conditioning and since the windows are dirty, you won’t be able to take clear photos of the sunset.