The Hong Kong Skyline – Two Ways

The Hong Kong Skyline

The Hong Kong skyline is one of the most iconic and memorable skylines in the world. The city and its more than 7 million residents are squeezed into just over 400 square miles, slightly larger than New York City’s 5 boroughs. This makes for a very vertical city, with more than 1,200 buildings rising over 100 m ~ 30 floors!

The Hong Kong Skyline is also unique in that the city is divided in two by Victoria Bay. You could say that Hong Kong actually has two skylines, Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

A different perspective of the Hong Kong skyline

Even though we were only there for 48 hours the first time, Mallory and I made the most of our time in Hong Kong. There were a couple things that we didn’t do on our first journey 1. Because the weather didn’t cooperate and 2. Because we just ran out of time.

1. Go to the top of Victoria Peak
2. Take a ride on one of the last remaining red sail junk boats

Both of these activities offered breathtaking views of the city and together cost less than $30 total.

Riding the Peak Tram

The Peak Tram

A round trip ticket to the top of Victoria Peak on the peak tram will cost you HK$88 ~$12. If you have watched my vlog of my travel experience between Singapore and Hong Kong you will know that you must have cash for this! The tram ride is pretty quick, and you’ll want to sit on the right side for the most scenic views during both the ascent and descent.

The Peak Tram

One you reach the tram station at the peak you have to go through an escalator maze to climb 7 more floors to reach the 360 degree views the Sky Terrace 428 observation deck has to offer. The wait for the tram and climbing the escalators is totally worth it. I was lucky with my second trip as it was very clear. You could see Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the mountains in the distance very clearly.

I spent some time taking in the views of the Hong Kong skyline on the north side and Repulse Bay on the south side. I grabbed a beer at Bubba Gump shrimp (because why not?) and made my way back down the mountain to the Central part of Hong Kong to find dinner.

The Hong Kong Skyline from Victoria Peak

Aqualuna Harbour Cruise

Aqualuna Chinese Red Sailed Junk Boat

Other than the Hong Kong skyline, there are very few images that are quintessential Hong Kong. The red sail Chinese junk boat, however, is one of those images. Growing up a sailor, and my love of the water made the Aqualuna Harbor cruise a no brainer. I had a couple hours to kill the afternoon I was set to leave Hong Kong, so I bought my ticket online, hopped on the MRT over the the Tsim Sha Tsui station (where we stayed last time).

Junk Boat skyline

The Aqualuna offers a few different options based on the day of the week and time of day you want to cruise. The weekday afternoon cruises are the least expensive at HK$130 for an adult ~$17. They also have  cruises for the Symphony of Lights show each night for HK$285 ~$38.

Me on the Junk Boat with Hong Kong in the background

The 4 stop circle around Victoria Harbour takes approximately 45 minute to an hour to complete. The boat has plenty of seating and offers a “pirate lunch” with a dim sum basket and a glass of pirate’s punch for HK$78 everyday. Unfortunately it was too windy to put the sails up, but I still enjoyed taking in the sights and chatting with the crew.

Hong Kong Skyline from the junk boat

As another short trip to Hong Kong came to a close I went to the airport a little early to check out the two Cathay Pacific First Class Lounges before I made my way back to the US.

Where is your favorite place to take in the views the Hong Kong skyline has to offer? Let me know in the comments below!

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