Victoria Harbour is a natural harbor situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong, named after the British Queen Victoria. Lying in the middle of the territory’s dense urban region, Victoria Harbour is world-famous for its spectacular views and one of the region’s major tourist attraction.
I went here at 3:06 p.m. HKT on April 13, 2011. This was during my first time in Hong Kong, the first international territory on my list, and my first time to travel solo.
Victoria Harbour is world-famous for its stunning panoramic day and night view. The skyline, particularly in the direction towards Hong Kong Island where the skyscrapers is superimposed over the ridges behind is a must see.
As the natural center of Hong Kong, the Harbour has played host to many major public shows, including the annual fireworks displays held on the second night of the Lunar New Year. These shows are popular to tourists and residents alike, and the show is usually telecast on local television. To add to the popularity of the Harbour as a sightseeing location, the Hong Kong Tourism Commission in 2004 introduced a laser lights and music show dubbed A Symphony of Lights.
Every year during the last week of November, the outer walls of buildings on the sides of the Harbour are dressed with Christmas-related decorations. It is then replaced with Lunar New Year-related ones by January.
Among the best places to view the Harbour is at the Peak Tower on the Victoria Peak, or from the piazza at the Culture Centre, or the promenade of Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side, or from the Golden Bauhinia Square located outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Crossing and viewing the Harbour via Star Ferry are also widely popular.