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Cross Hong Kong harbour on the Star Ferry

The deckhand loops a thick rope around the bollard before the boat has quite stopped moving, a small violence that never seems to worry him. Star Ferry has crossed this stretch of water between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui since 1888, back when Hong Kong was mostly hillside and the harbour was twice as wide. The fare is still only a few Hong Kong dollars each way. Eight minutes out, the container ships loom close enough to read their names, and the skyline behind you stacks itself taller with every glance back. You end up on the wrong side, and go straight back.

Practical

Cost
$0.30–0.50 each way
Best time
Any time; clearest skyline views in autumn (Oct–Dec)
Difficulty
Easy
Time it takes
8–10 minute crossing, plus a short queue
What people get wrong
People book a harbour cruise for the view and skip the ferry itself, not realising this working commuter route is the actual experience. Others pay extra for the upper deck when the lower deck, with its diesel smell and worn wooden benches, is the one worth having.
With
A group

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