Growing Old in Style - Over to Kowloon on the Star Ferry

Growing Old in Style – Over to Kowloon on the Star Ferry

Index:

Editors note: Yes – more chapter titles have been popped in. I did warn you all that my titles change as I go along and I will add more stuff. This is a popcorn special trip report…

It might be a many done thing, but given the options crossing from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon, the Star Ferry is pretty much the top of my list.

Why? It’s a simple way of travel, and it allows you to take in the wonders of Hong Kong Harbour.

And it’s great during the day or night.

Here’s my Vlog Guide to it:

Star Ferry costs do vary – for adults on the upper deck (Central to Tsim Sha Tsui):

HK$2.50 Monday to Friday
HK$3.40 Saturday, Sunday and Public holidays.

That isn’t a lot to say the least. Here’s some conversions into popular currencies (based on XE.com data):

HK$2.50 = £0.22, US$0.32, €0.30
HK$3.40 = £0.30, US$0.44 €0.40

As I stated in the video – really expensive 😉

Alternatively, you can always ride on the lower deck of Star Ferry… which again is cheap.

HK$2.00 Monday to Friday
HK$2.80 Saturday, Sundays and Public Holidays

For those of you going between Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai, the fares are a little different, with only the upper deck open:

HK$2.50 Monday to Friday
HK$3.40 Saturday, Sunday and Public holidays.

You can pay with tokens (paid with cash) or with Octopus card – now do you see why I said top up your Octopus card at least HK$50 of credit? Makes life a lot easier when you have no change at all.

The Hong Kong Skyline from the walkway

The Fourth Central Pier in Hong Kong.

With the card blipped or your tokens deposited, you can head over to the ferry.

Ferries are every 6-10 minutes or so, so there’s not long to wait.

Wan Chai and the Hong Kong Skyline.

Wan Chai and Causeway Bay

Wan Chai and Central

Another Star Ferry crossing (well – I was on that boat earlier. Moustaches on Ferries).

If you want to go to Macau, Star Ferry gets you to Central. You’ll then need to get to Sheung Wang, and head over to the terminal. I wrote about it a few years ago for a day trip to Macau.

Aboard the Star Ferry, the layout is simple enough – benches for seating.

Kevin’s Top Tip: The seats are reversible. You can swing the seat backs so you can face the direction of travel. Just don’t do it when someone is sat in your seat row.

Star Ferry isn’t just for tourists. It’s a major link between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.

Alternatives:

I suppose I’d better talk about alternatives. The big ones are of course the MTR lines operating from Central and Hong Kong Station under the harbour, as well as the road tunnels that connect the island up.

The MTR is a quick method of getting from A to B, but it’s normally standing room only, and there’s still a mile to walk between the platforms and the entrances of the stations.

But if you’re crossing the harbour, make the time walk from Central to Star Ferry, and take 6 to 10 minutes sitting back and watching one of the greatest skylines from a boat.

You won’t regret it. I never do.

Next: Exploring Kowloon

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