Travel Photo Thursday: Hong Kong Star Ferry

The Hong Kong Star Ferry started operations between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon in 1888, the same year that the Victoria Peak Tram opened. Amazingly, this ferry was the primary means of transportation across Victoria harbour until the cross harbour tunnel was built in 1972!

The following photo is my submission to Travel Photo Thursday, a weekly showcase of travel photos organized by Budget Traveler’s Sandbox. Check it out to see many more great travel photos.

Hong Kong Star Ferry Dock by Night

I took this shot of us arriving at the ferry dock on the Hong Kong Island side of the harbour late one night after a family dinner in Tsim Sha Tsui. My youngest son was intrigued by the dock worker standing there ready to tie the boat up once we arrived.

Below are some additional shots take of or from the ferry on one of my handful of trips across the harbour.

Star Ferry in Front of Hong Kong Skyline

Hong Kong Skyline as Seen from Star Ferry

People Walking Off of Hong Kong Star Ferry

Upper Passenger Deck on Hong Kong Star Ferry

Star Ferry Terminal 7 Sign Hong Kong

18 thoughts on “Travel Photo Thursday: Hong Kong Star Ferry

    • I’ve been to New York twice, but have not gone on the Staten Island ferry. I’ll put that high on my list for next time. Thanks!

    • Thanks. I only wish that I had a more clear day to shoot the towers. A nice blue sky would have been much better than the haze. I’m pretty sure we had blue skies two years ago so I think the haze in the picture was more of a perpetual mist than pure pollution – I hope.

  1. You have caught interesting angles of the ferry. I like the drama that you captured with the guy waiting for the boat to dock. I also really like the one with the life rings on – I find it quite moving.

    • Thanks. I tried using my 50mm lens more on this trip and I’ve found that it really forces me to choose some interesting shots. They say that the photographer is way more important than the equipment, but sometimes the equipment helps to drive the photographer!

    • Thanks! It was fun hearing stories from our parents about riding the ferries for work everyday. We paid a few extra cents to ride on the upper decks because “they used to transport chickens on the lower decks”.

  2. This brings back such great memories! I was in Hong Kong in 1998 and loved taking the Star Ferry back and forth from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. It is remarkable how it is still such a popular mode of transportation, even though there are faster and more efficient ways to do the trip. Nothing beats that skyline too!

  3. I love HK and the Star Ferry. This brings back some great memories for me too. I’m really overdue for trip to HK. Lovely photos. You’ve really caught the atmosphere.

    Thanks for joining Travel Photo Thursday.

    • Thanks. I thought the colours were nice too. It took me awhile to get my camera set up to get the light just right. Luckily the boat moves slowly. Oh – and not me in the pic! I was behind the camera.

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