We ended the day with a cruise on Victoria Harbor to watch the Symphony of Lights using the Star Ferry. It’s about an hour cruise that hits all the main ferry piers. After dark, when the skyline is lit, about 30 of the buildings do a light/laser show each night (8PM). There were buildings on both sides of the harbor to watch and it was quite a sight. If you aren’t taking a cruise, plan to be on the Kowloon side as the buildings on the HK side are much more impressive to watch across the Harbor. Star Ferry (which you can also take during the day) does an evening cruise that puts you out on the water during the show. It’s also used by many of the locals to get back and forth across the harbor. One tip --- if you have a tendency to get seasick – plan ahead. Once the light show starts, the ferry basically stays in one place, and with the amount of traffic in the harbor, there’s lots of bouncing up and down. Being prepared with whatever seasickness cure you use will help you enjoy the lightshow without worrying. Also, it is very difficult to take photos due to movement of the boat and low light. If the photos are what you are after, you might want to find a viewing spot on the Kowloon Side of Victoria Harbor or in front of the Convention Center on the HK side... Once again, the big banks – Bank of China, HSBC, Standard Charter and AIG had some of the best lighting effects. Apparently the show is better on weekends, and sometimes they add fireworks --- but the regular show is good too. Show lasts about 10 minutes or so. The single ride night ticket is $100 HK and includes a concession ticket good for a beverage and a cake.

We wanted to do the Harbour Tour at a time that we could watch the Symphony of Lights. We took the 2 hour tour at 19h, because we had the impression that it was the shortest one to include that show of lights (starts around 20h). Later we understood that there is a shorter tour (1 hour), departing at 20h from the Kowloon side, which still gives you time to watch the Lights Show. Nevertheless, we enjoyed very much the 2 hour tour (includes one drink and a slice of cake) and the show.

The Star Ferry is simply the best way to cross Victoria Harbour. Despite running for well over 100 years, it is still very reliable and the oldest of the fleet has been replaced. There is also one running with the "Hong Kong - Asia's World City" livery which I must agree is very stylish. The normal livery (green and white) though is also easy to spot and truly an icon of Hong Kong. The ferry is probably the most economical way (approx. 2-3HKD) across the harbour (short-haul) and like most public transport in Hong Kong, Octopus card is accepted. However, not recommended for those who get easily seasick although the boat handles waves really well.

Star Ferry was only $1.80 HKD (just less than 25 cents US). It's an 8 minute ride across the water between Hong Kong and Kowloon island. The view is beautiful at night.