5 forgotten spots to snap the best photos of the HK skyline from for your Instagram feed

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Don’t just follow the tourist herds, check out these less-crowded and better views of our world-famous Hong Kong skyline

Joshua Lee |
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The view from Hoi Fai Road Promenade captures the colourful cranes of the New Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter.

If you’re after a good view of Victoria Harbour and the iconic Hong Kong skyline, forget about visiting the crowded and overrated Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. For a much better view, check out these five alternative viewpoints instead.

Hoi Fai Road Promenade

If you’re looking for a good spot to take great photos, head to the Hoi Fai Road Promenade in Tai Kok Tsui, near Olympic Station.

From this park, you’ll get a good view of the International Commerce Centre (ICC) and the high-rise residential towers above Kowloon Station, with a glimpse of the International Finance Centre (IFC) and the Central business district in the distance.

What makes this park so special is that it overlooks the New Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter, where barges with cranes are often docked and small vessels move around the port, making for more interesting photos.

If you ever get bored of the view, there are also some strange geometrically shaped benches around the park which could make a good photo opportunity.

Kai Tak Cruise Terminal

Built on of the runway of the former Kai Tak Airport, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal opened in 2013 and features a large rooftop garden stretching the length of the building.

The park has a nice lawn area and a bunch of other features, but what we’re interested in are the viewing platforms overlooking Victoria Harbour, with the Hong Kong skyline in the distance.

You might find that your view is blocked by some cruise ships docked at the terminal. If that happens, you can also see Kwun Tong and Lei Yue Mun from the nearby Kai Tak Runway Park, a large grass lawn area on the ground-level outside the cruise terminal. The park has been designed to imitate the former runway at the airport, with runway markings and special paper aeroplane-shaped benches along the park’s paths.

The Kai Tak Cruise Terminal offers a bonus grass area for picnics in addition to the views.
Photo: Xinhua

Lei Yue Mun

Lei Yue Mun is best known as a fishing village with many different places to eat for seafood. But if you walk through the village and past the dozens of restaurants you’ll find a small beach and an even smaller light tower overlooking the harbour. This beach is probably the closest you can get to the waters of Victoria Harbour without getting your feet wet.

While you might not be able to get a glimpse of the Central skyline from the beach, this is a great place to view the sunset over the Kowloon Peninsula. On weekends, you will often find photographers setting up their tripods along the beach trying to get the perfect shot of the sun setting behind the buildings in Kowloon.

Lei Yue Mun isn't just a seafood paradise, take in the stunning views from the beach too.

Hung Hom Promenade

This park is a great alternative to the views you might get from Tsim Sha Tsui, without all the crowds. The promenade, which is around one kilometre long, runs along the Hung Hom and Whampoa waterfronts, and is connected to East Tsim Sha Tsui with a footbridge.

There is a good view of the skyline in Central and Wan Chai, and also of the less well- known buildings around North Point and Causeway Bay. Because the promenade is far from the main tourist hotspots like Tsim Sha Tsui, there aren’t many people around this area and the environment is generally quiet and peaceful. There are also several benches along the length of the promenade that make this a good place to sit by the water as you to enjoy the view.

You can catch fish AND great views from the Hung Hom Promenade.
Photo: Joshua Lee/SCMP

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

You don’t have to be on the Kowloon side to get a good view of Hong Kong Island and the Central skyline. The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is situated on a peninsula that extends into the harbour, with the Golden Bauhinia Square standing just outside the building – a popular tourist spot.

To avoid the crowds and get the best view of the harbour, walk around the outside of the convention centre to the far end of the nearby Expo Promenade. From there you will be close to the centre of Victoria Harbour, and have an unobstructed view of nearly all the skyscrapers in the Hong Kong skyline and in Tsim Sha Tsui.

You don't have to be on the Kowloon side to see great views, the HKCEC has a promenade with great viewing angles of Victoria Harbour.

Edited by Nicole Moraleda

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