Insight: The Star Ferry

Costing just a handful of Hong Kong dollars, the crossing of Victoria Harbour aboard one of the Star Ferries is an eight-minute visual feast.

From ancient to modern, from Rolls-Royce to rickshaw, Hong Kong offers every mode of conveyance for rich and poor. But the territory’s quintessential transport is the Star Ferry. Shunting back and forth across Victoria Harbour, these green-and-white ferries link the community together in a way that is both symbolic and endlessly practical.

The fleet would win few prizes for glamorous design. Even the grandly named Celestial Star (other names include Morning Star, Meridian Star, Shining Star and Twinkling Star) is just one of a dozen juddering, smoke-belching people-movers. Yet the clanking gangways, weather-beaten coxswains and solid wooden decks have a timeless character.

The first of the current “Star” fleet made their maiden voyages in 1898, although earlier ferries began operating a quarter of a century before that. Until Hong Kong Island was connected to Kowloon by road tunnel in 1972 and the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) in 1979, the Star Ferry was the prime way to cross the harbour – these days it is generally quicker to use the MTR unless you are travelling between points close to the piers.

As reclamation continues to narrow the harbour, the Star Ferry Pier in Central moved northwards in 2006. The new location is next to the Outlying Islands ferry piers in front of the IFC2 tower. The distance across to Kowloon is now shorter than ever, but journey times remain the same, as choppier waters prolong docking manoeuvres.

Ming Tang-Evans/APA Publications

Hong Kong’s trams

A kind of double act with the Star Ferry, Hong Kong’s fleet of electric trams was introduced in 1904, and has remained virtually unchanged since 1925, when the familiar double-decker cars came into service. Some of the 163-strong fleet now have comfy seating and air-conditioning. More are due to be upgraded over coming years but managers have promised the tinkering will not overwhelm the trams’ antiquated charm, enjoyed by 230,000 people daily.

As with the Star Ferry, riding the tram is not only one of the city’s best bargains (a flat fare of HK$2 however far you go) but also a great way to sightsee – as long as you can get a seat on the top deck, preferably at the front where the views are accompanied by a refreshing breeze. It’s a great vantage point from which to observe the city go about its business. A seat at the rear of the top deck is also good, and gives wonderful photo opportunities.

Redecorated annually according to advertising-agency whim, the trams – known locally as the “ding-ding” for the bells that announce their arrival – run daily from 6am until midnight. The line runs right along the north coast of Hong Kong Island: from Kennedy Town in the west to the heart of the city at Des Voeux Road Central, from where the route proceeds along Queensway and through the middle of Wan Chai and Causeway Bay before continuing past Victoria Park to North Point or Shau Kei Wan in the east. A branch leads off to Happy Valley and the terminus south of the famous racecourse. Vintage-style trams can also be hired out for private parties.