Hong Kong Ferry

Hong Kong (Sheung Wan) Ferry Port

Found on the large southern island of Hong Kong, upon the shores overlooking the deep, ultramarine waters of Victoria Harbour, is the port of Sheung Wan. This busy terminal on the north-western curve of coast is sat on an unusual H-shaped pier overshadowed by the crimson and black towers of the Shun Tak Centre. Further inland the sprawl of city skyscrapers is curtailed by the lush, rising slopes of Victoria Peak; atop which one can drink in the spectacular views across the ultra-modern cityscape.

Sheung Wan lies just west of the row of Central District piers that give the coastline a distinctive saw-toothed appearance. The area, also known as the Gateway District, is famed for being the location where, in the mid-19th Century, the British entered Hong Kong in their successful attempt to merge the region into its ever-expanding empire. The British influence is still strong in Sheung Wan. The red-bricked Western Market, a shopping complex ranked among the country’s oldest structures, is built in a distinctive Edwardian style, while local roads possess anglicised names; among them Castle Road and Wellington Street.

The ferry terminal itself is blessed with plenty of passenger facilities. Aside from the helipads upon the roof, the multi-levelled building is home to a variety of shops, cafes and restaurants selling hot food and drink, a streamlined check-in terminal, and a nearby ATM machine. A taxi rank and bus station can be found directly outside the port too.

The port of Sheung Wan is fed by a multitude of transport links, a consequence of its prime central location. The sweeping Connaught Road Central, a route that spans the entire northern coastline of Hong Kong Island’s city district, can be found directly outside the ferry terminal entrance. Mini buses regularly travel along this route, heading to a host of destinations on the island as well as across the bridge to the Kowloon District.

Ferries leave from the harbour multiple times throughout the day. Fast services hosted by TurboJet and Cotai Water Jet head west to the Asian region of Macau and the ports of Macau Outer Harbour and Macau Taipa; these routes whisking passengers on a snaking route through an island-studded expanse of the South China Sea.