Central can be described as the commercial and political heart of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange, numerous major banks, multinational financial institutions, and foreign consulates are all located here. The Court of Final Appeal, Government House (formerly the Governor’s House), the Central Government Offices of the HKSAR, the Legislative Council Complex, and the PLA Hong Kong Garrison Headquarters are also situated in the Central area. With famous attractions like Lan Kwai Fong, the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, and the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, it is an ideal destination for in-depth exploration.
Central is also a major transportation hub in Hong Kong, serving as the interchange point for four MTR lines and offering direct access via the Airport Express, making it extremely convenient. In addition, with the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator, the Star Ferry Central Pier, and the Peak Tram Terminus nearby, along with an extensive network of elevated walkways, you can reach almost any building in Central and Admiralty without ever having to walk at street level.
The only downside to the dense cluster of skyscrapers is that mobile phone and GPS signals aren’t particularly strong. It’s quite easy to get lost when you first arrive, but after wandering around for a while, you eventually get used to it…
Bank of China Tower, construction began in 1985—I have to say, I.M. Pei was truly brilliant.
The old Bank of China Building, modeled after the bank’s former headquarters on the Bund.
HSBC’s famous bronze lions
Hong Kong Tram
The Cenotaph, with the Mandarin Oriental and Prince’s Building behind it
Apple Store, ifc
Now let’s talk about this quirky Ferris wheel. Although it’s called a Ferris wheel, it’s actually quite small—only 60 meters tall, roughly half the height of other famous wheels. When it first opened in 2014, tickets were priced at HK$100, but after the site changed hands, the new operator lowered the price to just HK$20—an absolute bargain! You get three full rotations, which is more than enough to satisfy your curiosity…
Since my hotel was right next to the tram station, I made sure to take the Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak to catch a glimpse of Hong Kong’s night view. The skyline hasn’t changed much over the years, though there were noticeably fewer people taking the tram this time—I only had to queue for about 20 minutes before heading up. Here are a few shots of the night view from Victoria Peak to wrap things up.
Photos in this post taken with a SONY A5100 + 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, post-processed in Lightroom.
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