Avenue of Stars (星光大道)

The Avenue of Stars (星光大道, Xīngguāng Dàdào) is a 400-metre harbour promenade in Tsim Sha Tsui (尖沙咀) built in 2004 as a tribute to the Hong Kong film industry - the one that made this city what it is. It is free, it is flat, it needs no planning, and at 8:00 PM the light show happens directly in front of you. That is the whole pitch.

Highlights

The handprints - Bronze palm prints and signatures of Hong Kong film figures, on a wall inspired by the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-fat, Maggie Cheung. Fifty-odd replicas, and the actual hand of the film's most famous actors cast in bronze. It is more moving up close than it has any right to be.

The old Star Ferry pier (舊尖碼頭天星小輪碼頭) - A preserved section of the 1890s timber pier on this same waterfront, declared a monument. The Star Ferry's first home, and the last piece of old Kowloon on the Kowloon side.

The Clock Tower (天星碼頭鐘樓) - 1915, the former Kowloon-Canton Railway terminus at the far end of the promenade, and the official southern border point of the old railway. It is the correct place to end your walk.

Symphony of Lights (幻彩詠香江) - Every night at 8:00 PM, the towers on both shores run a synchronized 8-minute neon and laser routine. Loud, kitsch, and one of the most photographed things in Asia. The best viewing spot is the west end near the Clock Tower, facing back along the harbour. Do not expect fireworks; the show is architectural lighting, not pyrotechnics.

On the promenade itself - A jogging track runs the full 400 m and is genuinely busy at sunrise with locals. The bars and restaurants along the south side open from about 6 PM.

Practical

Free, always open, no booking, and flat underfoot - so it doubles as the warm-up or the finale for a Kowloon walking day. Finish with a 15-minute walk west past the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the Space Museum, and you end up at the ICC base for the closest view of the tallest tower in the city. The MTR is underneath you at Tsim Sha Tsui station, one stop from Central, and the Star Ferry is 100 metres away.