Avenue of Stars

The Avenue of Stars is a popular attraction in Hong Kong although most people probably haven’t heard of it until they come here themselves. Basically it is a waterside promenade that honours great figures of Hong Kong cinema. Clearly inspired by Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, this “avenue” has starred plaques with handprints of Hong Kong’s most famous actors, directors and so forth.

Of course, much of the excitement about a person’s handprint might be gone if you have no clue who they are. Many tourists already know of Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan, and martial arts master Bruce Lee is also very well known. As a real favourite son of Hong Kong, Bruce Lee has even been honoured with a statue.

These two notwithstanding, it has to be admitted that unless you are very familiar with Hong Kong cinema, most of these stars are probably names you’ve never heard of. Or does the name of media mogul Run Run Shaw ring a bell?

Obviously, this makes the Avenue of Stars more popular among the locals. However, if you don’t think this place holds any interest to people who travel to Hong Kong, you’re missing something. Because it is located on the southern waterfront of Tsim Sha Tsui, it is a fantastic place to enjoy Victoria Harbour and has a fabulous view of the Hong Kong skyline. And there are several eateries that take advantage of that.

Particularly, around here is a great place to watch the Symphony of Lights! In fact, there is a special viewing platform just west of the avenue, but it often gets very crowded. So if you can’t get a good spot there, it might be worthwhile to move out further east.

The Avenue of Stars is also conveniently close to other popular tourist haunts, especially the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry terminal, from which you can take a lovely boat trip across the water to Central or Wanchai. It is bordered by the Museum of Art, the Space Museum, and Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and a couple more Hong Kong museums are within walking distance. Nearby hotels include the classic luxury hotel The Peninsula and the Intercontinental which is placed right up on the waterfront with a superb view. But MUCH cheaper accommodations are also right next door in the hostels of the Chungking Mansions.

And as usual, you can always find shopping in Hong Kong! The Avenue of Stars is neighboured by the underground SOGO mall, as well the Harbour City Mall just to the west. But that is only a beginning! If you go north, the main drag of Nathan Road will take you right up through Tsim Sha Tsui headed towards Mong Kok, with many, many great shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and bars along the way.

Location

To get here you need to find the eastern side of the south shore of TST, on the very southern tip of Kowloon peninsula. The easiest way to travel here is to take the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui/East Tsim Sha Tsui station. Or by a ride on the Star Ferry, of course!

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