The natural vantage point for people to gawk at Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong is from Victoria Peak. However, the highest observation deck in the city is in the International Commerce Center across the harbor in Kowloon. They call it Sky100 because it is on the 100th floor of the skyscraper at nearly 400 meters above sea level.
My last few visits to Hong Kong included this adventure on my list. However, the visibility was always limited making it better to not ascend the tower. My Christmas trip provided fewer clouds and better visibility, so I finally made it up. I was underwhelmed.
You may look at the pictures and think it is because there are still clouds obscuring the views, but that’s not why. I’ve been up many tall buildings and to many observation decks. This was the least engaging or interesting. It was just an open space on the floor with windows all around. And, even though some of the views can’t be had anywhere else, they weren’t as good as the views from The Peak or Lugard Road, both of which I’ve experienced with similar amounts of clouds.
Other Observation Decks
The Petronas Twin Towers had engaging displays inside to educate about the building’s architecture and design. The Canton Tower has the Bubble Tram. The Willis Tower has the beamless glass boxes extending over the street. The World Financial Center in Shanghai has a glass-bottomed sky bridge. The Tokyo Skytree is beautifully designed and engaging. Even the radio and TV tower in Beijing is more interactive and interesting. So, my recommendation would be to get your views of Hong Kong from The Peak or the free stroll on Lugard Road. However, if you’re trying to check off all of the tall buildings in the world, then make at least one journey to this one, which is still in the top 10.
Speaking of tall buildings, this year, I hope to play my cards right and have a long layover in Dubai to visit the world’s tallest building and observation deck. Let’s hope everything works out!
