Inspired by the view of Hong Kong all lit up at night, I thought it would only be right to compile a list of my top 5 cities at night from my travels. These are based on cities with views rather than nightlife or entertainment.
Night photos work best in cities with decent lighting - stating the obvious but this means the likes of Sydney and Tokyo look better at night than say Uyuni in Bolivia. I'll kick off my list with Asia's skyscraping metropolis - Hong Kong!
1. HONG KONG: Victoria Harbour:
Hong Kong at night is totally fantastic. There are lots of places you can go to view it's lit up skyscrapers, most of which are centred around Victoria Harbour, either there on that side of Kowloon, or across the water on Hong Kong Island. With a backdrop of mountains on one side and hundreds of lit up skyscrapers all around, this place provides you with endless shiny, happy moments relaxing, enjoying the view. You have a choice of where to go to see it:
(a) Get a tram up to The Peak!
(b) find a mate whose flat has a decent view (I've lived in 3 places in Hong Kong all of which had amazing night views!)
(c) head for dinner in a high restaurant such as Aqua or Sky 100 . Please note that Sky 100 costs to get to the top, whereas Aqua you can just pop in for a cocktail, which I have done a couple of times!
2. Tokyo, JAPAN:
I'm actually not a fan of Tokyo (I don't know why - maybe because I'm a budget traveller and I found it expensive but I normally love most of the big cities). However at night Tokyo transforms and an array of typical lit up streets give the city a whole new appeal. At night I toured around all the top spots for example Shinagawa, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinkiba, Ginza and Roppongi and I was mesmerised by the never ending streets of lights, the locals doing whatever they pleased (most of them were eating and shopping). Tokyo by day is a rip off, a disconnected city which stretches out too far. At night is where it attracts you into its vast array of activities.
3. Sydney, AUSTRALIA:
What can I say? Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour etc. Sydney at night is fantastic. I spent a couple of years living on the western edge of Sydney and I just loved it. I managed to catch the amazing New Year's Eve fireworks display in 2009. You can climb the Sydney Tower at night for a great view, but seriously I prefer just chilling in a bar or restaurant down by the harbour front.
4. FRANCE: St. Malo:
This might seem like an odd choice, and actually even for me it is, but I always feel like I leave Europe out of my travel stories (despite the fact I come from Northern Ireland!) so St. Malo at night has so many fond memories for me. Best of all, I got paid to watch St. Malo by night as I worked there numerous times! This gorgeous old style walled city in on the Brittany Coast in the north of France. At night, the local streets serve up amazing crepes, lush French wine and have a lively yet respectable vibe about them.
As I worked there most of my views of it by night were from the ship. St. Malo has direct ferries to England, Guernsey and Jersey. A well recommended night or two in this special French town.
5. Budapest, HUNGARY:
What? Another European one? Yes, as the view of Budapest from the hills at Gellert is stunning! I was lucky enough to get driven by a local girl up to the hills to view the city by day and night, at night the stunning two sides of Buda and Pest meet, split by a wide river, the gleaming island of Margit Sziget in between and the incredible Budapest Parliament. Don't forget to pop for some sweet Hungarian wine and Goulash after your trip to Gellert Hills!
So there you go - that's my top 5 cities for night views. I tried to mix it up a bit and of course left a few gems out. New York, London, Sao Paulo, Caracas and Macao will have to wait for another time. Get out there and see these amazing top 5 at night!
Don't Stop Living!!
.
Night photos work best in cities with decent lighting - stating the obvious but this means the likes of Sydney and Tokyo look better at night than say Uyuni in Bolivia. I'll kick off my list with Asia's skyscraping metropolis - Hong Kong!
1. HONG KONG: Victoria Harbour:
Hong Kong at night is totally fantastic. There are lots of places you can go to view it's lit up skyscrapers, most of which are centred around Victoria Harbour, either there on that side of Kowloon, or across the water on Hong Kong Island. With a backdrop of mountains on one side and hundreds of lit up skyscrapers all around, this place provides you with endless shiny, happy moments relaxing, enjoying the view. You have a choice of where to go to see it:
(a) Get a tram up to The Peak!
(b) find a mate whose flat has a decent view (I've lived in 3 places in Hong Kong all of which had amazing night views!)
(c) head for dinner in a high restaurant such as Aqua or Sky 100 . Please note that Sky 100 costs to get to the top, whereas Aqua you can just pop in for a cocktail, which I have done a couple of times!
2. Tokyo, JAPAN:
I'm actually not a fan of Tokyo (I don't know why - maybe because I'm a budget traveller and I found it expensive but I normally love most of the big cities). However at night Tokyo transforms and an array of typical lit up streets give the city a whole new appeal. At night I toured around all the top spots for example Shinagawa, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinkiba, Ginza and Roppongi and I was mesmerised by the never ending streets of lights, the locals doing whatever they pleased (most of them were eating and shopping). Tokyo by day is a rip off, a disconnected city which stretches out too far. At night is where it attracts you into its vast array of activities.
3. Sydney, AUSTRALIA:
What can I say? Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour etc. Sydney at night is fantastic. I spent a couple of years living on the western edge of Sydney and I just loved it. I managed to catch the amazing New Year's Eve fireworks display in 2009. You can climb the Sydney Tower at night for a great view, but seriously I prefer just chilling in a bar or restaurant down by the harbour front.
4. FRANCE: St. Malo:
This might seem like an odd choice, and actually even for me it is, but I always feel like I leave Europe out of my travel stories (despite the fact I come from Northern Ireland!) so St. Malo at night has so many fond memories for me. Best of all, I got paid to watch St. Malo by night as I worked there numerous times! This gorgeous old style walled city in on the Brittany Coast in the north of France. At night, the local streets serve up amazing crepes, lush French wine and have a lively yet respectable vibe about them.
As I worked there most of my views of it by night were from the ship. St. Malo has direct ferries to England, Guernsey and Jersey. A well recommended night or two in this special French town.
5. Budapest, HUNGARY:
What? Another European one? Yes, as the view of Budapest from the hills at Gellert is stunning! I was lucky enough to get driven by a local girl up to the hills to view the city by day and night, at night the stunning two sides of Buda and Pest meet, split by a wide river, the gleaming island of Margit Sziget in between and the incredible Budapest Parliament. Don't forget to pop for some sweet Hungarian wine and Goulash after your trip to Gellert Hills!
So there you go - that's my top 5 cities for night views. I tried to mix it up a bit and of course left a few gems out. New York, London, Sao Paulo, Caracas and Macao will have to wait for another time. Get out there and see these amazing top 5 at night!
Don't Stop Living!!
.
About the Author:
You can read more about amazing cities at night here: Top 5 Cities At night and to keep up to date with Jonny Blair's travel stories and hints check out his travel, work and lifestyle websiteDont Stop Living.
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