The Hong Kong Maritime Museum sits by the Central ferry piers, exactly where a museum about shipping belongs. Its galleries use models, maps, trade paintings, ship equipment, and interactive displays to explain how sea trade shaped Hong Kong and connected southern China to the wider world.
It is a good harbourfront stop before or after the Star Ferry. The strongest sections are the ones that link local stories to bigger maritime themes: junks, pirates, China trade, container shipping, and survival at sea.