Standing at 552m, Victoria Peak is the highest point on Hong Kong Island. The Peak is also one of the most visited spots by tourists in Hong Kong, and it’s not hard to see why. Sweeping views of the vibrant metropolis, verdant woods, easy but spectacular walks – all reachable in just eight minutes from Central by Hong Kong’s earliest form of transport.
The best way to reach the Peak is by the 125-year-old gravity-defying Peak Tram. Rising almost vertically above the high-rises nearby, Asia’s oldest funicular clanks its way up the hillside to finish at the Peak Tower. The lower terminus in Central has an interesting gallery that houses a replica of the earliest carriage. The Peak Galleria, adjoining the anvil-shaped Peak Tower, has an admission-free viewing deck.
Some 500m to the northwest of the upper terminus, up steep Mt Austin Rd, is the site of the old governor’s summer lodge, which was burned to the ground by Japanese soldiers during WWII. The beautiful gardens still remain, however, and have been refurbished with faux-Victorian gazebos, sundials, benches and stone pillars. They are open to public.
The dappled 3.5km circuit formed by Harlech Rd on the south, just outside the Peak Lookout, and Lugard Rd on the northern slope which it runs into, takes about 45 minutes to cover. A further 2km along Peak Rd will lead you to Pok Fu Lam Reservoir Rd. Hatton Rd, reachable by Lugard or Harlech Rds, on the western slope goes all the way down to the University of Hong Kong. The 50-km Hong Kong Trail also starts on the Peak.
