Victoria Peak, Hong Kong

4 more images

The peak tower is one of the most popular must see attraction in Hong Kong.
It’s the only way to experience the natural wonders of the country.

Going up by the tram is like a slow rollercoaster, having a magnificent view of the Hong Kong district is very amazing!
The return ticket is HK$40 while the peak tram skypass return ticket is HK$65.
The peak tram will lead to the peak view of the Victoria harbor while the Skypass is a combination of the peak tower and sky terrace. The peak tower presents a spectacular architectural design of a tower. You won’t get hungry since inside the tower are shops and restaurants that you will find!

I think going to the tram is best by foot since you can have the privilege to pass by the Hong Kong Park and have some time to appreciate the different building structures.
If you love taking pictures as much as I do, you’ll also appreciate every steps you make in going to the tram!

I only had the chance to visit the peak tower and it’s still a very nice experience though I wasn’t able to go up the skypass since I still had the 360 degrees view of the Hong Kong district. Once on the peak tower, you can see the whole view of the victoria harbor with its tall buildings and the ships. I can still remember the very relaxing feeling to see a clear sky and the flying birds around.

If you take the Peak Tram up, most likely you'll have to take the tram back to the terminus. It was a week day, and I thought that the wait for the tram would not be so crazy. Not!

Maybe it was not as horrendous as a weekend, but we still waited in the snaking line for about 45 minutes. It was not that bad as the weather was cooling. Just imagine it being in the midst of summer. I might just strangle a couf people for being inconsiderate.

You see, after the snaking line, there was no further directions for queueing. It's every man for himself. It was not that disorderly, but still people were squeezing from everywhere and cutting queue. I'm quite sure that there are more systematic ways in getting everyone on bard the tram.

Also, as we were there at night, we could hardly see anything outside of the tram window.

1 more image

Fact: In 1888, passengers were taken up to the highest mountain on Hong Kong island not by the sedan chairs that people of old used, but by trams. Also in the past, the mountain was for the exclusive use of the British.

Back in the present, thousands of people visit the peak each day and what's so unique about taking this tram ride is that you'll never be able to stand straight. At times, the tram climbs at a gradient of about 30 degrees. Another interesting observation is that the tram passes
by real homes of people and once in awhile, stop to allow the descending train to move to ground level.

The last time I'd visited the Peak was in 1999. At that time, finding how to get there was a challenge as the road signs were not very well defined.

Circa 2011, the road signs were all there though the challenge this time was a carry my son who was sleeping, up the hill and towards the tram station. My take to you if you have young children is to take a cab!

Upon arriving at Victoria's Peak, we were told that it was hazy. Still, after such a long trek to the station, we just want to get out there and to soak in the atmosphere. When we arrived at the Peak, we still had to take the escalator all the way to the top.

The experience was totally nostalgic for me. Definitely worth the money.

2 more images

Now a riddle:

Who can guess what do we find in Victoria Peak, besides gorgeous views?
…
No!
No!
Wrong!
No one got the answer!
Do you give up?

Ok, this is the solution:

A Shopping Mall

At last! A Shopping Mall in Hong Kong!

4 more images

At the Peak Tower, there is a loop walk that goes around the area and then returns to the tower. The walk is about 3km and was highly recommended to me. I must admit though that when I was there, I felt very tired - I was jetlagged, in a new climate, carrying a backpack with laptop, had too many clothes with me... And I still had the whole day before me! I did not want to get too exhausted, so I did not do the whole walk, but at least I did the beginning - maybe 500m and then back.

Already these 500m were very nice. It is a paved pathway, but it leads through the rainforest. The trees were very nice and interesting. It was nice and cool, and the air was very fresh - I took deep breaths for sure! I also saw some pretty flowers, and birds, too.
From time to time you can catch a glimpse through the trees that offer you more views of the city. I found that to be a very nice contrast: Huge and grey skyscrapers behind green trees.

4 more images

As far as I know, The Peak is probably the most-visited place by tourists in Hong Kong. And yes, I wanted to see it, too, to have that wonderful view of the city I had seen on many pictures! Unfortunately it was a kind of cloudy and foggy day, so everything looked very greyish - from what I read, though, it almost always looks like this, due to air pollution etc...
Still, I would love to visit again on a sunny day, and of course in the late evening. The lights must look spectacular!!!
But also on this foggy day I really enjoyed it. The view was so impressive, and I spent a lot of time there, just watching and watching the scenery (and taking tons of pictures!)
To see so many huge skyscrapers from this perspective was so exciting. And I could not stop thinking "Gosh! I really am in Hong Kong!!!"

The Peak is 552m high and not the highest mountain in all of Hong Kong, but at least the highest on Hong Kong island. The tower, viewing platform and restaurant are not at the top though, but a little below, on 428m.
The mountain's proper name is Victoria Peak, of course named after Queen Victoria.

The mountain became popular among the Europeans living in Hong Kong in the 19th century when there was a malaria epidemic: It was believed to be one of the few places where people were safe. Until 1945, Chinese people were not allowed to live on the mountain!

I thought that the Peak Tower itself was terrible - full of over-expensive shops and other entertainment I was not interested in - and I only used the bathrooms there. You have to go through, though, to get to the viewing platform, called Sky Terrace 428. You have a 360° view here, so you cannot only see the famous view of the city, but also in all other directions. This was very interesting, because I could see the ocean and how green Hong Kong island is opposite of the city.
I came here when it had just opened, so I was almost the only visitor. I imagine that it gets very crowded later!

Tickets: A combination ticket of the Peak Tram and viewing platform is 65$ for adults and 31$ for children. I would have expected it to be much more expensive!

Whereas the tram runs from 7am to midnight, the viewing platform is open from 10am to 11pm on weekdays and 8am to 11pm on weekends and public holidays.
Of course you can not only come here by tram, there is also a bus or you can use your own car.

This is one of the most spectacular view anywhere on planet earth, the problem is that one rarely gets a chance to really enjoy it .. The fog and pollution usually ruin the views from the top .... but if you wake up and get a clear day than do it, and do it early because the lines can run into hours long if it is a clear day ... A MUST DO WHEN IN HONG KONG !!!!!!!