Hong Kong: Victoria Peak | Best Family Vacations in Asia

Possibly Hong Kong’s most famous landmark, Victoria Peak (known simply as ‘The Peak’), rises 1,800 feet above the harbour and the city below.

It’s the hill (mountain) that figures in the background of scores of pictures of Hong Kong, dating back to the beginning of the 1900′s

There are 3 ways of getting up there:

The Peak Tram
Bus or taxi
Walking

Of the 3, the Peak Tram is the quickest and the most spectacular.

Operating on a funicular system, with two trams connected to cables and balancing each other out, the tram runs straight up the side of the mountain. The gradient varies a lot during the climb, but at its steepest is at 48% (almost 1 in 2).

The trip will take you around 10 minutes and, the nearer you get to the top, the more spectacular the views. For the best views, you need to sit on the right side of the tram on the upward trip, and the left side coming down.

Note, though, that on your trip down you’ll be facing the rear of the tram and traveling backwards – so if you have an aversion to traveling backwards down a steep hill you’d be better off returning by bus or taxi.

Once at the Peak you have a myriad of options. There are two shopping malls, lots of restaurants, a Madame Tussauds wax museum and various other entertainments.

And there are some walks you can do.

Lugard and Harlech Road, a 3 kilometer circular trip that takes you round the Peak and back to where you started from, is an easy walk and a great way to walk off a meal. I like this one because you get great views of both the south side of Hong Kong island and the north side, looking down onto the harbour, Central, Wanchai and across to Kowloon.

Or you can walk up Mount Austin Road, past Victoria Peak Gardens to the top – a much tougher walk since it takes you to the top of the mountain. But the views are definitely worth the climb.

And for a meal I definitely recommend the Peak Lookout Restaurant. It’s located across the road from the two malls and has a really nice outside seating area at the back (see the pictures below), where you can watch the sun go down over the South China Sea as you sip your sundowners. The views are wonderful.

The menu is international, and there are some great Indian items I love that are exceptionally good – lots of subtle flavours without burning the roof off your mouth.

There are some restaurants in the Peak Galleria and the Peak Tower as well. The food at Cafe Deco (Peak Galleria) is also good, and you can get some good views of Victoria Harbour and Kowloon – but it lacks the atmosphere of the Peak Lookout.

Here are some pictures taken on the Peak. Click the thumbnail below for a bigger picture and then click the bigger picture for a decent sized one. If you use any of these images please make sure to attribute them to www.best-familyvacations.com.