Victoria Peak is a hill on the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. With an elevation of 552 metres (1,811 ft), it is the highest hill in Hong Kong island.
Hong Kong City has been a major destination for tourists and business people from around the world for at least a century. Today it is also a major tourism destination for China’s increasingly affluent mainland population. It is an important air hub with connections to many of the world’s cities.
With some seven million visitors every year, the Peak is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. It has views of the city and its waterfront.
+ More information > Wikipedia • Wikivoyage
The Peak Tower incorporates the upper station of the Peak Tram, the funicular railway that brings passengers up from the St. John’s Anglican Cathedral (map) in Hong Kong’s Central district, whilst the Peak Galleria (map) incorporates the bus station used by the Hong Kong public buses and green minibuses on the Peak.
Many first-time travelers are surprised to find more of a mall than a park when they arrive at the Peak. But a quick survey of the area will uncover several vantage points, including Sky Terrace 428, a paid viewing platform. However, we’d suggest skipping the tickets and heading instead to the Peak Galleria mall. Atop this commercial hub (just take the escalators up to the roof), there’s a free observation area where you can take in all of the scenery.
For history lovers, there’s an appropriately named Peak Tram Historical Gallery near the lower terminus. The free exhibitions chronicle the funicular’s journey from the 19th century onward.
Victoria Peak Garden (map) is located on the site of Mountain Lodge, the Governor’s old summer residence, and is the closest publicly accessible point to the summit. It can be reached from *Victoria Gap by walking up Mount Austin Road, a climb of about 150 metres (490 ft). Another popular walk is the level loop along Lugard and Harlech Roads, giving good views of the entire Hong Kong Harbour and Kowloon, as well as Lantau and Lamma Islands, encircling the summit at the level of the Peak Tower.
MRT.com.hk (Commuter trains, Light Rail) • hktramways.com (city tram) • The Peak Tram
CityMapper – Hong Kong | The ultimate transport app and technology for mobility in cities.
Octopus card – a contactless smart payment card, is widely accepted on railways, buses and ferries, and can be used for payment in most retail stores.
BAOLAU.com – transportation network in Asia includes flights, trains, buses and ferries.
The most common direction-finding app used by the Chinese themselves is Baidu Maps, though it is only available in Chinese. Amap is effectively the Citymapper for the whole of China.
+ Getting around (discoverhongkong.com) • Transportation • Tips for Your China Train Trip (chinahighlights.com)
BUS > A coach or bus in rural China is a different experience. City buses vary from city to city. However, if you can understand the bus routes then they are cheap and go almost everywhere.
RAIL > Train travel is the main method of long-distance transportation for the Chinese, with an extensive network of routes covering most of the country. >> seat61.com (*Rail travel in China)
AIRPORTS > Hong Kong International Airport / The main international gateways to mainland China are Beijing (Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing Daxing International Airport), Shanghai (Shanghai Pudong International Airport) and Guangzhou (Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport).
WATERWAYS > Star Ferry + TurboJet • Cotai Jet • Chu Kong Passenger Transport.