Victoria Peak - The View That Built a Neighborhood

Victoria Peak - The View That Built a Neighborhood

Photo: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)

A stop on Hong Kong: Star Ferry to the Peak, a free self-guided tour.

The tram leaves you under the Peak Tower, the bowl-topped building by British architect Terry Farrell that opened in 1997. Its height was capped at 428 meters above sea level so it would not break the natural line of the hills. The true summit, at 552 meters, rises just behind you.

In the 19th century, European residents moved up here for the views and the cooler air, and a governor built a summer residence in the 1860s. From 1904 to 1930, the Peak District Reservation Ordinance reserved the area as a residential district for non-Chinese residents. Businessman Robert Hotung became the first Chinese resident in the 1920s.

For a free view, walk the level loop of Lugard Road and Harlech Road around the summit, about an hour with stops. Lugard Road is named for Governor Frederick Lugard, who opened the Supreme Court building you saw in Central. Stay for sunset and watch the harbor light up below. Go down by tram, bus or taxi.

Getting here: Ride the Peak Tram to the upper terminus beneath the Peak Tower.

Did you know?: Victoria Peak has another, older name, Mount Austin, and it is the highest hill on Hong Kong Island.

Photo op: Walk along Lugard Road to one of the railings above the city and frame the harbor, Central's towers and Kowloon in one sweep; the view is at its best at dusk.

More on Wikipedia: Victoria Peak · Peak Tower · Robert Hotung · Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard

Stops on this tour

  1. Clock Tower - Last Call for the Kowloon Terminus
  2. Avenue of Stars - Hong Kong Cinema by the Harbor
  3. Star Ferry - Ten Minutes Across Victoria Harbour
  4. Statue Square - Named for Statues Mostly Gone
  5. Court of Final Appeal - Justice on a Timber Raft
  6. HSBC and Bank of China - Two Banks, Two Landmarks
  7. Mid-Levels Escalator - Riding Uphill Through SoHo
  8. Man Mo Temple - Incense Coils on Hollywood Road
  9. PMQ - Police Flats Turned Design Hub
  10. Tai Kwun - Police Station, Court and Jail
  11. Peak Tram - Asia's First Funicular
  12. Victoria Peak - The View That Built a Neighborhood