Hong Kong – The Peak

From the Mid-Levels (半山區), we walked for half an hour and arrived at The Peak Tram Lower Terminus. We were welcomed by a long queue of people at the pavement by the road to the Peak Tram Lower Terminus.

After queuing for twenty minutes, we reached The Peak Tram Historical Gallery, a time tunnel with more than 200 memorabilia exhibition.  A replica of the first generation Peak Tram carriage and the 1926 Haulage Room are recreated to pay tribute to The Peak Tram that has served Hong Kong since 1888.

Viewing The Peak Tram Historical Gallery and watching several of the trams arrived and left, it was finally our turn to hop on the tram and made our way up to The Peak. Along the way, we saw many residential buildings which we gathered that the residents are predominantly affluent local and expat professionals.

History of The Peak

Standing at 552 metres above sea level, the Peak is the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island and a natural signalling post for incoming cargo ships in the 19th century. Governor Sir Richard MacDonnell’s summer home (circa 1868) was built there to take advantage of the cooler climes. Soon other wealthy residents followed suit. The area became substantially developed after the opening of the Peak Tram in 1888. From 1904, the Peak was designated an exclusive residential area reserved only for expatriates and the practice ended in 1947, though it remains as an extremely expensive residential district.

Besides the cityscape view from The Peak, there are three other attractions – Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, Sky Terrace 428 and Madness 3D Adventure.

The Peak Tower is one of the most stylish architectural icons in Hong Kong that houses restaurants, shops and entertainment venues. It also boasts the highest 360 degrees viewing platform – The Sky Terrace 428 – standing at 428 metres above sea level, offering spectacular panoramic views of the cityscape.

After checking out the surroundings and the Peak Tower, we walked to the Lion Pavilion to enjoy the cool air and view of the city.

As the sky looked misty and the view was not clear, we did not see the point of paying for the view from The Sky Terrace 428. We spent the rest of the evening at the Pavilion with our hot chocolate drink, enjoying the cityscape.

Instead of having dinner at The Peak, we decided to go back to Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon for dinner. We made our way back to the Tram Station and a long queue of people was already formed, all waiting to leave The Peak. The queue may be long but was moving briskly. In less than fifteen minutes, we were already on the Tram, on our way down.

When we reached The Peak Tram Lower Terminus, to our surprise, there was a long queue of people waiting to go up to The Peak and it was past eight in the evening. Unfortunately, it may be a wasted trip for them as the sky was not clear.

We walked to the Central MTR Station and took the MTR back to Kowloon and had dinner at a duck speciality restaurant in Habour City. The food was good but once again we over ordered and could not finish all the food.

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and packed our luggage to get ready for our flight back the next day.

Getting to the airport from the hotel was very convenient. There was free Airport Express Shuttle Bus Service that brought us from the hotel to the Kowloon Station. At the Kowloon Station, we purchased our Airport Express tickets. With the tickets, we can check-in our luggage at the Station without having to bring our luggage on board to the Airport.

We had a wonderful time in Macau and Hong Kong. Enjoyed the sightseeing, food and weather. Glad we extended another day at Macau and got to visit the different parts of Macau, the Casino Cotai Strip and the Taipa Village. With that, we didn’t get to enjoy that much food in Hong Kong as we only spent two nights there. Overall, it was an enjoyable short getaway

Bye Hong Kong…till we meet again…

This trip was made in Spring 2017.

The Lowdown – The Peak Tram Lower Terminus

Getting There: From Central MTR Station, make your way to J2 exit and walk up to the street level. Turn right, through Chater Garden, cross Queen’s Road Central, and make your way up to Garden Road. Pass the Bank of China Tower and Citibank Plaza on your left and St John’s Cathedral on your right.

Opening Hours: 7 am to 12 midnight

Ticketing Fee: Peak Tram Tickets (Two-way) HK$45 for Adults and HK$20 for Children (aged 3 to 11) and Senior (aged 65 or above). Peak Tram Sky Pass (Two-way include access to Sky Terrace 428) HK$90 for Adults and HK$43 for Children (aged 3 to 11) and Senior (aged 65 or above).

For further information, please go to www.thepeak.com.hk.

Thank you for stopping by and Happy Living for Experiences!

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