Ride the Peak Tram to Victoria Peak

What the experience is

The Peak Tram is a funicular railway on Hong Kong Island. It runs for about 1,365 metres from its lower terminus on Garden Road to the Peak Tower terminus at Victoria Peak, and climbs about 370 metres. The journey takes five to seven minutes.

The steepest part of the line has a gradient of 48 per cent. Passengers are pressed back into their seats, and the apartment towers beside the track seem to tilt. At the top, the terminus is beneath the Peak Tower, with terraces looking down over Central, the harbour and Kowloon.

A little history

The line was proposed by Alexander Findlay Smith, who had studied mountain railways in Europe and America. It opened to the public in May 1888 and was the first funicular in Asia. It allowed the Peak, cooler than the town below, to be developed as a residential district.

The tram is owned and operated by The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, the company behind The Peninsula. It was rebuilt with a new generation of tramcars carrying more than 200 passengers each. There are four intermediate request stops, at Kennedy Road, MacDonnell Road, May Road and Barker Road.

When to go

The view depends on the weather: choose a clear day, which in Hong Kong is most likely in autumn and early winter. The busiest time is the hour before sunset, when queues can be long. An early morning ride has little queue, and the paths at the top are quiet.

Good to know

The tram runs daily from early morning until late at night. At the top, the level circuit of Lugard Road and Harlech Road goes round the Peak in about an hour and gives wider views than the tower. Those who prefer to walk down can descend to Central by the Old Peak Road.

Why OKYTO recommends it

It is a piece of working Victorian engineering and the classic approach to the most famous view in the city. Pair it with a crossing on the Star Ferry. For a longer walk above the sea, see the Dragon’s Back on the Hong Kong page.