The Ultimate Guide to Hiking Hong Kong: Victoria Peak
The Peak, or Victoria Peak, is one of the most iconic places in all of Hong Kong, featuring sweeping postcard perfect views of the glittering city skyline with views stretching out to the South China Sea.
Read: The Ultimate Travel Guide to Hong Kong— A Week’s Itinerary & Beyond
From up here, you can watch the city turn from light to night, as the skyscrapers light up in various eye catching colours in neon.
Down below, the busy harbour of Hong Kong invites plenty of vessels sailing in and out of the channel separating Kowloon and Hong Kong island.
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There are many ways to get up to Victoria Peak, but the best place you’ll want to be is at the Lugard Road Lookout, as opposed to The Peak’s Sky Terrace, especially because you’ll be getting incredible views without paying a single cent.
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Unlike the hike we did for Lion Rock, The Peak is nowhere near as challenging or forested, and there are several ways to ascend up to The Peak.
Read: The Ultimate Guide to Hiking Hong Kong— Lion Rock
Hiking Up
The first option is the Old Peak Road Trail, where you’ll naturally start your hike from Old Peak Road, and the way up is relatively straight forward as you follow the road all the way up which eventually leads to The Peak Mall and Observatory.
Alternatively, you can also take the Green Trail, which is said to be the quietest and most peaceful trail where you’ll feel a world away from the city buzz of Hong Kong. As for the Green Trail, expect to be pretty much following the tracks of The Peak tram to ascend Victoria Peak, so you’ll naturally begin your hike near where the tram stop is from MacDonnell Road. Bear in mind that if the road is slippery due to rain, this might not be the safest route to be hiking.
Taking the Bus
If you’re not keen to do all that walking up, Hong Kong’s extensive and reliable public transportation system is a fantastic way to get around, and it should come as no surprise that The Peak is also incredibly easy to access by bus.
From Central (if located in Kowloon, you can take the iconic Star Ferry across the channel from the Tsim Sha Tsui Pier to the Central Pier, which is cheap as chips and a delightful way to see the city skyline from the waters), located at Central Pier will be various buses heading to different locations.
Hop on Bus 15 from the Pier, or from bus stops located in some streets in Sheung Wan and Central.
I’d recommend getting on the bus from the terminus as unsurprisingly, this bus route is a very popular one and the seats on the bus fill up incredibly quickly.
Standing on a bus for a good amount of time as it winds hilly roads to get to The Peak doesn’t exactly sound like my idea of fun, so it would do you good to get a seat where you can fully take in the breathtaking views from just outside the window.
You’ll eventually get off at The Peak terminus, where you simply follow the crowd, and you’ll find yourself at The Peak Mall.
The Peak Tram
If taking the tram is something you’d like to do, there are passes that combine a tram ticket and a ticket to the aforementioned Sky Terrace Observatory Deck which is Hong Kong’s highest 360 degree panoramic viewing terrace.
The tram leaves from its terminus at 33 Garden Road in Central.
The Lugard Road Lookout
However way you’ve reached The Peak, if you’re not looking to head to the Sky Terrace Observatory, the Lugard Road Lookout will be where you want to be for the sweeping unobstructed views of the city.
Lugard Road is located just on the left of The Peak Mall, and is a flat road that is signposted on the wall.
The famous views can be found as you keep making your way down Lugard Road.
You’ll know when you’ve reached a lookout point when the foliage tears away to reveal an unobstructed, breathtaking view of Hong Kong.
That, and the fact you’ll be huddled with other locals and visitors admiring the views and setting up their cameras.
On our first night we made the mistake of heading back from where we came after the first viewpoint thinking that was it, but when we returned another evening, we found out that if you keep heading down the path, more and more viewpoints can be found, and eventually you’ll find yourself walking on a boardwalk with the most surreal views all around.
Expect to be accompanied by plenty of others appreciating the beautiful views, especially at dawn as the sun sets on the horizon of the South China Sea.
Many use this as a jogging and walking trail too heading towards the other end of Lugard Road.
