Day 6. Riding the Hong Kong Peak Tram

On By Little Miss TravellerIn Asia, Bangkok & Hong Kong May 2016, Hong Kong, Hong Kong May 2016

Waking up to our first morning in Hong Kong we enjoyed breakfast in the hotel then walked the few steps to North Point MTR station where we purchased Octopus travel cards HK$150 each including a refundable deposit of HK$50, (only cash accepted for visitors).  We topped up the cards an additional HK$100 each then took the Kennedy Town line to Admiralty, the train was crowded but we just managed to squeeze in.

Hong Kong Park
Hong Kong Park

Leaving the station we took a series of escalators up to Hong Kong Park.  This small park with its waterfall and ponds is a haven of tranquility in Central.  We spotted numerous turtles, some swimming whilst others rested on rocks on top of each other.

Peak Tram, Hong Kong
The Peak Tram approaching Victoria Peak

Across the road from the park lies the Peak Tram station and there was already a lengthy queue when we arrived at 10.00 am.  Although we didn’t need to purchase tickets (we intended to pay using our Octopus cards) we still had to join the main queue and it was 40 minutes later when we finally boarded the old wooden tram.  Fortunately we were at the head of the queue by then so we were able to choose the best seats for the 8 minute journey.  If you plan to ride the Peak Tram try and sit on the right hand side from where you can see dramatic views looking down as the tram climbs to the Peak.  We’ve taken this journey on each of our visits to Hong Kong and never tire of the enthralling experience.

Morning Trail, The Peak, Hong Kong
Along the Morning Trail

It’s always busy with tourists at the viewpoints nearest to the tram station and the Peak Galleria shopping centre but if you take the ‘Morning Trail’ a 3 km walking trail around the Peak you can enjoy uninterrupted views down to Victoria Harbour below whilst strolling amid lush vegetation with only a few walkers in sight, it really is tranquil.  Finishing our walk we sat on the terrace of La Galleria sipping refreshing glasses of iced tea.

We then felt ready to continue so instead of joining the lengthy queues for the return descent on the tram we opted instead to take the No.15 bus back down to Central.  Luckily, we managed to get the front seats on the upper deck for this scenic journey.  It’s almost like riding a roller coaster as there are so many twists and turns on the steep descent, again with some dramatic views of the many skyscrapers and the harbour below.

Victoria Harbour from the IFC public terrace, Hong Kong
View across Victoria Harbour from the IFC public terrace

Located across the road from the Exchange bus station in Central is the International Finance Centre mall (IFC) a gleaming upscale shopping centre filled with high end retailers.  For some spectacular views of Victoria Harbour and the Central waterfront take the escalators up to Podium Level 3 where you will find an open air public terrace.  Office workers were relaxing and eating their packed lunches whilst we enjoyed the amazing views.

Blake Pier, Stanley, Hong Kong
Blake Pier, Stanley

It was then back to the bus station to take a ride to Stanley in the south of the island (buses 6, 6X and 260 can all be taken).  Again luck was with us and we were able to sit upstairs at the front.  It’s another scenic ride taking around 30 minutes and passing the beach resorts of Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay before terminating in Stanley.  On arrival, we found a cafe for some lunch then enjoyed a stroll along the delightful waterfront firstly to Blake Pier and then on to the Pak Tai temple at the far end of the coastal path.

Mongkok, Hong Kong
Mongkok

Retracing our steps we headed to the nearby Stanley Market which nowadays is primarily tourist orientated.  We wandered around the stalls but weren’t tempted into buying anything though it was interesting to look.  We returned to our hotel in North Point on a direct bus (No.65) which took around one hour.  We then experienced our first rain shower of the holiday so we made a dash from the bus stop to our hotel to try and keep dry.

Dinner at a traditional dai pai dong, Mongkok
Dinner at a traditional dai pai dong

After relaxing for awhile we caught the MTR to Jordan to visit the Temple Street Night Market in the Mongkok district.  It was still raining but most of the stalls were protected with covers and we also had our umbrellas.  Our plan for dinner was to eat at the same dai pai dong (traditional street food cafe) we’d dined in two years ago, managing to find it again we weren’t disappointed – the food was delicious and polythene walls and a tarpaulin roof had been erected to protect diners from the rain.

Victoria Harbour from the Star Ferry, Hong Kong
Victoria Harbour from the Star Ferry

To round off our evening we took the MTR from Tsim Sha Tsui so that we could cross Victoria Harbour on the Star Ferry – this iconic ferry ride is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in the world and inexpensive too – HK$2.50 upper deck and HK$2.00 lower deck.  Sit on the upper deck for the best views and photo opportunities.  Our final treat of the day was to return to the hotel from Wan Chai on the top deck of one of Hong Kong’s old trams affectionately known as ‘Ding Dings’.  There is a flat fare of HK$2.30 for tram rides, passengers board at the back and leave at the front, paying the driver or presenting their Octopus card.  Sitting on the upper deck on the old wooden seats is one of the best ways to soak in the vibrant, fast paced atmosphere of Hong Kong as the tram rattles along.

If you have enjoyed reading this post, you may also like:

Cheung Chau and the Hong Kong Flower Show

Stanley and the Star Ferry, Hong Kong

 

Advertisement

68 thoughts on “Day 6. Riding the Hong Kong Peak Tram”

  1. We enjoyed our few tour days in Hong Kong in 1982. Victoria Peak was definitely a highlight, as was the Star Ferry. Hope the whole political mess gets sorted out there soon, but my friends who used to live in Hong Kong do not hold out much hope. Thanks for sharing Marion. Allan

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  2. These photos made me homesick! But I think we’ll go to Hong Kong next year. My daughter is having a baby in September. They are thinking about taking the baby to meet my family next year! Thank you for the nice photos – The night view of Hong Kong is gorgeous!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. Pingback: Day 6. Riding the Peak Tram | Blogging about all things

      1. The photographic opportunities from up there are amazing. It is on my bucket list of places to visit. No problem at all. I love travel blogs. Lets me live out my travel fantasies and gives me ideas for when I get the chance. Following!

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  8. Thank you for stopping by my blog! I absolutely love your content and that view of Hong Kong! I went there three years ago and spent something like 3 hours just staring at the view from Victoria Harbour by day, sunset and night. Would love to go back. I hope you’re enjoying yourself!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. We were there early March. Very cloudy and cold. We were coming from Cambodia ( very warm). I ended up wearing all the clothing I had to be warm. But still, we had 4 full days and we saw lots of places. I would go back . Very easy to do from Vancouver as there are direct flights to HK !

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

    1. How wonderful, it will have changed considerably since then but it’s still a marvellous place to visit. Our first visit was in the 90’s a couple of years before the handover to China. Thank you for your pleasing comments!

      Like

      Reply

  21. How amazing! I love the idea of going to the Peak for a walk and views. That food looks heavenly. The ferry ride sounds familiar, maybe I went on something similar in HK as a child. Ding dongs – what a cute nickname!! Happy weekend Marion xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  23. Great post! Brings back so many memories of HK…. Love that you hiked the trails at the top of the peak. Very few seem to do this an they are gem in the city. I would go on a day off from work and escape the city up there. Also – have you seen the flamingos in the Kowloon park? HK is a phenomenal city and breathtakingly beautiful!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  24. Love the idea of travelling on the old tram, the bus and then the ferry for all those different views of the city – it just sounds incredible and is definitely whetting my appetite. Love your picture of the skyline at night too.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.