It’s a brand new view at Victoria Peak with the newly renovated peak. During my last visit, the structure was still being renovated and was still covered with bamboo scaffolding. Now, it glows beautifully and offers a 360° view of Hong Kong island. Victoria Peak, which stands as the highest peak in the Hong Kong island at 552 meters, was originally built for the wealthy and affluent. Its history shows that then Governor Sir Richard MacDonnell had his summer home built at the peak at the latter half of the 19th century. Yet, the tram came after several homes were built there through a certain Alexander Findlay Smith, a former worker of Scotland’s Highland Railway. He was able to petition for the operation of the tram route in 1881.

Now, tourists can get to Victoria Peak via bus or the quickest, through the Peak Tram at the lower peak tram terminal at the Garden Road near the Central MTR. The tram operates from 7am in the morning till midnight and travels every 10 to 15 minutes. Adults can purchase tickets at HK$22 for a single trip, and HK$33 for the return. With an Octopus card, you can easily ride the tram at HK$33 two-way fee. At the new Victoria Peak, one can find various restaurants and shops including the Madam Tussaud's. On its roof top is the Sky Gallery that features the beautiful works of renowned Hong Kong artists. The roof deck can also be rented for special occasions.

Known all over the world for its stunning views, Victoria Peak will definitely take your breath away! It should be on everyone’s list of places to pay a visit while in Hong Kong.

The panorama stretching as far as the eye can see on a clear day is just the reason why you would pay this place a visit. If you want to have a fantastic view, pay attention to the weather and make your way here on a clear day. Why not come during the evening and enjoy the stunning views of Hong Kong skyline at dark. You will definitely be happy you did. During my visit in March of 2006, the Peak Tower was under construction. According to my research, the Peak Tower was scheduled for revitalization and should be open in the summer of 2006.

While you are up at Victoria Peak, pay a visit to their shopping center where you will find restaurants, shops with all sorts of goods along with the Hard Rock Café.

There are several ways to get to the lower peak station, depending on the direction you are coming from and just how inclined you are to walk. I have a tendency to walk as much as possible in an effort to obtain or retain my bearings. Another consideration was Hong Kong Park, just east of the station, which I planned on visiting first.

From the Star Ferry Pier, my access point, bus 15C stops at the lower tram station on Garden road. I estimated that I would need 3 to 4 hours to enjoy the peak and hike.

Peak Tram is a funicular railway, in operation since 1888, with two 72-seat cars going to Victoria Peak. Ascending, it hugs the mountain on the left, with valley views on the right. Departures are every 15 minutes between 7am and midnight, taking a mere 7 minutes to reach the top. The base station is 30’ above sea level and reaches 1800’ at the top. The track is quite steep curving between skyscrapers and mountains with a different scene around every turn of Hong Kong, Kowloon, and Victoria Harbor.

Peak Tower at the summit has an odd-shaped top resembling half a watermelon. This tower reaches 1300’ and will offer several viewing platforms at different levels. New construction to be completed this year has added additional restaurants, shops, a festival market, and special-effects lighting. Even a calendar of events has been included. Best of all, there is now a viewing platform on top, the 8th floor.

Until such time or in conjunction with, the Peak Galleria is the place to go. A multitude of upscale shops and restaurants await. Two outdoor viewing platforms, North Point and South Point offer views of the skyline, including the night show and Pok Fu Lam Reservoir respectively.

Just across from the galleria you can have a photo taken while sitting in a rickshaw. If you even think about taking a picture with paying the owner, he quickly jumps up from somewhere waving his arms.

Across from Lugard Road, a 10-minute walk south takes you to the lookout. Here, additional views of Hong Kong’s skyline and surrounding seas have fewer people. The island had appeared much larger when I walked along downtown dwarfed by numerous towering buildings. Now everything seems small and within walking distance.

The trail leading straight up to Victoria Gardens at the center of the peak takes about 30 minutes. Each place I stopped the views were different. Walking farther revealed shorter buildings obstructed by taller ones while domes and spirals became more visible. At the gardens themselves were picnic tables and a large green lawn surrounded by flowering hydrangeas. Dragonflies and butterflies flitted from flower to flower, equally as colorful as the flowers. The unobstructed view of the reservoir is well worth the somewhat steep walk to the gardens.

The highest point of Hong Kong. Taking the bus up to the peak is well worth the awesome view of Hong Kong. Another great place to go to see the lights and laser show in Hong Kong. As with most of Hong Kong, there are places to shop at the top of the peak.

I would reckon that travelling to Hong Kong and not going to the peak is a bit like New York without the Empire State Building. However, you do need to gauge the timing of the visit to ensure a half decent view. In March, we were plagued with indifferent weather, and so on the morning when visibility was good and the weather forecast favourable, we headed off to Hong Kong’s "viewing station".

We, like most visitors, opted for the Peak Tram to take us to the summit. We had an Octopus card so didn’t need to wait in the queue, but were ushered to stand and wait at the side of the platform. Here we were able to read a little about the history of the tram, that’s been carrying people up to the top since the 1800s, before the vehicle came into view. We’d positioned ourselves at the bottom end so we could appreciate the view behind us. As we made our steep ascent, we "grabbed" different glimpses of Hong Kong and the harbour.

The Peak Tram is an experience in itself as it chugs its way up to the top. It was absolutely crammed with riders and it looked as if the queuing was fairly constant. At the top there was a fairly short indoor walk to the viewing stations and hold on to your hats because the views of Hong Kong are supreme. But before the views there are shops to pass. This first precinct is small and about to receive a refurbishment. This was lucky for us because there were bargains to be had, although our son said the prices were usually double what you’d find at the markets. A more modern mall with exclusive shops was just over the road, and although we didn’t buy (prices did seem on the high side), even I enjoyed looking.

But back to the view! We went to the top, and although the view was great, it did not provide good photo opportunities. You need to be down a stage, where the panorama is much better for the lens. We could see Kowloon, the towers on Lama Island, and all key buildings that make up Hong Kong’s stunning skyline. The river was busy with "traffic", the constant flow of ferries to the islands, some heavy freight transportation, small motorless crafts, and the occasional leisure boat speeding across the water, creating picturesque wakes even at our distance. In the foreground was the Peak Tram, some interesting local residences, and constantly circling above us, large birds (looked like eagles to me).

Hong Kong’s "smog" never seems far away, but it does create some interesting views of the islands. We never did make the Peak at night, but our son assured us that we would have loved it! He often goes up there and enjoys a romantic meal overlooking the mighty illuminated skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island.