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Victoria Peak Review
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Victoria Peak 
- Category: Viewpoints
- Location: Central
Fodor's Review:
Its Chinese name, Tai Ping Shan, means Mountain of Great Peace, and it certainly seems to inspire momentary hushed awe in visitors at the viewing point, a few yards left along the road from the tram terminal. Spread below you is a glittering forest of skyscrapers; beyond them the harbor and -- on a clear day -- Kowloon's eight mountains. On a rainy day wisps of cloud catch on the buildings' pointy tops; at night both sides of the harbor burst into color. Consider having dinner at one of the restaurants near the upper terminus. Forsake all else up here and start your visit with the lookout point: there are a hundred other shopping ops in the world, but few views like this.
As you step off the Peak Tram, the feeling that you left your stomach somewhere down in Central disappears. The cure? A sharp intake of breath and bout of sighing over the view. Whatever the time, whatever the weather, be it your first visit or your 50th, this is Hong Kong's one unmissable sight. Before buying a return ticket down on the tram, consider taking one of the beautiful low-impact trails back to Central. There are also buses down.
There are spectacular views in all directions on the Peak Circle Walk, an easy-going 2.2 mi (3.5-km) paved trail that starts at the Upper Tram Terminus. Start by heading north along fern-encroached Lugard Road. There's another stunning view of Central from the lookout, 20 minutes along, after which the road snakes west to an intersection with Hatton and Harlech roads. From here Lantau, Lamma, and -- on incredibly clear days -- Macau come into view. The longer option from here is to wind your way down Hatton to the University of Hong Kong campus in the Western district. The Peak Galleria mall scores high on nothing else but the cheese scale. Bypass the overpriced tourist traps inside and head straight up the escalators to the third-floor viewing gallery, which looks down over the Pok Fu Lam country park and reservoir, and, on a clear day, Aberdeen.
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