Victoria Peak (The Peak) is on the must-see list of many tourists to Hong Kong receiving over 7 million visitors per year. It is the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island. On a clear day, the Peak offers stunning panoramic views over Victoria Harbour, the city of Hong Kong and the New Territories beyond.

Victoria Peak at night is possibly even more spectacular when the sparkling city lights appear, particularly when Hong Kong’s nightly A Symphony of Lights begins at 8pm.

On our recent trip to Hong Kong we visited Victoria Peak for the second time. In a way it was a journey of redemption, as Hong Kong was covered in a thick blanket of fog on our first visit 20 years ago. This time we got lucky and were rewarded with the awe-inspiring vistas that the Peak is famous for.

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Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you book after clicking on one of these links then we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Quick Links

Here is a quick summary of the key links to book Victoria Peak tram tickets through Klook, Get Your Guide and Viator. The key advantage of booking Fast Track Combo tickets through Klook and Get Your Guide is that you save yourself a lot of time by avoiding lengthy queues. The various ticket types below can also help save you money compared to booking directly.

We have also included a link to the iVenture Pass for Hong Kong and Macau. If you are visiting both Hong Kong and Macau an iVenture Pass may be worth considering as it gives you access to a wide range of attractions in both Hong Kong and Macau including a Peak Tram round trip ticket.

Peak Tram Fast Track Combo. Click here to book your Peak Tram Fast Track Combo Tickets through Klook or Get Your Guide.
Victoria Peak Combo Ticket. Click here to book your Victoria Peak Combo ticket through Klook.
Peak Tram Sky Pass. Click here to book Peak Tram Sky Pass tickets through Klook or Viator.
iVenture Pass Hong Kong Macau. Click here to book an iVenture Pass through Klook

The rest of this article explains what to do at Victoria Peak and also includes detailed information on the Victoria Peak tram service (including much more about the various ticket options mentioned above). The article also explains other ways to get to Victoria Peak including bus, taxi and hiking trails.

What to do at Victoria Peak

The main attraction at the Peak is the incredible view over Hong Kong and Victoria Harbour. However, there are also many other experiences that can be enjoyed at Victoria Peak including:

The Peak Tower which is a 7-floor shopping complex containing the upper Peak Tram terminus as well as Sky Terrace 428.
The Peak Tower also contains a range of cafes and restaurants as well as Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.
The Peak Galleria which houses the public bus terminus as well as various eateries, fashion and handicrafts shops. There is also a free entry observatory deck. The Galleria is currently closed for renovation and is expected to re-open in Summer 2019.
Hong Kong Island Visitor Information Centre located between The Peak Tower and The Peak Galleria.
Mount Austin Playground a 300 metre (0.2 miles) 6-minute walk from The Peak Tower. It has some well-kept gardens and a relaxing atmosphere with benches, pagodas, play equipment and plenty of space to run and play. Here’s a video of the playground.
Victoria Peak Garden is a 1.1 km (0.7 mile) 20-minute walk away from The Peak Tower via Mount Austin Road. The garden offers a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of the Tower and Galleria areas and has stunning views over Hong Kong and Victoria Harbour. The former Mountain Lodge, the alternate residence for the Governor of Hong, used to be located on the site of the garden.

Victoria Peak Opening Hours

The Peak as a whole is considered to be the area around Victoria Peak and is arguably Hong Kong’s most exclusive neighbourhood. It is a public space and does not have any opening or closing times. Therefore, there are no general Victoria Peak hours which apply consistently to all experiences and attractions. Public spaces such as Victoria Peak Garden are open 24 hours a day. However, many of the most popular attractions on the peak do have set hours which we’ll go into more detail about later in this article.

How to Get to Victoria Peak Hong Kong

There are four main ways for how to go to Victoria Peak: by tram, bus, taxi or hiking. The most popular way for how to get to The Peak Hong Kong is by tram. In this article, we will provide you with lots of information and tips on the Victoria Peak Tram. Further down in the article we will also provide you with information about how to go to the Peak by bus, taxi, private transfer and by hiking.

Victoria Peak Tickets

Victoria Peak itself is free. There are both free and paid experiences, activities and attractions on the Peak. You can pay separately for many popular attractions including the Victoria Peak tram, Sky Terrace 428 and Madame Tussauds or buy them in various combo ticket packages. There is not really one The Peak Hong Kong ticket that combines everything into one ticket. More details on the cost of these attractions are further on in this article.

About the Victoria Peak Tram

The Victoria Peak tram began operating 130 years ago in 1888. It is one of the steepest funicular railways in the world. The first generation of trams had 30 seats and no doors. The tram was used by both affluent and working class people with first, second and third class seats available. Peak tram tickets ranged from 10 cents for a one-way third-class ticket to 30 cents for a first-class ticket. The first two seats of the tram were set aside specifically for the British Governor. In its initial year of service, the Peak Tram carried 150 000 passengers. Nowadays the tram carries over 6 million passengers per year. Here’s a great article if you are interested in the history of the Victoria Peak tram. When you catch the Peak Tram you are experiencing a piece of Hong Kong’s history particularly if you take the time to see the Peak Tram Historical Gallery.

The Peak Tram is the most entertaining and interesting way to reach the Peak. On our journey to the top of Victoria Peak, the steepness of the journey really pushed us into the backs of the seats. The panoramic views over Hong Kong and Victoria Harbour were truly stunning. Based on our experience, the best viewing points are on the right-hand side when travelling up to the Peak and on the left-hand side on the return journey. If you can manage to be near the front you will also be able to clearly see where you are going. Being right at the back can almost be more fun if you don’t suffer from vertigo as you will have a great view of the funicular rail line back down the mountain. This could be quite disconcerting though as on the steepest parts of the track it will look like a very long drop. The total journey time takes less than 10 minutes. Here’s a video showing what the tram journey is like.

Victoria Peak Tram Hours

The Peak Tram opening hours are from 7 am to midnight from Monday to Sunday including public holidays. The Peak Tram Historical Gallery has the same operating hours.

However, you need to be aware that the opening times for some of the other major attractions on The Peak are different so take these into account when planning your trip up the peak. Opening times for other attractions are as follows:

The Peak Tower – 10 am to 11 pm Monday to Friday, 8 am to 11 pm Saturday to Sunday and Public Holidays
Sky Terrace 428 – 10 am to 11 pm Monday to Friday, 8 am to 11 pm Saturday to Sunday and Public Holidays
Madame Tussauds Hong Kong – 10am to 10pm Monday to Sunday including Public Holidays
Madness 3D Adventure – 10 am to 11 pm Monday to Sunday including Public Holidays

How to Get to the Peak Tram Station

The starting point to travel up to Victoria Peak is the Garden Road Peak Tram Lower Terminus. The Lower Terminus is an 800 metre (0.5 miles) walk from MTR Central Station.

Another option for how to get to peak tram lower terminus is to catch Bus 15C from the Star Ferry Terminal or outside City Hall to the Lower Terminus. Journey time from Star Ferry Terminal to the Terminus is about 15 minutes. If you have the time and are looking for a change of pace, the Lower Terminus is right beside Hong Kong Park and a short walk to Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical times.

The second terminus is located at the Peak Tower. A lesser known fact about the Peak Tram is that there are four different request stops along the way located at Kennedy Road, MacDonnell Road, May Road, Marker Road. Most tourists won’t experience these stops as they are mainly used by residents and can only be used at non-peak times when the tram is not full.

Peak Tram Waiting Time

While the Peak Tram is the most entertaining and interesting way to get to Victoria Peak, the big downside is the wait time to get on to the tram. One tip to avoid long wait times on the Victoria Peak Tram is to get there quite early (before 9 am) on a weekday. The downside with this approach is that while the tram itself opens at 7 am, many of the attractions including the Sky Terrace 428 viewing platform don’t open till 10 am on a weekday.

The queuing time for the Peak Tram can be brutal on the weekends and also gets worse as the day progresses on weekdays. Wait time normally peaks from about 5 pm onwards as the city lights start to come on. The return journey can also be lengthy later in the day particularly after the Symphony of Light show ends at about 8:10 with wait times of an hour or more not uncommon.

Victoria Peak Tram Queues 1 — Victoria Peak Tram queues. The queue holding area where we started is in the background

In our case, we hit the wait time double whammy as we went up Victoria Peak on a Sunday in the late afternoon. As we had not pre-purchased tickets we had a wait time of just over an hour (but which felt more like two hours) from the point we joined the queue to the point we actually got on the tram. The wait time to get on the tram on our return journey was about 40 minutes.

We learnt a painful but valuable lesson from our time spent in a queue to go on the Victoria Peak Tram. Where possible always pre-purchase tickets if they allow you to skip the queue!

Victoria Peak Tram Queues 2 — More Peak Tram Queues

Earlier in the day we had caught the Ngong Ping 360 to visit the Lantau Island Buddha with pre-purchased tickets booked through Klook. This reduced our queuing time to almost nothing. Check out our Ngong Ping 360 article for more information on pre-booking skip the queue tickets.

We then spent a full day exploring Hong Kong and by the time we reached Garden Road Peak Tram Lower Terminus it was 4 pm and we had already walked almost 20 000 steps (according to my trusty Garmin watch).

At this point, we all had sore feet and we also had 3 irritable children. As a result, my wife and I were experiencing a major sense of humour failure only to then be confronted with a large queue. It was made worse by seeing people that had pre-booked tickets through Klook skip the queue and pretty much go straight to the front of the line.

We went very close to abandoning our plans to visit Victoria Peak and probably the only thing that kept us waiting was the fact that 20 years earlier we had gone up Victoria Peak and been confronted with a complete white-out, so we didn’t want to miss the famous views from Victoria Peak again when we were so close. In hindsight, we were so glad we caught the tram up Victoria Peak but would strongly encourage everyone to pre-book your tram tickets.

Victoria Peak Tram Journey — Travelling up to Victoria Peak in the Peak Tram

Victoria Peak Tram Tickets

The two Victoria Peak Tram Terminuses have ticket offices where you can purchase tickets directly. There are various ticket options available including Peak Tram tickets only, Sky Terrace 428 tickets only and a Peak Tram Sky pass which is a combo ticket for both the Peak Tram and Sky Terrace 428.

If you have an Octopus card, you can reportedly use the card and save yourselves the wait to buy a ticket. We didn’t personally try this and during our time there it wasn’t apparent that other people were choosing this option.

I wouldn’t recommend purchasing tickets directly unless the queues are short. My recommendation is to book your tickets through Klook. Klook peak tram tickets are available as part of three different Peak Tram ticket products.

The first Klook Victoria Peak Tram ticket option is called the Peak Tram Fast Track Combo which includes Peak Tram tickets and Sky Terrace entry. This can save you both money and time so choosing this option would be a ‘no-brainer’ for us the next time we visit Victoria Peak. This product does require a small amount of pre-planning as you need to select a day and time when you want to catch the tram. It’s possible to book this product on the same day you want to go up the Peak but at more popular times you may have up to a 4-5 hour wait for the next available time slot. You can book tickets through the Klook app and will get instant confirmation. We tried to purchase the Fast Track Combo the day we went up to Victoria Peak but didn’t plan far enough ahead so the available time slots were too late for us.

With this product, an adult return ticket through Klook will cost $11 compared to the direct peak tram Hong Kong price of $US12.60. A child return ticket will cost $8.55 which is a couple of dollars more expensive than buying a ticket directly.

The big benefit with this product is that you can completely skip the ticket queue and save yourselves a lot of time. You meet your guide (who will be holding up a Klook sign) at Central Station Exit K. You then walk together for 10 minutes to the Peak Tram Lower Terminus. Your guide will then take you to the Fast Track lane to bypass the ticket queues. You then travel to the Peak and return at your own convenience but will have to join the normal queue on your return journey. There are also various add-ons with this ticket option including entry to Madame Tussauds, a Bubba Gump snack box, and a one-way bus transfer from Peak Tower to Wan Chai. Click here to book your Peak Tram Fast Track Combo through Klook.

Get Your Guide has a very similar product to Klook’s Peak Tram Fast Track combo. Click here to book your Fast Track combo tickets through Get Your Guide. NOTE: Get Your Guide’s Combo page only shows pricing for the more expensive Madame Tussauds combo. Select a date and check availability for details of their various Peak Tram combos.

The second ticket option through Klook is called the Victoria Peak Combo ticket which does not include Sky Terrace entry. With this product, you get a round trip peak tram ticket, an egg waffle and an English-speaking guide to the Peak Tram and Lion Pavilion. Buying this ticket will also allow you to bypass the ticket queues by going to a special entry line but will also require some pre-planning. You can book through the Klook app and will get instant confirmation. Adult ticket prices are $US12.50 and child prices are $US8.70. This product allows you to add-on Madame Tussaud’s tickets. There is also an option for an open-top bus ticket from Kowloon to Central with a guide and a one-way (uphill) peak tram ticket which can bypass ticket queues. Click here to book your Victoria Peak Combo ticket through Klook.

Klook’s third ticket option is the Peak Tram Sky Pass which includes tram tickets and Sky Terrace entry. This product gives you a voucher that can be redeemed for a physical ticket. If you have made a short notice decision to visit the Peak and the queues are quite short this is a good option for you as it will save you a bit of money. An adult return Peak Tram Sky pass through Klook will cost $US11.09 compared to the direct price of $12.60. Child fares are the same price. If you have the Klook on your phone, you can book immediately and get instant confirmation. Then it’s as simple as showing the Peak Tram ticket office the QR code on your phone and you will be given your tickets. Click here to book your Peak Tram Sky Pass through Klook.

Viator also offers essentially the same product as Klook’s Peak Tram Sky pass ticket vouchers. Click here to book Peak Tram Sky passes through Viator.

Victoria Peak Sunset — Sunset from Victoria Peak

Alternative transport options

Apart from the Peak Tram, one of the more popular options to get to Victoria Peak is to catch a bus, taxi or private transfer service. Many people purchase a one-way tram ticket and then combine it with a bus, taxi or private transfer journey.

Bus 15 Hong Kong

The two main options for a bus to Victoria Peak are either Bus 15 or Bus 15B. You can pay for the bus journey with cash (but no change will be given) or with an Octopus card.

Bus 15s first stop is at Ferry Pier 5. More convenient points to catch Bus 15 from the Star Ferry Terminal (to Tsim Sha Tsui) or from Exchange Square Bus Station. The service runs every 7 to 15 minutes. Total journey time from Ferry Pier 5 to Victoria Peak ranges from about 40 minutes to 1 hour depending on traffic. For more information about the Bus 15 route click on this link.

Another bus to the Peak is Bus 15B but it only operates on Sundays and public holidays from 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The Bus 15B service starts at Tin Hau MTR station and runs every 20 minutes. For more information about the Bus 15B route click on this link.

Taxi or Private Transfer

Another transport option worth considering is to catch a taxi to Victoria Peak. A taxi will cost approximately $US5 to $US7 depending on where you start from on Hong Kong Island and how long the journey takes. A more expensive and luxurious possibility is a private transfer from your hotel to the Peak OR from the Peak back to your hotel which costs about $US51 for up to 6 people. Click here to book the private transfer service through Klook.

Hong Kong Peak Hike Trails

When we are travelling we like to strike a balance between urban and natural experiences. Therefore, another interesting option that we considered for our visit to Victoria Peak was to do a one-way hike. Unfortunately, in the end, we ran out of both time and energy. Here are some resources to help you explore Victoria Peak hike options:

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Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you book after clicking on one of these links then we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.