The Peak 太平山頂

About The Peak

Around the Peak Tower, the experience is lively and built-up; the Lugard Road section of the Peak Circle Walk offers a quieter, tree-lined perspective on the skyline. The Sky Terrace 428 is a separately ticketed observation deck. Choose between a deck visit and an outdoor circuit according to the weather, allowing for slopes and changing visibility rather than expecting an uninterrupted panorama.

The hill is also known as Che Kung Shan (扯旗山), its official Chinese name on government maps, as well as Lo Fung (炉峰); early colonial names included Mount Possession and Mount Austin, the latter preserved in Mount Austin Road and Mount Austin Playground, before the British settled on Victoria Peak. According to local tradition, it was renamed Tai Ping Shan, meaning 'peaceful mountain', after fishermen believed peace had returned once the pirate Cheung Po Tsai (张保仔) surrendered in 1809.

Early European residents reached their hillside homes by sedan chair, and only around 40 households lived there in the 1880s, until the Peak Tram funicular opened in 1888 and eased access. In 1867 Governor Richard MacDonnell had already chosen the summit for a summer residence, the Governor's Mountain Lodge, which was rebuilt in 1902, fell out of use in the 1930s, was damaged during the Japanese occupation, and was demolished in 1946; the site became Peak Garden.

The Peak Hotel opened in 1873; its operator, Alexander Findlay Smith, later proposed building the Peak Tram, but the hotel burned down in 1938 and was never rebuilt. Its site became a bus terminus and, after redevelopment tendered in 1989, reopened in 1993 as the Peak Galleria (山顶广场), with the bus terminus moved to its ground floor.

What to look for

• The Peak Tower’s Sky Terrace 428 looks over the harbour and urban skyline.
• Lugard Road frames city views between trees along the hillside.

Location & getting there

Getting to The Peak

The Peak Tram lower terminus is at 33 Garden Road; it arrives at the Peak Tower, 128 Peak Road. The Peak Circle Walk begins on Lugard Road near the tower. Check tram operations and the separate observation-deck ticket before choosing the journey.