Hong Kong's Peak Tram went into service in 1888 as Asia's first funicular railway, connecting The Peak to Central. Originally it served the governor and residents of luxury properties on The Peak, but has since transported tens of millions of passengers and become one of the city's top tourist attractions. The steep 1.27km-long journey — rising from 28 to 396 metres above sea level, with a gradient of 4 to 25.7 degrees — normally lasts about 10 minutes and offers passengers a range of spectacular views and photo opportunities.

The Peak Tower’s distinctive wok-shaped design is hard to miss. The building, which sits above the Peak Tram Upper Terminus, is home to a variety of restaurants, speciality shops, interactive entertainment venues and — most famously — the Sky Terrace 428, a viewing platform 428 metres above sea level, offering breathtaking 360-degree views of the city. The mall also houses the wax museum Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and a range of snack shops serving refreshments such as Hong Kong-style egg waffles. Please visit its official website to find out more.

Peak Galleria mall has an observation deck on the third floor, which offers great views of the city. The building houses a range of souvenir shops and a variety of Hong Kong-style cafes, or cha chaan tengs, and eateries serving Cantonese wonton noodles and Western cuisines. It also offers cafes serving drinks and snacks such as egg tarts, Cantonese herbal soups and Taiwanese-style bubble teas.

The Peak Lookout restaurant — formerly the Old Peak Cafe — is located in a Grade II historic single-storey building. The site first housed a workshop and shelter for British engineers during construction of the Peak Tram in 1888. From 1902 onwards it provided a shelter for sedan chairs, before being converted in 1947 into an open-air garden cafe. The pitched-roof single-storey building features the architectural style of an English country cottage from the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, with stone walls, arched windows and a prominent stone chimney stack.

The 3.5 km-long paved pathway that loops around The Peak — at 552 metres, the highest point on Hong Kong Island — offers fine panoramic views of the city. While the easy walk can be completed in an hour, Instagram aficionados may wish to stay longer to take photos of the changing cityscape from daylight hours to sunset and on into the night. The beautiful photogenic tree-lined route passes through rich fauna and flora; it also has some of the island’s lushest areas of woodland and vegetation, which are home to numerous butterfly species, including the Dark Edged Snow Flat (Tagiades menaka), uncommon Red Lacewing (Cethosia biblis) and the very rare Chinese Windmill (Byasa alcinous).

Built between 1913 and 1914, the narrow road, which encircles The Peak, is named after Sir Frederick Lugard, the 14^th governor of Hong Kong. It’s a great spot to enjoy fine sunset and night views of Victoria Harbour — and in spring, see the city enveloped in mist. Some early examples of development in the city remain along the road: the small, white Grade II historic building at the start, 1 Lugard Road, built as a Peak Tramways workshop around 1927, still houses the company’s offices. The neo-classical two-storey Grade I historic residence at 27 Lugard Road, the oldest property along the road, was built in 1914 after British architect Lennox Godfrey Bird bought the plot of land at auction for just HK$2,160.

Hike uphill along Mount Austin Road for 20 minutes to Victoria Peak Garden, originally the site of the Hong Kong governor’s Mountain Lodge summer residence. Now a public open space with winding paths, fine lawns and pagodas, it is a great place to relax and unwind while taking selfies and enjoying fine vistas of the city below. The lookout point provides a superb panoramic view of the southern side of Hong Kong and — on a clear day — some of its many outlying islands. Before you enter the garden, don’t miss the Gate Lodge, a declared monument built between 1900 and 1902. For more leisurely hiking, take the pleasant Governor’s Walk, offering lovely views of the area, by following the signs in the garden.