Barker Road, Billionaires Row, Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
How to get to
Me Jamie, English and 52 years living in Hong Kong and I know the know the place - I personally completed 2,324 Private Tours (6,000+ guests) from 2011 - 2020 and was considered one of the finest Private Tour Guides in Asia.
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Prior to visiting the Barker Road at Victoria Peak, you may wish to visit Victoria Peak Garden at Victoria Peak for more amazing views and instagram photo opportunities and then the Lugard Road Lookout at Victoria Peak - click on the buttons below for my how to get to instructions for Victoria Peak Garden and the Lugard Road Lookout, it is very easy to do all 3 within a 3 - 3 1/2 hour time frame.
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Barker Road, Billionaires Row, Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
Click on the button above, it takes you to my comprehensive blog post I have written about Victoria Peak (The Peak) in Hong Kong, I have visited the Peak over 6,000 times since 1972 and more importantly thousands of times from 2011 - 2020 when I was one of the premier Private Tour Guides in Asia, I completed 2,324 tours during that period.. I have now done 3 how to get instructional blogs on how to get the best out of your visit to Victoria Peak in Hong Kong, I hope you do all 3 and you will be one of the few people that really gets to know the Victoria Peak District and see the best city views in the world.
Barker Road at Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
To me the 2nd greatest city view in the world is on Barker Road at Victoria Peak and yes, amazingly this is another view virtually every visitor | tourist coming to Hong Kong misses out on, it is stunning in all types of weather and to make it absolutely clear, the reason you make the effort to go to Barker Road is not because it is free but because the views are far, far superior, in my humble opinion and you get to see some other totally unexpected “things”!
If you want to take a private car tour along Barker Road at Victoria Peak then please contact Amy of Hong Kong Greeters
How to get to | Barker Road at Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
The amazing view and other things at Barker Road Victoria Peak
Background Information
This how to get to guide to Barker Road is part of 3 how to get to guides that cover the essential bucket list task of visiting Victoria Peak (The Peak) in Hong Kong and getting the most out of it.
The Peak actually covers quite a vast area and trust me there are lots of very cool and unusual things to do but (yes, there is always a but) you will need the services of a private tour guide with a car to make the most of it if time is a factor but with my 3 how to get to guides for the Peak you can do it on your own, walking and will need 3 to 3 1/2 hours if time is not an issue
Please note that you can do the Barker Road Experience at Victoria Peak, Hong Kong on your own without hiring a Private Tour Guide, simply open this blog post on your smart phone and follow the very detailed step by step instructions.
Time is always a factor when you are on holiday, business or whatever brings you to Hong Kong and in my experience most people are here for a day, two at the most which means that you have to be very time aware.
If you have never been to Hong Kong you will soon find out why you need a private tour guide if time is an issue, it is virtually impossible to figure out how to manage time so you can see and visit most of the things on your bucket list, it is made worse by mediocre tour companies and online travel agents (OTA’s) such as Viator insisting that the tour company provide an itinerary for every step of the tour with time estimates, there are so many factors it is an impossible task and the biggest error is completely underestimating time, if they say 10 minutes it is always 20 minutes, if these say 30 minutes they mean one hour, I always err on the side of caution and my timings tend to be quite conservative and accurate.
I did 2,324 tours from 2011 - 2019 (I only did 2 tours in January 2020 before Hong Kong was locked down due to Covid) ranging from 3 hours to 8 hours with more than 50% of them being an 8 hour tour, trust me I know all about timing when it comes to tour itineraries.
So to make it absolutely clear | there are 3 essential things you must do when you visit Victoria Peak (The Peak)
The Lugard Road Lookout
Victoria Peak Garden
Barker Road, Billionaires row
You can do all 3 by walking and you can do Lugard Road Lookout on foot and Victoria Peak Garden and Barker Road by car if you wish to save some time.
Either way, these are in my humble opinion 3 of the best things you can do on your Hong Kong visit.
So back to Barker Road and why Barker Road?
Firstly, there is NO public transport allowed on Barker Road other than the red taxi’s, you certainly need to allow 40 - 50 minutes walking time end to end before you end up at Peak Road where you can catch a taxi or the No. 15 bus back to the Central Business District.
Barker Road is secluded and you should note that there are no pavements | side walks at certain parts for long stretches, fortunately traffic is very light but there are always construction projects going on so you have to watch out for delivery trucks, large dump trucks and concrete mixer trucks!
As you read my how to guide you will understand that Barker Road is popular with Billionaires, mostly from Mainland China but with some home grown ones as well, at many places there are some magnificent views, living at Victoria Peak has always been the aim for the rich and powerful, it should be noted that Deep Water Bay on the South Side of Hong Kong Island has a secluded hideaway where 10 - 12 Billionaires live in magnificent houses, including Hong Kong’s richest man, this enclave is naturally next to the Hong Kong Golf Club!
Me personally, I would absolutely live on Barker Road, no question.
About half way in on your walk along Barker Road you will see a sign called Chatham Path and it points down, please do NOT go down this path, it is very, very steep and slippery with moss and dead leaves and there are major remedial works going on to fix slopes (a 5 - 10 year project), I have slipped and fallen 3 times (one not so serious) over a 3 year span recently at exactly the same spot, I was with people at the time so I have plenty of witnesses, luckily I was not badly hurt but blood was spilled! it is treacherous and not worth the risk, Chatham Path starts at Barker Road and ends at May Road and to this day I have never figured how people enjoy walking up from May Road to Barker Road, it is so steep.
The photographs below tell you everything you need to know, all I will say is that it is well worth your time to “do” Barker Road on your visit to Victoria Peak (The Peak)
Yes, if you click on the button above, this is my list of the very best private tour guides in Hong Kong, if you do not wish to hire a guide then this is my guide on how to get to the spot where you get the most amazing city views (with an s) in the world.
If you click on the button above you can purchase this immersive voice app which is a fabulous AUDIO tour of my spot on Lugard Road, ie the Lugard Road Lookout - the app basically follows the instructions in my how to guide to the Lugard Road Lookout (because I had a hand in the creation of the app) - it is well worth the modest price | you can do the Lugard Road Lookout walk prior to going to Barker Road.
So, the how to get to Barker Road at Victoria Peak starts here, I am assuming you can get to Victoria Peak under your own steam either by the Peak Tram, Bus, Car, Taxi, Coach etc.
How to get to | Barker Road at Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
Image no. 1 | So if you came up to Victoria Peak (The Peak) by the Peak Tram, this is the building you arrive in, once you have navigated the pretty awful tourist shops and perhaps used the nice bathrooms you need to find your way outside.
Image no. 2 | If you came up to Victoria Peak (The Peak) by taxi, bus, coach or car you will get dropped off in the basement of the Galleria Shopping Mall (which is pretty excellent by the way with great restaurants, shops and bathrooms) you need to find you way up to the ground floor and go out of the front entrance.
I am always amazed at how people complain about the Peak Galleria, it is not touristy like the Peak Tower, it is full of many excellent restaurants and coffee shops (yes there is a McDonalds and a Starbucks) places to keep kids amused, it has a viewing terrace, great bathrooms but for me the clincher is the huge candy store near the front entrance! oh did I mention it has a large car park! and it was renovated fairly recently and it still has the new feel to it.
Image no. 3 | So if you refer to image 1, this is outside the Peak Tower, the refurbishment work on the Peak Tram was completed in 2022, go right heading towards the 2 large Wildfire signs, you really cannot miss them
Image no. 4 | You will see this sign which leads to Findlay Road, please DO NOT walk along this road to the right, you must go down the path to the left which goes down hill, this is Findlay Path! please keep walking down.
Image no. 5 | Yes, you are heading down, you know you are on Findlay Path because of this sign! the people and the dog in the image are on Findlay Road! which is the WRONG way. please keep walking.
A little nugget for you, Findlay Path and Findlay Road where named after Alexander Findlay Smith who created the Hong Kong High Level Tramways Corporation Limited to operate the Peak Tram in 1888 and he also owned the Peak Hotel which was where the Peak Galleria is today ie pretty much at this spot you are standing at!
Image no. 6 | Simply start heading down, any views are to the left as is the Peak Tram Track. please keep walking.
Image no. 7 | As you look on the left you get a nice view and sometimes you will see the Peak Tram going up or down on the tracks. please keep walking.
Image no. 8 | Head down, the path is a little steep. please keep walking.
Image no. 9 | On the right is a wire fence and behind it are the ruins of a building site for some nice apartments which never got built, it has been derelict for as long as I can remember, it is quite steep here so the railing comes in handy! head for the lamp post at the bottom. please keep walking.
Image no. 10 | The proverbial fork in the path, do NOT under any circumstances walk up, you will meet up with Findlay Road that leads into a rabbit warren of other roads (believe it or not) walk to the left and continue DOWNHILL. please keep walking.
Image no. 11 | Just keep walking down, again be careful, it is quite steep, views to the left. please keep walking.
Image no. 12 | Yes, another fork in the path, turn LEFT and walk downhill. please keep walking.
Image no. 13 | This is the Peak Tram Track and the Barker Road Peak Tram Station, do NOT under any circumstances go down and under the track, at the blue sign do a hard RIGHT, this puts you right on Barker Road which is where you need to be. please keep walking.
Image no. 14 | There is a retaining wall here which provides the perfect place to take pictures of the Peak Tram going up or down, in essence it is a 1 - 15 minute wait for a tram, sometimes you get lucky, I took this image in mid 2022 just prior to them introducing this new 210 seater 6th generation tram, it was undergoing field trials. when you are done turn around and start walking along Barker Road. please keep walking.
Image no. 15 | As you turn around you will see the sign, please make sure you head left towards 23 - 47 Barker Road, you are now walking on Barker Road so please be careful. please keep walking.
Some trivia for you.
Named after George Digby Barker, a former military commander and acting administrator of Hong Kong between May and December 1891.
Barker Road is a road on Victoria Peak from Old Peak Road to Peak Road. It has a length of about 1.7 km or slightly more than 1 mile | construction began in 1897 and the road opened in 1898
Image no. 16 | You will notice that there is no sidewalk | footpath - stick to the left and be careful, there is hardly any traffic at all. please keep walking.
Image no. 17 | there is a sidewalk now on the right, this was a construction site and should be finished, a fancy home for a billionaire and this is your first glimpse of no. 35 Barker Road on the hill. please keep walking.
Image no. 17a | This is your SECOND glimpse of no. 35 Barker Road on the hill (the 3 white houses on the podium) I took this from a restaurant in the Peak Tower, you can also see the Lion’s Pavilion Viewing Terrace on the right
Image no. 18 | Oh Lordy, no. 35 Barker Road owned by the Chairman of Henderson Land a Hong Kong listed company - he bought the plot of land in 2010 for HK$1.82 Billion (with a B) or US$232,217,215 and built 3 family homes (for his own family) each about 10,000sqft (including the roof area) I often think the project is cursed as there is still some ongoing construction going on even though they received an occupation permit in 2018!! honestly, I could live there. please keep walking.
Image no. 19 | No. 35 Barker Road is complete and occupied but the construction site next door is still not ready but you can never tell, time seems to stand still when they construct these mega housing projects - please keep walking.
Image no. 20 | Yes, the front gate and the driveway at 35 Barker Road, a not so subtle statement that they are seriously minted! please keep walking, I counted 10 security guards on duty on this finally finished billionaires residence
Image no. 21 | As you walk past No. 35 Barker Road you will note on the left hand side this view of the summit of Victoria Peak and the Chinese Military Installation (Radio Communications), the height of the Peak is 552m or 1,811 ft please keep walking.
Image no. 22 | As you continue walking you will see glimpses of 22 Barker Road and the house that Jack built. Jack Ma of Alibaba (the company) fame and fairly minted paid US$192 million (with an M) or HK$1.5 Billion (with a B) in 2015, incredibly construction is still ongoing. Amazingly the original house on the plot sold for HK$163,000,000 or US$20,897,435 in the year 2000) so get your head around that, a house sold for US$21 million in 2000 and was then sold again for US$192 million in 2015 a real head shaker and only in Hong Kong. please keep walking.
Image no. 22a | This is an image of 22 Barker Road and the rather unassuming entrance that I took in 2016, remember the house had just been sold for US$192 million. please keep walking.
Image no. 23 | 22 Barker Road, the house that Jack Ma built, the new front entrance. please keep walking.
Image no. 23a | 22 Barker Road, the house that Jack Ma built, the house really is quite unassuming but he does take security very seriously, you will get mega zapped if you tried to scale that electric fence. please keep walking.
Image no. 24 | You have now reached the spot and to the left some of the most magnificent views of Hong Kong, almost as great as the ones from the Lugard Road Lookout. please stop walking. take 10 minutes to admire the views and surroundings.
Image no. 24a | Some of my awesome guests taking in the views on Barker Road, they really loved the walk, they where amazed that no one seemed to venture along Barker Road.
Image no. 25 | Simply magnificent - the Barker Road view looking down on to the Central Business District and across Victoria Harbour to Kowloon
Image no. 26 | take it all in, looking left, the tall peak in the background to the left is Tai Mo Shan at 957m, the highest Peak in Hong Kong.
Image no. 27 | Looking right or east, across Victoria Harbour to Kowloon and in the background the New Territories, the 9 Dragon range of Peaks is quite imposing.
Image no. 28 | before you leave this spot, swivel around, the tenants of this apartment block (which was recently renovated) are the ones admiring those magnificent views, I doubt people leave! time to carry on. please keep walking.
Image no. 29 | As you walk along Barker Road, on the right hand side you will see a fork in the road of sorts, under NO circumstances do you walk up Hospital Path, and yes, there WAS a Hospital close by in the old days, please keep walking about 3 yards to the left.
Image no. 30 | By the lamp post on the image above are 2 signs related to Victoria House, the residence of the Chief Secretary, the no. 2 person in the Hong Kong Government, this has to be one of the cushiest perks ever. look up to the left.
Image no. 31 | This is Victoria House, built in 1951 on the site of the Victorian Era Victoria Hospital which was built in 1897 and demolished after WW2, it seems rather a grand residence for at best 2 or 3 people!
Image no. 31a | Everything you need to know about Victoria House
Image no. 32 | In the small car park amongst all the cars outside Victoria House and shaded by a very large tree, you will see this rather sad and faded sign to commemorate Victoria Hospital. I am always glad the sign is still there. please turn around and keep walking along Barker Road.
Image no. 33 | On the right, look up and you will notice that there is another building that you access on the road going up to Victoria House, more on this later but first please swivel around
Image no. 34 | yes, an abandoned tennis court that we presume was or is for residents of Victoria House, it has not been used in decades and it just sits there as a derelict eyesore. please keep walking a few steps along Barker Road
Image no. 34a | remedial work on the slope and the tennis court, image take 31st May 2024
Image no. 35 | I have mentioned this previously, under NO circumstances do you walk down these steps, they lead down to May Road, close to Century Tower. The steps are very steep and the path is very steep and very slippery with wet moss and dead leaves, it is quite dangerous (see my earlier comments) and the work by Government engineers on the slopes do not help. avoid please.
Image no. 36 | Turn around to your left and continue left (east) along Barker Road, look up to your right, the barbed wire indicates that whoever lives behind the wall is of some importance. please keep walking.
Image no. 37 | So, the person living behind the wall is the Commander of the Chinese Military Forces in Hong Kong, this is the official residence, sometimes you will see his official car a big black Audi with the licence plate ZG 1 (naturally) they keep a very low profile in Hong Kong.
Image no. 38 | So we are on Barker Road and not to far to go now, notice the lack of a footpath or pavement so exercise caution, as mentioned there is little in the way of traffic. please keep walking.
Image no. 38a | I am a car photographer and I have seen this gorgeous Rolls Royce a few times on Barker Road. please keep walking.
Image no. 38b | One of my favourite Rolls Royce’s in Hong Kong and seen frequently on Barker Road and that is one very cool licence plate. Quite often these cars are in a convoy after having picked up the kids and housemaids from the local International School! please keep walking.
Image no. 39 | Every now and then when you look down to the left you will see some large houses, this is a very old fashioned colonial era house, I have decided I could live there. please keep walking.
Image no. 40 | Not all well off folk have a Rolls Royce and this house owner seems to have a perverse sense of humour by driving cheap and crappy cars!! however the home owner is very subtle, that house address is number 8 Barker Road and no. 8 is the luckiest number in Chinese Culture! please keep walking.
Image no. 41 | Please keep walking. do not deviate from the road, not too far too go now.
Image no. 42 | …. and through the trees there are still some nice views to be had. please keep walking.
Image no. 43 | Looking down on to the districts of Admiralty and Wanchai on Hong Kong Island.
Image no. 44 | Just lovely, the circular building to the right is the Hopewell Centre in Wanchai which was at one stage at 64 floors Hong Kong’s tallest building in the early to mid 1980’s it is now dwarfed by many apartment blocks! please keep walking.
Image no. 45 | If you see a taxi just flag one down here. please keep walking.
Image no. 46 | If you see a taxi just flag one down here. 3 minutes to Peak Road now - please keep walking.
Image no. 47 | Peak Road, is literally down and around the corner - this house, well this is the official residence of the US Consul General and owned by the US Government.
Image no. 48 | No. 3 Barker Road, as mentioned this the house of the US Consul General, the area covers 51,000sqft and if it ever came on the market it is valued at a bare minimum of US$385 Million (with an M) not a bad investment property
and the final how to message for this guide…
Image no. 49 | Literally 20 yards from where I took this image is Peak Road, you can simply stand on the corner and flag down a taxi to take you anywhere, there is an ample supply of taxis on Peak Road!
Image no. 50 | If you walk to the right on Peak Road WITHOUT crossing the road about 100 yards away is bus stop (near the petrol | gas station) that is for the no. 15 bus from the Peak Tower and ends in the Central Business District, it runs every 10 - 20 minutes but bear in mind it might be jam packed with no seats available, probably a taxi is the best option and a lot quicker.
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| Cultural Tourism At It’s Very Best |
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Jamie, Your Passionate Hong Kong Expert & Storyteller
Discover Hong Kong - Pearl of the Orient
Learn about the unbiased, real Hong Kong | forget what you read in the press!
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Consultants Hong Kong | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | | 2011 - 2024.
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