The Iconic Peak Tram Hong Kong - Garden Road
How to instructions to get to the Central Terminus
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.
A blog post with a difference - Please do visit Hong Kong in 2024 | Travel, Tourism, Tours, Tips, Daily Life and my personal thoughts on Hong Kong - Pearl of the Orient
Click on the button below and click the link on the page that says Guide Map to the Garden Road Terminus
The Iconic Peak Tram Hong Kong - Garden Road Terminus
Taking the Peak Tram to or from Victoria Peak in Hong Kong is for many tourists a must do and whilst I agree with that assessment I would also say you only have to do it one way and for me going down is much more exciting than going up!.. and yes, I have been on the Peak Tram many thousands of times since 1972
I do a lot of car photograhy and have a favourite spot which just happens to be on Garden Road and a short walk to the Garden Road Peak Tram Terminus I have been doing photography there since 2010. My spot is some distance away from the Peak Tram Terminus and I have lost count of the number of times I was asked by tourists how to get there, somehow they had ended up walking up a very steep circular set of stairs to my spot (?) luckily the terminus is visible from my spot and an 8 - 10 minute walk away.
I do a lot of research and a while back The Peak Tram Company spent time to produce a colourful map | visual how to guide to get to the Peak Tram Terminus on Garden Road in Central and not before time, it will certainly help people navigate a very tricky route and they have also added in places and attractions to see to enhance the experience of walking there.
The starting point is Central MTR Station (Subway) in Central District on Hong Kong Island.
However the guide is not without one major flaw and a few minor ones.
They quote : It is a 10 minute walk from Central MTR Station (Subway) to the Peak Tram Terminus on Garden Road
Maybe in a perfect world - It is more like double or triple that unless you completely ignore all the terrific things to see on the way up.
Major Flaw : Why on earth do they suggest you take exit J2 from Central MTR Station (Subway) ?
This is not my image but it makes the point
Maybe it is the tour guide in me or maybe it is because I have lived here for 52 years and this area has always been my old stomping ground but this is NOT the route I would have chosen… I wonder if they chose a young person straight out of University to handle this assignment because clearly whoever wrote it has no concept of human nature or that tourists are interested in their surroundings and are curious about what they are seeing.
First of all exit J2 in Central MTR Station is probably the worst exit you could have picked, you have to walk up almost 50 steep steps to get out of the station, imagine if you are elderly or have kids in strollers and such, this is a bad idea and I think even regular folk would curse at being asked to walk up those steps when there is simply no need.
So why does this upset me?
Well look at the picture, this is what you see as you exit from Exit J2, just a horrible mass of concrete, Statue Square is less than 2 minutes away…. incidentally when I was a kid in the 1970’s Chater Garden was a cricket pitch!
So, basically ignore the advice to leave by Exit J2 and use Exit K instead which leads directly into Statue Square
This is Exit K at Central MTR Station, escalators leading up to Statue Square!
See below, if go out of Exit K at Central MTR Station, you ride escalators to the surface and end up in Statue Square, which is far, far more interesting than Chater Garden and you have bypassed those 50 steps at Exit J2
This is Statue Square when you come out of exit K of Central MTR (Subway) Station! rather more interesting than the mass of concrete that is Chater Garden.
When you leave from Exit K in Central MTR Station you will find yourself in Statue Square a very colonial spot full of history and you can easily spend 10 minutes admiring the buildings (including the historic Court of Final Appeal), the fountains and statues and taking pictures, you can then spend 5 - 10 minutes at HSBC Headquarters (across the road from Statue Square) admiring the historic Bronze Lions and then walk the HSBC passageway towards the mass of moving traffic (you will know what I mean by this when you are at the Bronze Lions) cross Queens Road Central and turn left.
The Iconic Bronze Lions at HSBC Headquarters across the road from Statue Square
If you follow the Peak Tram Company instructions once you cross Queens Road Central and walk to Cheung Kong Centre then another 5 minutes walk up Garden Road will get you to St. Johns Cathedral (on the right as you walk up) which is one of the oldest remaining colonial buildings in Hong Kong and that is just a few minutes walk from the Garden Road Peak Tram Terminus.
As you are walking up Garden Road look behind you and you will see this amazing brand new building called the Henderson which opened in mid 2024, one of my favourite buildings.
The Peak Tram Terminus on Garden Road in Central
As mentioned at the start, many people coming out of exit J2 into Chater Garden, somehow (and I am not sure how) find their way to a circular and very steep staircase which leads to my spot where I photograph cars.
This is where I do my car photography, in the distant background you will see a grey building with a blue sign and silver chrome pillars - this is the building where you catch the Peak Tram, it really is quite a steep incline! you go from sea level to 33m at the Peak Tram station, it does not sound much but trust me it is steep.
..oh you should factor in getting lost, I do a lot of car photography on Garden Road (and the Peak Tram is in visual view from my spot) I have given directions to hundreds of lost tourists over the years!
So you can easily take 30 minutes to get to the Peak Tram Terminus and I need to stress that it is all uphill after HSBC, it can be a bit of struggle in the summer and if you have kids in strollers
So, follow my instructions in conjunction with the Peak Tram Guide and you will see a lot more iconic and interesting “sights”!
Below is just a partial list of my private tour guests and their rather diverse occupations, I completed 2,324 Private Tours of Hong Kong in just 9 years with almost 60% of these private tours being 6 - 8 hours long and the ability to talk to so many wonderful people from all walks of life is a gift I acquired, I had over 6,000 guests, not bad for one person!
I have done private tours with so many wonderful people who have the following diverse occupations:-
A REAL Princess, Very close relatives of a US President!, One Star Admiral of the US 7th Fleet, Nuclear Missile Operations Officer (Missileer) for the USAF, Plumbers, Postman, Supplier of ALL frozen burger pattie’s to McDonalds, Nuclear Sub Commanders, Farmers, Chip Shop Owner, Teachers, Pulitzer Prize Award Winning Journalists, Photocopier Repair Guys, Lawyers, Rocket Scientists, Movie Producers, Consul Generals, Police Officers, Homicide Detectives, Travel Agents, House Keepers, Linguists, Retired and Serving CIA Officers, Fighter Pilots, Army and Navy Guys, Socialites, Students, Judges, Journalists, Software Geeks, Nuclear Power Plant Inspectors, Surgeons, Doctors, Forensic Pathologists, Nurses, Coroners, Venture Capitalists, Hospice Directors, Town Planners, Accountants, Psychiatrists, Nuclear Physicists, Professional Athletes, Ferry Captains, Commercial Pilots, Airline Crew, Social Workers, Veterinarians, Musicians, Theme Park Executives, Professional Photographers, College Professors, Gaming Geeks, Inland Revenue Tax Officials, American Airforce B 52 Bomber Pilot, Senior Engineer / Ballistic Missiles, Bodyguards, Beer Salesmen, Park Rangers, Scuba Diving Instructors, Popcorn Machines Makers, Coastguard Officers, Firemen, Structural Geologists, Veterinarians, Architects, Surveyors, Hooters Waitress, Dentists, Ski Instructors, Civil Engineers, Air Traffic Controllers, Electricians, Top Law Professor's at major US Universities, Librarians, Steel Guys, Economists, Homemakers, Novelists, Book Publishers, Currency Traders, Carpenters, a Rabbi, Boiler Maker, Strawberry Farmers, Food Bloggers, Morticians, Financial Advisers, Corporate Video Makers, Private Investigators, Bounty Hunters, Chiropractors, Air Traffic Controllers, Builders, Stonemasons, Botanists, Dog Sitters, Spy, Geneticists, Interpol Agents, Prison Food Suppliers, Radio Announcers, Military Cryptologists, Forklift Drivers, Locksmiths, Icecream maker, Pastry Chef, Baker, Zoo Keepers, Explosives Experts, DEA Agents, Coffee Traders, Diamond Buyers, Wedding Photographers, Google Guru's, Geologists, Professor of Medieval History, Navy Chef's, Camp Site Operators, Animal Embalmers, Telecomms Engineers, Helicopter Pilots, Oil Industry Divers, Navy Seals, Editor for USA Today, Landscape Gardeners, Mary Kay Super Agents, Hotel Owners, TV Actors, Optometrists, Gourmet Chef's, Acclaimed Plastic Surgeons, Barristers, Travel Bloggers, Politicians, Funeral Home Directors, Former Gang Member, Anthropologist, Children's Book Author, Geophysicist, Chicken Artist, Priest, Movie Makeup Artist, Expert Witness, Bail Bondsman, Opera Singer, Master Brewer, Child Prodigy, Debt Collector, Victoria Secrets Store Manager, Head of a major Charity, Celebrity TV Talking Heads (!), Fortune 500 CEO's, Corporate Trainer, Futures Trader, Waitress (quite a few) General Manager of a Worm Bait Company, Owner of a RV Dealership, Convenience Store Owner, Owner of an Amusement Game Manufacturer, Elephant Conservationists, Chemist, High School Students, Crematorium Operator, Concert Pianist, Vet from Honduras, Hair Stylist for a Funeral Home, Calendar Maker, Pedicab Operator, Poets, F16 Fighter Pilot USAF, Steve Jobs Doctor, Major US Democratic Politician, Big cheese Executives from HBO and CBS, Famous journalist and a Journalism Professor, former Secret Service Agent, Famous Rare Coin and Stamp Collector, Major Charitable Foundation Owner ... and some really, really senior people from J. P. Morgan, Starbucks, United Airlines, Boeing, Google and Microsoft.
The truly stunning and amazing panoramic day view from the Lugard Road Lookout at Victoria Peak
The truly stunning and amazing panoramic night view from the Lugard Road Lookout at Victoria Peak
Lugard Road Lookout at Victoria Peak
If I had any followers on Instagram who liked views rather than my car images then this would be a classic, Mum, Dad and 4 kids aged from 12 - 22 from England, perfect weather, the planets aligned as they do on most days at the Peak.
This rather sums up Jamie’s spot at the Peak.
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Jamie, your friend in Hong Kong
52 years living in Hong Kong, our family arrived on January 2nd 1972
I have lived here for 25 years under British Rule, 27 years under Chinese Rule
I have 45 years of Business Consultancy experience in Hong Kong
My wife is a local & has lived her entire life in Hong Kong, her first language is Cantonese
We have 3 Adult sons all born in Hong Kong, 2 still live here and 1 in the UK
I pioneered the Private Tour Industry in Hong Kong in 2010
2,324 completed award winning Private Tours of Hong Kong from 2011 - 2020
……and yes, I am a bit of an expert on the Hong Kong car culture!
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Consultants Hong Kong | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | | 2011 - 2024.
All rights reserved.
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