Victoria Park is the largest urban park in Hong Kong. This is a vast green space, situated in the center of Causeway Bay and contains a pleasant outdoor swimming pool
(HKD17) and various sports facilities.
This is a nice place to just walk around and watch the locals relaxing and performing tai qi.
In the evening, this place fills up with romantic young couples wooing each other. A statue of Queen Victoria (originally in Statue Square in Central) stands here. Numerous football matches and tennis games take place throughout the year in the park.
Victoria Park is also the site of Hong Kong's
Tiananmen
Square vigil which is held on June 4th each year. Current affairs debates (similar to those in Hyde Park in London) are held here at the weekends, these are sometimes televised too! Before Chinese New Year, there is a large flower market held in the park and the gardens are beautifully lit with traditional Chinese lanterns during the Moon festival in September or November.
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Victoria Peak provides the most famous views of Hong Kong. It is a must see for any traveler to the island and it's almost worth making the trip twice- once in daylight and once at dark.
The Peak has long been the most expensive and exclusive area of Hong Kong. Before the arrival of the Peak tram in 1888, the wealthy were carried up the mountain in sedan chairs. In colonial times too, this was the most prestigious district and many governors and business men bought extortionately priced houses up here, away from the smog and heat below.
Today, nothing much has changed and this remains
The place where the fashionable and rich make their homes-snapping up houses at prices which are among the most expensive for real estate anywhere in the world.
It is not hard to see why this area is so popular when you reach the top. The views from the Peak Tower are truly spectacular and this is also a great place to get your bearings of Hong Kong and Kowloon. The Peak Tower stands at 400 m above sea level and was built to withstand all typhoons. This is where the Peak Tram terminates and the Tower contains various entertainment facilities (most are great fun for kids), shops and a few cafes. Check out the prices in the estate agents window in the Tower for property on the Peak if you fancy a pad up here!
Standing next to the Tower is the Peak Galeria. This is another complex filled with restaurants, bars, shops and even a McDonalds. Both these shopping complexes slightly spoil the area and it can be nice to take a walk away from the crowds and commercialism to the real peak of the mountain.
Walking half a kilometer to the west of the Tower brings you to the Old Governors Mountain Lodge and Gardens. This is actually the real Peak, situated 140 meters above the Tower. The lodge itself is a ruin today, but the gardens are very pleasant, offering an alternative to the tower but equally impressive view in a more peaceful setting. There are numerous paths and tracks around the Peak and this is a popular spot for jogging and walking with the ex-pats who live up here. A particularly nice walk is around and down to Hong Kong University. Walk west of the peak along Lugard Road and follow the path down hill. Finally, there is also a popular walk with locals slightly lower down the hill at Bowen Road. This route affords great views and eventually takes you down to Hong Kong University.
If you get hungry and thirsty up here, the Peak Cafe is a nice place to try. In summer, there are tables out the back with gorgeous views over the island bays and it is especially nice at sunset. The food and drink are good though expensive. The other restaurant that is good up here is Cafe Deco. This restaurant serve all kinds of international cuisine. Again, prices are not cheap, but the views (if you get a window seat) are spectacular.
How to get there and costs:
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The Peak Tram goes up and down the mountain approximately every 10 minutes. It is a fun ride (although VERY steep) and takes about eight minutes. The trip costs HK$20 one way. Children and OAPs pay less.
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or take No.1 special in the east of the grand auditorium.
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Take No.15 double- decker bus at the terminal of the Exchange Square.
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Wong Tai Sin Temple is a huge and active Taoist Temple in Kowloon. The Temple was built in 1921 and today it is bright and colorful with red, blue and yellow walls and roofs.
The Temple is dedicated to the God, Wong Tai, who is worshipped by the ill and by business people. This place is particularly busy on Friday evenings when business men and women come to pray for the blessing of their God who they believe can turn stones into sheep and thus paper into money.
The Temple is open to visitors and it is especially atmospheric around Chinese New Year. There are also many fortune tellers in this area who can predict your future, many of whom speak English.
How to get there: Take the MTR to Wong Tai Sin Station and leave at exit B.
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Yaumatei and Mongkok are more authentic and intriguing areas of Kowloon to walk around than TsimSha Tsui.
There are not so many large shops, but there are numerous markets here which offer a different sort of bargain to be snapped up. These districts lie north of Nathan Road and about a twenty minute walk from the Star Ferry terminus in
Kowloon.
There is a great clothes market in the evenings on Temple Street and impromptu opera and fortune telling also take place here. The highlight of this area however are the Flower and Bird Markets on Flower Market Street. There is a great atmosphere around both these places. The flowers are imported from all over the world and it's especially vibrant and lively here on Sundays and in the weeks before Chinese New Year.
In the bird market, there are hundreds of small birds in beautiful cages on display and the old men frequently take out their Crickets for a fighting match!
How to get there: Either walk from the Star Ferry or take the MTR to
Mongkok.
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