Victoria Peak (The Peak)

Victoria Peak is the most famous viewpoint in Hong Kong — a 552-metre mountain on Hong Kong Island whose summit terrace provides a panoramic view of the city's skyscrapers, Victoria Harbour, Kowloon, and the green islands of the New Territories that is consistently ranked among the greatest urban views in the world. The view at night, when the towers of Central and Wan Chai light up in a wall of neon and LED that reflects off the harbour, has been the defining image of Hong Kong since the city first appeared on postcards.

The Peak Tram, a funicular railway operating since 1888, carries passengers up the 28-degree incline in about seven minutes — the steep angle makes the towers below appear to lean sideways, which adds a surreal quality to the ascent. The queue for the tram on weekends and holidays can exceed an hour, and the pragmatic alternative (the number 15 bus from Exchange Square) provides the same destination with views along the way and no queue. The Peak Tower at the summit, a modernist wok-shaped building designed by Terry Farrell, houses shops, restaurants, and the Sky Terrace 428 observation deck.

The Peak Circle Walk, a 3.5-kilometre flat path around the summit, is the experience that most visitors miss — a paved route through subtropical forest with views in every direction that takes about an hour and provides the elevation views without the crowds of the main terrace. The walk passes through forest where you're more likely to see butterflies and barking deer than other tourists, and the contrast between the wild hillside and the city 500 metres below is one of Hong Kong's most characteristic juxtapositions.