Hong Kong Tuttle Travel Pack - Simon Ostheimer Tuttle Travel Guide & Map

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before dropping by the Duddell Street branch of Shanghai Tang (1 Duddell Street, 2525 7333; www.shanghaitang.com) for a brightly coloured souvenir, and then heading up the hill to Lan Kwai Fong (see No. 19) for an early drink. You can either choose to stay here for dinner or head back down to Queen’s Road Central and head go towards the Mid-Levels Escalator (see No. 3). As you slowly rise up the hill, take your pick of the restaurants you see below and reflect on one amazing Hong Kong day.

      1 The Star Ferry

      The best—and cheapest—way to see the harbour

      One of the most spectacular ferry rides in the world, the Star Ferry ’s 12-boat fleet makes the short crossing from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon 7 days a week for almost 17 hours a day. Founded in 1888 as the Kowloon Ferry Company by Parsee merchant Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala, the current name was supposedly due to his love for Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem ‘Crossing the Bar’, of which the first line reads: ‘Sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me!’ The name of each boat (they all contain the word ‘Star’) can be found on the prows—the boats have two so they don’t have to turn around—and on a bronze plaque set on the funnel. The green-and-white painted craft currently ply the following routes: Wanchai-Tsim Sha Tsui and Central-Tsim Sha Tsui. The latter is the most famous, a 9-minute ride between the 41-m-tall Two IFC and the ski jump-shaped building otherwise known as the Cultural Centre. If your schedule permits, the best time to hop on board is just before 8 pm when the scheduled

      Symphony of Lights begins. This spectacular show sees more than 40 buildings on both sides of the harbour lit up in a coordinated display of music, lasers and (on public holidays) fireworks. Unfortunately, these days the Star Ferry is increasingly just a tourist attraction, its purpose of helping commuters cross the harbour superseded by the arrival of the MTR train system in 1979, and the government’s decision to reclaim yet more land in the name of development. The extra 300 m walking distance to the Central pier has lost the company millions of dollars and led to the closure of routes.

       See: www.starferry.com.hk

      Opening Times Wanchai-Tsim Sha Tsui, 7.30 am– pm. Central-Tsim Sha Tsui, 6.30 am–11.30 pm

      Address Central, Wan Chai & Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Piers

      Getting There Central (Central MTR), Wan Chai (Wan Chai MTR), Tsim Sha Tsui (Tsim Sha Tsui MTR). Follow directions within stations

      Contact +852 2367 7065; [email protected]; www.starferry.com.hk

      Admission Fee Adult: Mon–Fri $2.50; Sat, Sun & Public Holidays $3. Child: (age 3–12) Mon–Fri $1.50; Sat, Sun & Public Holidays $1.80.

      2 The Peak Tram

      Literally rise above it all on this funicular railway

      Since 1888, Hong Kong’s only funicular railway has been ferrying passengers up the slopes of the 552-m Victoria Peak, the Island’s highest. Covering a distance of 1.4 km and rising almost 400 m from the city below, this major tourist attraction carries more than 4 million tourists every year (a remarkable 11,000 per day). However, this engineering marvel was not intended for sightseeing, but rather as a time-saving tool for commuters. Conceived and executed by entrepreneurial pair Alexander Findlay Smith and N. J. Ede, the line was constructed through the use of back-breaking labour, ironic considering that the only previous way to reach the top of the mountain was by sedan chair—a wooden seat carried by two ‘coolies’ (the name for Chinese labourers) that had to be arduously carried up a series of switchback paths to reach the summit. The main beneficiaries of the new railway were wealthy Caucasians and the governing British as locals were prohibited from living on The Peak until 1930 (though exemptions were possible). The front seat was reserved for the Governor only. The line’s construction led to the rapid opening up of the Mid-Levels and The Peak areas for residential use, with the tram providing a quick commute to offices in Central and connections on to elsewhere. Today, the Peak Tram rarely stops at any of the intermediary stations, instead providing tourists with stunning views as the city recedes below, and the perfect way to reach The Peak Tower entertainment complex, which contains branches of Ripley’s Believe It or Not and Madame Tussauds, as well as several dining options and a top floor viewing terrace with 360-degree views of the Island. To get a real feel for the area, take a stroll along panoramic Lugard and Harlech Roads, which begin opposite the Peak Tower, then, when finished, take a spot of tea in The Peak Lookout, a 19th-century protected building that was once a rest house for sedan chair carriers and now houses a popular restaurant.

      See: www.thepeak.com.hk

      Opening Times Daily 7 am–midnight

      Address Garden Road Peak Tram Lower Terminus, Central

      Getting There From Central MTR Station, take exit J2. Turn right through Chater Garden, cross Queen's Road Central and walk up Garden Road. Or board the Peak Tram shuttle bus No. 15C at the Central (Near Star Ferry Pier 8) Bus Terminus

      Contact +852 2522 0922; [email protected]; www.thepeak.com.hk

      Admission Fee Adult: $40 return, $28 single. Child (age 3–11): $18 return, $11 single

      3 The Mid-Levels Escalator

      Soak up the sounds and sights from this walkway

      Carving its way down the Mid-Levels hillside like a dragon winding its way to the sea (an apt comparison in feng shui-obsessed Hong Kong), this 800-m-long engineering marvel is possibly the planet’s only commuter escalator. Although not one continuous stretch (it’s actually a connecting series of 20 escalators and three moving walkways), it’s been listed by the Guinness World Records as the ‘Longest Outdoor Covered Escalator System’ since its opening in 1993, and has been immortalized on the big screen in the 1997 movie Chinese Box starring Jeremy Irons and Gong Li, and the 2008 Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight. Conceived by the Hong Kong Government as an innovative solution to the area’s worsening traffic congestion, the project was criticized upon completion for being far over budget, and ineffective at its stated purpose of reducing vehicles on the roads. However, the unintended side effect of opening up these previously difficult-to-reach neigh-bourhoods was a boom in local residential property prices and the creation of two new entertainment districts, NoHo and SoHo. Standing for North and South of Hollywood Road respectively (the government initially tried, unsuccessfully, to label the district as the banal ‘Mid-Levels Themed Dining Area’ to avoid the negative connotations of Soho in London), these areas are now home to a diverse array of bars, restaurants, shops and galleries. As it is possible to exit the system on every street it crosses, it has become popular in the evening for commuters to ‘step off’ for dinner or drinks on their way home. Sadly, there is an ongoing struggle between residents seeking to retain the area’s distinctive character and property developers seeking to take advantage of the influx of money. Taking approximately 20 minutes to walk from top to bottom, the escalator runs downhill from 6 am to 10 am and uphill from 10.30 am to midnight.

      See: www.ilovesoho.hk

      Opening Times Runs one-way downhill 6 am– 10 am, uphill 10 am–midnight, daily

      Address Starts at Des Voeux Road Central, ends at Conduit Road

      Getting There Central MTR, Exit D1, walk along Queen's Road Central to the start

      Contact Hong Kong Tourism Board Visitor Hotline: +852 2508 1234 (9 am–6 pm, daily); Скачать книгу