Neighbourhood guide

Central

Skyscrapers, trams and staircases

Hong Kong

The vibe

Hong Kong’s financial heart, where glass towers stand beside street markets, double-decker trams and the giant Mid-Levels escalator. At night, the bars of Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo take over.

Good to know

Ride the Mid-Levels escalator: it runs downhill in the morning and uphill the rest of the day.

When to go

Weekday lunchtime for the office buzz, evenings for the bars.

Getting there

MTR to Central or Hong Kong station (Airport Express), Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui.

The story

How the neighbourhood came to be

This is where the British set up the city of Victoria in the 1840s. Much of today’s waterfront was reclaimed from the harbour over the decades. The Peak Tram, opened in 1888, still departs from Central.

Did you know?

1The Peak Tram has been climbing to the Peak since 1888.
2The island’s trams, nicknamed “ding ding”, have run since 1904.

Want to explore further?

See on the map Plan a day