Hong Kong Tramways – Happy Valley ⇋ Shau Kei Wan

This is one of my favourite Hong Kong Tramways Route.
The route along Happy Valley is really scenic and peaceful most of the time aside during Horse Racing time. But it can be still fun to go by the Racetrack area to have a glimpse of the action.
Causeway Bay area is just full of restaurants and shopping malls. Just riding on the tram enjoying the busiest area of Hong Kong Island from a distance in a slower pace is quite an experience.
And all these from $ 2.30?!
I always enjoy a night ride whenever I am in town. A memorable ride!

1). You can’t beat the $ 2.30 flat rate. Paid by coins or by Octopus card. You board near the back and you pay at the front when you leave.
2). A way to avoid the weather on a rainy day in getting from Point A to Point B.
3). I have decided the best tour you can give any visitors you have to Hong Kong to really get a picture of the entire Hong Kong island and it’s different districts.
4). Provides some wind when you are hotter than blazes and don’t want to walk the long caves of the MTR or walk in the sweltering heat. The open air can be refreshing.
5). Signs showing Tram (aka Ding Ding) route and it is super easy to figure out.
6). It feels old school Hong Kong nostalgic. Like a piece of history.
Take a ride! Will be the best $ 2.30 you spend all day.

Now that I reside in Happy Valley, the tram has become as integral to my daily life as the MTR when I loved in Sai Ying Pun. I have to admit that I’m naturally inclined to have a better experience than most tram riders: since the terminus is in Happy Valley, I’m able to climb aboard before the masses do and get my pick of the seating litter. Top deck, first seat facing the window is the best seat in the house!
While the tram may not feature air-​con, a gentle breeze will be yours if you take a seat on the top deck. $ 2.30 HKD is as cheap as it gets for public transportation, and if I don’t have the extra time to slowly make my way to Central, I simply take the tram to Causeway Bay. Beats paying $ 22 – 25 just for a taxi to the Causeway Bay stop!
Of course, the best part about taking the tram is the front row access to all the sights and sounds of Hong Kong. And bonus: I’m able to read on the tram without getting motion sickness!

The tram may be my favorite part of Hong Kong. Lumbering along the streets watching life go by from the front of the upper deck still hasn’t gotten old to me. Some say it’s slow (it is), some say it’s too hot in the summer (boo hoo) but I think it’s the best way to travel! My early morning tram commute to the MTR is such a relaxing way to start my day :)

The tram is an extremely cheap way of getting anywhere between Causeway Bay/​Happy Valley to Kennedy Town for $ 2.30 (flat rate!).
Prior to the opening of the Kennedy Town line, I use this to commute but now there’s less and less reasons these days to use this now that the Island line goes all the way to Kennedy Town (in full air-​conditioning too!)
But I guess you could still use this to go to Happy Value OR saving a bit of money.
The lack of A/​C is not too bad in the cooler months, but might be a bit uncomfortable during summer.

Hong Kong’s tram system is known worldwide– it appears on every old poster along with neon lights (usually one of Wanchai) and the system prides itself with having one of the few (or only) double decker trams in the world. The most brilliant thing about it is the fact that this system is not a museum showcase; it is actually still in active service and thousands of people rely on it to get to work and school every single day. This beats anything in other places whereby the trams are in pristine condition though they are just for show with no particular value.
From a personal perspective, the tram is a great way to get around Hong Kong island because you don’t have the hassle of walking up and down in the MTR– yet you benefit from having its own lane so you move along regardless of the state on the roads. You do get stuck at times whereby the two meet but in most cases the tram will still get you where you want quickly and efficiently. Afterall, even if you drove you still wouldn’t be able to just step off infront of the Landmark and walk off. That’s the beauty of the tram.
Inside the tram you will spot some clues to its routes– on some older trams you will actually spot that most of the machinery on the trams were made in England. These were back in the days when England actually made this stuff and was known for being good at it. How times have changed.
Anyways, be you a local or a tourist, a tram is still right up there as a mode of transport or as a sightseeing object in itself.

With the ever-​so-​convenient MTR and bus routes that extend to almost every corner of Hong Kong, we often dismiss trams as an inferior form of transport. In some ways, I understand the sentiment. The trams are much slower, aren’t air conditioned and don’t have stops at a lot of places, but come on — they have its merits too!
I grew up often taking the tram route that goes from Happy Valley to Shau Kei Wan. Happy Valley is not huge, and I lived less than five minutes away from the tram stop which was down near the park. I have a lot of memories of going to the Seven Eleven near the tram stop, getting ice cream with my parents and then waiting for the tram that would take us out to Causeway Bay. The ride is extremely fast — you can be there in five minutes — and is oh so economical too! This route extends all the way to Shau Kei Wan, but I have never taken it all the way there from Happy Valley. The furthest I have gone is North Point, and even that will take you less than twenty minutes!
You may be wondering — why take the tram? Well, I don’t even live on HK Island anymore, but if I need to go to the eastern side and am in Causeway Bay at the moment, I usually go with taking the tram. One perk that comes with taking the tram is something that’s very important to me, as someone whose direction sense could use some work. With the tram, you can never get lost — the route goes along Hennessy Road in Causeway Bay, and then stretches out onto King’s Road, so I can’t possibly lose my way. Plus, trams are slow enough for me to kind of take in what’s around and get a feel of where I am exactly. And if I’m too distracted on my phone to find out that I’ve missed a stop, I can just simply walk back in the opposite direction!
Taking this route, and all tram routes actually because they all cost the same, is just $ 2.30. On a nice fall day, taking the tram is great because you can enjoy both the view and the breeze. In fact, if you have a friend visiting HK who’s traveling on a budget, you could take him or her on an entire tram route starting from Happy Valley and going into Shau Kei Wan — for $ 2.30, you’ll travel all the main roads and be able to point out different landmarks to your friend.
Of course, taking the tram’s only as pleasant as I’m making it sound if it isn’t a boiling summer day and you’re not in a rush. Overall, if you need to get to the eastern side of HK island, have the time to spare and it’s a good (non-​rainy!) day, then why not?