Back in the old days, the only way to reach Victoria Peak was to hire coolies to carry you three grueling hours up to the top. Then, in 1888, the Peak Tram was born, reducing the trip to just 8 minutes. It’s the steepest funicular railway in the world.

Over the years, the Peak Tram has had several reincarnations, most recently in 1989, when the cast-iron funicular cars that could carry 72 people were replaced with Swiss cars that increased passengers to 120. Although it used to stop at small stations along the way, mostly for schoolchildren and other residents, it now travels directly to the top unless a stop is requested, sometimes at such a steep grade that it looks like buildings are leaning on their sides. For more on the history of the tram, visit the Peak Tram Historical Gallery in the Lower Terminus.