The Tian Tan Buddha: The Tian Tan Buddha
Hong Kong History & culture

The Tian Tan Buddha

The 34 m bronze Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, reached by the 5.7 km Ngong Ping 360 cable car.

History & cultureDifficulty: moderateHalf dayBooking recommended

At a glance

57 km
From the port
by road (32 km as the crow flies)
100 min
Travel time
from the cruise terminal
Half day
Visit
not counting the journey
€€
Price
Buddha free. Ngong Ping 360 round trip, standard cabin: HK$295 (child HK$150).

Seated on a lotus throne on Mount Muk Yue, the Big Buddha was cast from 250 tonnes of bronze and completed in 1993.

The Tian Tan Buddha, known as the Big Buddha, is a seated bronze statue on the Ngong Ping plateau, in the mountains of Lantau Island, in the west of Hong Kong. The figure is 26.4 m tall, 34 m including the lotus throne and base, and was completed in 1993. A flight of 268 steps leads up to it, and six smaller bronze figures, the Offering of the Six Devas, surround it.

Facing the statue is Po Lin Monastery, founded in 1906 and given its present name in 1924, with the Main Shrine Hall of Buddha, the Grand Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas and a vegetarian kitchen. The journey is part of the visit: the Ngong Ping 360 cable car covers 5.7 km from Tung Chung in about 25 minutes, crossing Tung Chung Bay with views of the airport and North Lantau Country Park. Ngong Ping Village, by the upper station, is a 10-minute walk from the Buddha.

For cruise passengers it is the longest outing from this port: Kai Tak and Ngong Ping are at opposite ends of Hong Kong, roughly an hour and a quarter by bus and MTR to Tung Chung before the cable car. With a call of eight to ten hours, set aside most of the day and leave early, as queues for the cable car can be long, especially at weekends and on public holidays.

Official website

Getting there from the port

5 options
MTR to Tung Chung and cable car
Citybus 22S to Kai Tak station (HK$7.30), Tuen Ma line to Nam Cheong and Tung Chung line to Tung Chung, exit B; the cable car terminal is 5 minutes on foot, then 25 minutes up to Ngong Ping.
90-110 minHK$18.70 (MTR, Octopus) + cable car
Ngong Ping 360
Round trip in a standard cabin between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping; Crystal cabins with a glass floor cost more.
25 minHK$295 return
Lantau bus 23
From Tung Chung MTR station to Ngong Ping, instead of the cable car.
45 min
Taxi to Tung Chung
About 37 km by road from the terminal to Tung Chung; from there take the cable car or the bus.
35-50 min
From Ocean Terminal: MTR
From Tsim Sha Tsui to Tung Chung, changing to the Tung Chung line at Lai King.
45-55 minHK$18.70

Your day in port

Example: call from 08:00 to 18:00, all aboard at 17:30.

  1. 08:15
    Ashore and to the MTR
    Bus 22S to Kai Tak station, then the Tuen Ma line to Nam Cheong and the Tung Chung line to Tung Chung.
  2. 09:45
    Cable car
    Exit B at Tung Chung and 5 minutes to the terminal; the cable car opens at 10:00 on weekdays and 09:00 at weekends.
  3. 10:30
    Big Buddha
    Walk 10 minutes from Ngong Ping Village and climb the 268 steps to the statue.
  4. 11:45
    Po Lin Monastery and lunch
    The main halls, then a vegetarian meal in the monastery kitchen.
  5. 13:15
    Back down
    Cable car to Tung Chung, allowing time for the queue.
  6. 14:15
    Return to the ship
    MTR and bus 22S back to Kai Tak, to be on board by 16:30.

What to see

The Tian Tan Buddha: The Ngong Ping 360 cable car
The Ngong Ping 360 cable car
  1. 1
    Big Buddha
    The 34 m statue, its right hand raised in the gesture of imparting fearlessness, reached by 268 steps.
  2. 2
    Offering of the Six Devas
    Six bronze figures around the Buddha presenting flowers, incense, a lamp, ointment, fruit and music.
  3. 3
    Po Lin Monastery
    Founded in 1906, with the Main Shrine Hall of Buddha and the Grand Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas; open 09:00 to 18:00.
  4. 4
    Ngong Ping 360 cable car
    25 minutes and 5.7 km from Tung Chung over the bay and the mountains, in standard, glass-floored Crystal or Crystal+ cabins.
  5. 5
    Ngong Ping Village
    The village at the upper cable car station, with shops and restaurants, 10 minutes on foot from the Buddha.
  6. 6
    Views of Lantau
    From the terrace at the foot of the statue, the mountains of Lantau and the South China Sea.

Tips for cruise passengers

  • Buy tickets officially
    Buy cable car tickets only on the Ngong Ping 360 website or at its ticket offices; tickets from unauthorised sellers are voided. The EQ-Pass electronic queueing system shortens the wait at the ticket counter.
  • Check the hours
    Cable car 10:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 09:00 to 18:30 at weekends and on public holidays. The Buddha is open 10:00 to 17:30 and the monastery 09:00 to 18:00.
  • Plan the return
    Start down from Ngong Ping at least three hours before all-aboard time: cable car, MTR and bus back to Kai Tak take close to two hours, plus any queue.
  • Vegetarian lunch
    The monastery's vegetarian kitchen serves from 11:30 to 16:30.
  • Bus alternative
    Lantau bus 23 runs from Tung Chung MTR station to Ngong Ping in about 45 minutes, an option if the cable car queue is long or the cable car is not running.
  • Children
    On the cable car, under-12s must be with someone aged 15 or over; children aged 3 to 11 pay the child fare and under-3s ride free.

Accessibility & families

Partly accessible Good for kids

Partly accessible: the 268 steps are the walking route to the statue, and a small road for vehicles gives access to people with reduced mobility; ask at the monastery or Ngong Ping 360 before you go. Children enjoy the cable car, and under-3s ride free.

In pictures

The Tian Tan Buddha: Po Lin Monastery
Po Lin Monastery
The Tian Tan Buddha: The Buddha seen from the cable car
The Buddha seen from the cable car
The Tian Tan Buddha: The gate of Ngong Ping
The gate of Ngong Ping

More plans in Hong Kong

Nature & viewpoints Victoria Peak 17 km · Easy · 2-4 h
Nature & viewpoints Hong Kong Park 11 km · Easy · 1-2 h

Video

Photos: Cover: Huangdan2060, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · The Ngong Ping 360 cable car: Sparktour, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Po Lin Monastery: Dinkun Chen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · The Buddha seen from the cable car: Dinkun Chen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · The gate of Ngong Ping: EditQ, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons