For over four hundred years, Portuguese and Chinese cultures have blended in Macau. Cobbled squares, baroque churches, incense-filled temples and enormous resort hotels are packed into a city small enough to explore in a long weekend.
Walking the Historic Centre
Macau’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Historic Centre of Macao. Start at Senado Square, paved in wave-patterned Portuguese tiles, then climb the lanes to the Ruins of St. Paul’s, where only the carved stone facade of the church still stands. Further south, A-Ma Temple is one of the oldest temples in the city and is said to have given Macau its name.
Eat: egg tarts and Macanese food
Start with a Portuguese egg tart: flaky pastry and custard caramelized on top, best eaten warm. The pork chop bun is the other essential snack. For dinner, try Macanese cuisine, a blend of Portuguese cooking and Asian spices found nowhere else, with dishes like African chicken and minchi.
Taipa and Cotai
On the island side, Taipa Village keeps its pastel houses and narrow streets, perfect for an afternoon of snacking and wandering. Beyond it, the Cotai Strip is lined with integrated resorts combining hotels, shopping, shows and casinos. Many resorts run free shuttle buses to the ferry terminals and border crossings, which makes getting around easy.
The casinos
Macau is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal, and its casinos are a big part of the city’s identity. Even if you do not play, walking through the gaming floors of the grand resorts on the Cotai Strip or the older casinos on the peninsula is a sight in itself. You must be 21 or older to enter, carry your passport for ID, and photography inside is generally not allowed. Set a budget before you start, and treat it as entertainment, not a way to make money.
Before you go
- Money: the local currency is the pataca, but Hong Kong dollars are widely accepted.
- Getting there: high-speed ferries and buses over the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge connect Macau with Hong Kong, and Macau also has its own international airport.
- Entry rules: check current entry requirements for your passport before you travel.
- Wear good shoes: the old town is all hills and cobblestones.