Hong Kong - Macau Travel Guides | Hong Kong | Sub Regions | Hong Kong - Macau

The Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR), which is part of mainland China, comprises a peninsula and two islands in the Pearl River Delta. Most of its attractions, entertainment and hotels are in Macau itself. Taipa and Coloane islands, linked by bridges and causeway and accessible by taxi or bus, are known for their old villages, beaches and country walks. While most of the museums are not a patch on those in Hong Kong, Macau's beauty lies in its churches, fortresses, temples and cobbled squares, as well as the Mediterranean feel of its architecture and street life. Taipa's most interesting areas are the shophouses and narrow streets around its historical old village and the newly restored elegant mansions along its waterfront. Coloane is most popular with those who truly want to escape crowds and traffic and has the best beaches and walks.

Holy House of Mercy and Museum, Largo do Senado. 1000-1300 and 1500-1730, closed Sun. MOP5, children free.

This attractive square has distinctive wave-patterned mosaic cobblestones, extending via Sao Domingo’s church and Sao Paulo. Surrounded by pastel-coloured traditional buildings in arcade style, it’s the city’s centrepiece for musical and cultural events and a great people-watching venue with benches, a fountain, cafés and the start of a huge pedestrianized street lined with shops. Dominating the square is the 16th-century Leal Senado, the former Senate’s house and now the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, and a wonderful example of neoclassical Portuguese architecture. Nearby are the GPO, the helpful Macau Tourist Office and the Holy House of Mercy and Museum, containing oil paintings, ancient manuscripts, religious artefacts and ivory statues along with Chinese, Japanese and European porcelain pieces.

These are two of Macau’s most interesting streets: Ribeiro runs from Largo do Senado to the old docks, a lively main road with banks and shophouses selling jewellery (gold is cheaper here than in Hong Kong), food, wine and clothes. At the western end are the shabby old docks, fish hanging on the railings to dry, without the graceful architecture, but nonetheless full of character. Parallel to Ribeiro is Rue da Felicidade, one-time red-light area (appropriately translating as ‘Happiness Street’), with a great collection of restaurants, bakeries selling Macanese cakes, dried squares of pressed beef, wild boar and pigeon and cheap guesthouses. The street had facelift a recently – the small shophouses were whitewashed and their window shutters painted bright red.

Rua de Sao Paulo.

Macau’s most striking symbol, dramatically poised at the top of a grand staircase, is all that remains of the Jesuit church built in the early 17th century, and it is easy to imagine why it was once described as the greatest church east of Rome. The façade has intricate carvings depicting an angel carrying a cross, the sea star guiding the church, saints, the Immaculate Conception and the Holy Spirit. When the Jesuits were expelled, the church, along with the adjacent Mater Dei College, fell into disrepair and was destroyed by fire in 1835. Extensive excavations in the 1990s revealed the old crypt containing the bones of Vietnamese and Japanese martyrs, now sensitively displayed, while religious paintings, sculptures and the remains of the college founder are on view in Museum of Sacred Art, behind.

390-396 Av de Almeida Ribeiro, T 921 811, http://www.culturalclub.net 1030-2100.

The old Tak Seng pawnshop has recently been converted into a museum and shop, spread over three floors with beautiful dark wooden floorboards and balcony, selling traditional arts and crafts. The highlight is the Water Tea House (2/F), a traditional and tranquil tearoom, where tea is prepared at your table with all the appropriate ceremony and utensils. The elaborate process is fascinating, beginning with your waitress snipping each foil- wrapped portion of tea-leaves, heating up each cup, pouring it into the ‘smelling cup’, cleaning the leaves by discarding the first lot of boiling water, then pouring into the drinking cup. A portion of tea makes around 20 cups, each one a little larger than a thimble. Around the corner from the Cultural Club is Rua de Camilo Pessanha, a grubby street packed full of unusual shops selling Chinese medicine, paper "money" to burn for loved ones, dai pai dongs, barbers and mahjong sets.

112 Praceta do Museu de Macau, T 357 911, http://www.macaumuseum.gov.mo 1000-1800, closed Mon. MOP15, MOP8 children under 11. Free on 15th day of each month.

The fort was built by the Jesuits in 1626 as part of the Sao Paulo church, to defend the city against Dutch fleets. It was used as the residence of governor Mascarenhas until 1749, then fell into disrepair until destroyed by fire. Now only the cannons, (used only once – to destroy the Dutch in 1622), ramparts and Meteorological Department remain, with a friendly little café-bar at the top. There are wonderful views over the peninsula and mainland China.

The new museum occupies the fort’s foundations and platform, spread over three floors: the first floor is devoted to Macau’s early history and birth as a commercial port. The second depicts popular arts and tradition with life-size models of street hawkers, festivals and house interiors, while the top floor deals with urban development and contemporary Macau. Look out for the booklet of the Macau Cricket Fight Association, and the tombs and coffins made from glass, wood or marble in which champion fighting crickets would be sent to their final resting place.

Estrada de Cacilhas. 0900-1730. Cable car: 0730-1830. MOP3 (single), MOP5 (return).

Built in 1638 at the highest point of the city by Antonio Ribeiro, Captain of Artillery, the fort was designed to defend the border with China but in time became more relevant as an observation post. With barracks, water cistern and ammunition stores, its most prominent feature is the oldest lighthouse on the China coast, built in 1865, whose light can be seen for 20 miles on a clear day. The adjacent early-17th-century chapel has antique pictures, an image of the Virgin Mary, a simple baroque altar, and paintings dating back to 1622 which were only rediscovered during restoration in 1996. From Flora Garden, adjacent to the fort, is the world’s shortest cable car whose 80-second journey descends to street level.

Av Do Almirante Lacerda, T 221 199, http://www.macaudog.com 2000-2230 (Tue, Thu, Sat and Sun). MOP10 (refundable on first bet).

The only dog track in Asia makes for a hugely entertaining night out, attracting thousands of punters each week. From the main enclosure, punters can get close enough to the track to see the fear in the rabbit’s eyes. The huge, computerized tote board displays the ever-mounting totals for win, place, quinella and trifecta bets; confusing to the novice but friendly public relations staff near the betting booths will help fill out your betting card. For MOP30, refundable against refreshments, indoor gallery seats are available and waiters bring food and drink to your table, although limited to the usual Chinese fare of lungs, ears and feet, washed down with beer. If you need a desperate fix between races, there are slot machines to pass the time. For MOP10 you can have your photo taken with the "beautiful bitch" Cheeky Cat (as described by the Canindrome Club), a charming white-and-fawn winner of 18 races before retiring in 1999. She now reclines regally in a trackside tent and will happily pose with punters while a Club photographer takes your souvenir picture.

Largo da Torre de Macau, T 933 339, http://www.macautower.com.mo 1000-2100. Carousel Kiosk barbecue 1200-1430, MOP50; and 1830-2200, MOP98.

Looming 338 m over the Pearl River Delta, Macau Tower opened in 2001 and is the 10th tallest free-standing tower in the world. It offers entertainment, exhibitions, shopping and eating. Not for the faint- hearted, its main attractions include the glass-floored observation deck, to peer between your feet 58 floors down onto the city. The Skywalk involves walking around the outside of the tower wearing a safety harness, just the metal ridge separating you from the ground. For a view without an adrenaline rush, the 360° Café is a revolving Chinese restaurant, 1200-1500 and 1830-2300; 180° Lounge offers a semi-panorama with drinks and snacks, 1200-0100, with weekend barbecues at the outdoor Carousel Kiosk back on ground level.

Praca Luis de Camoes

The wilderness-like Casa Garden was once the headquarters of the British East Indian Company and, after it left in 1835, a grotto was built for Luis de Camoes, the famous Portuguese soldier-poet. The beautiful, neoclassical house is now the office of the Fundação Oriente, a Macau cultural foundation. The adjacent early-19th- century cemetery contains the graves of Protestant residents, sailors and visitors, plus a motley crew of opium traders, missionaries, and some of the crew of Commodore Perry’s fleet that opened up Japan.

Barra Point

Macau’s name is derived from A-Ma-Gau, or place of A-Ma, so this temple overlooking the harbour and dedicated to A-Ma, goddess of fishermen, is the most important in Macau. A 16th-century legend tells of a poor girl looking for a ride to Canton, refused by wealthy junk owners but taken on board by a fisherman. None of them survived a strong storm, but she reappeared as a goddess and a temple was built on the same spot, consisting of player halls, pavilions and courtyards.

Tourism Activity Centre, Rua Luis Gonzaga Gomes, T 7984 108. 1000-1800; closed Tue. MOP10, MOP5 children 11-18. MOP20 with Wine Museum.

A must for anyone with dreams of being a racing driver: including some of the cars and bikes that have won the Macau Grand Prix, videos and memorabilia of great drivers and interactive simulators.

Tourism Activity Centre, Rua Luis Gonzaga Gomes, T 7984 188. 1000-1800; closed Tue. MOP10, MOP5 children 11-18. MOP20 with Grand Prix Museum.

With a free taste of wine or port to get you in the mood, the museum goes back to the very earliest era of wine making, and its importance in Portuguese culture. Exhibiting maps, photos, models of equipment and a cellar, there are explanations of the different regions and their grapes, with more than 1,000 different brands on display. If inspired, there is a shop selling a (smaller) range of bottles.

Av do Coronel Mesquita

Macau’s largest temple, and one of the wealthiest, is dedicated to the Buddhist goddess of Mercy and was founded in the 13th century. It has a huge entrance gate, whose roofs are clustered with porcelain figures, and the richly decorated halls, separated by courtyards, are devoted to the Precious Buddha, the Buddha of Longevity, and Kun Iam. The terraced temple gardens have interesting historical items, including the stone table where the USA and China signed their first commercial treaty in 1844.

T 307 161, http://www.museumaritimo.gov.mo 1000-1730; closed Tue. MOP10, MOP5 children.

Located on the site where the first Chinese fishermen and Portuguese traders landed, and opposite A-Ma temple, the museum has sail-shaped walls and portholed-style windows, and is dedicated to the seafaring history of the territory. Outside are reproductions of a Chinese junk, Portuguese lorcha and a dragon boat, while inside there are working sampans, trade-route maps and a fisherman’s house, plus a gallery with four aquariums.

Pier 1, opp Maritime Museum, T 595 481. Departures at 1030, 1130, 1400, 1500, 1530, 1630 and 1700. MOP12, children free under 12.

A relaxing half-hour junk ride either along the inner or outer harbour, with commentary about people living on the water.

The old village of Taipa is a small, historical area containing shophouses typical of South China which combine beautifully with Mediterranean-style street lamps, hanging baskets and courtyards. Renovated in 1999, the house exteriors and alleyways look European but on closer inspection reveal typical Chinese life. The best time to explore is during the Sunday Market, where tiny stalls around the Largo dos Bombeiros and Rua do Regedor sell cheap household goods, toys, interesting souvenirs and great local snacks. The lively Rua do Cinha, also know as Food Street, has the pleasant aroma from many shops baking traditional Macanese biscuits and tiny parcels of curried meat in thin pancakes. On its corner with Rua do Clerigos, a large map on the wall explains the basic history and suggested sightseeing walks, and Largo Maia de Magalhaes is a charming old square whose small surrounding streets beg to be explored.

Av da Praia, Taipa. 1000-1800; closed Mon.

These five elegant white-and-apple green mansions dating back to 1921 and sitting along the old praia waterfront lined with ancient banyan trees, originally belonged to public workers. The first to be converted into a museum in 1990, and the most interesting, is the Taipa House Museum.

Coloane. Hac-Sa pool and sport centre: 0800-2100, 0800-2300 (Sun). Cheoc Van swimming pool: 0800-2100; 0800-2400 (Sun). MOP 10, MOP5 children.

These two beaches have fine, smooth sand and warm water from the Pearl River, and although the water is clean the beach appears dirty because of the silt. Both have restaurants near by, and Hac-Sa (which means Black Sand) has barbecue pits and a good park with a swimming pool and sports facilities. Near Cheoc Van beach is a huge swimming pool with good facilities.

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