Macau

Understand

As the first and last European colony in East Asia, Macau has more visible colonial history than Hong Kong. The buildings and cobblestone or patterned brick streets in many parts of the city, particularly the center of the old city and Coloane, look much like somewhere in Mediterranean Europe. However, the people and the Chinese-language signage indicate Asia. The Portuguese and Macanese population continues to maintain a presence, but most of the population is ethnically Chinese. Like neighbouring Hong Kong, Macau operates under a "One Country, Two Systems" principle, retaining most laws and governing structures from colonial times. Although part of China, Macau has its own border control, currency, legal system and postal service, so for most tourists it feels like visiting a different country. Macau is unique in many ways, but it also has many close cultural and economic ties with Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta region across the border.

Geography

Besides the city (Macau/Peninsula), Macau includes the islands of Taipa and Coloane, which are connected to the peninsula by bridges and to each other by a causeway. The area between the two islands has been reclaimed from the sea and built up into the Cotai Strip; that has become an area of intense development with many new casinos and hotels. The mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai borders Macau to the north and west, and the border crossing carries heavy two-way vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The Zhuhai Special Economic Zone extends south to Hengqin Island, an area west of Taipa, Cotai and Coloane; the Lotus Bridge from Cotai connects to that area.

Macau is subtropical with hot summers and mild winters. Although winter is generally mild, there are occasional cold fronts which could make temperatures drop 10°C (18°F) in a day. Air conditioning is widespread.

History

In the 16th century, China gave Portugal the right to settle in Macau in exchange for clearing the area of pirates. The city was formally colonized in 1887 after escalating clashes between China and Portugal, as the First Opium War exposed Qing Dynasty's weakness to European powers. Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East. It was also the last; pursuant to an agreement signed by China and Portugal, Macau became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 20 December 1999, ending over 400 years of Portuguese administration. Like any port city, Macau has always had brothels and other places of ill-repute catering to sailors. Like many other places, it has also had organised crime; in the 1990s there were gang wa

Getting there

For many years, the usual way to get to Macau was to fly into Hong Kong and take a ferry across to Macau. Today, Macau is becoming a low-cost airline hub, and some travellers are now arriving at Macau to later go to Hong Kong.

Entry requirements

Macau has a separate immigration regime from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. All travellers from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and foreign countries have to go through immigration and customs checks on arrival in Macau. As leaving mainland China for Macau is considered to be leaving China, if you wish to re-enter mainland China after visiting Macau, you will need a multiple-entry Chinese visa. Holders of a Hong Kong permanent identity card or a re-entry permit can enter Macau visa-free for up to 1 year without having to present their passport. Holders of a Hong Kong non-permanent identity card can enter Macau visa-free for up to 30 days and must present their passport. Mainland Chinese citizens residing in the mainland may obtain a Two-Way Permit (往来港澳通行证) with a valid exit endorsement to visit Macau. They can also use their passports to enter Macau when transiting to or from a foreign country, in which case they can visit for up to 7 days. For mainland Chinese citizens residing overseas, they may use their passport with a document showing their overseas residency (e.g, study permit, work permit, residency card) to enter Macao, in which case they can visit up to 7 days (extendable to 90 days). Foreign nationals of the following countries/territories can enter Macau visa-free:

For up to 180 days: United Kingdom For up to 90 days: All European Union member states, plus Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cape Verde, Dominica, Egypt, Ecuador, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland and Tanzania For up to 30 days: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Malaysia, Monaco, Namibia, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Samoa, San Marino, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United States and Uruguay In addition, all foreign visitors who intend to enter Macau for less than 48 hours for the purpose of travelling onwards to another destination via Macau International Airport are exempt from obtaining a visa. If you require a visa, it can be obtained from a Chinese diplomatic mission, but must be done so separately from the mainland Chinese one. Macau visas are separate from visas for Mainland China or Hong Kong; there is no single visa that serves more than one o

Getting around

Unlike in mainland China, Google Maps is not blocked and can be used in Macau. Owing to privacy concerns, Macau's street views in Google Maps have not been updated since they were taken in 2008, so it's very outdated.

On foot

This is arguably the best way to get around the Macau Peninsula, which is small, compact and full of things to discover. Many roads are also one way so there is quite a chance that it won't be slower than to take road transport which may need to make a long loop to reach the destination. Most streets have a pedestrian sidewalk making walking easy, although you will have to fight the crowds going in all directions. Cars are more mindful of pedestrians than in mainland China, but traffic rules are still not very well adhered to. Moreover, during the annual Grand Prix during October to November, barriers are installed on the racetracks, which impair pedestrian visibility significantly. You should look both ways before crossing and be careful of large vehicles in narrow roadways. In and around the Senado Square, you can see the characteristic Portuguese pavement, consisting of hand-laid limestone pieces made into simple designs, something that will surely catch your attention. Macau is also hilly, be prepared to struggle up and down steep lanes and steps. Especially in the old city, the city streets do not seem to run in any particular pattern and you'll most likely get lost at some stage, which is part of the fun of exploring Macau. In the Cotai strip, distances are large but sidewalks are pretty consistently present. It is now fairly easy to walk between the Galaxy, Venetian and City Dreams casinos, and it is easy to walk between Galaxy and Taipa Village. It is more interesting to take a walk after dark to take a glimpse of the casinos' illuminated façades. Many of the hotels are connected to each other by indoor walkways lined with expensive shops.

By light rail

The Macao Light Rapid Transit (MLRT or LRT for short) operates a line connecting Taipa Ferry Terminal and the airport to other parts of Taipa and Cotai to the southwesternmost tip of Macau Peninsula at Barra. There are also two short branch lines, one of which crosses the Lotus Bridge to Hengqin (Zhuhai). The stations are close to several hotels on the Cotai Strip. However, the system is of limited utility to visitors since it does not serve the historic center or the main Porto Exterior ferry terminal. The Hengqin Line is a cross-border line that serves Hengqin Port in Zhuhai, which is connected to Hengqin Railway Station, where you can transfer onto mainland Chine

See

Individual listings can be found in Macau's district articles Although best known for gambling, Macau is extremely rich in attractions and oozing with atmosphere, thanks to hundreds of years of fusion between European and Chinese cultures. Macau is a fascinating place to just walk around as the place is packed with churches, temples, fortresses and other old buildings bearing an interesting mix of Portuguese and Chinese characteristics. Besides buildings, there are also hundreds of narrow alleyways forming a maze in the old part of Macau where the people of Macau carry out businesses and work. If the sheer density of humans gets to you, take a break and enjoy several pretty gardens or head south to the islands. One of the interesting things to see in Macau is a statue of the Bodhisatta Avalokitesvara (known as 觀音 kwoon yam in Cantonese) next to the sea near the Sands Casino and MGM Grand at the end of Dr. Carlos d' Assumpção Park. Despite being a Chinese deity, the statue is distinctly European in design and resembles the statues of the Virgin Mary you can find in Europe. And if history is not your thing, there is the Macau Tower of awesome views and adventure sports, or Fisherman's Wharf to enjoy some theme-park activities and shopping.

You'll find most of the attractions in Macau Peninsula, but Taipa and Coloane, each with a pretty village, also draw hordes of visitors. Visit the Cotai reclaimed land area to see its transformation into the "Las Vegas Strip of the East". The Venetian is the most famous with its Venice-styled shopping mall with canals running through, and is also the largest casino in the world. The City of Dreams, not much smaller, high end fashion shops, three hotels and the world's most expensive theatre show (see below).

Heritage A large section of Macau Peninsula has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site and 25 buildings and sites within the area have been deemed to have cultural and historic significance. One of the best ways to cover the sights is to do the Macau Heritage Walk circuit. The heritage buildings, the Sao Paulo Cathedral, the Fort and the Macau Museum are adjacent to each other and can be conveniently seen individually even if one cannot catch the Heritage walk timing. Taipa Village and Coloane Village, previously inhabited by fishermen, are also interesting with their colonial-era shops and houses along narrow lanes.

Museums Macau has several museums. The "Macau Museum Pass", which used to give discounted entry to most of these, is no longer sold. The main museums, such as the Macau Museum, are in Macau

Do

Individual listings can be found in Macau's district articles

Casinos

Gambling is Macau's biggest industry and busloads arrive daily from mainland China to try their luck. In addition, many Hong Kongers arrive on weekends with the same aim. For decades, the Casino Lisboa was the largest and most famous, a landmark well-known to people outside Macau, but many more casinos have sprung up. Nevertheless, the original Casino Lisboa is still worth a visit as its halls contain many original antiques on display from the private collection of gambling tycoon Stanley Ho. The old casino area is along the waterfront on the southern side of Macau Peninsula. North of the Lisboa is a strip with many smaller casinos, a number of hotels and bars, and quite a few restaurants. This can be one of the more interesting areas of Macau; among other things it has quite a good Indian restaurant and several Portuguese ones. However, parts of it are also fairly sleazy, with lots of sex workers and touts, so some caution is in order. New casinos have also opened in the area called NAPE south of Avenida de Amizade, including Wynn Macau and Sands Macau. The old area has been overtaken by development on the Cotai Strip, which has become "The Las Vegas Strip of the East". The biggest casino in the world, Venetian Macao, opened its doors in August 2007, the not-much-smaller City of Dreams followed in 2009, and many have since followed. There are also several casinos on Taipa, including the Altira Macau (formerly Crown Macau). There are ATMs available at any casino, and many other forex facilities to change your money. Gamblers are required to be at least 21 years of age to be allowed to play. Interestingly, local civil servants are not allowed to enter the casinos with the exception of the first three days of the Chinese new year. For the full listing of casinos, see the respective district pages.

Shows Macau has an increasing variety of performances. The City of Dreams in Cotai hosts The House of Dancing Water, the world's most expensive theatre show, costing US$250 million to produce. The stage holds five Olympic swimming pools worth of water, and ushers give the front few rows of the audience towels.

Adventure activities At a height of 233 m (764 ft), the bungy jump from Macau Tower, maintained and operated by A.J. Hackett is the second highest in the world. Along with the bungy, one can also try the Sky jump, that is somewhat like a jump but is more protected and doesn't involve a free fall, and a sky walk, that is a protected on a platform running around the circumference

Buy

Individual listings can be found in Macau's district articles

Money

The currency of Macau is the pataca (ISO code: MOP), which is divided into 100 avos, though due to Hong Kong influence on Macanese education, they may also be referred as "dollar" and "cent". Prices are shown as MOP$10, for example (10 patacas). Alternatively merchants can also show "$" without any other prefixes to mean patacas. Macanese coins come in denominations of 10-, 20 and 50 avos, 1-, 2-, 5 and 10 patacas. Macanese banknotes, similar to their Hong Kong counterparts, are issued by the commercial banks (Banco Nacional Ultramarino and the Banco da China). They come in denominations of 10-, 20-, 50-, 100-, 500 and 1,000 patacas. The pataca is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar (HKD / HK$) at 1.03 patacas to 1 dollar. Hong Kong dollars are almost universally accepted in Macau on a 1:1 basis in lieu of MOP$, so there is no need to get MOP$ if you already have HK$, although ATMs and money exchanges are numerous. In fact, it is reported that more HK$ banknotes are in circulation across Macau than the local banknotes. Most businesses will endeavour to give you change in HK$ if you pay in that currency, if they have them. Occasionally, however, a business might give change in MOP$ notes and HK$ coins or vice versa. If you receive MOP$ in change, make sure to spend it before you leave Macau: patacas are difficult to exchange outside of Macau. The HK$10 coin may not be accepted because of numerous forgeries. Chinese yuan/renminbi (¥, RMB, or CNY) are also accepted in some areas, but the rate may be poor, and can easily be changed for either patacas or HK$. In casinos, the HK$ is the preferred currency, and gamers with patacas may actually be required to exchange to HK$ (or HK$-denominated casino chips) before playing. Government offices (including post office and government museums) though will only accept payments made in Patacas. Most retailers accept the Macau Pass transport card, the MPay app, WeChatPay, and Alipay. Some stores may also accept other regional payment apps like Kakao Pay. Though note that non-Chinese WeChat Pay and Alipay accounts likely won't work for payment outside the mainland. You can sign up for the MPay app using just a Macau, Hong Kong, or mainland Chinese phone number, it does not require any other personal details for a basic account. You can top up via cash at convenience stores. If you are staying in Macau for a while this is a useful option to pay. The Octopus card from Hong Kong though is generally not accepted (one notable exception is cross-border

Eat

Individual listings can be found in Macau's district articles

Macau is famous for excellent restaurants, unique cuisine and mellow bars. Above all, the city is famous for two cuisines: Portuguese and Macanese. Portuguese food (cozinha portuguesa), brought in by its Portuguese colonizers, is hearty, salty, straightforward fare. While many restaurants claim to serve the stuff, fully authentic fare is mostly limited to a few high-end restaurants, especially the cluster at the southwestern tip of the Peninsula. Typical Portuguese dishes include:

bacalhau (salted cod), traditionally served with potatoes and veggies caldo verde, a soup of potato, chopped kale and chouriço sausage feijoada (kidney-bean stew), a Brazilian staple common in Macau as well pastéis de nata (egg tarts), crispy and flaky on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside serradura ("sawdust" pudding), a dessert made with whipped cream topped with crumbled biscuits Macanese food (comida de Macau) was created when Portuguese and Chinese influences were mixed together with spices brought from Africa, India and Southeast Asia by traders, and many restaurants advertising "Portuguese" food in fact serve up mostly Macanese dishes. Seafood and barbecue specialist Fernando's on Coloane's Hac Sa Beach is probably the best-known Macanese restaurant.

almond cookies. Dry Chinese-style cookies flavoured with almond. Macau's top souvenir, they're compact, durable and hence sold pretty much everywhere. galinha à africana (African-style chicken). Barbecued chicken coated in spicy piri-piri sauce. galinha à portuguesa (Portuguese-style chicken). Chicken in a coconutty curry; despite the name, this is not a Portuguese dish at all, but a purely Macanese invention. pato de cabidela (bloody duck), a stew of duck with blood and herbs, served with rice; sounds and looks somewhat scary, but it's excellent when well done. Based on the Portuguese dish cabidela, but the Macanese version uses duck instead of chicken. minchi, a dish made of minced pork with potatoes and onions that has been seasoned in various sauces and stir fried. pork chop bun. The Macanese version of a hamburger, the name pretty much says it all: it's a slice of freshly fried pork (often with a few chunks of bone left) with a dash of pepper placed inside a freshly baked bun. beef jerky. More moist and fresh than typical jerky, and quite delicious. Easily found on the street leading up to the Ruins of St. Paul, where vendors will push free samples at you as you walk by with great enthusiasm. Be sure to try them all before choosing the o

Drink & nightlife

Individual listings can be found in Macau's district articles Similar to neighbouring Hong Kong, the legal drinking age in Macau is 18. Alcohol vendors have the power to demand identity documents to prove your age. Reasonably priced Portuguese wine is widely available. A glass in a restaurant is around MOP$20, while bottles start from under MOP$100, and a crisp glass of vinho verde ("green wine", but actually just a young white) goes very well with salty Macanese food. As elsewhere in China, though, locals tend to prefer cognacs and whisky. Macau Beer is passable and widely available, as is the Filipino brand San Miguel which has a brewery in Hong Kong. There is also a wine museum in which you can have the opportunity to taste over 50 varieties of wine. There is a buzzing nightlife in Macau. There are a variety of bars and clubs along the Avenida Sun Yat Sen close to the Kum Iam Statue and the Cultural Centre where you can have a good night out. Locals, especially younger people, prefer to meet up with their friends in western style cafes or places that serve 'bubble tea', tea served with tapioca balls and often fruit-flavoured that can be served either hot or cold. The shops in the town centre (near Senado Square) are often open until late at night and are often crowded. The casinos have also become a big hit for entertainment, offering performances of international level (advance booking advised) and comprehensive shopping malls for those less interested in trying their luck with the machines. For ladies who want to pamper themselves after a shopping spree, there are spas available in almost all respectable hotels. These are different from "saunas", which are thinly disguised brothels (prostitution is legal in Macau), but these can be easily distinguished by their shop appearance.

Sleep

Individual listings can be found in Macau's district articles The bulk of Macau's hotels are on the Peninsula, although there are also many options — including high-end ones — on Taipa and, increasingly, the Cotai Strip, which is challenging the Peninsula to become Macau's premier casino area. Coloane has fewer and much quieter options, but among them is the beachside Pousada de Coloane. Hotel rates are most expensive on Friday and Saturday nights, because demand is higher with tourists coming to Macau to gamble over the weekend. Try to make a booking through a travel agent, even if for the same day, as the rates can be substantially lower than walk-in rates. If you are coming from Hong Kong, book through an agent at the Shun Tak ferry pier for the best deals. Getting a package deal including return ferry tickets gives you the best price. When booking your room, you will need to show your landing slip issued at the border. Note that hotel 'saunas' in the Inner Harbour area are frequently fronts for commercial sex services rather than genuine spa facilities. Hotel listings are in the individual district pages.

Go next

Hong Kong is 40 minutes by HZMBus or 60 minutes by ferry. Zhuhai is just across the border in mainland China, though citizens of most nationalities must have a visa to cross the border. All cities of the Pearl River Delta are a few hours by train, bus or ferry away. Taipei and other destinations in Taiwan, easy to get to with about 15 daily flights (2 hr) from Macao and more from Hong Kong.