Macau

Start at Senado Square

The old town was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2005 as the Historic Centre of Macao (澳門歷史城區). It ties together 8 squares, 22 listed properties and the streets that connect them, so the next site is usually already in view. Start at Senado Square (議事亭前地), with its wave-patterned paving. The Leal Senado Building facing it was built in 1784 as Macau's original city hall. King João IV of Portugal gave the city the title "City of the Name of God, There Is None More Loyal," and that's where the building's name, the Loyal Senate, comes from. Portuguese blue-and-white tiles line the walls beside the main staircase, and the library upstairs, modeled on the one at Portugal's Mafra Convent, opened in 1929. Nearby, St. Dominic's Church (玫瑰堂) was founded in 1587 by three Spanish Dominican priests who'd come over from Acapulco, Mexico.

A church that's all facade

Follow the uphill lanes from Senado Square and you'll reach the Ruins of St. Paul's (大三巴牌坊). This is the facade of the Church of Mater Dei, built by the Jesuits from 1602 to 1640. A fire in 1835 destroyed the church and the neighboring St. Paul's College, leaving only this wall. It's 23 m wide and 25.5 m high, divided into five tiers. Take your time with the third tier. Around the statue of the Virgin Mary are carvings of a seven-headed hydra, a skeleton, a Portuguese merchant ship and a winged demon, with Chinese lions sitting at either end. Chinese inscriptions carrying biblical messages appear throughout, too. Eastern motifs set inside a Baroque frame: the design is considered unique in the world. Mount Fortress (大炮台), on the hill right beside the ruins, was also built by the Jesuits, between 1617 and 1626. It held off an attempted Dutch invasion in 1622, and since 1998 it's been home to the Macao Museum.

A-Ma Temple and Rua da Barra

At the southern tip of the peninsula, A-Ma Temple (媽閣廟) was here before the city existed. It honors A-Ma, goddess of seafarers. The oldest building, the Hall of Benevolence (弘仁殿), dates from around 1488, and inscriptions on its stones date the Prayer Hall to 1605. On the path up to the Hall of Guanyin, the rocks are engraved with poems about Macau's history and culture. Walk from the temple toward Rua da Barra and you'll find the Mandarin's House (鄭家大屋), the family home of Chinese writer Zheng Guanying (鄭觀應). Its history goes back as far as 1869. It covers about 4,000 m² and stretches more than 120 m along Rua da Barra. Nearby on St. Augustine's Square, the Dom Pedro V Theatre (崗頂劇院) was built in 1860 as the first Western-style theater in China.

The lighthouse on Guia Hill

On a hill in the east of the peninsula stands Guia Fortress (東望洋炮台), built between 1622 and 1638. The Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows inside dates from around 1622, and frescoes were found inside it during conservation work in 1996. The Guia Lighthouse beside it went up in 1865 as the first modern lighthouse on China's south coast, and it's still shining today. For a higher view, head south to Macau Tower (澳門旅遊塔). Its observation deck is 223 m above ground, and a walk-up adult ticket is MOP 208.

Taipa and Coloane

Cross the bridge to Taipa (氹仔) and your pace slows on its own. In the old village, Our Lady of Carmel Church (嘉模聖母堂) was built in 1885 for the Catholics then living on Taipa, and it's the island's only Catholic church. The village lanes are lined with shops selling pork chop buns and almond cookies. Farther south, Coloane (路環) village is quieter still. St. Francis Xavier's Church (聖方濟各聖堂) is a two-story, milky-yellow building with a belfry, rebuilt in 1928 in honor of the missionary. For many years it held a relic of the saint along with relics of Japanese and Vietnamese martyrs, and on the wall inside hangs a painting of the Virgin and Child, portrayed as a Chinese goddess. Afterward, pick up a fresh egg tart from a bakery nearby and walk down to the water.

The Macanese table

Macau has been a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy since 2017. At the heart of that is Macanese cuisine. Born where East and West met, it's called the first "fusion food," and the government has designated it part of Macau's intangible heritage. If it's your first time, start with African chicken (Galinha à Africana), chicken roasted under a rich, spiced sauce. Minchi, minced meat fried with potatoes and topped with a fried egg, is the classic Macanese home dish. For eating on the move, there's the pork chop bun (豬扒包), a marinated, grilled pork chop in a crisp bun. For dessert, try serradura, layered cream and crushed biscuit.

Getting there and a sample itinerary

The ferry from Sheung Wan (上環) in Hong Kong takes about 60 minutes. Shuttle buses across the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge (港珠澳大橋) run around the clock, leaving the Hong Kong side every 5–10 minutes from 9am until just before midnight and every 15–30 minutes the rest of the time. In typhoon season, May to November, flights and ferries can be suspended for long stretches or delayed, so build a spare day into your trip home. The city's LRT has three lines, including the Taipa Line, and single-journey tokens cost MOP 6–12 depending on how many stations you ride. Day 1 — Senado Square → St. Dominic's Church → Ruins of St. Paul's and Mount Fortress → Guia Fortress Day 2 — A-Ma Temple → Mandarin's House → Dom Pedro V Theatre → dinner in Taipa Village Day 3 — Coloane village and egg tarts → Cotai's resort strip at night

What to eat

• Portuguese-style egg tart (Lord Stow's, Coloane)
• Pork chop bun (zhu pa bao)
• African chicken (Macanese)
• Serradura (cream and biscuit pudding)

Handy tips

• Keep the small entry slip you're given at immigration until you've checked in. Lose it and the hotel can't check you in, and you'll need a reissue from a police station or the immigration office.
• Buses cost MOP 6 in cash, and drivers don't give change. Tap a stored-value card and it's MOP 3, and a transfer within 45 minutes is free or costs only the difference.
• Hong Kong dollars are accepted freely, so if you're coming via Hong Kong, you don't need to change money into patacas.