Macao is known as the Las Vegas of Asia. Maybe one day, Las Vegas will be known as the Macao of the West – in terms of revenue from gambling, Macao has already exceeded the American counterpart by far. That said, the minimum stake in Macao’s casinos is quite high and gambling is taken very seriously. Unless oneself does not need to worry about money, the gambling fun in Macao might end very fast. This leads to the question whether Macao is worth a trip when discounting the luxury casino world.
The short answer is: Yes, it is well worth a trip. Located very close to Hong Kong, which is worth a trip itself, you can get there quite fast (only 1h with the ferry) and comfortable. While Hong Kong used to be in the possession of the United Kingdom for a long time, Macao has a long and rich Portuguese history. Back in 1557, Portugal started to use it as a trade post. For a long period of time, it was one of the most important centers of trade between the eastern and western part of the world. Macao’s vivid history made it a unique place where Eastern and Western culture met, leaving a rich heritage – something which was recognized by UNESCO, which has begun to list several places in Macao as World Heritage since 2005.
Geographically, Macao consists of three parts: the mainland and two islands, Taipa and Coloane. Eventually, the land between Taipa and Coloane was artificially reclaimed, merging the two into one island. The reclaimed area, Cotai, is nowadays home to Macao’s own Las Vegas. Casinos like the architecturally remarkable Grand Lisboa can be found on the mainland as well. While the focus of this post are surely not the casinos, I highly recommend to visit a few of them. The large-scale buildings with their endless luxury and their copies of places like Venice and Paris are extremely fascinating in their splendor, and, yes, watching the orchestral fountains (Wynn hotels) or even attending a great show like House of Dancing Water (City of Dreams, book tickets in advance), definitely will enrich your trip to Macao.
But what else is there to see? Let us start with the mainland of Macao. Strolling around the old city center is a good start: Start with the Ruins of St. Paul’s, and continue to the Largo do Senado, the senate square. In some streets, you will definitely feel the vibes of a Portuguese holiday. Once there, make sure to also visit the Rua da Felicidade. Continue the stroll via the Teatro Dom Pedro V to the Casa do Madarim, finishing at the Templo de A-Ma. Some touristic streets can be very busy, just like some streets of residential and business areas, that you will walk through on your stroll. A calm place to find some relaxation? Quite a bit north-west to the historic center of Macao (consider to take a bus or taxi), you find the Jardim de Lou Lim Loc, a beautiful garden combining eastern and western elements. Once in the area, I also recommend to visit the Mercado Vermelho, where locals still buy fresh ingredients for delicious meals, as well as one of my most favourite places in Macao: The Guia Lighthouse and Fortress. Walking up to the Lighthouse (or alternatively taking the cable car) is well worth the view!
As already mentioned Macao, can be quite busy and hence exhausting. Luckily, there are some areas which are less busy and which have their very own charm. One of them is just across one of three long bridges from the mainland and might be overlooked as it is quite close to the massive Cotai Strip: Taipa village. The colourful house facades invite to take pictures.
Even more worth a visit: Coloane and its village in the very south of Macao. Coloane village might be even smaller than its counterpart on Taipa, but again, it has its very own atmosphere. Additionally, there are some nice sights quite close. While it might be very touristic and artificial, there is the chance to see real panda bears in Macao’s Giant Panda Pavilion. The A-Ma cultural village with its beautiful temple is also worth a short hike (there are busses, too). Last but not least, there are good culinary offerings around the corner: Make sure to try an egg tarte, in Portugal known as pastel de nata at Lord Stow’s Café, and have lunch or dinner at Fernando’s – fresh fish and Vinho Verde thousands of kilometers away from its origin.
@sebel_tours 