1. Hop between extravagant casinos
As is the case with Vegas, when one mentions ‘Macau’, most often, people tend to think of the flashy, dazzling lights emanating from the many casinos in Macau. So, obviously, we start off the list with exactly that!
2.Have a ‘Venetian’ (pun intended) shopping experience
Speaking of the Venetian Hotel & Casino, there’s a reason why it’s called the Venetian. How do I put this into words? There’s a shopping mall inside the hotel that is modelled after the city of Venice. The ‘streets’ are made of smooth cobblestone, the ceiling is painted to look like the afternoon sky, the buildings have a strong Renaissance era feel to them and did I mention they have a canal? Yes, an actual canal, with flowing water and gondola rides with a crooning boatman and everything!
3. Enjoy the many exciting shows on offer
Now, it goes without saying, cities with casinos are often known as cities of entertainment. Macau goes the extra mile to live up to its ‘Vegas of Asia’ nickname and often puts on some incredible shows and performances not unlike the ones in Vegas!
4. Stroll through Senado Square
Senado Square is perhaps Macau’s most recognisable public spaces/centres. It is filled with many shops, heritage sites, restaurants and various snack and souvenir vendors. The streets inside Senado Square are a little narrower than usual and the paths are more maze-like but still easily navigable. You can window shop, stop by and sample same good dried meat at various shops, linger at a café and soak up the atmosphere and so much more.
5. Gaze in awe at the Ruins of St. Paul and Conquer Mount Fortress
Located within Senado Square is arguably the most famous historical structure of Macau: the Ruins of St. Paul. It is a world heritage site and it receives a large number of visitors daily! You’ll be hard pressed to find the ruins (or even the steps leading to the ruins) empty of tourists trying to take a good picture.
6. Hike up Guia Hill
Apart from the aforementioned Mount Fortress, Guia Fortress is another popular tourist attraction which forms an integral part of Macau’s Historic Centre of world-heritage sites.
7. Pay homage to Matzu at A-Ma Temple
Adding to the list of historical sites is the A-Ma Temple, a Taoist temple built in the late 1400s, making it the oldest Taoist temple in the whole of Macau.
8. Visit the Casa Do Mandarim (Mandarin’s House)
The Mandarin’s House is a direct link between modern day Macau and its humble, historical beginnings. Once owned by a late Qing dynasty reformist and scholar, Zheng Guanying and his family, Casa Do Mandarim is now a free museum/historical building which showcases the history of Macau.
9. Hunt down the rest of the monuments which make up the Historic Centre of Macau
I could easily have filled this entire article with a list of cultural heritage sites in Macau but that wouldn’t be fun. Instead, here’s a fun challenge to try when you’re in Macau: hunt down all the historical monuments/places/parks which make up the Historic Centre of Macau. Here are some places to start you off: the Dom Pedro V Theatre, St. Lawrence’s Church, Casa Garden, the Moorish Barracks…
10. Furry Fun @ Seac Pai Van Park
I suppose one of the downsides of being so close to a metropolis like Hong Kong is that some attractions get easily overshadowed by the more famous ones from across the Pearl River Delta.
11. Visit the Fisherman’ Wharf…or not?
Oh boy, this one’s a slippery subject. I dueled with my conscience for quite a while before deciding to give this place the benefit of the doubt and put it on this list anyway.
12. Get your adrenaline pumping at the Macau Tower
Regardless of how you arrived in Macau, be it by plane, ferry or otherwise, you’ll definitely always be able to catch a glimpse of the 338m tall Macau Tower.
You could take a few pictures of the dizzyingly tall structure and move on or you can (if you have the courage) challenge the world’s highest bungee jump from a building. Yes. Jump more than 200m above ground and plunge towards the ground at an insane speed only to have death’s doors slammed shut just before you get close enough to peer into it.
13. Visit the many museums of Macau
Throughout this article, I’ve kept saying that Macau is a historical city, and that is best exemplified by the many museums the city has.
You have the usual history and art museums, sure, but Macau also has a variety of special themed museums. For starters, did you know that only port cities have a Maritime Museum? Apart from that, because of the religious influence of the Portuguese colonial era, there are many Sacred Art Museums in Macau as well.
14. Discover the urban parks in Macau
I’ve always maintained that Macau is a balanced city of modern infrastructure and enough quiet and natural spaces for those needing a quick reprieve from the bustling urban life.
15. Laze the day away on the sands of Hac Sa Beach
Hac Sa Beach is the largest natural beach in Macau and one of the top tourist destinations in the summer. The beach got its name from the natural black sand on the beach (Hac Sa means black sand in Cantonese) and nothing beats a good beach day, am I right?
16. Go on a photography run at night
So, remember the Wynn Hotel that I mentioned way back at the start of the article? Psst, scroll back up and have a look, I won’t judge.
Well, there was a reason I was there when the water show caught me by surprise. You see, the huge pond in front of the hotel, for those who know how to work a camera, serves as a good prop for an immensely beautiful photograph.
17. Go on a Macanese food adventure @ Taipa Village
A good place to hunt for the most authentic and delicious street food, in my opinion, is Taipa Village. Well, it’s not technically a village anymore but it is still more dated than the area around Senado Square for example.
18. Try Expensive Restaurants
Try the macau delicacies and cuisines at one of the best restaurants
19. Adventure parks and Water Parks
Enjoy the most famous adevtnure and water parks and enjoy gala time with family.
20. Local travel and cultural amalgamation
Travel locally with basic transport medium to enjoy the ethnicity of the city and get a glimpse of the culture
