#20ThingsILoveAboutMacao

Macau is a place where you can feel the rich Portuguese heritage fused with Chinese culture in street signs, architecture, food, and more. Here are some recommended things you can do in this wonderful destination:

1. Appreciate historical and cultural heritage, such as the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of A-Ma Temple and the Ruins of St. Paul's.

2. Sample Macau's unique cuisine, which is a perfect blend of Cantonese and Portuguese cuisines. Learn more about Macau food.

3. If interested, you can explore the city's famous casinos, such as The Venetian Macau. Macau has earned the nickname of "Vegas of the East".

4. Enjoy duty-free shopping in Macau. There are malls and shops offering antiques, the latest styles of clothing, perfumes, cosmetics, jewelry, and more.

5. Walk around Old Taipa Village, one of only two traditional 'villages' that still exist in Macau.

6. A-Ma Temple: It is the oldest temple in Macau, and is an exemplary representation of Chinese culture inspired by Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and multiple folk beliefs.

7. Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral: They are the ruins of a 16th century complex and regarded as one of Macau's best known landmarks.

8. Senado Square: It is the urban center of Macau. You may feel you are in a city by the Mediterranean Sea when you see the pastel-colored neo-classical buildings around the square.

9. Monte Fort: It is an almost 400-year-old stone fort, which offers superb sunset and casino views from the top.

10. The best time to visit Macau is from October to December when the weather is warm and sunny, and humidity levels are low.

11. The weather from January to March is cold but sunny. It starts to get humid in April. From May to September, the climate becomes hot, humid, and rainy with occasional typhoons.

12. It takes about one hour to get there by ferry from Hong Kong and about four hours by air from Beijing.

13. Macau consists of the Macau Peninsula itself and the islands of Taipa and Coloane, which are now connected by landfill forming the Cotai strip.

14. Macau, China is known for its huge casinos and Western cultural heritage tourism. Find out about where it is, what to see and do there, weather, tours.

15. Macau, also spelled Macao, is a tiny Chinese territory that is about 30 square kilometers in size. It is a fusion of East and West in lifestyles, architecture, and food. Known for its huge casinos and being the world's top gambling city, it boasts some popular attractions for tourists to visit.

16. The city was handed back to China in 1999 under the same ‘one country, two systems’ policy that saw Hong Kong gifted back to China in 1997.

17. The agreement also stipulates that China will not interfere in Macau’s way of life until 2049, which effectively means China won’t try and enforce communism instead of capitalism. Beijing remains responsible for foreign affairs and defense.

18. The city is administered as an SAR, or Special Administrative Region and has its own legislature, although the city does not enjoy full direct elections and has only limited democracy.

19. Macau’s legal tender is the Macanese Pataca, the Chinese Rembini is not accepted at shops in Macau. Most shops will accept the Hong Kong Dollar, and most casinos will only accept this rather than the Pataca.

20. The official name of Macau is the Macau Special Administrative Region.