Similarly to Hong Kong, Macau offers a special combination of old European colonial heritage and modern China. Just this time, seasoned with the extra flavor of Las Vegas. Located only an hour ride from Hong Kong, it is also the ideal day trip destination for your stay in the busy financial hub of Asia. Check out my 10 amazing things to do in Macau on a day trip from Hong Kong to find out how to best spend your visit.
Similarly to Hong Kong, Macau offers a special combination of old European colonial heritage and modern China. Just this time, seasoned with a special gambling flavor. Macau was the last European colony in Asia, returned back to China by Portugal in 1999. Nowadays better known as the Las Vegas of Asia, it hosts incredible 33 casinos. Moreover, since, 2007, it actually exhibits higher profits than it more famous brother in the US. Being the only place in China where gambling is legal, no wonder it attracts thousands of tourists willing to lose their money while trying their luck. Given its location, it is easy to reach for a day trip from Hong Kong, no matter if you are coming for gambling or for a simple tourism. Check out my 10 amazing things to do in Macau on a day trip from Hong Kong and come and enjoy its special atmosphere yourself.
Getting to Macau from Hong Kong
Most likely, you will be coming from Hong Kong on a ferry (you can also come with a plane or even take a helicopter shuttle). Depending on the company you use, the ferry will drop you off at a different location in Macau. The TurboJet at the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, the CotaiJet at the Taipa Ferry Terminal.
When landing at the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal with TurboJet, you land just next to the Macau Guia Circuit, where the Macau Grand Prix is being held. It is quite close to the historical part of the city. The TurboJet is thus the better option if your main priority is to explore the Portuguese heritage and the historical side of the city.
*Follow the link to Booking.com and book as usually. You will receive the 10% off as a refund once you pay the accommodation.
The blue CotaiJet ferries drop you off by the Macau Airport at Macau Taipa Terminal in Taipa. When the historical part of the town became saturated, the development moved to Taipa, which has seen an incredible growth in the last few years. Opulent “Las Vegas” style casinos have grown all around the area called Cotai, which earned it the nickname the “Cotai Golden Strip”. If exploring the magnificent palaces of gambling is what you are looking for, you should then aim for CotaiJet. The advantage of landing in Taipa is that the port/airport is full of free shuttle buses, which take you free of charge to the casino of your choice.
The free of charge shuttle buses from the Taipa Ferry Terminal can take you to the beautiful Venetian casino
A quick note before we start
One important note at the beginning. When thinking about coming just for one day, you should really book an early ferry ride to make the best out of your time. Actually, if you would decide to go for all the recommended places in this article, your day would be really packed. So ideally either prioritize or simply take it slow and book one night in on of the beautiful Macau’s hotels. Also, please do not take the numbers as a particular ranking, they rather serve as a recommendation on how to schedule your day.
1) Explore Cotai, the Golden Strip of gambling
Before coming to Macau, I would never think of going to a casino as of a way how I could enjoy my time. I actually didn’t even know I would be let in without being a guest of one, or without the intent of spending my yearly paycheck in Black Jack or Roulette. However, my trip to Macau was a big eye-opener. Visiting the casinos is great! No one forces you to play and you can basically just spend the whole day wandering around and enjoying the themed entertainment, shopping, and restaurants. It’s almost like being in a big amusement park. Let me tell you more about my favorite spots.
The view over the Cotai Strip casinos is quite impressive
2) Take a gondola tour in the Venetian
Similarly to its older brother in Vegas, the whole Venetian casino resembles the streets of old Venice in Italy. Yes, including the water channels! You can even take a gondola tour (book it online to get a discount). Of course, it is a great cliché and incomparable to the real one in Italy. But it is actually still a lot of fun. Especially when the gondoliers keep on singing funny Italian songs and tremble your gondola as if there were real waves. But that is not the only interesting thing about the Venetian. With its 980 000 sqm, it is actually the largest casino in the World, largest single structure hotel in Asia and the seventh largest building in the World by floor area. I would say that sounds like enough reasons for a visit.
Looking over the channels in the Venetian
3) Climb the Eiffel Tower at the Parisian
The Parisian almost seems like a little Frech cousin of the Venetian. No wonder, as they belong to the same owner – Las Vegas Sands. They are also directly interconnected through several floors of shopping malls. Where Venetian gained points with its great design based on Venetian channels, the Parisien will charm you with its perfect replica of the Eiffel Tower. The entry to the observation deck on the 37th floor is 100 MOP for adults and 80 MOP for kids, but it is definitely worth it. It offers an unprecedented view over the whole Cotai Strip area.
The Parisien’s Eiffel Tower is trully a faithful copy of its sibling in Paris
4) Grand Lisboa
Yet another casino in Macau, however, this time no longer located in the Cotai Strip. Grand Lisboa towers over the historical part of Macau and with its unique blossom-like design belongs among the symbols of the city. Especially when its grand flower is well visible from all around Macau. To get there, you can easily take a bus from the Cotai Strip. Or simply take a (quite reasonably priced) taxi, ideally going over the beautiful Amizade Bridge connecting Macau and Taipa.
The flower of the Grand Lisboa casino is visible from all around Macau
5) Senado Square
Located just few hundred meters from the Grand Lisboa casino, lies the Largo do Senado aka the Senado Square. You probably wouldn’t find a better example of traditional Portuguese architecture in the whole Macau. Not very large, but made out of typical colonial buildings with a lovely mosaic style cobblestone pavement. The Senado Square offers really lovely and picturesque view and a great place to slow down and have a sip of coffee in one of the many cafées. The Senado Square is also the cultural heart of the city, always busy with people and various cultural events.
The Senado Square is always busy with people and cultural events
6) Ruins of St. Paul’s
Despite what most people think, St. Paul’s was not a cathedral but a regular church. Built by the Jesuits in 1640, it stood proudly for almost 200 years until being destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in 1835. Nowadays, there is basically nothing else left of the church beside the front wall. But still, it looks beautiful and it definitely belongs among the principal symbols of Macau. What the Eiffel Tower is to Paris and the Prague Castle to Prague, Ruins of St. Paul’s are to Macau. Thus, it is definitely a must on your list of things to do in Macau. The square around St. Paul’s was probably my favorite place of the whole trip. Full of flowers and cafés, yet another great place to take a break and relax for few seconds on your busy day.
View on St. Paul’s ruins from the Monte Forte
7) Monte Forte
Monte Forte, Fortaleza del Monte, or the Fortress of Our Lady of the Mount of St. Paul in its full name. For centuries, it used to be the military heart of Macau. Built in the 17th century to protect the city from pirates, it now serves as a Museum and especially as a viewpoint over Macau. There is not much interesting to see at fortress itself besides some walls and canons, but the views on the whole historical part are great. You can’t miss it as it stands just above the Ruins of St. Paul’s.
View over Macau from Monte Forte
8) Try the delicious Egg tart
Being a colony of Portugal brings you a lot of heritage, one of them being the delicious Portuguese cuisine. Absolutely the best and the most characteristic of its elements is the famous Portuguese Egg tart, known as Pasteis de Nata in Portugal. Becoming almost the food symbol of Macau, you can easily find it everywhere on the streets and in the little shops in the historical district.
The delicious Egg Tart is a must try for your stomach
9) Enjoy extreme views from the Macau Tower
Visiting watch towers can get quite stereotypical after a while, so the smart people of Macau decided to make theirs a bit more exciting. If it is your cup of tea, you can turn your visit into an adrenaline experience. There are four types of activities you can do besides the typical visit of the observation deck – you can climb the Tower, bungee jump from it, sky jump from it (a less scary version of bungee) and my favorite – take the Skywalk on the roof of the observation deck. If you do not believe me how awesome it is, check out the promo video below.
10. Pay a visit to Kun Iam Statue
Before you leave Macau, be sure to pay a visit to the bronze statue of goddess Kun Iam. Located about 15 minutes walk from the Grand Lisboa on the bank of Macau harbor, the statue of the Goddess of Mercy serves as a protector of the city. It is about 20 meters tall and stands on a lotus flower shaped base with a souvenir center inside. I am sending her my greetings.
Let me hear from you
Macau is a great place to visit, especially if you can combine it with your stay in Hong Kong. Given the size of the place, one day seems like enough, but there is actually so much to do. I hope my 10 amazing things to do in Macau helped you to realize that. Let me know if you agree with my lists or you have any other great tips not mentioned above. And of course, I will be happy to hear how did you enjoy your trip. See you in the comments section!
Love,
Katie
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CasinosEast AsiaHong KongMacauTaipaTravel guides
Katie
Katie is a feminine travel blogger, passionate photographer and founder of Katie’s Postcard. She believes that you don’t need to be rich to travel in comfort and style. After living at Malta, in the UK and in Japan, she is currently focussing on traveling Asia.
