Macau travel guide

Macau sits on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary and consists of the Macau Peninsula and the two islands of Coloane and Taipa. Arriving from Hong Kong or Zhuhai is the most convenient and quickest option.

Macau's air services include fixed-wing flights and helicopters. Passenger flights mainly connect with mainland China, the Philippines and Thailand. Helicopters fly to Hong Kong and Shenzhen with frequent departures, usually taking under half an hour, but fares are higher.

The airport tax at Macau International Airport is MOP110. Passengers flying to mainland China must also pay a passenger service charge of MOP80; children aged 2–12 pay MOP50. Direct transit passengers and those returning due to unexpected events are exempt from the airport tax and passenger service charge.

Jetfoils run around the clock between Hong Kong and Macau. Ferries also operate from Shekou Ferry Pier (Shekou) in Shenzhen to Macau. Standard seats cost RMB220, premium seats RMB390 and child tickets RMB110. All crossings take about one hour.

Direct coaches run from Macau to Guangdong every day from 9:20 to 17:50, departing from Qiguan Station (Kei Kwan Station) near the Wan Shi Fa Hotel in Inner Harbour. They serve major cities across Guangdong.

Macau has a well-developed local transport network. Taxis, buses, bicycles and car rental are all easy to find. Pedicabs are a distinctive local mode of transport. There is no standard fare, so you need to negotiate with the driver; a typical rate is MOP150 per hour. Within the city, bus fares are per person:

MOP3.2 within the peninsula, MOP4.2 to Taipa, MOP5 to Coloane, MOP6.4 to Hac Sa Beach, and MOP4.2 to Macau International Airport. Buses do not give change.

Macau has two types of taxi: black taxis and yellow radio taxis (dial-a-taxi). The flag-fall is MOP19 for the first 1.6 km, then MOP2 for every 240 m. Each large piece of luggage costs an extra MOP3.

The Historic Centre of Macau preserves the essence of more than 400 years of exchange between Chinese and Western cultures and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Centred on the old city where Chinese and foreign residents once lived side by side, it links squares and streets into one whole. It includes several squares, such as A-Ma Temple Square, Senado Square, the Jesuit Church Square and Pigeon Hill Square, along with more than 20 Chinese and Western historic buildings, including A-Ma Temple, Mandarin's House, the Ruins of St. Paul's and Guia Fortress.

Macau is a charming little island. Walking tourists fill the streets, each clutching a guide map, and they are a sight in themselves.

The Portuguese adored Chinese porcelain, especially blue-and-white. The walls of the Civil Affairs Building, built in the 18th century, are covered in blue-and-white tiles, and all of Macau's street signs are made from uniform blue-and-white ceramic plates bearing both Portuguese and Chinese.

Macau's Chinese dishes include roast chicken, steamed fish and roast suckling pig, and they are excellent. The teahouses' dim sum, such as shrimp dumplings (har gow) and siu mai, are also very popular.

Macau's Portuguese dishes include caldo verde, red bean and pork trotter stew, bacalhau (salt cod, a fish the Portuguese love), Portuguese chicken, African chicken and curry chicken.

Macau's hotels range from long-established properties to ones with classic, elegant architecture. On weekends, public holidays and festivals such as the Lunar New Year, Easter, Christmas and Grand Prix week, as well as during the July–August peak season, hotels are often fully booked, so it is best to reserve a room before visiting Macau. Rooms may be discounted in the low season.

Macau is a free port with a low-tax policy, which makes it an ideal place to shop. The Macanese pataca and the Hong Kong dollar are both accepted, and visitors from Hong Kong and elsewhere may take limited quantities of cigarettes and alcohol out of Macau, so cigarettes and imported spirits are popular items.

Macau's main shopping areas are concentrated along Infante D. Henrique Avenue, New Street, Shuikengwei Street and Baimaxing. The Central Square on Infante D. Henrique Avenue houses several world-class luxury brands, including Emporio Armani, Escada and Yves Saint Laurent. If you want designer clothing and leather goods, head to the Sintra Shopping Arcade. The Landmark in the newly developed Outer Harbour area is also a great shopping destination. On Maixiangdi Street you will find inexpensive sportswear and casual clothing, and nearby, at the Yingdi Street market and the Senado Square area, there are stalls selling affordable export clothing or surplus garments from clothing factories. Shops selling antiques and souvenirs are concentrated on Duijie Street and Da Sanba Street near the Ruins of St. Paul's. Macau's jewellery shops are mainly located along New Street in the Central district.

When buying gold jewellery, branded watches, antiques, handicrafts, or dried seafood and medicinal herbs, choose reputable shops. Keep the guarantee certificate and receipt, and check that the receipt lists the items you bought.

The Landmark on Friendship Avenue has several high-end fashion boutiques. Near Nam Van Lake Garden, along Infante D. Henrique Avenue and along New Street, there are boutique hotel shopping arcades, such as those of Hotel Lisboa and Sintra Hotel.

Macau's many sauna bathhouses and nightclubs are an important part of its nightlife. The two nightly shows at the Grand Lisboa add an air of mystery to Macau after dark.

Macau is a small city with many streets and narrow alleys, which makes driving difficult. Macau has a large number of buses, but because the streets are narrow and the routes wind around a lot, journeys can take a long time. Buses are best suited to sightseeing. If you are in a hurry, it is better not to take the bus.

Macau's souvenir shops are the equivalent of local specialty stores on the mainland.

First-time visitors from mainland China must bring their ID card, household registration booklet and photocopies, plus a two-inch photo, to the exit-entry administration office at their household registration location to fill in forms and apply for a Hong Kong and Macau Travel Permit. At the same time, apply for a Macau tourist visa (G-type), which costs ¥20 and allows a stay of up to 7 days in Macau.

Hotel prices in Macau vary widely depending on location, age, star rating and time, and timing is the most important factor. Prices more than double during Golden Week, the Spring Festival, New Year's Day and Christmas, and rise by 0.5 times on weekends and during the summer holidays (July–August). The best time to visit Macau is from mid-November to late December, when the weather is at its best and hotel prices are at their lowest. Since it is close to the Christmas holiday season, it is also when shopping malls hold major sales.