Although it’s best known for its casinos, Macau has a huge range of attractions and activities to keep visitors busy. Most of Macau’s tourist attractions are located on the Macau Peninsula, the only part of Macau that’s connected to the Chinese mainland.
Below, we’ve listed the best places to shop, historical and cultural attractions, fun activities and interesting museums in Macau.
Shopping
Macau is a great city for shoppers, with a huge selection of boutique stores, high street brands and more. Most shops will accept Macanese pataca and Hong Kong dollars, usually with a 1:1 exchange rate.
Largo do Senado (Senado Square)
Senado Square © kewl
Senado Square is a picturesque public square in the centre of the Macau Peninsula. The area’s beautiful Portuguese architecture is a major tourist attraction, while a large variety of shops and restaurants make it a good place to spend your casino winnings.
Rua de Sao Paulo (Dasanba) Street
Rua de São Paulo, Macau © logatfer
Rua de Sao Paulo (also known as Saint Paul’s Street) is an important street in Macau’s historic city that leads to the ruins of St. Paul’s College. Souvenir shops and food vendors make Rua de Sao Paulo a good place to shop for gifts and enjoy local Chinese street food.
The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian
The Venetian Macau © gkpics
The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian is a Venice inspired shopping mall that’s part of the humongous Venetian Hotel and Casino. Twice the size of the original in Las Vegas, the mall has a large selection of luxury brands and over 35 international restaurants.
Historic and Cultural Sites
Ruins of St. Paul’s
St Pauls © estudiante
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Ruins of St. Paul’s are an icon of Macau. The ruins, which are the southern facade of the 17th-century Portuguese church and college, are located at the top of Rua de Sao Paulo in the centre of Macau’s old city.
St. Dominic’s Church
St. Dominic Church © changyisheng
St. Dominic’s Church is a Baroque church in Largo de São Domingos that was completed in the 16th century. The church blends European and Macanese design, with teak doors and Baroque architectural features.
Guia Fortress
Guia Fortress © knkcat
Located atop Guia Hill, Guia Fortress is a 17th-century lighthouse, fort and chapel that was used to protect Macau under Portuguese rule after an attempted Dutch invasion. The fortress has one of the best views of Macau in the city, making it a popular place to take photos.
Mandarin’s House
Mandarin’s House © capitan2b
Part of the Historic Centre of Macau, Mandarin’s House is a historical Chinese complex built in the 19th century that was the ancestral home of Zheng Guanying. The house is free to access and a great break from the hot, busy streets of Macau’s centre.
A-Ma Temple (Ma Kok Miu)
A-Ma Temple © changyisheng
One of Macau’s oldest temples, A-Ma Temple was built in 1488 as a Taoist temple dedicated to the goddess of seafarers, Mazu. The temple’s name, A-Ma-Gau, is said to have influenced the Portuguese decision to name their colonial territory Macau.
Viewpoints, Activities and Attractions
Macau Tower
Macau Tower © u07ch
At 338 metres, Macau Tower is by far the tallest structure in Macau. The tower’s observation decks — one on the 58th floor, the other on the 61st — restaurants and cafés have incredible views over Macau.
AJ Hackett Macau Tower
At 233 metres above the ground, AJ Hackett Macau Tower offers the world’s tallest bungy jump, as well as an equally thrilling sky jump. A tethered skywalk around the tower is also available for thrillseekers that prefer the view from outside the tower to the observation decks.
Galaxy Laserama
Galaxy Macau Hotel © doun_dounell
Every night, the Galaxy Macau showcases one of the world’s most impressive laser shows. The casino and hotel complex plays four different free laser shows per night, beginning from 7:15pm and continuing until 10:45pm.
Gardens, Nature and Wildlife
Lou Lim Ieoc Garden
Lou Lim Ieoc Garden © tompagenet
Constructed as a private garden by local Macau businessman Lou Kau in 1906, Lou Lim Ieoc Garden is a public park in Macau. The garden is inspired by the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, an incredible collection of gardens in Jiangsu province of Mainland China.
Camoes Garden and Grotto
Camoes Square © shankaronline
Camoes Garden and Grotto is Macau’s oldest and largest public park, covering 20,000 square in the centre of Macau’s old city. The gardens, named after Portuguese poet Luis de Camoes, are a short walk from Ruins of St. Paul’s.
Art, Culture and History
Museum of Macau
Museum of Macau © jiazi
The Museum of Macau is a large museum with a focus on the different civilisations of Macau, from the neolithic period to today. The museum contains detailed exhibits on Macau’s period as a Portuguese colony, the territory’s traditional culture and Macau’s modern culture and values.
Macau Museum of Art
The Macau Museum of Art contains a large variety of cultural relics from Macau’s unique and interesting history. Exhibits range from European art and Chinese calligraphy to pottery, Qing Dynasty items and modern artworks.
Grand Prix Museum
Grand Prix Museum © klausnahr
Open since 1993 — the 40th anniversary of the famous Macau Grand Prix street circuit race — the Grand Prix Museum has a large collection of historic racing cars, motorcycles and racing memorabilia.
Macau Science Center
Ready to launch © denniswong
The Macau Science Center is a large science museum and planetarium. The centre contains a variety of exhibitions on chemistry, robotics, space, acoustics and other scientific topics, making it a fun educational destination for families with young children.