Many visitors to Hong Kong spend at least one day of their holiday in neighboring Macau, and although the former Portuguese colony deserves a longer visit, you can definitely see most of its key attractions on a single day tour.
This article will show you how to cover Macau's most significant tourist attractions on a day-trip from Hong Kong.
Wake up early, so you can catch a ferry at around 7am and arrive at Macau sometimes around 8am. Details about traveling between Hong Kong and Macau can be found in my other article, "How to Get to Macau from Hong Kong".
Do not follow the touts outside Macau's ferry terminal. Most of them operate pedycabs or unlicensed taxis, and they'll just want you to pay ridiculous prices for nothing…
Outside the terminal, on the street, there is a station from where you can take a bus to Hotel Lisboa (It's only a few minutes ride and you can take any of the following routes: 3, 3a, 10, 10a, 12, 28b, 28x, 28c and 32). From the large roundabout, in front of Hotel Lisboa, take a bus to Coloane Village (21A and 25 travel this direction)
Tip: If buses are too full at this early hour of the day, or if you just don't feel like wasting your precious time on buses, simply take a taxi (licensed BLACK or YELLOW taxi, with a meter). Macau is not that big and the taxi is not going to charge you the earth…
Dropping at Coloan's Village Square, have your breakfast of fresh Portuguese egg tarts at world famous Lord Stow's and proceed for a pleasant stroll through the village historic alleyways, visiting old Chinese temples and churches on the way.
Bus No. 15 will take you from Coloane Village to Taipa Village, where you can stroll through old streets and enjoy lunch at some of Macau's best Portuguese-Macanese restaurants. Taipa Houses Museum (Casas Museu da Taipa) is also worth visiting, if you are already there.
After having a nice lunch in one of Taipa's fabulous restaurants, hop on a bus to BarraBus Terminus, next to A-Ma Temple and the Maritime Museum. The 1480s built A-Ma Temple is one of the city's most prominent attractions and presumably, the place where Macau started from, after the legendary goddess, A-Ma, saved a group of fishermen from a devastating storm at sea.
Macau Maritime Museum, right in front of the temple, is certainly worth visiting, but you have to make sure you've got enough time, as there are even more interesting sites ahead…
From A-Ma temple, you can walk along the UNESCO declared Macau World Heritage Trail, passing through historical churches and monuments, to Senado Square, the very heart of Macau town, and onwards, to Ruins of St. Paul's, one of Macau's most famous sites.
Evening can be spent at Largo Senado, where quite a few good restaurant and cafes can be found, as well as a small market, with factory outlets that sell brand-name surpluses at a good price. You may also consider going to Macau Tower and take a glass-clad lift to the high observation deck, from which you can enjoy breathtaking views of the city lighting up, or give luck a chance at one of Macau's famous casinos, like the Lisboa, Grand Lisboa, Sands, Wynn, or… The world's largest casino… The Venetian. Some of Macau's "crème-de-la-crème" restaurants and swanky bars are located right next to the city's major casinos.
You can travel back to Hong Kong 24 hours a day, just remember to buy your ticket in advance if you plan to travel late at night, after the ticketing office closes down.
Once in Macau Ferry Terminal, you can be back at your Hong Kong hotel in less than two hours.
This article will show you how to cover Macau's most significant tourist attractions on a day-trip from Hong Kong.
Wake up early, so you can catch a ferry at around 7am and arrive at Macau sometimes around 8am. Details about traveling between Hong Kong and Macau can be found in my other article, "How to Get to Macau from Hong Kong".
Do not follow the touts outside Macau's ferry terminal. Most of them operate pedycabs or unlicensed taxis, and they'll just want you to pay ridiculous prices for nothing…
Outside the terminal, on the street, there is a station from where you can take a bus to Hotel Lisboa (It's only a few minutes ride and you can take any of the following routes: 3, 3a, 10, 10a, 12, 28b, 28x, 28c and 32). From the large roundabout, in front of Hotel Lisboa, take a bus to Coloane Village (21A and 25 travel this direction)
Tip: If buses are too full at this early hour of the day, or if you just don't feel like wasting your precious time on buses, simply take a taxi (licensed BLACK or YELLOW taxi, with a meter). Macau is not that big and the taxi is not going to charge you the earth…
Dropping at Coloan's Village Square, have your breakfast of fresh Portuguese egg tarts at world famous Lord Stow's and proceed for a pleasant stroll through the village historic alleyways, visiting old Chinese temples and churches on the way.
Bus No. 15 will take you from Coloane Village to Taipa Village, where you can stroll through old streets and enjoy lunch at some of Macau's best Portuguese-Macanese restaurants. Taipa Houses Museum (Casas Museu da Taipa) is also worth visiting, if you are already there.
After having a nice lunch in one of Taipa's fabulous restaurants, hop on a bus to BarraBus Terminus, next to A-Ma Temple and the Maritime Museum. The 1480s built A-Ma Temple is one of the city's most prominent attractions and presumably, the place where Macau started from, after the legendary goddess, A-Ma, saved a group of fishermen from a devastating storm at sea.
Macau Maritime Museum, right in front of the temple, is certainly worth visiting, but you have to make sure you've got enough time, as there are even more interesting sites ahead…
From A-Ma temple, you can walk along the UNESCO declared Macau World Heritage Trail, passing through historical churches and monuments, to Senado Square, the very heart of Macau town, and onwards, to Ruins of St. Paul's, one of Macau's most famous sites.
Evening can be spent at Largo Senado, where quite a few good restaurant and cafes can be found, as well as a small market, with factory outlets that sell brand-name surpluses at a good price. You may also consider going to Macau Tower and take a glass-clad lift to the high observation deck, from which you can enjoy breathtaking views of the city lighting up, or give luck a chance at one of Macau's famous casinos, like the Lisboa, Grand Lisboa, Sands, Wynn, or… The world's largest casino… The Venetian. Some of Macau's "crème-de-la-crème" restaurants and swanky bars are located right next to the city's major casinos.
You can travel back to Hong Kong 24 hours a day, just remember to buy your ticket in advance if you plan to travel late at night, after the ticketing office closes down.
Once in Macau Ferry Terminal, you can be back at your Hong Kong hotel in less than two hours.
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