Macau without the Gambling: Why?

So if we’re going to one of the biggest gambling capitals of the world, why didn’t we go to any casinos? Personally, I wanted to try just a little – like some penny slots, so it wasn’t about being completely anti-gambling. There were two main reasons: (1) Kyle wasn’t at all interested in gambling and (2) Macau has two different areas and one is more casino-centric while the other has more historical sites. We chose only to see the latter due to time constraints. 

Where to Go in Macau: Coloane or Taipa

Macau is made up of two main parts which are separated by water. You could actually argue more (the Macau Peninsula, and the islands of Coloane and Taipa). While these areas are connected by a bridge and you can get between them, with just one day it seemed like it would make more sense to just explore one part.

With a little research, I found there would be plenty to occupy our time in either area. Personally I was torn and slightly leaning toward the bottom part to get the stereotypical “Macau” experience, but I asked Kyle and he wanted to do the part which had more history and less gambling. I was definitely interested in that part as well so this is what we went with.

Note that many people do try to see both sides, even in a day. Personally, I think that would be a bit exhausting if you are also trying to go to and from Hong Kong, though. If you’re staying the night, it could be more reasonable. 

How to Get to Macau via Ferry

Let’s start with how to get to Macau. Airplane, helicopter, boat, car— these are all options to get to Macau. Macau has an international airport (code MFM) with direct flights to/from all over Asia. In our case, we decided to make Macau a day trip from our trip to Hong Kong via ferry, which is relatively popular. If you’d like to learn more about the other methods to get to Macau you can read up on it here.

Ferry Options

Ferry Companies to Macau

There are two ferry company options: Turbojet and Cotaijet. If the casinos are what you want to do, you’ll probably want to take Cotajiet to the Cotai Strip. If, like us, you want to focus on other stuff, take the Turbojet to the Macau Outer Terminal. Another option which we considered was taking the ferry to one area and then returning to Hong Kong from the other.

Where to Catch the Ferry to Macau

The two places you can catch the ferries are the Shun Tak Centre on Hong Kong Island (this is the one we used) and the China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon. Ferries seem to run from around 7am to midnight, every 15 to 30 minutes. I think Turbojet also has some options overnight, but slightly less frequently. Roundtrip tickets range from 308 HKD (~$39) to 336 HKD (~$43). The higher price is what it changes to in the evening. You can also purchase one-way tickets each way which is what we did. 

If you take the other ferry (to Cotai), there are free casino and hotel shuttles. There may be some on the north part but I don’t know about them.

Basic Procedure for Taking the Ferry to Macau

The basic procedure for doing this trip is: go to the area, buy the ticket, find your check-in area, proceed to immigration, choose a seat, and board the ferry. We accidentally waited in the wrong line first but I didn’t think it was right and fortunately, I went and asked someone. So if in doubt, ask. After seat selection we waited in a crowded room for a little while before it was time to board.

The ferry ride takes about 50-60 minutes. It was a pleasant boat ride.

Note: It is possible any of this information could change, though, so be sure to double-check somewhere else as well! Also watch out for scams. I have read about scams where they try to tell you only first-class tickets are available. While we did not experience that but good to be aware! 

Our One Day in Macau Itinerary on Taipa

First Impressions of Macau

We started the day with an early breakfast in Hong Kong and then made our way to the ferry and went through the above procedure. 

As the boat rolled toward Macau, it was what I pictured but once there, Macau was different than we expected.

I do most all of the trip planning which allows Kyle to experience more “surprises” when we go somewhere. He made a point not to do much research on Macau and because of that, wasn’t all that interested. Despite the research, I ended up being surprised by it too, though. I don’t mean that in a good or bad way, though. I actually do enjoy places being different than I expect them to be! 

Less Walkable Than Expected

One thing I can say is that I thought it would be more walkable. It was definitely walkable, just slightly less than I expected. Though not an excessive amount, there were also more motorbikes than I expected.

Grand Lisboa / Hotel Lisboa

While our first stop was a bathroom, the first real place I wanted to check out on our itinerary was the Grand Lisboa. I thought we might go in, but we couldn’t determine if that seemed appropriate. I’m sure it probably would be okay as it is not only a hotel, but also a casino, but we weren’t sure what the experience would be like and didn’t want to face the possibility of people trying to get us to play certain games or have drinks or something.

About the Grand Lisboa

Grand Lisboa / Hotel Lisboa is the tallest building in Macau. It was the first casino in Macau to offer craps and Texas hold ’em poker rings. Inside you can find over 1,000 slot machines and 800 gaming tables.

The building itself is quite a sight and is regarded as the most distinctive part of the Macau skyline. When seeing it in person, the contrast of seeing it next to a very run-down looking building was striking. It was a great illustration of the wealth gap present.

Jardim do Sao Francisco (S. Francisco Garden)

From the tallest building in Macau to the oldest garden in Macau. The site of the garden was originally a convent built by Castillian friars. They were of the Franciscan order which is why this is called the Jardim do Sao San Francisco. In 1585, Portuguese friars replaced them. We checked it out and also stopped on a bench for a break. All in all a pleasant area with a park and some pink architecture.

Skipped: Margaret’s Cafe e Nata

We planned to go to the famous Margaret’s Cafe e Nata to get the classic Macau dish of egg tarts but the line was very long. I knew this was likely but we didn’t feel like waiting that long so we moved on. This place is famous because the egg tarts are made by Margaret Wong, Lord Stow’s former wife. Read more here.

I still mention it because it is something others might like to have in their itinerary. Just arrive extra early or be prepared to wait!

Bottle Tricks in the Park

Next we made our way to another food place I had planned: Ting Ting Coffee Juice Station. This was another skip. The juice station which also has food, is a little stand within a park called Praça de Jorge Alvarez; or Jorge Alvarez Park. This time there weren’t lines, we just weren’t feeling it at the time or something.

However, while in the park, we did notice two men practicing throwing bottles. They must be in the bartending field and their skills were quite impressive. We sat down at a table and watched from afar. Like Vegas, this is a place for people who are skilled in such things.

Macau Historic Center

The Macau Historic Center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It contains many historical buildings and sites. While I cover some of them below, you can read more about some of the top UNESCO sites in Macau here.

Senado Square

Macau was a Portuguese colony up until 1999! So not that long ago really. Senado Square is a known area for seeing some of this Portuguese influence.

Senado Square is a paved square. The Leal Senado building is located in front of this square and served as a meeting area during the 16th to 18th centuries for the Portuguese and Chinese. That is the origin of the name.

Most of the colorful buildings in this area are in a European colonial style.

Saint Dominic’s Church

If you’ve done some research into Macau you have probably seen a yellow, European-looking building standing out in many photos. Actually, there are quite a few yellow buildings but this one is Saint Dominic’s Church.

Built in the Baroque style, the church dates back to 1587 when it was established by three Spanish Dominican priests traveling from Mexico. The design features both European and Macanese style. You can see the Chinese influence in the roof tiles and doors made from teak.

The Church contains an art museum as well and it is free to enter so we visited here and saw various artifacts.

Eating in Macau

While we did have breakfast in Hong Kong, at this point we were pretty hungry and it was time for more food. With just one day in Macau, we wanted to try some of the local foods. Sometimes it can be nice to grab a bunch of little snacks to get a better sampling of different foods when there isn’t a lot of time.

While we didn’t have time for something like this while there, a cooking class could be a fun idea in Macau (or anywhere).

Egg Waffle

I actually (1) didn’t feel like an egg waffle at this moment and (2) originally wanted to get my first egg waffle in Hong Kong BUT it was the first thing I came across after I got too hungry to wait for something else.

I requested to have ice cream on my waffle which they did offer but the guy didn’t understand me I guess because when I received my waffle it did not have this extra ingredient. It also took quite a while to cook.

All in all, it was decent. The cost was 12 MOP ($1.53).

If you want to make your own, you can actually get an egg waffle maker online.

I can’t seem to find this place on the map so cannot name it, though. I have placed a photo of the area below. It’s just down here on the right (you can’t see the entrance well).

Lemoncello Gelato

After not getting the ice cream on my waffle, I decided I would get some on its own! I made a note of this place in advance due to it being Michelin recommended. So unlike the last place, this one was semi-planned.

They have a variety of interesting flavors including things like ginger and bean-curd. I chose kiwi. I read good things and the gelato still exceeded expectations. Very tasty. It cost 30 MOP ($3.84).

Dai Gwan / Dijun Taiwan Pepper Cake

So the next snack is actually a Taiwanese dish, but I found it listed as one of the Michelin cheap eats to try in Macau so I thought it could be a nice option for Kyle. You can find some of the Michelin-recommended street snacks in Macao here.

Note: We also have a post: “What We Ate in Hong Kong“.

Kyle chose the meatball option and was very pleased with the bun. He said it was savory and really embraced the black pepper. The cake/bun also had many scallions inside. It may have been his favorite dish of the day and one of his favorites from the trip. Guess Michelin was right in both cases. The cost was 18 MOP ($2.30).

Another Bun

Though the Taiwanese bun was filling, Kyle just had one to leave room for another one I had planned. Unfortunately, we had trouble finding the second place (Sei Kee Cafe / Patio da Palha) which is supposed to be known for its buns and tea. In our search, we came across a place that we thought might be it (but it wasn’t). Kyle got a bun there anyway.

Kyle says: “The bun was extremely flaky with many layers and was pretty crisp. It had a mild heat and was also quite savory.” This bun also cost 18 MOP ($2.30).

Classic Macau Food: Egg Tart

This was our must-eat in Macau. Personally, I don’t really like eggs but I had to try it anyway (and I do like some desserts which are heavier on the eggs like custard). When looking up things about food in Macau or Macau in general, egg tarts came up so frequently that I began to associate Macau with “egg tart”.

As noted, we did pass up Margaret’s Cafe e Nata earlier so we were on the lookout. We saw a couple of different opportunities before we decided to get one from a bakery.

I did taste the egg presence a little more than my preference as someone who doesn’t like eggs very much but all in all it was quite good. We shared it. It cost 10 MOP ($1.28).

Shops and Crowds

This general area (which is relatively close to the Ruins of St. Paul’s) where we found food also had some shops. We perused some of them a little in between eating these snacks. One of the shops had more good-looking egg tarts but we didn’t want to wait in line.

There was one street close to the ruins which was probably in the top three or five most crowded places we’ve seen. Some surrounding areas were almost deserted in comparison, though so it wasn’t just a wall of people everywhere.

Ruins of St. Paul’s

The Ruins of St. Paul’s are the best-known landmark in Macau. It is one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World and a part of the Historic Centre of Macau UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Background

The Church of St. Paul, a Portuguese cathedral dedicated to the Apostle Paul, was built in 1589. It was built by Jesuits who came to spread Catholicism. Historians believe it was designed by Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola. The design was unique, a mixture of East and West.

Over time, it went through multiple fires and reconstructions. In 1637 it was the largest Catholic church in East Asia. A typhoon hit in 1835, causing the cathedral to catch fire a final time. What we see now are the remnants.

During 1990-1995, the ruins were excavated.

What is left is a stone facade that was carved during the 17th century by Japanese Christian who were there escaping persecution.

Visiting

From the top, there are some nice views of Macau. We found the area quite busy with tourists, which is pretty normal, especially in the afternoon.

Mount Fortress

Mount Fortress or Mount Forte is the historic military center of Macau. This site says it was first built partly to ward of pirates, though.

The fortress was built in the early 17th century and was once home to military barracks that held cannons and other weapons. The fortress was helpful during the attempted Dutch invasion in 1622. During the years following, it served other purposes such as a residence for the Governors of Macau and a weather observatory.

The Macau Museum 

We didn’t plan to go to the Macau Museum as I already had over 10 miles of walking planned for the day (including the Hong Kong part), but upon arriving there, we decided to give it a try. We’re glad we did!

The three-story museum was built 1995-1998 as a way to display artifacts and some of the history of the area. Since our knowledge of Macau was not very deep, we thought we could benefit from the museum (even though we were getting hungry again). It helped that the price wasn’t steep, only 15 MOP per person ($1.92). People over 65 or under 12 get in free!

The first floor is “Genesis of Macao Region” and goes over history, religion, and culture in Macau.

The second floor is called “Popular Arts and Traditions in Macao”.

“Contemporary Macao” is the subject of the third floor. It is focused more on how Macau is portrayed in arts, literature, etc.

Some of the exhibits were really nice. We thought it was a great museum. It’s also the largest museum in Macau.

Veggie Macau

I planned Veggie Macau toward the end to make sure I’d be able to get something. The menu had both vegetarian and vegan offerings. By the time we got there, we were very hungry so I’m glad I did plan it.

Unfortunately, the restaurant is no longer in operation. Turnover is high in Hong Kong so I guess maybe things work similarly in Macau. The former address is Rua do Tap Siac 1-3, The Serenity R/C G, Macau, China, 853. Maybe something similar has/will open(ed) up there.

Our Dining Experience at Veggie Macau

This was the only sit-down restaurant we ate at in Macau and the dining experience was a little different. A nice waiter seated us upstairs. After ordering, the meals went up this little meal elevator and the waiter served us from there. We thought that was kind of neat and it felt pretty fancy.

What We Ate at Veggie Macau

We decided to share two things: pizza and fries. Not the most “local” cuisine and they probably don’t appear above average in appearance, but both were surprisingly delicious. The pizza seemed to be two layers of tortilla or something like that. I guess it was better than it looks and sounds. The green you see on top is pesto. The fries were nicely seasoned and cooked. The total was 120 MOP ($15.34). We got water but I don’t remember if it was included or not.

Lou Lim Ioc Garden Macau, Estrada de Adolfo Loureiro

Lou Lim Loc Garden was my last planned stop in Macau.

The garden dates back to 1906 when it was built in the Suzhou style by local merchant Lou Kau. Originally an extension of Kau’s residence, in 1974 it became a public park.

Inside you can find many flowers and trees including bonsai trees as well as a lake with fish and turtles, a pavilion, and more. Elderly people like to convene here for games sometimes (we saw some of that).

The hours are 6am to 9pm.

Cemetery

This wasn’t a stop, but just one of the places we passed by which I thought looked nice. This is Saint Michael’s chapel and in this area is a cemetery that contains graves of some deceased Catholics from Macau (Portuguese and Chinese).

The Wrong Way: Macau Grand Prix

Our return to the ferry station was much longer than expected due to going the wrong way. The turn was kind of hidden so we ended up missing it.

It was obvious to me this was the wrong way but Kyle insisted we continue on this path. I wasn’t able to prove it to him since my phone wasn’t getting a good enough connection to load maps and he wouldn’t check his.

We passed behind the road where the Grand Prix takes place. That was not planned but it’s a big thing so I guess it’s nice we got to see the area. Fortunately, there was no race going on at this time or it could have been more problematic. After a long period Kyle gave in, checked his GPS, and realized how far off we were. Fortunately, this is pretty much the only time we really got lost or had any problems for the entire trip to Hong Kong.

After a couple of miles of back-tracking, we made our way back.

If you would like to be a part of a tour and not worry about things like this, here are some options:

• 6/7-hour sightseeing tour
• One-day sightseeing tour with transfer
• 7-hour tour via limo

Time to Head Home

We made it back to the ferry station but the downside is we arrived after the time when the ticket prices go up. Oh well. We did at least get to catch a Macau sunset.

We had a nice time in Macau. During our visit, we learned more about the history and culture of the city, got some nice views, and ate some good food. 

Skipped Activities

Here are some activities which we skipped this time:

• Lou Kau Mansion — I planned for us to visit this and we looked for it (got some extra walking in) and couldn’t find it. It was the home of a Chinese merchant. 
• Holy House of Mercy Museum — This is a museum with a view. 5 mop ($0.62). I don’t remember why we didn’t go. I think we had trouble finding it. 
• Fisherman’s Wharf — A sightseeing park which also contains shopping and restaurants. One of the attractions is a mini Colosseum. This was a consideration we ended up deciding to skip.
• Mandarin’s House — I wanted to see this because I like how it looks and there is supposed to be some information about Macau there but I think it was a little out of the way.
• There were also more on this side that just didn’t work well with our path and would have required too much additional walking (and time) to see.
• On the other side of Macau, some of the things I considered were: The Venetian Macao, Lord Stow’s Bakery, Cotai Strip, Taipa Village, Tampa House Museum, Parisian, Wynn Palace, and A-Ma Temple.
• We also briefly entertained the idea of bungee jumping — Macau is home to the highest bungee jump in the world! But for us, the price was too steep. Though I wasn’t sure I was feeling up to that anyway.

A Couple Tips

Important: Don’t forget your passport! You will need it when coming into Macau and/or leaving Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Dollars should also be able to be used at a 1:1 ratio but you will not be able to use Macaunese Pataca in Hong Kong. There are also opportunities to use credit cards.

What to Wear In/Bring to Macau

• We went in November and it was still pretty warm so I would wear something lightweight.
• In the summer it can rain more and you may want a rain jacket. Any time of year you may want a hat for the sun. I had both! Also, don’t forget your sunglasses.
• A good pair of walking shoes is always a must if you’re going to be on your feet a lot. If you do this itinerary, that will be important.
• A water bottle.

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