The good news was, once we had reached Macau's ferry terminal, the downpour was merely a light drizzle. Being light on my feet, the goal was to make it to immigration before the mainland Chinese tourists got there (Remember boys and girls, when going to Macau, you must bring your passport).
The port is a wealth of information - not only can you get a great map that highlights a historical walking tour of the main peninsula (see my recommendations from that walking tour below) but the money exchange desk is not busy at all and gives a better rate than on the HK side. All you need if you're doing one day in Macau is approximately 300 - 400 Macau Petacas (approximately $50 CAD).
After hopping on the bus, head for the southwestern part of Macau's main peninsula (the other two parts of Macau are not worth going to unless you're visiting family or want to gamble because that's all that's there. You'll start at the Ama Temple (highlighted above). Get there early as the Chinese tourists are all there as of 930am and take the best photo spots, as again, highlighted above. This temple is actually older than the city of Macau itself and houses all three main Asian religions in here as inspired by the people who lived in the area.
Macau's rich naval heritage comes from a combination of the Chinese and the Portuguese. Throughout the city, you'll find artwork, like this Junk boat above on the pavements. There are stars, moons, fish, mermaids.
The Jesuits make quite the mark on this place as they were the initial people who colonized the area for the Portuguese. They were also responsible for educating the local population (thanks to one Jesuit Priest named Marco Ricci). They then converted everyone to Catholicism and the impact of that are found throughout Macau as one famous church after another (most dating back to the 15th century) can be found.
The Portuguese are also responsible for the colourful facades and the Mediterranean style architecture found in places like the Senado Square, now mostly a shopping district, it was the cultural centre of old Macau. Here, you'll find tourists up the ying yang, but locals also congregate and shop.
After Senado Square, head to Macau's landmark photo - the Ruin's of St. Paul's. Built in the 1600s, the cathedral, the largest in all of Macau was destroyed by a fire. Only one side of the building was spared which has miraculously now been turned into the most popular tourist destination of the city. Don't forget to go in and walk up the walls - here's the view of the Macau Skyline from the other side.
After all that walking around, it's best to have some time to think. While it's not on the historical tour path, the Jardin Luu Lim Ieoc is a must go destination. With a large coy ponds and several pagodas to rest, it's a perfect break to mark the last quarter of your trip around Macau.
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| The coy pond in the Jardin. |
Tourist Tips and Tricks:
- Take the ferry from Kowloon's China Ferry Harbour Terminal - with Turbojets leaving every half hour, and taking only an hour to get there, this is a really convenient way of getting to Macau. The cost should be about 166HKD or $25 CAD
- On the boat, take the time to fill out the immigration cards (offered at the concession stand). Do one for both Macau and for your return to HK since you can't get up to take pictures anyways.
- Once you get to Macau, go to the departures floor to check the times for the return ferry. Make sure to leave before 530pm, as that is the last ship to leave at the daytime rate (saves you about $2 or $3 CAD)
- You can also change money on the departures floor. Better to do it in Macau than in HK as it's a better rate.
- On the ground floor, you'll find a Tourism Office with free maps - take the blue covered "Macau Tourist Map" with a photo of the Ruins of St. Paul's on it. It's a smaller map than the other one (green cover) provided and it has a great historic walking tour route.
- Stick to the Macau peninsula for the sights - there's nothing really to see across the bridge on the other side.
- Take the # 10, 10A or 28B bus to your first destination on the walking tour - Ama Temple. This was a great walking tour guide as it allowed you to go to the furthest point and walk back from there. There are some points along the way that you don't need to see - here are the ones I found to be the best.
Terence's Walking Tour (with timing):
(1) Ama Temple (10 minutes by bus to get there - 5.20 MPC to get there)
(2) Maritime Museum - right beside Ama Temple
(3) Moorish Barracks (5 min walk uphill from Ama)
(4) Lilau Square (5 mins)
(5) St. Lawrence Church (7 min). You'll want to go inside, you can't take pictures, but it's still cool to see. Take a water break here as well. The heat gets to you.
(6) Dom Pedro V Theatre, St. Augustine's Church (4 mins)
(7) St. Joseph's Seminary and Church, Sir Robert Ho Tung Library (1 min)
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| A devout parishiner prays before Mary at the Seminary. |
(8) Senado Square (10 mins) - take a rest here. There's a Starbucks for some much needed iced coffee and air conditioning.
(9) Holy House of Mercy, Lou Kau Mansion are all near Senado Square - mostly photo ops
(10) St. Dominic's Church - go inside and take photos (5 min)
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| The alter at St. Dominic's. |
(11) Ruins of St. Paul's (10 mins) - stop by Koi Kei Bakery for Portuguese egg tarts. 2 for 14 MPC or $2 CAD. Honestly, I don't like egg tarts and I couldn't stop eating these. Buy some for breakfast the next day. Also, go up the face of the side of St. Paul's - great picture of the city below.
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| Mmm...egg tarts. |
(12) Na Tcha Temple and Old City Walls (2 mins) - right beside St. Paul's and a quick photo op.
(13) OFF THE TRAIL - Casa Garden, Protestant Cemetery (20 mins roundtrip back to St. Paul's) - you can forego this part if you want. It was okay, just some rich guy's house. Take a rest at the gardens for water. No need to stop for a washroom - you've sweated out all of the liquids.
(14) Mount Fortress - right beside St. Paul's - you'll want to spend at least 30 mins to an hour here admiring the view of Macau. There's plenty of benches to rest your already tired feet.
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| Ready...Aim... The view from atop Mount Fortress looking at the Hotel Lisboa. |
(15) Jardin Lou Lim Ioec (20 mins from St. Paul's) - a great place to sit by a pond and reflect and take in the soothing sounds of the crickets and secada beetles (I dunno if that's what they are called, but maybe I'm just thinking of Neil Sedaka...who knows).
(16) Tap Seac Square (5 mins) to admire the old colonial architecture.
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| How can you not love buildings with this much colour and personality? @ Tap Seac Square |
(17) Cross the street to catch the #8 or 12 to the Macau Cultural Centre (3.20 MPC or $0.50 CAD)
(18) Walk across the street after getting off the bus and go to the two photo op points of the Science Centre and the Kun Iam Deity statue.
(19) Walk back to the same bus stop to catch the number 3A, 10A or 12 back to the Harbour to leave (3.20 MPC)
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| Stop 18 - The Macau Science Centre. |
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| Kun Iam looking upon the city of Macau. She thanks you for walking about 20 full kilometres today. |
All in all, this tour took me from 10am - 130pm to complete. Not bad for almost 4 hours of continuous walking. Bring a 2L bottle of water - I drank it all by stop 16. The turbojet does not take you back to Kowloon Harbour, rather, the Macau Harbour on the HK side.
Macau is a must see - and a great way to collect a stamp for your passport. Easy and fast to get to, super cheap if you're just going to walk around and take in the sights! You don't even have to book a hotel!
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