Our 5 Days Itinerary in Macau : Guide to Must-Do / Must-Go (Part 2)

Hi! Thanks for tuning into our Taiwanderful travel episode. For the past few weeks, we’ve brought you reasons to visit Taiwan!  This time, we were in Macau. At first, I wasn’t very sure what to do in Macau besides gambling! Camel finally convinced me and the trip was a real eye opener for me. The place was not really like China, nor did it feel like Hong Kong. Macau was just uniquely, Macau!  

What impressed us about Macau was hardly the casinos, but the many of UNESCO Heritage Sites, ranging from Ruins of St. Paul's to A-Ma Temple and many more which are also known as “The Historic Centre of Macau” with their own respective background stories. Are you one of those travelers who misunderstood Macau’s real beauty like I did before? 

If yes, follow our 5-days travel journey, yes 5 days in Macau to experience the city's historic monuments, a wonderful example of the early encounter between Chinese and Portuguese civilizations blend in one city! 

Day 1: 12 January 2015 

PENANG → Kuala Lumpur (KLIA 2) → MACAU

Depart from Penang – Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) – Macau International Airport 

Day 2: 13 January 2015  

MACAU (Macau Peninsula)

Checked-in Hotel –Ruins of St. Paul’s – Mount Fortress – Macau Museum – Company of Jesus Square – Senado Square – St. Dominic’s Church - Holy House of Mercy – ‘Leal Senado’ Building – Sam Kai Vui Kun (Kuan Tai Temple) – San Man Lo (Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro) & Rua da Felicidade Business Circle

◊ Breakfast - AirAsia's in flight pre-booked meals

◊ Lunch - Wong Chi Kei Restaurant (Wantan Noodles)

◊ Tea - Leitaria I Son (Red Bean Milk Pudding) 
◊ Dinner – Margaret's Cafe e Nata (Portuguese Egg Tarts)

Day 3: 14 January 2015  

MACAU (Macau Peninsula & Taipa & Coloane)

Na Tcha Temple – Section of the Old City Walls - St. Augustine’s Square – Dom Pedro V Theater – Sir Robert Ho Tung Library – St. Augustine’s Church – Rua de Cunha, Taipa (for street-eats) - Galaxy Macau Promenande – The Grand Canal (Venetian) – City of Dreams  – Coloane Village (for the famous Lord Stow’s Portuguese Egg Tarts) Wynn Hotel / Esplanade – New Yaohan

 ◊ Breakfast - Casa De Cha Long Wa (Dimsum)

 ◊  Lunch - Casa de Pasto Seng Choeng (Crab Porridge) & Gelatina Mok Yi Kei (Serradura / Sawdust Pudding)

 ◊  Tea - Restaurant Tai Lei Loi Kei (Pork Chop Bun)

 ◊  Dinner Lord Stow’s Bakery (Portuguese Egg Tarts) 

Day 4: 15 January 2015 

MACAU (Macau Peninsula)

St. Anthony’s Church – Casa Garden – Barra Square – A-Ma Temple – Moorish Barracks – Lilau Square – Mandarin’s House – St. Lawrence’s Church – St. Joseph’s Seminary & Church – Guia Fortress – City of Dreams (for House of Dancing Water show)

◊ Breakfast - Estab De Comidas Ngao Keo Ka Lei Chon (Crab Roe Noodles) & Hou Keng Fan Tim (Roasted Pork Rice)

◊ Lunch - Escada Restaurante (Portuguese Baked Duck Rice & African Chicken)

◊ Tea - Lai Kei Sorvetes (3-Flavoured Ice Cream Sandwich)

◊ Dinner -  McDonald’s 

Day 5: 16 January 2015

MACAU (Macau Peninsula)

Shopping at San Man Lo (Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro) & Rua da Felicidade (Red House) Business Circle – New Yaohan  – Grand Lisboa – One Central Plaza Promenade  – MGM Macau (Water-Sky Aquarium) –Red Sandalwood Art Exhibition of Old Beijing City Gates at MGM Macau

 ◊ Breakfast - Sopa De Fitas Ving Kei (Pork Rib Noodles & Chilled Sweetened Bean Curd)

 ◊ Lunch - Cheong Kei Noodle House (Dry Shrimp Roe Noodles Har Ji Meen)

 ◊ Tea - Koi Kei Bakery (Almond Cookies) & Hing Yi Waffle Stall (Banana Waffle and Egg Puffs)

 ◊ Dinner - Chan Kuong Kei Restaurant (Black Pepper Roasted Duck with Rice)

Day 6: 17 January 2015 

MACAU → Kuala Lumpur (KLIA 2) → PENANG

Macau International Airport - Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA 2) - Penang

◊ Breakfast – Tong Kee Restaurant (Wantan Noodles, Suikow and French Toast)  

We arrived Macau International Airport at 1040a.m. after nearly 4 hours flight with AirAsia. The weather was cloudy and the temperature at noon time was around 14°C. Nice and cool weather for us to snap plenty of stunning photos!

Here’s a bit of a history about Macau/Macao. Macau, a lucrative port of strategic importance in the development of international trade, was under Portuguese administration from the mid-16th century until 1999, when it came under Chinese sovereignty. With its historic street, residential, religious and public Portuguese and Chinese buildings, the historic centre of Macao provides a unique testimony to the meeting of aesthetic, cultural, architectural and technological influences from East and West. (Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1110)   

Ok, enuf said. Back to our journey in Macau, a place full of colourful history. We spent 5-days in Macau, visiting many UNESCO Heritage Sites, starting from Ruins of St. Paul to Senado Square. Most of the heritage sites are within walking distance but do expect massive visitors in the afternoon, which makes the place very crowded. 

Ruins of St. Paul's  is Macau's best known landmark

Mandatory tourist shot

The Macau Museum is a great place for knowledge and fun

An amazing view of Grand Lisboa at Mount Fortress 

Our trip started with a walk to Ruins of St. Paul's, which was a 5-minute walk from our hotel. The Ruins of St. Paul is Macau’s most famous landmark. Built in 1602-1640, the church was part of St. Paul’s college, and was the first western-styled university in the Far East. We then moved on to the nearby Mount Fortress where the Macau Museum was located. The Mount Fortress was built between 1617 and 1626, and now serves as the Macau Museum. It was a great place to come for panoramic views of Ruins of St. Paul and the whole view of Macau. On the hill top, you will also find Macao Museum, if you’d like to learn more about Macau’s history.  Along the way to Senado Square, we stopped by St. Dominic’s Church, located in the middle of the square to rest our wearied feet.  

The St. Dominic's Church is one of the most unique church in Macau

Senado Square is where all the festives happen at!

Senado Square is where all the festives happen at!

Santa Casa De Misericórdia is Macau's oldest charitable institution

Macau's historic colonial architecture showcases its Portuguese past

The Cathedral built in 1622 is one of the most important Catholic churches in Macau

Later in the afternoon, we continued our journey to Senado Square, the centre of Macau. The square is paved with black and white cobbles and has a fountain in the middle of it, and surrounded by heritage buildings, such as Holy House of Mercy, the post office and Leal Senado Building, located right opposite of the fountain. San Man Lo/ Rua da Felicidade Business Circle are just located beside these buildings. We strolled around the area and enjoyed some window shopping.   

Macau, where Chinese and Portuguese civilizations blend in one city

A section of the old city walls built by the Portuguese as early as 1569 to defend the fort

The Na Tcha Temple built in 1888 and dedicated to Na Tcha in an attempt to halt the plague rampaging at that time

On the following day (14 January 2015), we continued our journey and headed to Na Tcha Temple and Section of the Old City Walls, located near to Ruins of St. Paul’s.  The section of the Old City Walls was first constructed as early as 1569 by the Portuguese to protect the city, making it a heavily defended fort. We then continued our journey to St. Augustine’s Square, Dom Pedro V Theater, Sir Robert Ho Tung Library and St. Augustine’s Church where these notable monuments are located close to each other. The St. Augustine’s Church was first constructed by a group of Spanish Augustinian priests in 1586 and then was reconstructed again in 1874. The Church was the first that preached in English in Macau. The Dom Pedro V Theater was built by the Portuguese in 1860 to commemorate King Pedro V. The theater is now used for staging plays and concerts.  We then quickly moved to Rua de Cunha, Taipa for our trip mission, food-hunting. Please follow our post on “Eat around Macau”, where we describe each food spot in detailed.  

Galaxy Macau - I'm impressed!

Gondola ride at Venetian Macau, a place with gorgeous and romantic landscape

The City of Dreams in Macau

We walked through a number of casino floors in Macau. It was remarkable

Later, we hopped off our feet to one of the biggest casino in the world, “The Venetian Macau”. Trip to Macau is always not complete without visiting casinos. You can easily reach Galaxy Macau Promenande  by walking from Taipa Village. It took us about fifteen minutes’ walk from Rua de Cunha. We visited three posh hotels with international standards casinos: Galaxy Macau Promenande, The Grand Canal (Venetian) and City of Dreams (Hard Rock Hotel, Crown Towers, Grand Hyatt) in Cotai. The buildings were pretty impressive and we truly enjoyed the cityscape view surrounding. It was extremely hassle free to travel between the casino resorts as we took the free shuttle services offered by these resorts. After spending one whole day in Cotai, we took a public bus to Coloane Town Square to have a taste of one of the must-try food in Macau, Lord Stow’s Portuguese egg tarts before heading back to our hotel. There is also a Lord Stow’s cafe around the corner, which serve excellent food besides egg tarts.

Grab the egg tarts and watch the view here at Coloane Village

On the 3rd day (15 January 2015) - After finishing our breakfast at Estab De Comidas Ngao Keo Ka Lei Chon, we moved on to our first stop, St. Anthony’s Church, one of the three oldest church in Macau built between 1558 and 1560.We were also told that in the past, many Portuguese weddings were held at this church. Along the way, we stopped by Casa Garden before we move on to A-Ma Temple. The A-Ma Temple is the oldest temple and longest surviving building in Macau. Nearby to it were Moorish Barracks and Lilau Square.

St. Augustine's Church first constructed as a seminary in 1586 by a group of Spanish Augustinian priests

Built in 1860 as the first western-style theater in China, the Dom Pedro V Theater is a highly significant landmark in Macau

One of the oldest Church in Macau - St. Anthony's Church

St. Joseph’s Seminary & Church is an exemplary model of baroque architecture in Macau

The famous A-Ma Temple in Macau, existed since 1488

Incensed @ Ah-Ma Temple

Rua da Felicidade - Be prepared to be tempted by the aroma of bakery stores

We continued our feet to the Mandarin’s House. Built before 1869, the Mandarin’s House was previously the residence of the famous Chinese thinker Zheng Guanying. Later in the afternoon, we dropped by St. Lawrence’s Church, St. Joseph’s Seminary & Church and Guia Fortress.  After dinner, we took the shuttle bus in front of Hotel Sintra (along San Ma Lou) to City of Dreams for House of Dancing Water show housed in a purpose-built theater designed with multiple breakthroughs including a stage pool that is able to hold a record breaking 3.7 million gallons water, deep enough for 20-30 meter dives! I must admit it was a wonderful show, but at the end of the day it must be seen to be appreciated. Stay tuned for my next travel episode for more stories.

The Mandarin's House is a traditional compound embodying both Chinese and Western architecutral features

One for the album - Mandarin's House

On 16 January 2015, we strolled along the main drag, San Man Lo (or Avenida Almeida Ribero), and Rua da Felicidade (Red houses) where later we discovered New Yaohan. After a quick bite, we headed to Senado Square for our last minute shopping. Like many tourists did, we left with 10 boxes of Koi Kei almond cookies to bring home! Near to evening, we spent our last night walking along San Man Lo towards the casino resorts (Grand Lisboa, One Central Plaza Promenade and MGM Macau) for a quick view of Macau’s neon landmark, with dazzling and glitzy lighting displays. Along the way we also stopped by One Central Plaza Promenade to enjoy the night breeze and picturesque view of the Macau-Taipa Bridge.  We then moved on to MGM Macau for the 8.3 meters tall cylindrical water-sky aquarium. It was truly breathtaking. Remember to check out this place ya!

The Macau Tower and Macau -Taipa Bridge beautifully lit during the twilight hours

We retired early that night as the next day we have to depart early for our flight back to Malaysia.

Incensed

A little corner in Macau. This one caught my eye

Busy street scence in Macau

17 January 2015 - Our last stop was Macau’s International Airport.  

We had a delightful trip in Macau. From advanced huge casinos, hotels, to street foods crawling, and miles of walk from point to point. Macau isn’t just about gambling in famous casinos, but a wonderful place for history buff and food lovers as well. I love how well-preserved most things are in this country from the cobbled steps to the old structures. One day trip is definitely not enough to understand the living and cultures in Macau, so, it is highly recommended that you prolong your stay to at least 3 days. 

  

Air Itinerary Details:

AirAsia: Penang - Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA 2) – Macau International Airport / Macau International Airport - Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA 2) - Penang 

Accommodation:

Holiday Hotel (strategically located near Ruins of St. Paul. 5-minutes’ walk to Ruins of St. Paul)

Address: Estrada do Repouso, No.36-38, Macau City, Macau

Website: www.holiday36.com

e-mail: info@holiday36.com

Telephone: +853 28350161

1 Room for 4 nights = MYR 1,005.00

Averagely MYR 250.00/night

Places of Interest / Entrance Tickets: 

Macau Peninsula (How to stroll through the historic centre of Macau by foot?)

◊ Ruins of St. Paul’s – FOC. Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ Mount Fortress – FOC. Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ Macau Museum – MOP 15.  Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ Senado Square – FOC.  Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ St. Dominic’s Church – FOC.  Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ Holy House of Mercy – FOC.  Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ ‘Leal Senado’ Building – FOC. Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ Sam Kai Vui Kun (Kuan Tai Temple) FOC.  Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ Na Tcha Temple – FOC. Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ Section of the Old City Walls – FOC. Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ St. Augustine’s Square – FOC. Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ Dom Pedro V Theater – FOC. Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ Sir Robert Ho Tung Library – FOC. Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ St. Augustine’s Church – FOC. Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ Wynn Hotel / Esplanade – FOC. From San Man Lo (Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro), walk for 10-15minutes towards Grand Lisboa.

◊ St. Anthony’s Church – FOC. Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ Casa Garden – FOC.  Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ St. Joseph’s Seminary & Church – FOC.  Within walking distance from Senado Square / San Ma Lo (Avenida Almeida Ribeiro)

◊ A-Ma Temple – FOC. Take bus # 2/5/7/10/11/18/21A/N3 from Senado Square and stop at Ah-Ma Temple.

◊ Moorish Barracks – FOC.  Within walking distance from Ah-Ma Temple (5 minutes walk)

◊ Lilau Square – FOC.  Within walking distance from Ah-Ma Temple (15 minutes walk)

◊ Mandarin’s House – FOC.  Within walking distance from Ah-Ma Temple (15 minutes walk)

◊ St. Lawrence’s Church – FOC. Within walking distance from Ah-Ma Temple (20 minutes walk along Rua do Antonio)

◊ Guia Fortress – FOC. Take bus # 9/12/18 from Senado Square and stop at Indoor Sports Complex. Hike towards fortress for 10-15 minutes.

Taipa  

◊ Galaxy Macau Promenande – FOC. Take shuttle bus from Star World Hotel, available from 10:00 - 24:05,  frequency 8-15 minutes or take bus # 11/15/22/28A/33 from Senado Square and stop at Rua de Cunha and walk for 10-15minutes.

◊ The Grand Canal (Venetian) – FOC.  Take shuttle bus from Sands Macau Hotel, available from 10:00 - 00:00, frequency 5-15minutes or take bus # 11/15/22/28A/33 from Senado Square and stop at Rua de Cunha and walk for 10-15 minutes.

◊ City of Dreams – FOC. Take shuttle bus from Galaxy Macau, available from 11:00 - 23:00, frequency 5-15 minutes or shuttle bus from Hotel Sintra along San Ma Lo, available from 11:00 - 24:00, frequency 6-15 minutes.

*** Cotai Buses Connection: The Venetian to Galaxy Macau. Available from 10:00 - 23:00, frequency 5-10 minutes.

◊ Rua de Cunha - Take bus 11/15/22/28A/33 from Senado Square and stop at Rua de Cunha. 

◊ The House of Dancing Water show @ City of Dreams– MOP596. Take shuttle bus from Hotel Sintra along San Ma Lo. Available from 11:00 - 24:00, frequency 6-15 minutes.

Performance(s) & Schedule 

◊ Lake Show at Wynn Hotel / Esplanade (11.00am – 12.00 midnight daily; every 15 minutes)

◊ Tree of Prosperity & Dragon of Fortune Shows at Wynn Hotel / Esplanade (10.00am – 2.00am daily, alternate shows every 30 minutes)

◊ Mermaid Show at City of Dreams (Daily)

◊ Fortune Diamond Show at Galaxy Macau (Sundays - Thursdays: 10.00am. - 11:59 pm ; Fridays, Saturdays and Public Holidays: 10am – 2am (every 30 minutes)

◊ Fountain Show at Galaxy Macau (Sundays - Thursdays: 10.00am. - 11:59 pm; Fridays, Saturdays and Public Holidays: 10am – 2am (every 30 minutes)

◊ Water-sky Aquarium / Light & Sound Show at MGM Macau (Daily from 7pm to 11pm)

◊ Wishing Crystals at Galaxy Macau (Daily)

Sam Yi Souvenir Shop

Address: Rua De D. Belchior Carneiro No.10, Yue Wa Gardenfl Macau (located behind Ruins of St. Paul, 3-minutes walk from Ruins of St.Paul)

Telephone: +853 62981868

Opening hours: 9.00 am – 6.00pm

◊◊◊P/S: Remember to drop by Macau Government Tourist Office (three-storey yellow building in front of Senado Square) to grab your travel maps/guides.

Read more about our travel experiences @ Macau:
Our 5 Days Itinerary in Macau : Guide to Must-Eat 

**Stay tuned for our next travel episode: Our 5 Days Itinerary in Macau : 

Guide to Must-See** 

“We travel to lose our prejudices, and gain a new outlook on life”

 Welcome to Small World! This blog is not a travel agency, but rather a personal site which allows us to share our past travel experiences in a straightforward and far-reaching way. We often made great use of other peoples travel blogs and sites every time we plan for our travel itinerary as they often contained most updated information and invaluable resources from their past travel experiences.  We hope that you will find every piece of information & images contained within our blog handy and useful. Thank you very much for reading our post(s). If you find this blog worth a read,  please feel free to leave a comment/testimonial or click "Like/Share" if you love reading them all. xoxo 
Both Chengy & Camel are passionate travelers who enjoys speaking to young keen travelers about the freedom to get cultured and to taste the fullness of life. Feel free to contact them if you need any travel advice, guidance or tips or if you have any burning questions with regards to your upcoming trip(s)/ journey   

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