If you requirement assist with planning your next trip to Macau, here’s our diy MACAU travel guide blog with great deals of travel tips about inexpensive hotels as well as finest things to do. You’ll likewise discover a sample diy MACAU itinerary with a listing of possible travel expenses.
When the Portuguese landed on the shore near A-ma temple over 400 years ago, they asked the locals what the name of the land was. The locals misinterpreted as well as believed that they were asking about the name of the bay. “A-ma-gao,” they said. It means Bay of A-ma, named after the goddess revered at the close-by temple. The Portuguese equated it to “Macau.”
WHAT’S covered IN THIS GUIDE?
Understanding Macau
Best Time to go to Macau
Macau Visa as well as immigration Requirements
How to get to MacauManila to Macau
Macau flight terminal to City Center
Hong Kong to Macau by Ferry
Taipa Ferry terminal to City Center
Hong Kong to Macau by Bus (Sea Bridge)
HZMB to Macau City Center
Where to stay in MacauTop budget plan hotels in Macau
Search for More: Macau Hotels
How to get around MacauBy Public Bus
By free hotel Shuttle
By open top Bus Tour
By Taxi
Places to VisitSenado Square
Ruins of St. Paul’s
Macau Tower
A-Ma Temple
City of Dreams: The home of dancing Water
The Venetian: Gondola Ride
The Parisian Macao: Eiffel Tower
Studio City: Batman Dark flight 4D Ride
Studio City: golden Reel Ferris Wheel
Wynn Macau: dancing Fountain
Camoes Square
Macau Museum
Other Macau Attractions
Sample Macau ItinerariesItinerary #1: Macau Only
Itinerary #2: Macau + Hong Kong
More tips for the bad Traveler
Frequently Asked QuestionsIs there show money to go into Macau?
Is it possible to go into Macau as well as exit Hong Kong?
Is it possible to go into Hong Kong as well as exit Macau?
More tips on YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️Related Posts:
Understanding Macau
Over the next centuries, more Portuguese set foot on the beaches of Macau. many of them were enabled to settle as well as establish an enclave after protecting the inhabitants from endemic pirates. Eventually, the land fell under their rule. As one of Portugal’s link to Asia, Macau absorbed much of the fantastic flood of European influences that passed with it. Their design wrapped the land’s structures. Their language snuck into the locals’ mouths. Their legislations as well as culture dominated their method of life. It witnessed a number of wars as well as revolutions, pacts as well as treaties. as well as then, the Portuguese power declined. The Chinese regained manage of the region. Macau was provided specific autonomies. Industrialization took over. Its skylines grew taller. Its cityscapes evolved faster. Macau ended up being a city-wide playground, a melting pot of two hemispheres, a bastion of ruthless development.
General publish office building next to Senado Square
Today, Macau (澳門) is formally understood as Macao special Administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. It is an autonomous territory, so even though it is officially part of China, it has its own currency as well as immigration policy, separate from that of mainland China or Hong Kong. In fact, even visitors from the mainland as well as HK will have to pass with immigration as well as customs inspect upon entering Macau.
Geographically, Macau is composed of four districts: the Macau peninsula, two islands (Taipa as well as Coloane), as well as the reclaimed land between the two (called Cotai).
Macau Peninsula. This is where the historical core of Macau is located. most of the tourist areas are here. It’s likewise the most populated district.
Taipa Island. Although the flight terminal is here, it is mainly a residential island.
Coloane Island. The least established of the four areas. For tourists, locations of rate of interest right here include hiking trails, old temples, as well as a couple of beaches.
Cotai Strip. The reclaimed land between Taipa as well as Coloane, occupied mainly by hotels as well as gaming buildings.
More information you requirement to know:
Language: Cantonese as well as Portuguese are the official languages. around 90% of the population speaks Cantonese. Although an official language, Portuguese isn’t commonly spoken by locals. However, most indications as well as tourism brochures have Portuguese translations. Mandarin as well as English are not common, however some locals, particularly in the tourism industry, comprehend them a little.
Currency: Macanese pataca (MOP). MOP 100 is around USD 1.3, EUR 10, PHP 645, SGD 16.2 (as of April 2018). Hong Kong dollar (HKD) is frequently accepted at 1:1 rate.
Money Exchange. There are a great deal of money changers throughout Macau. the most respectable business are Soi Cheong money Changer as well as P&W Casa de Cambio (aka Parkway Exchange), both of which have a branch in Senado Square.
Modes of payment: most establishments prefer money payment, however many of them likewise accept credit history card transactions.
Electricity Info: 220V, 50Hz. types D, M, G, as well as F are used.
Best Time to go to Macau
October to December! The Macanese autumn sees fine weather, comfortable temperatures, as well as no threats of typhoons.
January as well as February are generally dry, too! however it can get chillier.
Image courtesy of climate Portal Index
April is when the level of rainfall starts to rise, peaking in June as well as slowly subsiding in September. The rain can put a damper on your plans since most of Macau’s attractions are outdoor, unless you’ll be there for buying or hotel-hopping, which aren’t a poor idea.
If you’re traveling on a budget, you may likewise want to prevent November, since that’s when the Macau Grand Prix happens, which pushes hotel rates to skyrocket. If you firmly insist or you’re visiting for the race, book as early as possible since hotel spaces offer out even quicker than the racers. Don’t browse for accommodations at the last minute. I made that error once. I had a tough time looking for inexpensive spaces since most are offered out as well as the ones that had vacancies were super expensive. I ended up staying in Hong Kong instead as well as just visited Macau on a day tour.
Macau Visa as well as immigration Requirements
Macau enables citizens of numerous countries to go into as well as temporarily stay in Macau without a visa. These include the following:
Philippines (30 days)
Hong Kong (1 year)
Indonesia (30 days)
Malaysia (30 days)
Thailand (30 days)
Singapore (30 days)
United Kingdom (6 months)
United specifies (30 days)
European Union specifies (90 days)
For more info, go to this page.
How to get to Macau
Macau has its own airport, Macau worldwide flight terminal (MFM) on Taipa Island.
Okay, here’s the thing. Hong Kong is so close to Macau, if you have the time as well as money, it would be a pity to go to one without the other. Hence, what I suggest is to book as well as entry flight to Macau as well as exit from Hong Kong. Or you can do it the other method around, go into Hong Kong as well as exit Macau. This way, you get to find as well as experience both of these
amazing cities.
If there truly is no method that you can do a Hong Kong entrance-Macau exit (or vice versa), you can likewise book a roundtrip ticket to either. That means you’re gonna have to take the 1-hour ferry trip to the other.
Manila to Macau
From Manila, the cheapest flights are operated by AirAsia as well as Cebu Pacific Air, with the fares within the P2000-P3500 range, if you book in advance. Note, however, that these are just the fundamental fares as well as do not yet include check-in baggage allowance as well as other add-ons. Philippine Airlines’ all-in ticket starts at P6500. It already includes baggage allowance, meals/snacks, as well as seat fee.
Macau flight terminal to City Center
You have four options:
By free hotel Shuttles. You can board any type of of the free shuttles provided by hotels to get to the city center. You don’t requirement to have a booking at that hotel to be let in. even if you have no plan on staying there, you can get on. just pick the hotel closest to your destination. For example, right here are the bus routines for the Venetian, Wynn Hotel, as well as City of Dreams.
By free flight terminal Shuttle. The flight terminal has its own free shuttle service. At the Arrival Hall, discover the north exit as well as travel on foot to the car parking lot, where you’ll discover the buses. There’s a bus every 15-20 minutes. offered from 11am-9pm.
By Public Bus. Fare is between MOP 4.2 as well as MOP 5. Here’s the public bus schedule.
By Taxi. There are parts of the city that are not quickly accessible by bus. In these cases, taking the taxi makes the most sense. The flagdown rate is MOP 19 + MOP 2 for each 240 meters or every minute it’s not in motion. extra MOP 3 fee for every piece of baggage in the compartment. The usual fare from the flight terminal to the city center is MOP 70-90, depending upon which part of the city you’re going.
Hong Kong to Macau by Ferry
If you’re coming from Hong Kong, you can take the ferry to Macau. The journey takes only around an hour. rates vary depending upon the operator. Fares are likewise higher during the night.
Image provided by Klook
Two of the primary ferry business plying the Hong Kong-Macau path are CotaiJet as well as TurboJet. You can board the ferry at any type of of these 3 terminals in Hong Kong:
China Ferry Terminal. located next to Harbour City shopping center in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. One-way fare: HKD 132 to 172 (in daytime) as well as as much as HKD 211 (at night).
Hong Kong Macau Ferry terminal (aka Sheung Wan Terminal). found on the third floor of Shun Tak Centre (next to the IFC Towers) on Hong Kong Island. One-way fare: HKD 132 to 172 (in daytime) as well as as much as HKD 211 (at night).
Sky Pier. found at Hong Kong worldwide Airport. special to tourists only. One-way fare: HKD 270.
In Macau, there are two terminals where ferries from Hong Kong can dock.
Macau outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, found on the Peninsula. This is better to the city center.
Taipa Terminal, sometimes called Cotai Terminal, just a short walk from the flight terminal as well as better to the huge hotels.
You can buy tickets at the terminal itself. However, if you want to score some discounts, you can book in advance on the internet via Klook! For example, the routine one-way TurboJet fare is somewhere between HKD 170 as well as 200. however with Klook, it’s only at HKD 165. as well as you can save even more if you purchase roundtrip tickets at once.
Images provided by Klook
For discounted tickets, book below:
Please take note of the date as well as time of your trip since rates of sailing on weekends as well as at night are higher. just click on any type of of the complying with links:
Hong Kong (Sheung Wan) to Taipa terminal via CotaiJet (ONE-WAY). RESERVE discounted TICKET HERE.
Hong Kong (Sheung Wan) to Macau outer Harbour terminal via TurboJet (ONE-WAY). RESERVE discounted TICKETS HERE.
Hong Kong/Kowloon to Macau outer Harbour terminal via TurboJet (ROUNDTRIP). You can board either in Hong Kong Macau terminal (Sheung Wan) or in China Ferry terminal (Kowloon). RESERVE discounted TICKETS HERE.
Hong Kong/Kowloon to Taipa terminal via CotaiJet (ROUNDTRIP). You can board either in Hong Kong Macau terminal (Sheung Wan) or in China Ferry terminal (Kowloon). RESERVE discounted TICKETS HERE.
Taipa Ferry terminal to City Center
By free hotel Shuttle. At the terminal, you can board any type of of the free shuttles provided by hotels to get to the city center. You don’t requirement to have a booking at that hotel to be let in. even if you have no plan on staying there, you can get on. just pick the hotel closest to your destination.
By Taxi. The flagdown rate is MOP 19 + MOP 2 for each 240 meters or every minute it’s not in motion. extra MOP 3 fee for every piece of baggage in the compartment. The usual fare from the flight terminal to the city center is MOP 70-90, depending upon which part of the city you’re going.
By Public Bus. I haven’t tried this personally. I always utilized the free shuttle bus. LOL. as well as taxi once. I have no info about this yet.
Hong Kong to Macau by Bus (Sea Bridge)
You can likewise take the bus to get to Macau from Hong Kong via the recently opened Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (HZMB).
If your hotel is in central Hong Kong or Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon) areas, I still suggest the tried as well as tested ferries since the ports are much closer. Taking the shuttle bus via sea bridge means you have to go to Lantau Island first, which means you requirement to take the MTR as well as one more bus. That can be problematic if you have heavy luggage in tow.
But if you truly want to experience the sea bridge, here’s how.
Take the MTR to Sunny Bay Station.
Board B5 Bus to HZMB in Lantau Island. Fare: HK$ 5.8.
Go with immigration as well as Customs inspection.
Ride shuttle bus to Macau. The ticket office is within the restricted area, after the Immigration. Fare: HK$ 65 (regular times), HK$70 (midnight to 5-59am).
HZMB to Macau City Center
You can take either 101X Bus or 102X Bus, depending upon the place of your hotel. Fare is MOP6.
Here are the stops. Click to enlarge.
Where to stay in Macau
While Macau is finest understood for its 5-star hotels, it likewise harbor cheaper develops of accommodations. These choices are concentrated in the Macau peninsula, around the city center. budget plan hotels, guesthouses, as well as hostels can be discovered within as well as in the outskirts of the historic core.
However, their rates usually boost on weekends as well as surge during peak seasons. Take my two trips for example. In February, I booked a space with Fu Hua hotel for only HKD668. In November, in the middle of Macau Grand Prix, the rates more than doubled to almost HKD1500 per night. That’s a huge jump!
Top budget plan hotels in Macau
If you ask Agoda users, right here are the top budget plan hotels as well as hostels in Macau.
Hotel Hou Kong, Macau. picture provided by Agoda
Home of Macau. inspect rates as well as Availability.
Holiday Hotel. inspect rates as well as Availability.
Kameng Villa. inspect rates as well as Availability.
Macau Masters Hotel. inspect rates as well as Availability.
Hou Kong Hotel. inspect rates as well as Availability.
Search for More: Macau Hotels
How to get around Macau
The historic center of Macau harbors the most prominent attractions. This includes the Ruins of St. Paul’s, the Senado Square, as well as A-ma Temple. Macau is a extremely walkable city, as well as most fascinating sites are within walking dist