Macau really does live up to its nickname as the Vegas of Asia – but it’s not only casinos! You’ll also find Portuguese-style buildings and the distinct wavy mosaic pavements mixed with Asian cuisine. It’s a unique blend of east meets west and I really enjoyed visiting as part of my Hong Kong trip.

If you’re thinking is it really worth doing a day trip to another country? I hope this post convinces you that yes Macau is definitely worth visiting, even if you only have one day to experience it.

Download my 4 day Hong Kong itinerary (including the day trip to Macau) in this post.

How much time do you need in Macau?

I did Macau as 1 packed day but it would be better if you had 2 days. 1 day was very rushed and if you rely on public transport like we did, buses aren’t very frequent. If you only visit for 1 day, you won’t be able to see everything, no matter how much you pack the itinerary!

To add this to your Google Maps, click the star button in the maps window above (beside ‘Hong Kong’ on the top left).

How to get there

You can visit Macau from mainland China, or from Hong Kong.

The bus is the cheapest but slowest option. If you were going to Macau straight from Hong Kong International Airport you first need to clear Hong Kong immigration. Then head to the HZMV Shuttle Bus (Golden Bus) terminal which operates 24/7, with buses every 5–10 minutes during the day and every 15–30 minutes overnight. It’s 35 – 45 minutes to Macau, but if you were coming from Hong Kong it could take 50 minutes to get to the HZMC shuttle bus pickup location so the overall travel time is longer.

If you’re coming from Hong Kong, the turboJet ferry is the quickest option (takes around 1 hour). The ferry terminal is a short walk from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Ding Ding tram stop (Kennedy Town – Happy Valley line), or the Sheung Wan train station. It usually departs every 30 minutes with a reduced timetable later in the evening. The last ferry departs at 11pm (can be earlier on public holidays, the last ferry was 10pm on Good Friday when I visited) so you can have dinner in Macau and see the strip lit up before getting the ferry back to Hong Kong.

I opted for the ferry. There were a few bumps during the ferry trip, but it wasn’t bad enough to reach for the kwells.

After a ferry was cancelled in Greece and I had to get a helicopter (that’s a story for another day…), I was a bit stressed about ferries getting cancelled but everything went smoothly. And at least there’s a bus option as backup!

I normally pre-book everything except viewpoints (as weather dependent) on all of my holidays but decided not to pre-book this time as I wanted to be flexible to get up to The Peak if the weather was good. Turned out there was no need to worry about pre-booking the ferry anyway. They run frequently and you can buy the return ticket in the morning when you buy the ticket to get there.

We booked the 8:30am ferry but it would’ve been better to get an earlier ferry as trying to squeeze everything into 1 day was chaotic (you’ll see what I mean when I share the itinerary later in this post).

The windows of the ferry had a film on them so you couldn’t see much out of them but the ride didn’t seem very scenic anyway. A good time to catch up on sleep from the early wake up.

If you buy the ferry ticket on the day, you’ll be issued with paper tickets. Don’t lose them or you’ll have to rebuy the tickets.

We booked the 8pm ferry back to Hong Kong but when the bus from the Cotai strip (Wai Long/M.U.S.T. stop not far from the Wynn, no one else was waiting there and I wouldn’t recommend it, it seemed to be more for locals, we just went where Google Maps told us to get the bus from there on the day). We ordered an Uber at 7pm, it arrived 7:05pm and only took 10 minutes to get to the port. We then hustled and actually made the 7:30pm ferry – including clearing customs!

Note: Uber wouldn’t accept my Revolut card as a form of payment method, even though I had Macau dollars loaded on there. Only credit card would work.

DIY versus a guided tour

There are guided tour options on Get Your Guide and Viator and I’m so glad we did NOT book one of those. Most of the guided day tours didn’t include much in the itinerary, force you to eat at whatever restaurant they pick, and it sounded like they keep you on a tight leash with very little free time to go off on your own and explore.

I’ve done a fair bit of travel by now so I’m fairly confident doing day trips on my own, but I did first consider doing one of the guided tours mainly due to having to go through immigration when entering and exiting Macau. But as I mention later in this post, clearing immigration is super fast and easy, no need to stress about it at all.

The Macau ferry terminal is quite small and is easy to navigate

If you didn’t buy your return ferry ticket in advance there are self services machines in the Macau ferry terminal. Apart from wanting to guarantee our return to Hong Kong (you are allocated a seat with your ticket), I also wanted to have a return ticket in case we were asked this at immigration. As some countries want to know how long you’re staying and want to know your exit date. But nobody asked us if we had a return ticket. Hopping between Hong Kong and Macau for the day seems to be a common thing.

How to get from the ferry terminal to the touristy areas

The Turbojet fast ferry drops off at the Macau Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal. There’s a bus stop right out front of the terminal. Bus number 3 or 3A will take you to Senado Square.

Make sure you have Macau cash on you before you get to Macau. Bus drivers will only accept cash, exact fare and it has to be Macau dollars not Hong Kong dollars. There are money exchange places in the ferry terminal but no one was manning them when we were there. We went upstairs to McDonald’s and a really nice lady there exchanged money for us and gave us heaps of coins for the bus!

The TurboJet ferry back to Hong Kong also leaves from the Macau Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal.

There is another ferry terminal from Cotai but ferries weren’t operating from there during my visit.

• Senado Square, Ruins of St. Paul’s, Grand Lisboa, Wynn Macau = Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal
• Venetian, Parisian, Londoner, Studio City, Galaxy, Wynn Cotai, Cotai Strip = Taipa Ferry Terminal
• Both areas = Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal

How to get around Macau

Senado Square has a few things to see (more on that later in this post), but you’re going to want to move around the island at some point. Your best options are the public bus or Uber.

The bus stop is only a short walk from the entrance of the Macau ferry terminal

The bus fare is 6 MOP (Macau dollars) per person, per trip. So you could go from Senado Square to Macau Tower or from Senado Square to the Cotai Strip and the bus far will be 6 MOP for each trip. At the time of the trip 6 MOP was only $1 Australian – so cheap!

The public bus was a good way to get around except from Macau tower to other parts of the island, it wasn’t very frequent from Macau tower.

Uber was inexpensive. The Uber from near the Wynn on the Cotai strip to the Macau Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal only cost $7 AUD.

There are shuttle buses between the casino’s which I read are free and that they don’t check if you’re actually a guest staying there. But since we weren’t staying at any of the hotels it felt wrong to try and use this service so we just used the public buses.

Things to see and do in Macau

The touristy things in Macau are split across 3 areas:

1. Main Macau Peninsula (Historic Centre & City Area)
2. Taipa Village (Traditional Macau + Food Area)
3. Cotai Strip (Luxury Resorts & Entertainment)

Here are the main things to see and do in each:

I’ve added a start beside the ones we were able to fit into a 1 day itinerary to help you decide if you want to add more days onto your stay.

Main Macau Peninsula (Historic Centre & City Area)

• Ruins of St. Paul’s – Macau’s most iconic landmark; famous church façade and photo spot*
• Senado Square – European-style town square with Portuguese architecture, shops and cafés*
• St. Dominic’s Church – Beautiful yellow Baroque church near Senado Square
• Monte Fort – Historic fortress with one of the best free city views*
• Macau Museum – Learn about Macau’s Portuguese and Chinese heritage
• A-Ma Temple – Ancient Chinese temple and birthplace of Macau’s name
• Rua da Felicidade – Historic red-window street with restaurants and photography spots
• Travessa da Paixão – Colourful narrow street near the Ruins of St. Paul’s
• Leal Senado Building – Historic Portuguese government building
• Holy House of Mercy – Colonial-era landmark overlooking Senado Square
• Na Tcha Temple – Small traditional temple beside the Ruins of St. Paul’s
• Guia Fortress & Lighthouse – Historic fortress with panoramic Macau views
• St. Lazarus District – Quiet colonial neighbourhood with colourful streets
• Macau Tower – Observation deck, glass floor, Skywalk and adventure activities*
• Fisherman’s Wharf – Waterfront entertainment area with themed architecture
• Grand Prix Museum – Motorsport museum celebrating Macau Grand Prix history
• Maritime Museum – Museum about Macau’s fishing and maritime heritage

More details and photos on this area are later in this post.

Taipa Village (Traditional Macau + Food Area)

Unfortunately didn’t have time to visit Taipa Village. You really need an overnight stay if you want to fit it in

• Taipa Houses Museum – Restored Portuguese colonial houses with garden
• Taipa Village – Charming old neighbourhood with restaurants, bakeries and souvenir shops
• Rua do Cunha – Famous food street known for snacks and souvenirs
• Pak Tai Temple – Historic Chinese temple in Taipa Village
• Our Lady of Carmel Church – Small yellow colonial church overlooking Taipa
• Taipa Food Street – Try Portuguese egg tarts, pork chop buns and Macanese dishes
• Taipa Grande Hill – Walking trails and views over Cotai Strip

Cotai Strip (Luxury Resorts & Entertainment)

Some of the hotels are similar to the ones in Vegas like the Wynn, the Parisian and the Venetian, but there’s also some unique ones like Studio City and the Londoner.

• The Venetian Macao – Indoor canals, gondola rides, luxury shopping and grand interiors*
• The Parisian Macao – Eiffel Tower replica, observation deck and Paris-themed resort*
• The Londoner Macao – London-themed resort with Big Ben replica and shows*
• Wynn Palace – Free SkyCab cable car, fountain show and luxury displays*
• Galaxy Macau – Large luxury resort with shopping, restaurants and spectacular interiors
• Studio City Macau – Entertainment resort with Golden Reel Ferris wheel*
• MGM Cotai – Modern resort with impressive art installations and architecture
• City of Dreams – Entertainment complex with shows, restaurants and casinos
• Morpheus Hotel – Futuristic architecture designed by Zaha Hadid
• The House of Dancing Water – World-famous water performance show
• Cotai Strip Walk – Walk between resorts to see the lights and architecture at night*

Main Macau Peninsula (Historic Centre & City Area)

If you take the TurboJet ferry, this is where your day will start. I recommend heading straight from the ferry terminal to Senado Square, to get photos before it gets busy.

Grab an egg tart (or a few!) while you’re there. I liked the Macanese egg tarts better than the ones in portugal. The custard filing was creamier, the pastry was flaky but not too flake and they were warm (. THey also had an original version with the custard filling and a version with custard and chocolate chips in it – try both!

I got this egg tart from Pastelaria Koi Kei.

Then head through the alleyways of food shops up to the Ruins of St Paul’s Cathedral.

The food shops in this part of town were a bit more adventurous than what I’d typically eat. I couldn’t work out what some of the food was. There are plenty of stalls handing out free samples of what looked like dried meats. I tried a free sample and as someone that’s a bit picky when it comes to food, let’s just say I had to wash it down with a lot of water.

While the alleyways are tight it’s actually pretty easy to find your way – just follow the crowd. The cathedral is only about a 5 minute walk from Senado Square.

After a quick photo stop (quick because it’s just the facade of an old cathedral), head up to Monte Fort fortress for a good view (and it’s free).

Don’t linger too long because there’s lots more to see in Macau!

Next, head to Casino Lisboa. Even if you don’t go in it’s worth a look from the outside. You can have a look at the other casino’s in the area, or across the road is the bus terminal which can take you to the Macau Tower.

You’ll need about an hour at the Macau Tower. No need to pre-book tickets, you can just rock up and buy them on the day. If you’re brave enough (or crazy enough…) to do the bunjee jump or walk around the outside, people were buying that on the day as well. I wouldn’t pre-book anything for the Macau Tower in case it’s foggy or raining during your visit. 

Macau is split into 2 islands with Macau Tower in the middle. It’s in a bit of an isolated spot with not much else around, so to get to Cotai I’d get an uber from the Macau Tower. Buses are infrequent. We waited for one that took us back to the main bus stop near the Casino Lisboa, then had to switch to another bus to take us to Cotai. Ubers are very cheap,  save time and get an uber from Macau Tower to wherever you’re headed next.

After the Macau Tower we went to the Panda Pavilion which I completely regret as it seemed like a place with animal cruelty. Instead if you only have one day I’d spend more time on the Cotai Strip.

If you want to extend this itinerary to 2 days, then you’ll have time to visit Taipa (which looks like more a traditional / historical village). I included a list of places that were on my list if we’d had time earlier in this post.

The Venetian on the Cotai Strip was very similar to the one in Las Vegas

Example itinerary for 1 packed day in Macau

Here’s a packed pace 1 day itinerary for a day trip from Hong Kong to Macau

• 7am – get the ferry from Hong Kong
• 8am – Arrive at Macau Outer Ferry Terminal
• 8:30am – get the bus from Macau Outer Ferry Terminal to Senado Square
• 9am – 11am – wander around Senado square, see the ruins of St Paul’s Cathedral, visit Monte Fort and try an egg tart. Head down to the Grand Lisboa and have a look at the casinos in this area
• 11am – 11:30am – get the bus to Macau tower
• 11:30am – 12:30pm – visit the Macau tower, make a loo stop (yay for free toilets), then get an uber to Taipa Village
• 12:30pm – 2pm – have a look around Taipa Village
• 2pm – 2:30pm – get the bus to the Cotai strip
• 2:30pm – 5:30pm – visit the various casino’s along the Cotai strip
• 5:30pm – 7:30pm – dinner somewhere along the Cotai strip. I recommend the Cheesecake Factory! It’s in the Londoner Hotel
• 7:30pm – 8:15pm – quick walk along part of the strip for night time photos
• 8:15pm – get an uber
• 8:30pm – arrive at the Macau Outer Ferry Terminal
• 9pm – get the ferry from Macau Outer Ferry Terminal to Hong Kong

You’ll notice this itinerary has no time for lunch so make sure you fill up on egg tarts in Senado Square or bring some snacks. We deliberately didn’t eat anything to save room for a big dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.

Terrible quality photo but quickly snapped this in the rush to get to the bus stop. There is a raised circular walkway around the roundabout / Rotunda Park at the end of the Cotai strip which is where I took this photo from

Example itinerary for 2 days in Macau

For a more relaxed pace, split the trip into 2 days.

By staying the night you’ll get to see the Cotai strip and the Grand Casino Lisboa with all the lights on too.

Day 1:

• Senado Square
• Ruins of St Paul’s Cathedral
• Monte Fort
• Try an egg tart
• Grand Lisboa and have a look at the other casinos in this area
• Macau tower
• Macau Fisherman’s Wharf (including the replica Colosseum)

Overnight: I’d stay somewhere near the Cotai Strip so you can see the strip lit up at night

Day 2:

• Taipa Village
• Cotai Strip (there’s lots to look at and it takes a long time to walk between places as those casino’s are a bit of a rabbit warren to navigate. Dedicate at least 5 hours to the Cotai Strip)

There are fountains at the Wynn (Cotai) that do a scaled down show similar to the Bellagio in Las Vegas

How much does it cost?

HKD = Hong Kong Dollar, MOP = Macanese Pataca, AUD = Australian Dollar

• Tram from hotel in Hong Kong to Macau ferry terminal = $2.30 HKD
• Ferry tickets – return = 410 HKD
• Egg tarts = MOP 10 to MOP 12 each
• Bus from ferry to old town = 6 MOP
• Bus from old town to Macau tower = 6 MOP
• Macau tower viewpoint = 208 MOP
• Bus from Macau tower to Cotai = 6 MOP (could be 12 MOP if you need to switch buses depending on where you want to get off the bus in Cotai)
• Cheesecake factory dinner in Macau = 228 MOP per person (1 main meal only, no drink or appetizers)
• Uber from Coati to Macau ferry terminal = $7.15 AUD (approx. 40 MOP)
• Tram from Macau ferry terminal back to hotel = $2.30 HKD

Total = $866 HKD/ MOP plus the uber

You can use HKD and MOP interchangeably ($1 = $1), but if you pay in HKD cash, you will get change in MOP and can only use it in Macau. Buses are 6 MOP no matter the journey. If you have a journey that requires you to switch buses, it’s another 6 MOP for the second bus, there’s no continuation of travel.

Revolut which I use for a travel card did not allow me to exchange for MOP so make sure you have sufficient cash

You can buy ferry tickets in advance online but I would wait until you get to Hong Kong. You never know what the weather is doing and you may need to switch your days around. There was no queue at the ferry counter when we went, and it only took 5 minutes to buy the tickets.

You can roam freely through the casinos. Some of the entrances are quite grand and the lobbies are themed with the hotel

Unlike in Vegas, there were more card tables than slot machines. The gambling areas of the hotels are also kept behind screens with security manning the entrance. We wanted to cut through to exit one of the casinos and security checked our passports / age first before letting us walk through the casino area.

You can go up the Eiffel tower for a view (the entrance / ticket office is inside the Parisian and takes a bit of time to find it, so if you’re short on time don’t waste time like we did. The upper floor was closed due to possible rain so I didn’t end up going up it in the end).

If you want to eat at the Cheesecake Factory, it’s right near the entrance with the Apple store and the Big Ben replica

Clearing immigration

I couldn’t take a photo because like any border crossing there are signs everywhere saying no photos allowed. I had read online people saying it was fast and easy but I was skeptical. Well what other people said was true! It only took about 15 minutes to clear when leaving Hong Kong (just a passport check, no airport style security screening), and then about 10 minutes to get through on arrival in Macau. 

Leaving Macau we timed the earlier ferry (the one leaving 30min before ours). Because we already had a ticket (we bought return tickets before leaving Hong Kong), we asked if we could get on the earlier ferry and they were like no problem and waived us through. There was no one else there (we were one of the last ones to make that ferry), it only took 5 minutes to clear immigration.

I thought there might be queues as we were visiting during easter time, but nothing in Macau (or Hong Kong) seemed overcrowded. We never had to queue and there were no long wait times for anything. I was very surprised by that.

Overall it was so much more straightforward and seamless than I was expecting. 

Does visiting Macau on a public holiday matter?

No. There were no increased prices and it didn’t seem super busy, it was just like any other day. The last ferry was 10pm instead of 11pm but otherwise it seemed like business as usual everywhere we went.

Do I recommend visiting Macau?

Yes! I really enjoyed this day trip and wish I’d rearranged the itinerary to stay longer. It’s a shame the ferry takes a whole hour + immigration (so allow up to 1.5 hours each way) and was so expensive. Otherwise I would’ve gone back in the spare half day we had at the end of our Hong Kong itinerary when it was too foggy to see view from The Peak.

I thought Macau would be chaotic, but people were really friendly and nobody was pushing or shoving in crowded areas.

Click here to download a copy of the itinerary for free. It includes 3 days in Hong Kong plus the day trip to Macau. There are more itineraries from my past trips in the free printables library.

Found this post helpful? Pin it!