Things to Do in Macao: Temples, Casinos, Coloane and the Best Free Sights

Prior to my trip to Macao, I could barely locate the tiny Special Administrative Region of China on a map. Yet, this formerly Portuguese peninsula on China’s southern coast is the 4th most visited city on Earth, just behind London and ahead of Paris and Dubai. Macao leapt from 8th on the list with 18 million visitors in 2024, to 20 million visitors last year.

Although best known for its vast, opulent hotel casinos and a voracious gambling industry that makes Las Vegas look like Reno, I soon discovered that Macao also has much more to offer.

Here are eight reasons why millions flock to Macao each year.

Traditional Markets

(Paul Rogers)

For all the chic sophistication of Macao’s luxury malls, these grand gatherings of global brands are not distinctively Macanese. It’s the region’s traditional markets that offer shoppers singular local exotica (every souvenir I bought in Macau came from a market!) Be ready to haggle at the historic Red Market (Mercado Vermelho) inside a red-brick Art Deco building in the Horta e Costa district. This “wet” market selling fresh fish, meat, and produce alongside imported goods has been a daily hub for locals since 1936 and remains wonderfully un-touristy.

A five-minute stroll takes you to the daily staples and unique treasures of the famed Three Lamps Market. If you’re in Macao in the spring or fall, seek out the seasonal Tap Siac Craft Market, a major cultural and creative showcase for local and regional handicrafts alongside craft workshops, musical performances, and novelty foods.

The Red Market closed for renovation in 2022 and reopened at the end of May 2024 with air conditioning, new stall lighting and a clock on its tower for the first time, the Macao government reported.

This fall, the Cultural Affairs Bureau has scheduled the Tap Siac Craft Market for Thursday through Sunday on Nov. 19 to 22 and Nov. 26 to 29 at Tap Siac Square, with more than 200 stalls (Cultural Affairs Bureau). This year’s spring edition ended May 3. Check craftmarket.gov.mo for daily hours before you go.

Luxury Hotel Casino Resorts

For an idea of the sheer scale of Macao’s mega hotel casino resorts, consider that while it has less casinos as Las Vegas, Macao’s gambling industry is more than three times the size of Sin City’s (generating close to $31 billion last year). But many of the hospitality brands are reassuringly familiar to American visitors, including the vast Venetian Macao, the largest single-structure hotel in Asia; Wynn Palace and Wynn Macau; and the MGM Macau and MGM Cotai, all of which function as luxury destination resorts where the hotel is the experience.

Macao is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal, and most of its visitors come from the mainland. Of the 40 million visitor arrivals Macao counted in 2025, about 29 million came from mainland China, according to the government.

The number of casinos also dropped recently. Macao’s satellite casinos, the smaller gaming halls that operated under the big license holders, had to close by the end of 2025, and that left 20 casinos run by six concessionaires, Inside Asian Gaming reported.

Unlike Las Vegas, Macao earns most of its casino money from a single game. VIP and mass-market baccarat together made up about 85% of gaming revenue in late 2025 and early 2026, based on figures from the gaming regulator, the DICJ. The Venetian Macao alone has about 659 gaming tables, according to the 2025 annual report of its owner, Las Vegas Sands. It’s often listed as the world’s largest casino by floor space, though WinStar World Casino in Oklahoma claims that title too.

While five of the world’s eight biggest casinos are in tiny Macao, there are also non-casino lodgings if you wish to avoid (or dip in and out of) the big casino bustle. We stayed at the sedate, Victorian-themed Rocks Hotel, conveniently located within the Fisherman’s Wharf hotel, retail, and entertainment complex.

Macau Fisherman’s Wharf opened at the end of 2005 and was first marketed as a theme park. Its rides don’t run anymore, so think of it today as a waterfront strip of hotels, shops and restaurants. The complex’s Legend Palace casino closed in November 2025 along with the other satellite casinos, and its owner, Macau Legend, has reported heavy losses, AGB reported. If you book Rocks Hotel, confirm the reservation directly with the hotel shortly before your trip.

World’s Highest Bungee Jump

Our first stop in Macao, straight off an 18-hour flight from LAX via Taiwan, was the soaring Macau Tower. In a way, this was entirely appropriate, as the elegant 1,100-foot needle is Macao’s tallest structure and the perfect vantage point from which to get a sense of the place. Only the purpose of our visit was the world’s highest commercial bungee jump, plunging from a platform that surrounds the tower at 764 feet. To my amazement, three of our party promptly launched themselves, one of them headfirst.

(Paul Rogers)

Despite the attraction’s perfect safety record, I opted for the tethered but still pulse-pounding Skywalk around the platform, while some of my companions stayed within the glass-floored interior or headed to one of the tower’s five restaurants. You can also take a controlled-descent Skyjump or join a guided climb to the very tip of the building’s mast, 1,109 feet up.

AJ Hackett runs the tower’s adventure activities under the Skypark name. Its website lists the bungy at MOP 3,088, or about $385 (a U.S. dollar buys about 8 patacas), along with the Skyjump at MOP 2,188, the Skywalk at MOP 788 and the Towerclimb up the mast at MOP 2,688. Each activity has its own age, weight and health rules, so read them and confirm the price when you book. Guinness World Records still lists the 232.82-meter drop as the highest commercial bungee jump facility on a building.

Multicultural History & Architecture

Four centuries of cultural exchange between China, Portuguese colonists, and global traders are visible in Macao’s architecture, with some older buildings exhibiting all these influences. Look out for pastel-colored colonial-era villas and churches, where elaborate carvings and intricate tile and ironwork adorn structures designed for Macao’s hot, humid climate with shaded courtyards and decorative screens. Chinese lion, dragon, and peony motifs sit alongside Portuguese crosses and fleur-de-lis, especially in the Historic Center of Macao, an enthralling UNESCO World Heritage site that includes the ruins of the 17th century St. Paul’s Church; Guia Fortress, dating to the same era, and Guia Lighthouse, lit in 1865; and the neo-classical 1874 Moorish Barracks.

Walking From Senado Square to the Ruins of St. Paul’s

You can walk the core of the old city in an afternoon, starting at Senado Square and heading uphill to the Ruins of St. Paul’s. The Historic Center of Macao became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, and the listing covers 22 historic buildings and eight public squares plus the streets that link them, according to UNESCO.

Senado Square is paved in black-and-white wave-pattern stones like the ones in Lisbon, and pastel buildings line the edges. The Portuguese settled here around 1557 and ran Macao until the handover to China on Dec. 20, 1999, so the square reflects more than 400 years of Portuguese influence, the same kind of layered colonial history that shapes grand hotels like The Peninsula in Hong Kong and Raffles in Singapore.

Step inside the Leal Senado Building at the foot of the square. It’s free and open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the library on the first floor (one flight up, since floors are counted the European way) was modeled on the library at Portugal’s Mafra Convent, the Cultural Affairs Bureau says. There’s a small garden out back.

Most tourists head straight for the Ruins of St. Paul’s. What’s left is the stone facade of the Church of Mater Dei, built between 1602 and 1640 and gutted by fire in 1835 (Cultural Affairs Bureau). Tour groups can crowd the long stairway in front, so go early or late for photos. The Museum of Sacred Art and Crypt behind the facade is free, but it closes at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays. Na Tcha Temple, built in 1888, sits right beside it.

The Macao Museum (some maps call it the Macau Museum) is a short climb away, inside Mount Fortress. It’s open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with last entry at 5:30, it’s closed Mondays, and admission is MOP 15, with free entry for everyone on Tuesdays and on the 15th of each month (Macao government). Give it an hour for the exhibits on Macao’s origins, trade and daily life.

Take the Cable Car Up to Guia Fortress

Guia Fortress sits on Guia Hill, the highest point on the Macau Peninsula, and the easiest way up is the little cable car from Flora Garden. The ride takes about 80 seconds and costs MOP 2 one way or MOP 3 round trip. It runs 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is closed Mondays. It also shuts for about a week each year for an inspection, which has fallen in October before, so check the Municipal Affairs Bureau site before you go.

The Portuguese built the fortress between 1622 and 1638. Inside its walls, Guia Chapel has frescoes that blend Chinese and Western painting, uncovered during restoration work in 1998. The Cultural Affairs Bureau calls Guia Lighthouse, first lit in 1865, the first modern lighthouse on the Chinese coast (Cultural Affairs Bureau). The fortress and chapel are free, though you can’t go inside the lighthouse.

Morning Tai Chi at Lou Lim Ieoc Garden

Early morning is the time for Lou Lim Ieoc Garden, when locals practice tai chi between the pavilions and the lotus pond. Lou Lim Ieoc, son of the merchant Lou Kau, started the garden in 1904 in the style of the classical gardens of Suzhou, and it was finished in 1925. The government opened it to the public in 1974. It’s free and open 6 a.m. to midnight. The Macao Government Tourism Office now lists it as Lou Lim Ioc Park, so you’ll see both spellings.

Camões Garden is free too and keeps the same hours. It’s named for the Portuguese poet Luís de Camões, whose bronze bust stands in a rock grotto, and it borders Casa Garden and the Old Protestant Cemetery, where the painter George Chinnery is buried.

Farther north, the Border Gate (Portas do Cerco) is a 19th-century arch that marked the edge of Portuguese Macao. The modern crossing into Zhuhai and mainland China sits right next to it.

Ultra-Luxury Shopping Malls

If you yearn for bougie designer labels, flagship stores, and the very latest collections, then Macao’s mega malls are for you. Most are conveniently integrated into the hotel casino resorts where you’ll likely be staying, so you can shop ‘til you drop without even going near a vehicle (or the outside world!)

(John Lee Brothers)

The Shoppes at Venetian comprises over 350 stores including Italian giants Prada, Armani, and Gucci in aptly faux-Venetian surrounds. Head to Galaxy Promenade at the Galaxy Macau resort for more than 200 high-end and high-street brands including new arrivals like a Breguet watches’ Tradition collection, limited-edition Jo Malone London fragrances, and a much-anticipated new Tory Burch boutique.

Meanwhile, the Shoppes at Four Seasons is known for an elegant, personalized shopping experience, its 130-plus prestigious brands including exclusive finds from the likes of Hermès, Chanel, and Cartier.

Free Shows and Big Sights on the Cotai Strip

Most of Macao’s free entertainment is on the Cotai Strip, the reclaimed land between Taipa and Coloane where the newest megaresorts stand. Macao as a whole has long been nicknamed the Las Vegas of Asia, and the Cotai Strip name itself was coined and trademarked by Las Vegas Sands. As a gambling destination, this is where Macao looks most like the Las Vegas Strip, even if the vibe is closer to a polished, all-in-one retreat such as Silverton Casino Lodge in Las Vegas.

Seeing the Cotai Strip walking from resort to resort takes longer than it looks on a map, because each property is enormous. At Wynn Palace, the Performance Lake fountain show is free and runs every 30 minutes from noon to 6 p.m., then every 20 minutes until midnight (Wynn).

The Parisian’s Half-Scale Eiffel Tower

The Parisian Macao’s Eiffel Tower is a half-scale re-creation of the Paris landmark, with an observation deck on Level 37. Tickets cost MOP 98 (about $12), and the deck is open noon to 11 p.m., weather permitting, with last entry at 10:15 p.m. (The Parisian). Kids 1.2 meters (just under 4 feet) or shorter go up free, up to two per adult. From 6:15 p.m. to midnight, the tower runs a light show every 15 minutes that you can watch from the street at no charge.

Booking House of Dancing Water at City of Dreams

If it’s on your bucket list, book at least 14 days ahead for House of Dancing Water, the water-and-acrobatics show at City of Dreams, to get early-bird prices from MOP 558 (about $70); it scratches a similar itch to the big production shows that anchor off-Strip resorts like Silverton Casino Lodge in Las Vegas. Regular tickets start at MOP 698, or about $87 (City of Dreams). The original show closed in 2020 and came back in May 2025 as a new production directed by Giuliano Peparini, in its own Dancing Water Theater. Check the ticketing page for showtimes and days off before you build an evening around it.

Serene Temples

We found a welcome change of pace at the oldest of Macao’s 40-plus temples, the 1488 A-Ma Temple, which predates the city itself. While often busy with both visitors and locals (and certainly self-aware as tourist attractions), these traditional places of worship honoring Buddhist, Taoist, and Chinese folk deities offer a sense of history, continuity, and spiritualism that’s almost the polar opposite of the materialist glitz of Macau’s casinos and malls.

Ornate, exotic, and often mysterious to overseas visitors, these incense-scented sanctuaries from Macao’s heavily urbanized surrounds provide perspective and pause for thought for even the most agnostic tourist, while providing some of the best photo ops of our trip. But remember to respect the privacy of Macanese worshipers practicing solemn ritual and prayer.

(Paul Rogers)

What to Know Before Visiting A-Ma Temple

Entry to A-Ma Temple is free, and it’s open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the slope of Barra Hill by the Inner Harbour (Cultural Affairs Bureau). The temple honors A-Ma, the Chinese goddess of the sea also known as Mazu, who’s worshiped by fishermen and sailors. Its oldest hall dates to 1488, and the complex mixes Confucian, Taoist, Buddhist and folk beliefs.

The temple is also believed to be where Macao got its name. The usual story is that Portuguese sailors who landed here heard the bay called A Ma Gau, the Bay of A-Ma. Come in the morning if you can, when it’s quieter and you’re more likely to see worshipers lighting incense.

A Piece of U.S. History at One of Macau’s Chinese Temples

Kun Iam Tong, also called Kun Iam Temple, is where the U.S. and China signed the Treaty of Wangxia on July 3, 1844. The State Department’s Office of the Historian calls it the first formal treaty between the two countries, and the stone table it was signed on stands in the temple garden. The temple honors Kun Iam, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, and its present buildings date to 1627, according to the tourism office. Entry is free.

For a quieter stop on Taipa Island, look for Pak Tai Temple in Taipa Village, which the tourism office says has stood for about 160 years.

World-Class Restaurants & Dining

As one of the world’s most popular destinations for luxury travel, it’s no surprise that modern Macao is home to an abundance of truly world-class dining experiences. You’ll typically find these inside the region’s opulent hotel casino resorts and most serve Cantonese, French, or Huaiyang (Jiangsu Province) cuisine.

Perhaps the poshest is the Michelin three-star Robuchon au Dôme at Grand Lisboa hotel, an exquisitely finessed French experience conceived by the late, great Joël Robuchon. There’s a dress code at Robuchon au Dôme (no flip-flops or guys in shorts!) and children must be age 10 or older.

Fellow Michelin three-star awardee Jade Dragon at City of Dreams casino resort is renowned for Cantonese creations and impeccable service including calligraphers offering bespoke blessings and expert tea masters brewing memorable libations.

Macanese Food Beyond the Grand Lisboa

Twenty-one Macau restaurants hold Michelin stars in the 2026 Michelin Guide Hong Kong & Macau, and Robuchon au Dôme and Jade Dragon are the only two with three. The Grand Lisboa also has The Eight, a two-star Cantonese restaurant. The gold, lotus-shaped tower is newer than it looks. Its casino opened in 2007 and its hotel in 2008, and at 261 meters it’s the tallest building in Macao. The original Hotel Lisboa next door, from 1970, is the old landmark.

For food you can only get here, look for restaurants serving Macanese cooking. It blends Portuguese and Chinese flavors with spices picked up along Portuguese trade routes in Africa, India and Southeast Asia, and it helped UNESCO name Macao a Creative City of Gastronomy in 2017. Look for minchi, a minced meat and potato hash, and African chicken on menus.

Two snacks are worth tracking down. Lord Stow’s Bakery in Coloane Village, opened in 1989 by British pharmacist Andrew Stow, is the name most tied to Macau’s Portuguese-style egg tarts. For a pork chop bun, a fried pork chop in a crusty roll, go to Café Tai Lei Loi Kei in Taipa Village, where the buns usually come out of the oven around 2 p.m.

Taipa Village and the Taipa Houses

Across the bridges from the Macau Peninsula, Taipa Island keeps its own slice of old Macau in Taipa Village, albeit smaller than the historic center. Rua do Cunha is the main lane, lined with low shophouses and snack shops. It’s worth a stop in its own right, and spending time here is easy to pair with the Cotai Strip, which starts just south of the village.

A short walk away, the old Taipa Houses Museum, now simply called Taipa Houses, is a row of five green Macanese homes built in 1921 along the former waterfront. One of them is set up as the Macanese Living Museum. Entry is free, and the houses are open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. with last entry at 6:30, closed Mondays (Cultural Affairs Bureau). Our Lady of Carmel Church sits on the rise just behind them.

Historical Throwback Coloane Village

While today’s Macao is mostly urban and ultra-modern, the coastal Coloane Village somehow lingers in a much simpler past that framed my favorite day of our trip. In part, this is because the eponymous southern, hilly area of Macao was until recently an island. Although now connected to Taipa by the reclaimed land of the Cotai Strip, Macao’s gambling hub, Coloane retains a sleepy demeanor. With a history of salt farming, fishing, and rampant piracy, today’s Coloane Village is a place of narrow lanes between faded pastel walls, mingled aromas of incense and sea salt, and warm Portuguese-style egg tarts from local vendors.

(Paul Rogers)

While Macau International Airport is served by Avis Rent A Car (or you can hire an open-air moke there from Happy Mokes), there’s no need to rent a vehicle while in Macao, so take one of the frequent, cheap buses from Macao Peninsula to Coloane Village, which is easily walkable.

Barbecue and Black Sand at Hac Sa Beach

For a beach day, take the bus to Hac Sa Beach on Coloane’s east coast. Hac Sa means black sand in Cantonese, though erosion has led to lighter sand being added over the years. Hac Sa Beach Park, right behind it, is free, open around the clock and has about 105 barbecue grills, so you can bring food and cook outdoors.

Coloane is also where Macao goes hiking. The Coloane Trail runs about 8.1 kilometers, or 5 miles, through the hills. Shorter family trails include the 1.5-kilometer Ká-Hó Height Family Trail and the 2.7-kilometer Hác-Sá Reservoir Family Walk. Between the trails, the beach and the village, you could easily spend a full day here.

Things to Do in Macau With Kids

There’s a lot here for kids, and two of the best stops are free. The Giant Panda Pavilion in Seac Pai Van Park, Coloane, has offered free admission since May 2021 (Macao government). It’s open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m. and closed Mondays, and staff let visitors in by groups when it’s busy. The resident twins, Jian Jian and Kang Kang, turned 10 in June 2026.

The Macao Science Center, designed by I.M. Pei’s firm, has more than a dozen exhibition galleries plus a planetarium. It’s open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed Thursdays (Macao Science Center).

For rides and play areas, head to the resorts. At Studio City, the Golden Reel figure-8 Ferris wheel climbs 130 meters between the hotel towers and costs MOP 100, about $12 (Studio City). The Warner Bros. Fun Zone that older guides mention has been replaced by Super Fun Zone, where some rides require kids to be at least 1 meter (about 3 feet, 3 inches) tall. Qube Kingdom, a play area of more than 20,000 square feet, is at The Parisian, and the Venetian Macao has its own play zone, Qube.

Planning a Trip Around the Top Attractions in Macau

Getting here from Los Angeles means a connection, since there are no nonstop flights from LAX. You’ll either connect through a city like Taipei into Macau International Airport or fly into Hong Kong and cross over, or save connections on other trips by planning around nonstop flights from LAX to Europe and beyond. Through Dec. 31, 2026, the Macao Government Tourism Office is offering free coaches over the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge for international travelers arriving at Hong Kong International Airport, while seats last (TTG Asia), so factor that into your plans if you’re navigating a big international hub like Heathrow. TurboJET ferries also run from Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan terminal, with economy fares from HK$194, or about $25, making it easy to pair Macao with time in Hong Kong’s top districts and sights.

U.S. passport holders can stay up to 30 days without a visa, according to the Macao Yearbook. Check the entry rules again before you fly.

Macao covers about 33 square kilometers (13 square miles), so its top tourist attractions are close together. One full day handles the historic center on the Macau Peninsula, and a second day gets you to Taipa, Cotai and Coloane. Famous landmarks like A-Ma Temple, Senado Square, the Ruins of St. Paul’s and Guia Fortress cost nothing to see.

Buses are MOP 6 in cash, with no change given, or MOP 3 with a Macau Pass card, and they link Macau city with Taipa and Coloane. The big resorts also run free shuttle buses from the ferry terminals and border crossings.

Is Macau worth visiting if you don’t gamble? The temples, Portuguese-era streets and Macanese food are reason enough, and the modern attractions on Cotai are fun to explore without ever stopping at a table. If your to-do list is short, put Senado Square, the Ruins of St. Paul’s and A-Ma Temple at the top, then add Hac Sa Beach or the pandas if you have a second day.