“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. “
Chinese Proverb
Macau aka Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China is a special administrative region in Southern China. In 1557 the Portuguese took over Macau and made it their colony and also the first European colony in East Asia.
Fun Fact: Did you know that Macau was a Portuguese colony for over 440 years until it was in the year 1999 transferred to China?
As I said Macau was transferred to the Chinese government in 1999, which was two years after the handover of Hong Kong. Today is Macau known especially under the nickname “Las Vegas of Asia”.
Did you know that the Portuguese name Macau comes from the Chinese name “A Ma Gao”, which was chosen to honor the patron Sea Goddess of Sailors, A-Ma)? There is also a beautiful A-Ma Temple dedicated to this sea goddess. I will talk about it later in my article.
I have been to Macau twice, once in 2015 and then I revisited last year in April 2019. To be honest, I am not a big fan of casinos, but what I really love in Macau is the old part with still remaining Portuguese influences. You can find many beautiful buildings in colonial style and also stunning Chinese temples.
On one hand, is Macau a very tiny territory just about 30 square kilometers in size, but on the other hand, it has many great places to offer and to explore. 🙂
Are you planning a trip to Macau?
Wondering where the most photogenic spots are?
I put together a list of the best spots in Macau for photography that I found during my two visits! Of course, as always, you can find all those spots on my Instagram as well. Let’s get started!
Here’s my list of the most Instagrammable spots in Macau
With Love,
Adele @wanderlusterprincess
1) RUINS OF SAINT PAUL’S CHURCH
Let me start with the most obvious! Ruins of St. Paul’s are the iconic landmark of Macau, that every traveler wants to see. This well-know facade are the ruins of a 17th-century Portuguese religious complex, which was destroyed by fire. The ruins were listed in 2005 as a World Heritage Site-UNESCO.
My Tip: Go to the Ruins of St. Paul’s first and then to Monte Fort, which is just two minutes away and has stunning views of the ruins and Macau city. Another stunning place located just right next to the ruins is Tv. da Paixao street with amazing pastel-colored houses.
Best time to visit: If you want a picture in front of the ruins without people in the backdrop, sunrise is the only option. Unfortunately, when I was there in April 2019, Macau was really super crowded with many Chinese bus tours and they started their tour at sunrise at the Ruins of St. Paul’s Church. I had two mornings in Macau and both times they arrived right after sunrise. I had like 5 minutes to take my pictures.
Exact Address: Ruins of St. Paul’s – 大三巴牌坊, Calcada de São Paulo, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
2) TRAVESSA DE PAIXAO – LOVE LANE
If you haven’t noticed yet Pastel houses are trending on Instagram! I am sure you have seen thousands of photos from the famous Notting Hill neighborhood in London. Well, Macau has its own little rainbow-colored alley! This tiny narrow street is also called Love Lane.
As I mentioned before, the location of this colorful alley is quite conveniently next to the most iconic landmark of Macau, Ruins of St. Paul’s Church.
My Tip: Don’t miss the prettiest pink house in the alley! It has an amazing facade and lovely green windows!
Best Time to Visit: I recommend you to go there in the morning to avoid crowds. Ideally, go there right after the Ruins of St. Paul’s Church.
Exact Address: Tv. da Paixao, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
3) MONTE FORT – FORTALEZA DO MONTE
Monte Fort is a big stone fortress from the 17th century, which offers fabulous skyline and sunset views! It’s just two minutes from the Ruins of St. Paul’s Church. The fortress was built by the Jesuits in 1626 and today it’s a museum.
My Tip: Don’t miss seeing the large cannons! They are quite impressive and what’s more, they look really good in pictures.
Best Time to Visit: I went there early morning and it was magical. The fortress is also very popular among locals. You can see many people working out in the park there in the early mornings.
My Photography Recommendation: You can get a very unique shot of the Ruins of St. Paul’s Church from up there!
Entrance Fee: The garden in the fortress in free of charge!
Opening Times: 7 am – 7 pm
Exact Address: Monte Fort, Tv. dos Artilheiros, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
4) GUIA LIGHTHOUSE – FAROL E FORTALEZA DA GUIA
This is one of my favorite places in Macau. To be honest, I have a soft spot for lighthouses! This cute white lighthouse is located inside Guia fortress and next to is a small chapel, Chapel of Our Lady of Guia. The fortress was built in the year 1622 in order to defeat the Dutch invasion.
Did you know that the lighthouse was built in 1865 and it was the first modern lighthouse on the Chinese Coast?
Opening Times: The Fortress 9 am – 6 pm, The Chapel 10 am – 6 pm
Unfortunately, the lighthouse is not open to the public so you can’t go inside, but it looks really lovely from the outside. In order to see the lighthouse, you have to go inside of the Guia Fortress.
Entrance Fee: Free of charge
My Tip: Go up the Monte de Guia with a cable car. The cable car station is located in Jardim da Flora. The operation hours of the cable cars are from 8 am till 6 pm from Tuesday till Sunday. A two-way trip costs 5 MOP (60 US cents), which is a very cheap price!
Exact Address: Guia Lighthouse, Estr. do Eng. Trigo, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
5) A-MA TEMPLE
This is the oldest and for me the most beautiful temple in Macau. A-Ma temple was built in the year 1488, which means it’s more than 500 years old! A very interesting fact is that the temple is dedicated to a sea goddess, which is the patron of Macau. Like I mentioned earlier, the name Macau actually comes from the name of the sea goddess A-Ma.
Best Time to Visit: This temple is quite busy so try to go as soon as they open. But it is also possible to get nice pictures if you are patient. When I went there the temple was full of Chinese bus tours as soon as it opened.
My Tip: Don’t miss the beautiful pink facade! It’s very picturesque.
Opening Hours: 7 am – 6 pm
Entrance Fee: Free of charge
Exact Address: A-Ma Temple, R. de São Tiago da Barra, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
6) RUE DA FELICIDADE – HAPPINESS STREET
Rue da Felicidade is a very pretty street with a mixture of Portuguese and Chinese influences. In the 19th century was this street part of Red Light District and there were mostly brothels, tea houses, and opium shops. That’s also the reason for its name – the Happiness street.
Nowadays the only reminder on shady past are the red colors of the houses. For me was this street the nicest street in Macau. The houses are in pale colors, but they have red doors and windows, which looks really beautiful.
Best Time to Visit: This street is one of the main tourist attractions in Macau so it gets crowded very fast. The best time is definitely in the morning.
Exact Address: R. da Felicidade, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
7) MANDARIN’S HOUSE – CASA DO MANDARIM
Mandarin’s House is a beautiful historical residence that was a family home of the Qing theoretician and reformist Zheng Guanying.
Did you know that Zheng Guanying completed his masterpiece Shengshi Weiyan (Words of Warning in Times of Prosperity) in this house?
This house is a large, restored Guangdong-style home with many beautiful details. It’s definitely worth visiting! Zheng’s father built the house in 1869. If you wanna go back to the imperial times of China, this residence is a place for you!
Best Time to Visit: My experience was that the house was not that crowded so any time inside of the opening times is fine.
My Tip: The most instagrammable place in this house are the round doors.
Opening Times: 10 am – 6 pm
Entrance Fee: Free of charge
Exact Address: Mandarin’s House 鄭家大屋, 10 Travessa de Antonio da Silva, Macau
Google Maps Location – click here
8) FISHERMAN’S WHARF – DOCA DOS PESCADORES
Fisherman’s Wharf is the largest leisure and themed entertainment complex in Macau Peninsula. It’s located very near to the Macau ferry terminal and you will feel like walking in a movie set. You can find here European-themed architecture like a small copy of the Colosseum with 2000 seats. You can find here many shops, a casino, hotels, and a theme park.
Best Time to Visit: If you are looking for a picture with the Colosseum, come early morning.
Exact Address: Fisherman’s Wharf 澳門漁人碼頭, Av. Dr. Sun Yat Sen, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
9) THE VENETIAN HOTEL MACAO
If you know the Venetian Las Vegas Hotel, then this is its sister’s hotel in Macau also owned by Las Vegas Sands Company.
Fun Fact: Did you know that the Venetian Macao is the largest casino in the world, the largest single structure hotel building in Asia, and also the seventh-largest building in the world measured by floor area.
As you can already guess from the name Venetian, this luxury hotel is a small copy of Venice and it’s located on Cotai Strip in Macao. You can find here a copy of St.Mark’s Campanile, Rialto Bridge, San Luca canal, singing gondoliers and much more. The Venetian is definitely a very instagrammable hotel.
My Honest Review of the Hotel: I stayed at this hotel for 3 nights in April 2019 and I wouldn’t stay here again, because in my opinion is it not worth the money. Of course, it is really nice to see all the Venice-themed architecture in the hotel, but you don’t necessarily have to stay there to see it. The rooms are nice and luxurious, however, what I really didn’t like about this hotel was the service, how crowded and loud it was and the behavior of the security guards at the casino. Every time you wanna go back to your room you have to go through the casino and if you don’t have a passport with you they won’t let you walk through and you have to go around which is annoying.
Exact Address: Venetian Macao, Estrada da Baia de Nossa Senhora da Esperanca, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
10) THE PARISIAN HOTEL MACAO
The Parisian Hotel Macao is a sister’s hotel of the Parisian Hotel Las Vegas and is also owned by Las Vegas Sands company. The biggest landmark of this luxury resort is a half-scale copy of the Eiffel Tower.
My Tip: Go on the top of the Eiffel Tower at night! The night view from the top is really gorgeous with all the lights. It’s opened daily from 11:00 am – 10:00 pm and it costs MOP 110 (approximately 14 USD).
Best Time to Visit: Best times to take pictures with the Eiffel tower are mornings and in the night with the pretty colorful lights.
Exact Address: The Parisian Macao, Lote 3, Strip, SAR, P.R. China, Estr. do Istmo, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
11) MONKEY MURAL
This is an adorable monkey mural I randomly found on my to Rue da Felicidade. If you are a street art lover, you definitely shouldn’t miss this one.
My Tip: It is located between Ruins of St. Paul’s and Rue da Felicidade. Make a quick stop there on your way to Rue da Felicidade.
Exact Address: Travessa da Dorna, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
12) MACAU TOWER – TORRE DE MACAU
Macau Tower is a recognizable part of the Macau skyline. It measures 338 meters and you can find an observation deck and restaurants on the top.
Fun Fact: Did you know that casino billionaire Stanley Ho Hung-Sun was on his visit to New Zealand so impressed by the tower in Auckland that he decided to built a similar tower in Macao!
Best Time to Visit: Any time of the day is fine for good pictures. It depends more on the weather because on a foggy day the visibility can be that bad that you won’t even be able to see the tower.
Opening Times: 10 am – 9 pm
Entrance Fee: 165 MOP – approximately 20 USD
My Tip: I actually didn’t go to the observation deck. I took nice pictures with the tower from the small hill where is the Chapel of Our Lady of Penha located. It’s one of my favorites viewpoints of Macau and you get also an amazing view of the Sei Van Bridge
Exact Address: Macau Tower, Rua da Torre de Macau, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
13) BIRDCAGES LOOKUP
I am pretty sure that you have seen buildings like this on pictures of Hong Kong, but even the smaller neighbor Macau has such architecture. It’s called birdcages lookup because the balconies actually look like birdcages.
My Tip: You have to walk inside of a parking lot to find it. Try to be as quick as possible, since there is a not so friendly security guard.
Exact Address: 181-191 Avenida de Venceslau Morais, Macau
Google Maps Location – click here
14) CHA BEI CAFE – GALAXY MACAU
Cha Bei is the prettiest, feminine cafe in Macau. Not only they have delicious food, but they also have super cute girly decorations. The cafe is located inside of Galaxy Macau on the first floor. Don’t miss the lovely swing with beautiful flower decoration in the backdrop.
My Tip: Go there for afternoon tea. It’s an amazing experience and the food is divine. The afternoon tea costs 328 MOP (41 USD) for two.
Opening Times: 10:30 am – 9 pm
Exact Address: Cha Bei Cafe, MO 1/F, 1047, Galaxy Macau s/n, Estrada da Baia de Nossa Senhora da Esperanca, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
15) CHAPEL OF OUR LADY OF PENHA
Chapel of Our Lady of Penha is a charming little chapel on a Penha hill in Macau. It used to be a place of pilgrimage for Portuguese sailors in the 17th century.
My Tip: Penha hill has fabulous views of Macau Tower!
Exact Address: Chapel of Our Lady of Penha, Hilltop of Penha Hill, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
16) KUN IAM STATUE – ESTÁTUA DE KUN IAM
Kun Iam Statue is a statue of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, which was designed by Portuguese architect and sculptor Cristina Rocha Leiria. The bronze figure is 20 m tall and it is emerging from a 7 m high lotus. The statue was built by the Portuguese government in 1997.
Best Time to Visit: I went there in the afternoon and there was almost nobody around. This statue is a hidden gem.
Exact Address: Kun Iam Statue, Av. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
17) TAIPA HOUSES MUSEUM
Taipa Houses Museum are five pretty pastel green colonial houses. It’s a Macanese living museum.
Opening Hours: 10 am – 7 pm, closed on Mondays
Entrance Fee: Free of charge
Exact Address: Taipa Houses Museum, Av. da Praia Grande, Macao
Google Maps Location – click here
So there you have it! 17 most Instagrammable places in Macau! Do you agree with these places? Do you have something to add or you need travel advice? Don’t hesitate to contact me! 🙂 Comment below, DM me on Instagram or email me.
Thanks for reading! 🙂
Happy Traveling!
XOXO
Adele
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