Macau Sightseeing Places

The former Portuguese colony of Macao is now a special administrative area of ​​the People’s Republic of China and is located near Hong Kong. Macau is home to many colonial sights and the historic old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Macau’s landmark is the ruin of the Pauluskirchen facade and the 338-meter-high Macao Tower can be seen from afar. It has five viewing platforms and a restaurant that rotates 360 degrees. A walk-in outer ring without a railing is particularly interesting, as the brave can strap on to the edge of the ring.

According to ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG, Macau is especially known and popular, especially among short-term tourists, due to the gaming industry. The world’s largest casino hotel and leisure complex was created here. The casino hall forms the center of the entire complex and is roughly the size of 7 soccer fields. Macau is also called the Monte Carlo of the East, which is not only a game of chance but also the street racing track. It is the venue for the Macau Grand Prix for motorcycles, touring cars and Formula 3 racing cars.

For many tourists, Macau is a real paradise. Long beaches invite you to a long bathing holiday. The nightlife is colorful and varied and you are guaranteed to always find a pastime. The markets in Macau are also worth a visit. The influences of bygone days can still be felt in the long-standing Portuguese colony of Macau. This mixture of European and Asian influences makes Macao so interesting culturally and historically. It is not surprising that a place that has so much to offer has tourism as its main source of income. Gambling has been here for a few years and sometimes vacationers might think they are in Las Vegas.

Macau Sightseeing Places

Money

Currency: 1 pataca equals 100 avos. The pataca is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar at a fixed exchange rate (1 Hong Kong dollar corresponds to 1.03 pataca), which is often preferred to the pataca in Macao.

Currency code: MOP (ISO code), Pat

Banknotes are issued in the value of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 Pataca. Coins are mainly issued in amounts of 10 and 50 Avos and 1 and 5 Pataca. There are also coins worth 20 Avos and 2 and 10 Pataca, but these are rarely used.

Exchange rate:
October 2009
1 US dollar = 8.1 pataca
1 euro = 12.0 pataca
1 Swiss franc = 7.9 pataca

Sightseeing

The historic old town is particularly worth seeing in Macau. It has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage List for several years.

The St. Paul Ruins are also worth a visit. The ruins of the church are the landmarks of the country. The St. Paul Cathedral was built in 1620 according to the plans of the Jesuit Carolo Spinola. The church also had the first Jesuit school in the entire Far East. Unfortunately the St. Paul church was almost completely destroyed in a big fire in 1835.

The Santo Agostinho is worth seeing. It was built in 1814. The church is the starting point for the Senhor dos Passos procession.

Don’t miss the St. Dominik church from 1590. In the church you can also visit a small museum.

Macau has other religious buildings to offer, such as the St. Antonio Church, which is the oldest in the city, or the Chinese temple Sam Kai Vui Kun, which is located in the middle of the mainly Christian city. But the Na Tcha temple is also worth a visit.

An absolute highlight of Macau’s sights is the Guia Lighthouse. It was built in 1865 and is considered the country’s first modern beacon. The Guia lighthouse is located right next to the St. Clare convent at the fort of the same name. The Guia Fort is slightly older than the lighthouse since it was built between 1622 and 1638.

The remains of the old city walls near the Na Tcha temple are also worth a visit. A similar type of defensive wall, created by the Portuguese, can be seen in Africa and India.

Visiting the television tower near the old town is not for the fearful, since you can plunge about 338 meters down from the tower with a rubber rope.

Museum lovers among tourists should not miss the Maritime Museum. The Leal Senado building is also worth seeing. The neoclassical building was built in 1784 and has been the seat of the city government. Inside you can get to know a library that is strongly related to the Mafra Convention in Portugal is ajar.

The Lau Kau house is worth a detour. It was built in 1889 by a Chinese merchant. The architectural style of the house was closely followed by traditional Chinese architecture.

You should have seen the house of a mandarin. The Chinese building was built in 1881 for the well-known Chinese writer Zhen Guanying.

Other interesting sights in Macau include the Fort and Senado Square.