Top 5 Sights When Backpacking in Macau🇲🇴

Macau is an enigma. Colonised by the Portuguese, owned by China and influenced by the big bad world of gambling. As a backpacker, I’ve passed through the city/country/colony a couple of times and always had a great time. I never really covered a personal top 5 on here though, so here goes…

1. Grand Lisboa (Old and New)

This is a hotel and a casino. And it’s old and new. On one side the magic of the new Lisboa and on the other side, the old building remains. Great at night all lit up. Despite the rumours that online gambling sites such as http://casinobonus2.com/ which offer a no deposit bonus are taking a fair share of the market these days gambling cannot quite get the same buzz as the Grand Lisboa brings. You might even have read I once won money in Macau!

2. The Venetian

Taking its name from the grand Italian City, Macau’s “Venetian” is a hotel, a casino and a shopping mall. The over elaborate nature of this complex will never escape you. Get your photo taken by fake canals, you can even ride a gondola through the shopping mall and try your luck on the Casino tables.

3. St. Paul’s Ruins

It looks like it should be a Cathedral but it’s not. Probably the most touristy sight in Macau are the ruins of St. Pauls. Behind this wall, lies nothing. It was destroyed long ago. Do the required thing and get your photograph on the famous steps. The streets leading up to St. Paul’s are also something you rarely find in China – a seriously Mediteranean feel to them.

4. Colonial Taipa

I’m putting the whole of Taipa together here as a must see. The streets are colourful, colonial and cute. Wander at leisure, try the Portuguese tarts and the flaky puddings!

5. Macau Fortress

Not only does this fortress give you a colonial feel and a reminder of what the Portuguese were once here, but it offers one of the best free views of the city you can get. Admire that skyline as the day turns into night when the gleaming lights of the Casinos make Macau feel more like Monte Carlo or Las Vegas than China.

All in all, Macau is completely worth a trip, especially if you ever end up in Hong Kong or the Guangdong Province of China. You can get a boat from Hong Kong or cross overland from Zhuhai in China.