Macau Tourist Attractions

Located on the south coast of China, Macau is one of China's two Special Administrative Regions (SAR), along with Hong Kong which lies about 60km to its northeast across the Pearl River delta. Macau has a long history with Portugal. The first Portuguese arrived in the 16th century as traders and as more arrived, a settlement was established in 1557 with taxes paid to the Chinese government. In 1887 Portugal took full control of Macau and stayed in power until an agreement was reached in 1999 to give power back to China as a SAR.

Its name is said to have come from a misunderstanding between natives and the first settlers. When asked the areas name, the natives said Magao which is the name of the A-Ma temple built in 1448. From this the Portuguese came up with the name Macau.

Made up of an island and a small peninsula, it is only about 28 square kilometers in area. Three bridges connect peninsula to the island which used to be two islands, Taipa in the north and Coloane in the south but these have now been joined by major land reclamation. Macau's airport is also on a man-made island off the east coast.

Nowadays Macau is a bustling multicultural city which is one of the top tourist destinations in the world and because of its small size, one of the most densely populated places in the world. Its biggest attraction without doubt is the casino culture that has let Macau overtake Las Vegas as the biggest gambling center in the world. Las Vegas casinos have opened their own businesses there, one of which, the Venetian Macau is one of the worlds largest buildings by floor area.

Macau has a mix of historic western and Chinese culture and both a traditional and modern atmosphere. Portugal's influence can be seen everywhere in architecture, artwork, churches and as you stroll down one of the cobbled streets. You can find any world cuisine you may wish for here as well as the local dim sum snack food. Many famous shops have opened but you can also browse the local wares as you wander away from the new development.

Historical attractions include the Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral and the A-Ma temple. The history museum, wine museum, grand prix museum and art museum are all popular places for those who want a break from the buzz of the casinos!

• Air quality: ★★★★☆
• Foreigner-friendly degree: ★★★★★
• Public security degree: ★★★★☆
• Hygienic degree: ★★★★☆
• Traffic jam degree: ★★★★☆
• Internationalization level: ★★★★★
• Consumption level: ★★★★★

• Language:Mandarin, Portuguese, English, Cantonese
• Best traveling season: Oct. to Feb.
• Tourist resources: landscape, historic relics, shopping
• Airport to downtown: 15 to 20 minutes by car
• Demographics: Chinese (95%), Philippines (2%), Portuguese (0.3%)
• Key words: balmy, casino, Sino-Portuguese culture, cityscape, cathedral, toys, textile.

 Local Delicacies: Macao Egg Tart (Pushi Danta 葡式蛋挞), Roast Suckling Pig (Shao Ruzhu 烧乳猪), Portuguese Chicken (Puguo Ji 葡国鸡), Vegetable Soup with Ham or Dried Shrimp (Qingcai Tang 青菜汤), Bacalhau (Majiexiu 马介休), Cheese Cake (Zhishi Dangao 芝士蛋糕), Water Crab Porridge (Shuixie Zhou 水蟹粥), Coin Cake (Jinqian Bing 金钱饼).

Local Specialities: Almond Cake (Xingren Bing 杏仁饼), Chicken Rolls (Danjuan 蛋卷), Peanut Brittle (Huasheng Tang 花生糖), Nougat Candies of R-Cherikoff (Cheligefu Niujie Tang 车厘哥夫纽结糖), Dried Pork and Beef Jerky (Zhu/Niu Rougan 猪/牛肉干), Sweet Heart Cake (Laopo Bing 老婆饼), Dried Salted Fish (Xianyugan 咸鱼乾), Shrimp Paste (Xiajiang 虾酱), Artwork (Yishupin 艺术品), Sea Food Drysaltery (Haiwei Ganhuo 海味干货), Porcelain (Ciqi 瓷器), Portugal Wine (Puguo Putaojiu 葡国葡萄酒).

Useful lines:

• 澳门求救电话 Macao Emergency Call
• 853-999
• 澳门警察局电话 Macao Police Station
• 853-573333
• 澳门海关电话 Macao Custom Service
• 853-559944
• 澳门本地电话查询 Macao Local Directory Assistance
• 181 (English and Portuguese) or 185 (Portuguese)
• 澳门查询国际电话服务 Macao International Directory Assistance
• 101
• 澳门旅游服务热线 Macao Tourist Information Service
• 853-28333000
• 澳门海外地区之国际电话服务 Macao International Call Service
• 191
• 澳门国际电话服务（中国）Macao International Call Service (China)
• 155