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A-Ma Statue
This colossal 20m statue of the goddess atop Alto de Coloane, was hewn from a form of white jade quarried near Beijing and was erected in 1998. Below it is enormous Tian Hou Temple (; - ), which, together with the statue, form the core of A-Ma Cultural Village, a religious complex containing a museum, retreat and medical centres, a vegetarian restaurant and handicraft shops.
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A-Ma Temple
North of Barra Hill, this temple - called Ma Kok Miu in Cantonese - is dedicated to the goddess A-Ma, better known as Tin Hau. The original temple on this site was probably already standing when the Portuguese arrived, although the present one may only date back to the 17th century.
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Casa Garden
This colonial villa was the headquarters of the British East India Company when it was based in Macau in the early 19th century. Today the villa houses the Oriental Foundation (Fundação Oriente; 2855 4699; www.foriente.pt), an organisation founded in 1996 to promote Portuguese culture worldwide, and an exhibition gallery (398 1126; admission free), which houses both exhibits of Chinese antiques, porcelain and contemporary art.
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Cemetery Of St Michael The Archangel
This cemetery, northeast of Monte Fort, contains tombs and sepulchres that can only be described as baroque ecclesiastical works of art. Near the main entrance is the Chapel of St Michael (Capela de São Miguel; ; - ), a doll-sized, pea-green church with a tiny choir loft and pretty porticoes.
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Chapel Of St Francis Xavier
This delightful little church on the waterfront was built in 1928 to honour St Francis Xavier, a missionary in Japan. For many years a fragment of the saint's arm bone was kept in the chapel, but it has now been moved to St Joseph Seminary on the Macau Peninsula. Have a look in the room to the right of the chapel, where an interesting painting of a Kum Iam-like Virgin Mary is on display.
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Chapel Of St Joseph Seminary
To the southwest of the Dom Pedro V Theatre is the Chapel of St Joseph, consecrated in 1758 as part of a Jesuit seminary. Its 19m-high domed ceiling has exceptionally fine acoustics, and the church is used as a concert venue.
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Cheoc Van Beach
About 1.5km down Estrada de Cheoc Van, which runs east and then southeast from Coloane Village, is the beach at Cheoc Van (Bamboo Bay). There are public changing rooms and toilets and, in season, lifeguards (; - Mon-Sat, - Sun May-Oct) on duty.
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Chinese Reading Room
This attractive octagonal structure, with its double stone staircase and little round tower, is a wonderful mix of Chinese and Portuguese styles that could only be found in Macau.
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Church Of St Anthony
Located just outside the Casa Garden and next to the roundabout, this church, built from 1558 to 1608, is considered to be the oldest in Macau and was the Jesuit's earliest headquarters. The local Portuguese used to hold wedding ceremonies here, hence its name in Cantonese: Fa Vong Tong (Church of Flowers). It burnt down three times and the present architecture is a restoration from 1930.
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Church Of St Augustine
Southwest of Largo do Senado via Rua Central is the Church of St Augustine. Though its foundations date from 1586, the present church was built in 1814. The high altar has a statue of Christ bearing the cross, which is carried through the streets during the Procession of the Passion of Our Lord on the first Saturday of Lent . At the time of writing, the church was closed for maintenance.
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Church Of St Dominic
Northeast of Largo do Senado, this 17th-century baroque church is a replacement of a chapel built by the Dominicans in the 1590s. Today it contains the Treasury of Sacred Art (Tresouro de Arte Sacra; 2836 7706; admission free; ; - ), an Aladdin's cave of ecclesiastical art and liturgical objects exhibited on three floors.
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Church Of St Lawrence
Enter Macau's most fashionable church from Rua da Imprensa Nacional. The original was built of wood in the 1560s but was reconstructed in stone in the early 19th century and has a magnificent painted ceiling. One of the church towers once served as an ecclesiastical prison.
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Dom Pedro V Theatre
Opposite the Church of St Augustine, this colonnaded, neoclassical theatre built in 1858 is the oldest European theatre in China and is sometimes used for cultural performances.
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Fire Services Museum
Housed in the former headquarters of the Macau fire brigade, the museum holds a small but interesting collection of old fire trucks from the 1940s and '50s, a manual pump from 1877, lots of helmets and boots.
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Four-Faced Buddha Shrine
Northeast of the Macau Jockey Club racetrack's main entrance is the Buddhist shrine guarded by four stone elephants and festooned with gold leaf and Thai-style floral bouquets. It's a popular place to pray and make offerings before race meetings.
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Government House
South of the Church of St Lawrence is monumental Government House, a pillared, rose-coloured building erected for a Portuguese noble in 1849. It's now the headquarters of the Macau SAR government. It is open to the public for a day, usually scheduled in September or October.
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Grand Prix Museum
Cars from the Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix, including the bright-red Triumph TR2 driven by Eduardo de Carvalho that won the first Grand Prix in 1954, are on display, while simulators let you test your racing skills.
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Guia Fort
This fortress, built in 1638 atop the highest point on the peninsula, was originally designed to defend the border with China. The quaint Chapel of Our Lady of Guia (Capela de Nostra Señora da Guia), built in 1622, was used to sound storm warnings. The 15m-tall Guia Lighthouse (Farol da Guia; 1865) is the oldest lighthouse on the China coast. On clear days you can see Lantau Island from the fort.
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Handover Of Macau Gifts Museum
This new museum, next to the Macau Cultural Centre, is a crowd-pleaser among visitors from the mainland. It displays art pieces and handicrafts presented by China's various provinces and regions to Macau to mark the return of Chinese sovereignty in 1999. Some exhibits are kitsch in the extreme.
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Kun Iam Statue
This 20m-high bronze figure, emerging Virgin Mary-like from a 7m-high lotus in the outer harbour, is probably the only statue of the goddess of mercy in the world not facing the sea. It is quite relaxing once you've entered Kun Iam's 'blossom' - the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre (Centro Ecuménico Kun Iam; 2875 1516; admission free; ; - Sat-Thu). Information is available on Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
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Kun Iam Temple
Dating from 1627, this is Macau's oldest and most interesting temple. The likeness of Kun Iam, goddess of mercy, is in the main hall while the adjacent rooms honour her with a collection of pictures and scrolls. On a less religious note, the first treaty of trade and friendship between the US and China was signed in the temple's terraced gardens in 1844. These days the incense-shrouded complex is thronged with fortune tellers and visitors.
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Leal Senado
Facing Largo do Senado to the west is Macau's most important historical building, the 18th-century 'Loyal Senate', which now houses the Instituto para os Assuntos Cívicos e Municipais (IACM; Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau) and the mayor's office. It is so-named because the body sitting here refused to recognise Spain's sovereignty during the 60 years that it occupied Portugal.
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Lin Fung Temple
Built in 1592 as a Taoist temple but now dedicated to Kun Iam, it's where mandarins from Guangdong province would stay when they visited Macau. The most celebrated of these visitors was Lin Zexu , the commissioner charged with stamping out the opium trade, who stayed here in September 1839.
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Lou Kau Mansion
Near the Macau Cathedral is this well-preserved traditional Cantonese-style mansion built in 1889. It belonged to tycoon Lou Wa Sio, father of Lou Lim Ioc, who made his fortunes in Macau during 19th century. The mansion has kept its elaborated brick relief and lattice carvings on windows, as well as some hybrid East-West architecture. Interestingly there is no kitchen in the mansion, as the owner's concubines were supposed to bring him pleasure rather than cook.
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Lou Lim Ioc Gardens
Among the best of Macau's gardens, and the only Chinese-style garden you can find in Macau, is cool and shady Lou Lim Ioc Garden, with huge shade trees, lotus ponds, bamboo groves, grottoes and a bridge with nine turns (to escape from evil spirits who can only move in straight lines). Local people use the park to practise t'ai chi or play traditional Chinese musical instruments.
