Sights in Macau
-
A
Church of St Dominic
Northeast of Largo do Senado, this 17th-century baroque church with a beautiful altar and a timber roof contains the Treasury of Sacred Art, an Aladdin’s cave of ecclesiastical art and liturgical objects exhibited on three floors.
reviewed
-
B
Maritime Museum
The Maritime Museum has interesting boats and artefacts from Macau’s seafaring past, a mock-up of a Hakka fishing village, and displays of the long narrow boats raced during the Dragon Boat Festival in June.
reviewed
-
C
Four-Faced Buddha Shrine
Northeast of the Macau Jockey Club racetrack’s main entrance is this 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.
reviewed
-
D
Sound of the Century Museum
From antique phonographs to tournaphones and echophones dating back to as early as 1882, the private collections of the owner of Tai Peng Electronics will definitely wow you, no matter if you are a phonograph enthusiast or not. Prior appointment is required.
reviewed
-
E
Government House
South of the Church of St Lawrence is the headquarters of the Macau SAR government. This pillared, rose-coloured building was built in 1849 for a Portuguese noble. It’s open to the public for one day a year, usually in September or October.
reviewed
-
F
Nu Wa Temple
Macau has some interesting Chinese temples dedicated to important but lesser-worshipped deities. The Nu Wa Temple, a family shrine-like temple in a faded yellow building, built in 1888, was consecrated to the Chinese equivalent of Gaia.
reviewed
-
G
Macau Cathedral
East of Largo do Senado is the cathedral. It’s not a particularly attractive structure, consecrated in 1850 and completely rebuilt in 1937 in concrete. It has some notable stained-glass windows and is very active during major Christian festivals and holy days in Macau.
reviewed
-
H
Macau Museum of Art
Macau Museum of Art is a five-storey complex next to the Macau Cultural Centre. It is a well-curated museum featuring excellent exhibits by Chinese artists in Macau and China, as well as paintings by important Western artists who have lived in Macau, such as George Chinnery. Highlights include ceramics and stoneware excavated from Heisha in Macau, Ming- and Qing-dynasty paintings and calligraphy from Guǎngdōng province, precious ceramic statues from Shíwān in Guǎngdōng and seal carvings by Guǎngdōng masters. There are also 19th-century Western historical paintings from all over Asia, contemporary Macanese art and photographic works.
Creative Macau, an art space…
reviewed
-
I
Church of St Lawrence
The original church was built of wood in the 1560s but was rebuilt in stone in the early 19th century. It has a magnificent painted ceiling and one of the towers once served as an ecclesiastical prison. Enter from Rua da Imprensa Nacional.
reviewed
-
J
Handover of Macau Gifts Museum
Next to the Macau Cultural Centre is this major attraction to visitors from the mainland. It displays (kitschy) art pieces and handicrafts presented by China’s various provinces to Macau to mark the return of Chinese sovereignty in 1999.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
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 changing rooms and toilets and, in season, lifeguards on duty (from 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, from 9am to 6pm Sunday May to October).
reviewed
-
L
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.
reviewed
-
M
Fire Services Museum
Housed in the former HQ 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, and lots of helmets and boots.
reviewed
-
N
Chapel of St Joseph Seminary
Southwest of 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 superb acoustics, and the church is used as a concert venue.
reviewed
-
O
Dom Pedro V Theatre
Opposite the Church of St Augustine, Dom Pedro V is a colonnaded, neoclassical theatre built in 1858 and it’s the oldest European theatre in China. It only opens for cultural performances.
reviewed
-
P
Chinese Reading Room
This former drinks booth (c 1926), known as the ‘Octagonal Pavilion’ in Chinese, has red windows and a slip of a staircase linking two floors.
reviewed
-
Q
Macau Cultural Centre
This US$100 million centre is the territory’s prime venue for theatre, opera and other cultural performances. It’s beside the wonderful Macau Museum of Art.
reviewed
-
R
Tian Hou Temple
reviewed
-
S
Tam Kong Temple
reviewed
-
Sr Wong Ieng Kuan Library
reviewed
Advertisement
-
T
Pier 8
A stunner in grey 50 paces south of Macau Masters Hotel; best views from the South Sampan Pier next door.
reviewed
-
Pak Tai Temple
Pak Tai Temple sits quietly in a breezy square framed by old trees. It is dedicated to a martial deity – the Taoist God (Tai) of the North (Pak) – who defeated the Demon King who was terrorising the universe. A pair of Chinese lions guards the entrance to the temple. On the third day of the third lunar month each year, there are Cantonese opera performances at the temple.
reviewed
-
U
Museum of Sacred Art
reviewed
-
V
East Asia Hotel
Chinese art deco in mint green; a little shabby, very chic.
reviewed
-
crypt and ossuary
reviewed