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Macau
Special administrative region of China

Macau

Macau or Macao is a special administrative region of China.

Plan a trip to Macau→From Hong Kong

It consists of the Macau Peninsula, the islands of Taipa and Coloane, the Cotai reclamation zone between Taipa and Coloane, and several smaller islets. It borders Zhuhai to the north and west, and it lies west of Hong Kong, separated by the Pearl River estuary. With a population of about 720,000 people and a land area of 32.9 square kilometres (12.7 sq mi), it is the most densely populated region in the world.

Get in

Getting to Macau

For many years, the usual way to get to Macau was to fly into Hong Kong and take a ferry across to Macau. Today, Macau is becoming a low-cost airline hub, and some travellers are now arriving at Macau to later go to Hong Kong. Macau has a separate immigration regime from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

  1. 01
    Macau Ferry Terminal
  2. 02
    Macau International Airport

    Macau's flag carrier is Air Macau (澳門航空), which mainly serves destinations in Mainland China, but also flies to Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

See

Worth seeing

Although best known for gambling, Macau is extremely rich in attractions and oozing with atmosphere, thanks to hundreds of years of fusion between European and Chinese cultures. Macau is a fascinating place to just walk around as the place is packed with churches, temples, fortresses and other old buildings bearing an interesting mix of Portuguese and Chinese characteristics.

Do

Things to do

Gambling is Macau's biggest industry and busloads arrive daily from mainland China to try their luck. In addition, many Hong Kongers arrive on weekends with the same aim. For decades, the Casino Lisboa was the largest and most famous, a landmark well-known to people outside Macau, but many more casinos have sprung up.

Eat

Where to eat

Macau is famous for excellent restaurants, unique cuisine and mellow bars. Above all, the city is famous for two cuisines: Portuguese and Macanese. Portuguese food (cozinha portuguesa), brought in by its Portuguese colonizers, is hearty, salty, straightforward fare.

How locals move

Getting around Macau the local way

  • Get inFor many years, the usual way to get to Macau was to fly into Hong Kong and take a ferry across to Macau.
  • Get inThe main ferry terminal in Macau is the Macau Ferry Terminal (Terminal Marítimo) at the Outer Harbour (Portuguese: Porto Exterior, Chinese: ) on the Macau Peninsula.
  • Get inGetting there/away: Buses 1A, 3, 3A, 10, 10A, 10B, 12, 28A, 28B, 28BX, 32 and AP1 run from the ferry terminal.
  • Get inThere is a lesser known ferry terminal at Pier No.
  • Get inThis is a new ferry terminal building after its former Pier 14 site was given to developers by the Macau Government.
  • Get inThis terminal only serves ferries to Wanzai across the Inner Harbour in Zhuhai.
  • Get inA third terminal, Taipa Ferry Terminal, serves Taipa, Cotai and Coloane connecting to Hong Kong and Shekou.
  • Get inFerries to Macau operate from several points in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong International Airport where you can bypass Hong Kong Immigration and transfer directly into a ferry to Macau.

From Wikivoyage: Macau, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Jayden Chao (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.