Macau itinerary: 1 to 4 days
Plans for one to four days in Macau, day by day: the Macau Tower, A-Ma Temple, Senado Square and the Ruins of St. Paul's first, then Monte Fort and the Museum of Macau, the Old Protestant Cemetery and Nam Van Lake, and Taipa village, Cotai and the Grand Prix Museum as you add days. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 3 days
Macau in 1 day
Day 1
Macau Tower
338-metre tower with an indoor and outdoor observation deck, the SkyWalk around the rim and a bungee jump.
A-Ma Temple
Temple to the sea goddess Mazu dating from 1488, the oldest in Macau and the source of the city's name.
Mandarin's House
Large traditional residence of the Qing reformer Zheng Guanying, with courtyards and halls mixing Chinese and Western details.
Senado Square
Square with wave-patterned Portuguese paving at the heart of the historic centre, lined with pastel colonial buildings.
Ruins of St. Paul's
Carved stone facade of the 17th-century Jesuit Church of Mother of God, at the top of a broad stairway, with a crypt museum.
Fortaleza do Monte
17th-century Jesuit fortress on a hill beside the Ruins of St. Paul's, with old cannons and views over the city.
Sun Yat Sen Memorial House
Moorish-style house built for Sun Yat-sen's family, with exhibits on the founder of the Republic of China.
Guia Fortress
17th-century hilltop fort with a chapel and lighthouse, the highest point of the peninsula, part of Macau's UNESCO historic centre.
Macau in 2 days
Day 1
Macau Tower
338-metre tower with an indoor and outdoor observation deck, the SkyWalk around the rim and a bungee jump.
Fortaleza do Monte
17th-century Jesuit fortress on a hill beside the Ruins of St. Paul's, with old cannons and views over the city.
Museum of Macau
Museum inside Monte Fort on Macau's history and daily life, mixing Chinese and Portuguese traditions.
Ruins of St. Paul's
Carved stone facade of the 17th-century Jesuit Church of Mother of God, at the top of a broad stairway, with a crypt museum.
Na Tcha Temple
Small Chinese temple of 1888 beside the Ruins of St. Paul's, dedicated to the child deity Na Tcha.
Old Protestant Cemetery
Walled cemetery from 1821 with graves of British and American traders, sailors and missionaries, including the painter George Chinnery.
Day 2
A-Ma Temple
Temple to the sea goddess Mazu dating from 1488, the oldest in Macau and the source of the city's name.
Mandarin's House
Large traditional residence of the Qing reformer Zheng Guanying, with courtyards and halls mixing Chinese and Western details.
Nam Van Lake
Artificial lake on the peninsula's south side, with a waterfront promenade toward the Macau Tower.
Sir Robert Ho Tung Library
Public library in a 19th-century colonial mansion near St. Augustine's Square, with a quiet back garden.
Senado Square
Square with wave-patterned Portuguese paving at the heart of the historic centre, lined with pastel colonial buildings.
Guia Fortress
17th-century hilltop fort with a chapel and lighthouse, the highest point of the peninsula, part of Macau's UNESCO historic centre.
Macau Fisherman's Wharf
Themed waterfront complex near the ferry terminal with replica buildings in several styles, shops and restaurants.
Macau in 3 days
Day 1
Macau Tower
338-metre tower with an indoor and outdoor observation deck, the SkyWalk around the rim and a bungee jump.
Fortaleza do Monte
17th-century Jesuit fortress on a hill beside the Ruins of St. Paul's, with old cannons and views over the city.
Museum of Macau
Museum inside Monte Fort on Macau's history and daily life, mixing Chinese and Portuguese traditions.
Ruins of St. Paul's
Carved stone facade of the 17th-century Jesuit Church of Mother of God, at the top of a broad stairway, with a crypt museum.
Na Tcha Temple
Small Chinese temple of 1888 beside the Ruins of St. Paul's, dedicated to the child deity Na Tcha.
Old Protestant Cemetery
Walled cemetery from 1821 with graves of British and American traders, sailors and missionaries, including the painter George Chinnery.
Day 2
A-Ma Temple
Temple to the sea goddess Mazu dating from 1488, the oldest in Macau and the source of the city's name.
Mandarin's House
Large traditional residence of the Qing reformer Zheng Guanying, with courtyards and halls mixing Chinese and Western details.
Nam Van Lake
Artificial lake on the peninsula's south side, with a waterfront promenade toward the Macau Tower.
Sir Robert Ho Tung Library
Public library in a 19th-century colonial mansion near St. Augustine's Square, with a quiet back garden.
Senado Square
Square with wave-patterned Portuguese paving at the heart of the historic centre, lined with pastel colonial buildings.
Sun Yat Sen Memorial House
Moorish-style house built for Sun Yat-sen's family, with exhibits on the founder of the Republic of China.
Guia Fortress
17th-century hilltop fort with a chapel and lighthouse, the highest point of the peninsula, part of Macau's UNESCO historic centre.
Day 3
Galaxy Macau
Large casino resort in Cotai with hotels, restaurants, shops and a rooftop wave pool for hotel guests.
Rua do Cunha
Narrow pedestrian street in Taipa village known for snack shops, almond cookies and pork chop buns.
Taipa Houses–Museum
Row of green colonial-era houses on Taipa by the old waterfront, furnished to show Macanese family life, beside Taipa Village.
Macao Science Center
Science museum in a cone-shaped building designed by I. M. Pei, with hands-on exhibits and a planetarium.
Macau Fisherman's Wharf
Themed waterfront complex near the ferry terminal with replica buildings in several styles, shops and restaurants.
Macau in 4 days
Day 1
Macau Tower
338-metre tower with an indoor and outdoor observation deck, the SkyWalk around the rim and a bungee jump.
Fortaleza do Monte
17th-century Jesuit fortress on a hill beside the Ruins of St. Paul's, with old cannons and views over the city.
Museum of Macau
Museum inside Monte Fort on Macau's history and daily life, mixing Chinese and Portuguese traditions.
Ruins of St. Paul's
Carved stone facade of the 17th-century Jesuit Church of Mother of God, at the top of a broad stairway, with a crypt museum.
Na Tcha Temple
Small Chinese temple of 1888 beside the Ruins of St. Paul's, dedicated to the child deity Na Tcha.
Old Protestant Cemetery
Walled cemetery from 1821 with graves of British and American traders, sailors and missionaries, including the painter George Chinnery.
Day 2
A-Ma Temple
Temple to the sea goddess Mazu dating from 1488, the oldest in Macau and the source of the city's name.
Nam Van Lake
Artificial lake on the peninsula's south side, with a waterfront promenade toward the Macau Tower.
Sir Robert Ho Tung Library
Public library in a 19th-century colonial mansion near St. Augustine's Square, with a quiet back garden.
Senado Square
Square with wave-patterned Portuguese paving at the heart of the historic centre, lined with pastel colonial buildings.
Sun Yat Sen Memorial House
Moorish-style house built for Sun Yat-sen's family, with exhibits on the founder of the Republic of China.
Guia Fortress
17th-century hilltop fort with a chapel and lighthouse, the highest point of the peninsula, part of Macau's UNESCO historic centre.
Day 3
Galaxy Macau
Large casino resort in Cotai with hotels, restaurants, shops and a rooftop wave pool for hotel guests.
Rua do Cunha
Narrow pedestrian street in Taipa village known for snack shops, almond cookies and pork chop buns.
Taipa Houses–Museum
Row of green colonial-era houses on Taipa by the old waterfront, furnished to show Macanese family life, beside Taipa Village.
Macau Fisherman's Wharf
Themed waterfront complex near the ferry terminal with replica buildings in several styles, shops and restaurants.
Day 4
Grand Prix Museum
Museum on the Macau Grand Prix with racing cars and motorbikes and driving simulators, reopened in 2021 after expansion.
Lotus Square
Waterfront square with a large gilded lotus sculpture given by China to mark the 1999 handover.
Macao Science Center
Science museum in a cone-shaped building designed by I. M. Pei, with hands-on exhibits and a planetarium.
Mandarin's House
Large traditional residence of the Qing reformer Zheng Guanying, with courtyards and halls mixing Chinese and Western details.
Watch: Macau in 3 days
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Macau
October to December is the best time to visit Macau, with dry, sunny days and lower humidity. Summer, from June to September, is hot, humid and rainy, with a risk of typhoons. Chinese New Year and the October Golden Week bring huge crowds from mainland China and higher hotel prices, and the Macau Grand Prix takes over the streets in November.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Macau on Booking.com or Agoda
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Macau on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Macau on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for China from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Macau
- Visit the Ruins of St. Paul's and Senado Square early in the morning, before day-trip groups from Hong Kong and the mainland arrive.
- The Museum of Macau is closed on Mondays and the Grand Prix Museum on Tuesdays.
- Free shuttle buses run from the ferry terminals and the border to the big casino resorts in Cotai and on the peninsula; city buses accept the Macau Pass card.
- The Macau Tower SkyWalk and bungee jump are run by AJ Hackett and should be booked ahead, especially at weekends.
- Taipa village's Rua do Cunha is busiest around lunch; walk on to the Taipa Houses museum on the old waterfront nearby.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- A-Ma Temple: WiNG, CC BY 3.0
- Fortaleza do Monte: Holly Cheng, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Galaxy Macau: Wpcpey, CC BY 4.0
- Grand Prix Museum: No machine-readable author provided. KAMSAND23 assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5
- Guia Fortress: J. Patrick Fischer, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lotus Square: No machine-readable author provided. Alanmak~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY 2.5
- Macao Science Center: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Macau Fisherman's Wharf: Ricky36, Public domain
- Macau Tower: Whhalbert, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mandarin's House: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Museum of Macau: Brenden Brain, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Na Tcha Temple: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Nam Van Lake: Filip Maljković from Pancevo, Serbia, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Old Protestant Cemetery: Doctor Boogaloo at English Wikipedia ., Public domain
- Rua do Cunha: Iidxplus, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ruins of St. Paul's: GG001213, CC0
- Senado Square: The Red Hat of Pat Ferrick at English Wikipedia, Public domain
- Sir Robert Ho Tung Library: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sun Yat Sen Memorial House: No machine-readable author provided. Glio~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain
- Taipa Houses–Museum: Abasaa, Public domain
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
