I took a last minute trip to Hong Kong this week and couldn’t miss seeing Macau, which is right next door. I took the hour-long ferry ride to The City of Dreams on a boat operated by a company called Turbojet. It was a relaxing ride, and I slept for most of it–still wiped out and jet lagged from the long journey from LAX to Hong Kong.
After arriving at the ferry terminal in Macau, I stopped by the tourist information booth for a map and some advice. Minutes later I was on the free shuttle bus (line 12X) heading into the center of town.
The very first thing I noticed–and loved–was the Português influence in Macau. Macau was under Português rule for decades–relinquished back to China in 1999–and the evidence is everywhere…
I only had a few hours in Macau, so I took a stroll over to the Ruins of St. Paul’s, a 17th-century Portuguese church dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle.
After snapping some pics at the ruins and strolling the mosaic sidewalks of the old part of town, it was over to Casino Lisboa to drop a few dollars in the slots. I’m not a huge gambler, so I was very surprised when all the bells and whistles went off at my machine after only a few spins. Turned out to be only about a $40 dollar win, but I’ll take it!
Macau was just a quick evening trip for me, but I loved it. It’s one of those places I felt bad leaving so soon…it definitely deserved at least 48 hours, so try more of the food and see some of the sites in the daytime.
My only tip: if you’re going to Hong Kong, work in a stop at Macau. It’s too close not to go!
This entry was posted in Asia
Good to know that Macau is so close to Hong Kong! I have a friend in Hong Kong that never really gets any of her Canadian friends out to visit since moving back home about 10 years ago. I really need to consider doing a Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan trip the first time I go out there to visit her.
Since you’ve been to all three places recently, how many days would you budget for each over a two week trip? My style of travel is similar to yours (off-the-beaten path, cultural, history, food/drinks & quirky/once in a lifetime events (sports or non-sports related). I would venture to guess Hong Kong needs about 4 days, 2 days in Macau, and a week in Taiwan?
Your days/schedule seems about right! Budget wise…not sure. Not sure what kind of accommodations you like. Airfare is probably the most expensive, but once you get there, Hong Kong to Taiwan and vice versa should be relatively inexpensive. See if it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg to fly into one and out the other. It may be way more expensive, and in that case, cheaper to fly back to where you flew into. Pain in the butt, but do the math and see the difference.