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Macau is often referred to as the Las Vegas of Asia. Located about 50 kilometers west of Hong Kong, this special administrative region of China has legalized gambling. Elsewhere, it’s forbidden, which naturally attracts many tourists and especially gamblers.
Macau – A Travel Report on Our Day Trip From Hong Kong
During our Hong Kong stay, we took the ferry (which could almost be called a speedboat) for a day trip to the gambler’s paradise of Macau. Incidentally, Macau is also known for its Portuguese architecture, as it was a Portuguese colony until 1999.
How to Get To Macau
Macau International Airport is a great option for arriving by plane, but there are currently no direct flights from Germany or Europe, so you’d have to plan a stopover in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, etc. You can find all the information on flight connections and prices on Skyscanner.
Another possibility would be to fly to Hong Kong and then take the train or a taxi to the Ferry Terminal. Here you can take the ferry, which travels directly to Macau in about 45 minutes.
The last option is the bus from Hong Kong to Macau. The travel time is around 1 hour and 15 minutes, and it’s the cheapest variant. You can find prices and tickets with our partner 12go.asia.
Accommodation in Macau – Our Hotel Tip
There is a wide range of accommodation in Macau, and most Asian visitors stay in the huge hotel complexes and casinos. The IFU Hotel in Macau offers a nice alternative. It’s located in the Portuguese-influenced Old Town, where you can reach many of the attractions on foot. The clean and modern rooms come with air conditioning, a safe, a TV, and much more. The attentive staff is happy to help with any questions. It’s the ideal accommodation for exploring Macau on your own.
You can find more accommodation options in Macau, including those outside the Old Town, here.
Arrival in Macau
After about a 60-minute crossing from Kowloon, we arrived in Macau in the late morning under bright blue skies and looked for a (unfortunately very overpriced) bus to reach the island’s downtown. In hindsight, we noticed we hadn’t checked beforehand and simply took one of the countless sightseeing buses, which we’d originally planned to use for returning to the ferry terminal.
Passing the MGM Grand, the Macau Tower, and enjoying a really cool view of Macau’s city, we got off near the Old Town. Unfortunately, it was only then we realized that the last bus back to the ferry terminal left around 06.00 PM. But we planned to take a much later ferry back to Hong Kong and spontaneously decided to see how we’d get back. More on that in a bit. First, we walked through the Old Town, which was still partly decorated for Christmas on January 7. They could have taken it down by then.
The Ruins of St. Paul’s Church
We then headed to the Ruins of St. Paul’s Church, one of Macau’s landmarks. We relaxed there for a bit (except Marcel, who was briefly asked by some Chinese students for a video interview) and watched the colorful hustle and bustle until nightfall. We wanted to see the “Las Vegas” part of the city at night.
The Casinos
Finally it was dark, so we headed toward the casinos. It was still a bit of a walk from the Old Town, but definitely worth it! Very impressive, especially the Casino Lisboa and the tallest building in Macau, the Grand Lisboa. A fountain that moved to music with a light show was also really cool!
We had to skip gambling in the casino due to our backpacker budget. But if you’re a gambler, you’ll be in the right place here.
On the way back, it was already after 06.00 PM, so we couldn’t take the sightseeing bus anymore. We also didn’t want to pay the taxi prices and ended up walking about 1 ½ hours through Macau back to the ferry terminal – if it were a movie, it’d probably be called “Lost in Macau” or something similar. Despite everything, it was a successful day in Asia’s gambling paradise, and we can only recommend a visit!
Macau: Tours and Tickets
Do you prefer to travel with a guide who knows the area very well? Then we recommend a guided tour with a local. This way you can get to know Macau in a completely different way. GetYourGuide offers a wide selection of exciting tours for Macau.
Have you been to Macau before? How did you like it? Write us your opinion below in the comments.
