This year, I plan to celebrate the Spring Festival in Shenzhen and the next stop for my Greater Bay Area trip is Macau. Traveling from Shenzhen to Macau is relatively convenient, so I am making arrangements for the trip. I’ve done some research and itinerary planning that can serve as a reference for those visiting Macau for the first time.
Preparation
- Purchase a Macau data package in advance, search for “overseas data” on Alipay.
- Apply for the exit and entry permit in advance.
- Buy round-trip ferry tickets (from Shekou Ferry Terminal) and high-speed train tickets ahead of time.
- Power bank, comfortable sports shoes.
- Motion sickness medication/patches.
- Lightweight jacket (the ferry’s air conditioning can be quite cold).
- Some snacks.
There are many self-service machines for entry and exit permits in Shenzhen, available in many community security offices. With the permit and facial recognition, the process can be completed in minutes without needing to go to the entry and exit hall. Currently, there is no need for a health code when crossing the border; just swipe the exit and entry permit to pass through.
Outbound Trip
Shekou Port has ferry tickets to Taipa and Macau Outer Harbor. There are many round-trip journeys from 8 AM to 9 PM. The single ticket price is 239, which is a bit expensive, but it’s the fastest route, taking about 70 minutes to reach Macau.
Tickets can be booked through the “China Merchants Shekou Cruise Terminal” WeChat official account, and note that booking certificates must use the exit and entry permit.
Arriving at Shekou Terminal half an hour early is safer; you’ll need to swipe your permit to exit, and tickets are checked 10 minutes before boarding. You can board with a QR code ticket without printing a physical ticket.
Payment
Many places in Macau support WeChat and Alipay for shopping, settling according to real-time exchange rates. You can search “Global Payment Offers” on WeChat to receive exchange rate discounts.
However, when taking the bus, you’ll need to exchange for Macanese Patacas (MOP). Buses and taxis accept RMB and HKD, using an exchange rate of 1:1:1. Each bus ride costs 6 MOP and can only be paid in cash.
In Macau, you can take buses or the free “Fortune” buses (which look like regular big buses). Taxis are relatively expensive; planning a good route with the Fortune buses is advisable.
Macau is quite small, and it doesn’t take long to get anywhere.
Travel Plan
There are relatively concentrated attractions in Macau, mainly divided between Taipa and the Macau Peninsula. Sights within each area can be reached on foot, but a vehicle is needed to travel between Taipa and the Macau Peninsula.
Taipa -> Macau Peninsula -> Taipa Terminal
- Outbound: Taipa Terminal -> Wynn Palace, MGM Cotai
- Morning: Explore Taipa (The Londoner, The Parisian, Venetian, Rua da Cunha)
- Afternoon: Wynn’s Fortune Tree, Old and New Lisboa, Ruins of St. Paul’s
- Return: New Lisboa’s Fortune Bus or taxi
Macau Peninsula -> Taipa -> Taipa Terminal
- Outbound: Taipa Terminal -> Wynn Macau, New Lisboa, MGM, Galaxy Hotel
- Morning: Wynn’s Fortune Tree, Old and New Lisboa, Ruins of St. Paul’s
- Afternoon: Explore Taipa (The Londoner, The Parisian, Venetian)
- Return: Light rail or various hotel Fortune buses
Taipa Island
Taipa Island features large European-style architectural complexes, hosting a cluster of entertainment venues, including The Parisian, The Londoner, Venetian, Wynn Palace, and MGM Cotai, which are quite spectacular and luxurious.
From Taipa Terminal, you can take the light rail to “Road Town East” or the Fortune bus to Wynn Palace (accessible from MGM, Venetian, The Londoner, and The Parisian). After exiting the terminal, follow the signs to find the shuttle bus station for each entertainment venue.
- The Parisian (European architectural style, featuring the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben. A light show starts after 7 PM)
- The Londoner: Located across from The Parisian, walk towards Big Ben. There’s a red bus for photos, making for great shots.
- Venetian (Instagram-famous stairs, shopping, and casino tour)
- Rua da Cunha: Snacks, souvenirs, and memorabilia; it’s optional, as there are many options near the Ruins of St. Paul’s.
Macau Peninsula
The Macau Peninsula is the main gathering area of the old town, where attractions like the Ruins of St. Paul’s and the Church of St. Mary are located, as well as the old and new Lisboa.
If traveling from Taipa to the Macau Peninsula, you can walk from the Venetian to the Galaxy.
The Macau Peninsula has the following attractions we considered, though we didn’t visit them all:
The places we actually visited include:
0. Wynn’s Fortune Tree Show (very popular, arrive early for seating; performs on the hour for 6 minutes. We went on the fifth day of the new year, the luck-bringer show was even more crowded)
The Fortune Tree is valued at 200 million, with each leaf made of gold.
Performance times: every half hour from 10 AM to 10 PM, lasting 6-8 minutes, all free of charge; be sure to secure a good viewing spot in advance.
There’s also a music fountain at the main entrance (from 12 PM to 7 PM, every 30 minutes).
New & Old Lisboa (the Old Lisboa casino offers free food and drinks; photography is not allowed inside the casino)
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Ruins of St. Paul’s
One of the eight scenes of Macau, the Ruins of St. Paul’s was originally St. Paul’s Church, which was burned down in the 15th year of the Daoguang Emperor, with only the facade remaining.
It’s very crowded; on the way from New Lisboa to the Ruins of St. Paul’s, there are many snack, souvenir, and memorabilia shops to explore.Fort Fortaleza (a park next to the Ruins of St. Paul’s, featuring a canon at the top overlooking the Macau Peninsula; there’s also a paid museum halfway up the mountain, which can be a bit tiring to hike.)
Shopping
I find the food in Macau to be mediocre, not as good as in Hong Kong, and pricier. Shopping is decent; you can stroll around near the Venetian. I bought some souvenirs from “Ji Ji” and beef jerky, which were quite pricey but offered samples, and the taste was okay.
If you’re looking to buy some medicines, I recommend going to Watson’s for genuine products. However, note that not all Watson’s stores sell medicines; some only carry health supplements. For items like Wong To Yick and Shuang Fei Ren, you need to go to specific stores to find them. Alternatively, look for pharmacies marked with RX, as they reportedly carry them too.
Casinos
Macau is indeed a gambling city, with large casinos in every hotel. You must be at least 21 to enter a casino; they do check permits, and photography is prohibited inside.
The atmosphere differs from what you often see in movies; most dealers appear to be local middle-aged individuals. Various games are available, including slot machines.
I’m not really into gambling, so I didn’t try playing.
Return Trip
It’s advisable to prepare to return to the terminal about an hour in advance. Be sure to check the last bus time from the entertainment venues to the corresponding ports; otherwise, it can be hard to get a taxi (waiting over 30 minutes) and you may miss your ferry.
Option One: Macau Peninsula
Directly return from the Macau Peninsula to Taipa Terminal.
- Take the Fortune Bus from New Lisboa -> Taipa Terminal (about 20 minutes, latest at 6:30 PM. You need to get tickets at the underground level in New Lisboa to board the bus).
Since we spent too long exploring, we missed the last Fortune Bus from New Lisboa to Taipa. Ultimately, we had to take a taxi from New Lisboa to Taipa Terminal, which was quite slow. The queues at New Lisboa were very long, and Didi (a ride-hailing app) doesn’t support taxi bookings in Macau.
You can pay for taxis using Alipay or WeChat, but you can only use RMB and MOP at a 1:1 exchange rate, which incurs some losses due to exchange rates. Taxis in Macau are rather expensive; a 7 km taxi ride took about 20 minutes and cost 85 MOP.
It’s recommended to plan your route in Macau to avoid peak taxi times at popular spots.
Option Two: Taipa Island
Return from Taipa Island to Taipa Terminal.
- Take the light rail (Road Town West, Lotus, East Asian Games, Road Town East) to Taipa Terminal station.
- The Fortune buses from Wynn Palace, The Londoner, The Parisian, Venetian, and MGM to Taipa Terminal.
Conclusion
This trip to Macau was quite packed; we covered most of the major landmarks. Public transportation isn’t as convenient as in Hong Kong; walking can be quite tiring—I ended up walking about 30,000 steps in a day. Macau is a bit too small, and the overall experience revolves mainly around the entertainment venues; it’s worth a visit, but not somewhere I’d regularly return to.
