Macau Resorts

Home arrow Macau Tours Thursday, 28 August 2008
Macau Tours

Macau Tower Skyline 

Macau - a Portuguese colony until Dec 1999, under 70 kilometers west of Hong Kong - is another alluring destination, manifest in aging churches and temples, cobbled lanes and narrow winding streets, hilltop fortresses and a grand seafront promenade. It is a land colored by a delightful mix of European and Oriental, ancient and contemporary, where varied cultures converge, and impressive monuments survive amid the hurly and burly of a modern metropolis.


Tour operators are licensed in Macau, and are under the supervision of the Macau Government Tourist Office. Most of them offer packages including visas, booking of tickets, luggage handling, hotel reservations, transfers and miscellaneous services. Most tour operators include Macau as a one-day or overnight stop within a larger itinerary for exploring China, bringing visitors to Macau via Kowloon or Hong Kong.  Those who visit Hong Kong as a destination, and the tour operators who serve them, often include a Macau tour as a one-day extension package.  Gray Line Tours of HK, China Travel Service, and Splendid Tours and Travel are some of the operators who provide day tours in English. Panda Travel Agency provides Japanese-speaking Portuguese Nostalgia tours, and C & A Tours offers Macau tours in German.

Some Macau tours focus more on Macau’s history and culture, others favor including a casino visit, or a visit to the modern Macau Tower for a spectacular view of Macau and its surrounding islands. Any Macau tour is likely to include some of the following:

Temple of Kun Lam: A Buddhist temple dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. Behind the temple are terraced gardens in which stands the stone table where the first Sino-American Treaty was signed.

Ruin's of St. Paul's: All that remains of the greatest of Macau's churches is its magnificent stone facade and grand staircase. The Roman Catholic Church was built in 1602 but was gutted in 1835. Fine art of carvings and statues can be seen on the surviving facade. It is now the landmark of Macau.

The Penha Church: From this hilltop you will enjoy the sweeping views of the Inner Harbour and city, the across to Pearl River Region.

Temple of Goddess of A-Ma: A shrine built 400 years ago in homage to a girl who saved the people on a junk from a sudden storm as it was sailing across the South China Sea. The place where the temple was built was called A-Ma Hau-Place of A-ma, and Macau was later named after it.

Macau Tower:  The Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre is at 399 meters above ground level, it is the 20th tallest freestanding structure in the world and the 8th tallest in Asia. This tower is part of a Convention, entertainment and Tourist center in the heart of Macau, which is located on the spectacular waterfront site of Nam Van Lake.

The Casino Lisboa: A luxurious hotel and casino built in late 60's to early 70's. Macau is since then known as Monte Carlo of the Orient. Try your luck there!

Lotus Flower in Full Bloom: The lotus sculpture is dedicated by the State Council of China, and symbolizes the everlasting prosperity of Macau.

Portas do Cerco:  This historical barrier gate, marked by an imposing stucco gateway crowned with the Portuguese flag, is the official land crossing point into China.

As Macau’s tourism economy proliferates, the variety of Macau tours will increase, and the length of stays with it.  With the series of spectacular events lined up for the rest of the year, including the International Firework Display Contest, East Asian Games, Grand Prix etc., it is expected that millions of tourists will be swarming to Macau via sea routes. Moreover, the launching of world acclaimed attractions, including Hong Kong Disney, Macau Tower Sky Jump and UNESCO World Heritage “Historic Centre of Macau”, are expected to draw a significant volume of overseas tourists to the two cities.