MACAU

MACAU

MACAU

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– No current scheduled consular closures.
CONSULAR CLOSURES
TBC.
TOP ATTRACTIONS
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Name: Ruins of Saint Paul’s
Location: Santo António, Macau
Name: The Venetian Macao
Location: Cotai Strip, Macau
Name: Macau Tower
Location: Sé, Macau
FLIGHT TIMES / MAJOR CITIES
PLEASE SEE BELOW MAJOR CITIES IN MACAU / CLICK OR TOGGLE BELOW FOR FASTEST AVERAGE FLIGHT TIMES FROM USA.

New York: TBC
Washington DC: TBC

COUNTRY INFORMATION GUIDE
PLEASE SEE BELOW FACTS, USEFUL US GOVERNMENT TRAVEL LINKS AND BUSINESS VISITOR ACTIVITIES, FOR TRAVEL TO MACAU.
FACTS:
Official Languages: Chinese / Portuguese
Currency: Macau Pataca (MOP)
Time zone: CST (China Standard Time) (UTC+8)
Drives on the right
Calling code: +853
Local / up-to-date weather: TBC
US GOVT TRAVEL LINKS:

For more useful information on safety & security, local laws / customs, health and more, please see the below official US travel.state.gov web link for Macau travel advice. NB: Entry requirements herein listed are for US nationals only, unless stated otherwise.

You can also find recommended information on vaccinations, malaria and other more detailed health considerations for travel to Macau, at the below official US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) weblink.

BUSINESS VISITOR ACTIVITIES*:
Activities you may undertake on a business visa / as a business visitor:
PERMISSIBLE
ATTENDING MEETINGS / DISCUSSIONS: TBC
ATTENDING A CONFERENCE: TBC
RECEIVING TRAINING (CLASSROOM-BASED): TBC
NON-PERMISSIBLE
AUDIT WORK: TBC
PROVIDING TRAINING: TBC
PROJECT WORK: TBC
*This information does not constitute legal advice and is not an exhaustive list. For a full legal assessment on business visitor activities, please revert to your internal company legal team / counsel.
TRAVEL INFORMATION**
It is highly recommenced that you access the above official US travel.state.gov web link and read all safety & security information prior to making your travel arrangements / planning your trip.
PLEASE CLICK / TOGGLE BELOW FOR USEFUL TRAVEL INFORMATION TO MACAU.

The currency of Macau is the pataca (ISO code: MOP), which is divided into 100 avos. Prices are shown as MOP$10, for example (10 patacas).

The pataca is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar (HKD) at 1.03 patacas to 1 dollar. Hong Kong dollars are almost universally accepted in Macau on a 1:1 basis, so there is no need to get MOP if you already have HKD, although ATMs and money exchanges are numerous. Most businesses will endeavour to give you change in HKD if you pay in HKD, if they have them. Occasionally, however, a business might give change in MOP notes and HKD coins or the other way around. If you receive MOP in change, make sure to spend it before you leave Macau. The HKD10 coin may not be accepted because of numerous forgeries.

Chinese yuan/renminbi (¥, RMB, or CNY) are also accepted in some areas (but at the unfavourable rate of 1:1) and can easily be changed for either patacas or HKD. In casinos, the HKD is the preferred currency, and gamers with patacas may actually be required to exchange to HKD (or HKD-denominated casino chips) before playing. Transactions made at government offices though will require you to pay in patacas.

The Macau Pass transport card is widely accepted for payment in shops and restaurants.

ON FOOT:

This is arguably the best way to get around the Macau Peninsula, which is small, compact and full of things to discover. Many roads are also one way so there is quite a chance that it won’t be slower than to take road transport which may need to make a long loop to reach the destination. Most streets have a pedestrian sidewalk making walking easy, although you will have to fight the crowds going in all directions. Cars are more mindful of pedestrians than in mainland China, but traffic rules are still not very well adhered to, so ensure that you look both ways before crossing and be careful of large vehicles in narrow roadways. In and around the Senado Square, the pavements will be made of hand-laid limestone pieces made into simple designs, something that will surely catch your attention. Macau is also hilly, be prepared to struggle up and down steep lanes and steps.

Especially in the old city, the city streets do not seem to run in any particular pattern and you’ll most likely get lost at some stage, which is part of the fun of exploring Macau.

In the Cotai strip, distances are large but sidewalks are pretty consistently present. It is now fairly easy to walk between the Galaxy, Venetian and City Dreams casinos, and it is easy to walk between Galaxy and Taipa Village. It is more interesting to take a walk after dark to take a glimpse of the casinos’ illuminated façades. Many of the hotels are connected to each other by indoor walkways lined with expensive shops.

BY BUS:

Macau and its districts are served by two bus companies – Transportes Urbanos Macau (Transmac) and Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos de Macau (TCM). The bus system in Macau can be difficult to use. It is often difficult to gauge which direction the bus is heading and the routes through the city center are very curvy, often making a long ride out of a short distance. Bus drivers usually only speak Cantonese, very little English or Mandarin and certainly no Portuguese at all. Most bus stops have no English on signs, although you can sometimes figure out the destination from the Portuguese bus stop names. Some bus stops have route descriptions (with a list of stops) on a rotating pole at the stop and a small coloured dot indicates the stop you’re at (including which direction on the route the stop serves). The ferry terminal is “Terminal Maritimo” while other mentions of “Terminal” indicate the terminus (end) of the route. Buses run early morning to late evening, most roughly from 6AM to midnight.

Nevertheless, the websites of both companies list the stops that all their routes make. The TCM site is in Chinese and English, while the Transmac site depicts routes schematically. The tourist information desk at the ferry terminal has free maps with bus routes on them and can provide advice on how to get to a particular destination.

There is a flat fare of MOP6 (2018) for all bus routes. Get your destinations written in Chinese if you need to tell them where you’re going. You should pay the exact fare as drivers do not give change if you overpay. Buses accept Hong Kong coins (but not the MOP10 Hong Kong coin).

Announcements on the bus are made in Cantonese, Portuguese, Mandarin, and something that resembles English (but with most of the stop names in Portuguese). Free WiFi is available on the buses for a limited period of time.

Macau Pass, a stored value card similar to Hong Kong’s Octopus Card system, is now widely used by Macau citizens as it provides discounts on paying bus fare (fares with Macau Pass are MOP3 for regular routes and MOP4 for express routes, with free transfers). However, it’s not worth it for most short-term visitors – distribution points are limited, the minimum value to add when you first get the card is MOP100, and while getting a partial refund is possible, it’s inconvenient. The Macau Pass is also widely accepted as payment in stores.

BY SCOOTER:

Scooters are a very economical and fun way to see the sites of Macau, they are also the primary mode of transport for locals due to Macau’s narrow streets and lack of car parking space. Scooters are available for rental from a few dollars. Licenses from most countries covering mopeds or motorcycles are accepted.

BY SHUTTLE BUS:

If you’ve got more time than money on your hands, you can travel around Macau for free simply by hopping on and off the complimentary shuttle buses operated by all major casinos and hotels. Virtually all serve the Terminal Maritimo, with buses every 5 to 10 minutes, while the big boys (Venetian, Wynn, City of Dreams, Galaxy etc.) also shuttle to the Border Gates, the Taipa Ferry Terminal and the airport. The buses to Hotel Lisboa, for example, drop you off just a few blocks from Largo do Senado. Most of the casinos and hotels offer totally free shuttle buses, but some of the casinos on the waterfront of Old Macau- including The Lisboa, Wynn, and MGM- require users to first spend money in their casinos before getting the tickets.

Some free shuttle buses also run between the main hotels on the Cotai Strip, and the larger hotels in the old city. For example, a shuttle bus between Hotel Sintra in old Macau and Studio City or City of Dreams on Taipa. The Sands hotel chain also run a similar service between their hotels on the Cotai Strip (The Venetian, the Parisian, Sands Cotai Central) and the original Sands Hotel in the city. These particular shuttles are often very popular but they run frequently, and it’s unlikely that you will wait for long at any stop.

BY TAXI:

Taxis are cheap and convenient. Taxi ranks are spread around the city but at peak times you will have to wait a bit for a taxi (you can also hail taxis on the street but it is even harder to find them there). As of 2016 taxi fares start at MOP17. Largo do Senado to the border is about MOP50. The longest possible taxi ride (from the Border Post at the extreme north of Macau to Coloane in the south) would be well under MOP200 unless there are extremely bad traffic jams.

It is a good idea to have difficult destinations, such as small hotels, written in Chinese as many taxi drivers only know Cantonese well. Most know enough English to understand the major attractions and destinations and some of them may speak good Mandarin or English, though it is not wise to count on your luck, and almost none speak Portuguese. Most taxi drivers carry with them a list of casinos and other important places, so in case there’s a communication gap, just look for it on the sunguard of the front passenger seat. Should you leave from a casino/hotel, a bilingual English/Cantonese speaking employee will generally be there to tell the cab driver where you want to go.

Like in Hong Kong, every bag placed in the boot of the taxi will have an additional surcharge.

Many taxi drivers are off duty at Sundays and use their cars privately. Those taxis have a red sign in the front window. Expect some waiting for a free taxi on Sundays.

BY CYCLE RICKSHAW:

As in Hong Kong, cycle rickshaws (triciclo or riquexó) are a dying breed, although a few still lurk around tourist haunts like the ferry terminal and Hotel Lisboa. Prices are negotiable, but a few hours of city touring by triciclo might cost around MOP200.

BY CAR:

Car rental is not a popular option in Macau given the territory’s high population density and small size. Avis provides car rental services in Macau and you have the option of renting the car with or without a driver. Roads are generally well maintained and directional signs are in both Chinese and Portuguese. Unlike in mainland China, international driving permits (IDP’s) are accepted in Macau. If you intend to stay in Macau for over 14 days, you need to register your IDP with the police. No registration is necessary for stays under 14 days.

Traffic moves on the left side of the road with most cars being right-hand drive (as in neighbouring Hong Kong).

If you wish to drive in mainland China, your vehicle must have a second set of number plates issued by the Guangdong authorities, and you need to carry an additional Mainland license, as the Chinese government does not recognise Hong Kong, Macau or foreign licenses. You would also need to change sides of the road at the border.

BY LIGHT RAIL:

The Macao Light Rapid Transit opened in December 2019 with a single line connecting Taipa Ferry Terminal and the airport to other parts of Taipa and Cotai. Future lines will connect the rest of the city.

Trains run every 5–10 minutes from 6:30AM to after 11PM.

EAT:

Macau is famous for excellent restaurants, unique cuisine and mellow bars. Above all, the city is famous for two cuisines: Portuguese and Macanese.

Portuguese food (cozinha portuguesa), brought in by its Portuguese colonizers, is hearty, salty, straightforward fare. While many restaurants claim to serve the stuff, fully authentic fare is mostly limited to a few high-end restaurants, especially the cluster at the southwestern tip of the Peninsula. Typical Portuguese dishes include:

  • pato de cabidela (bloody duck), a stew of chicken with blood and herbs, served with rice; sounds and looks somewhat scary, but it’s excellent when well done
  • bacalhau (salted cod), traditionally served with potatoes and veggies
  • caldo verde, a soup of potato, chopped kale and chouriço sausage
  • feijoada (kidney-bean stew), a Brazilian staple common in Macau as well
  • pastéis de nata (egg tarts), crispy and flaky on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside
  • serradura (“sawdust” pudding), a dessert made with whipped cream topped with crumbled biscuits

Macanese food (comida de Macau) was created when Portuguese and Chinese influences were mixed together with spices brought from Africa and South-East Asia by traders, and many restaurants advertising “Portuguese” food in fact serve up mostly Macanese dishes. Seafood and barbecue specialist Fernando’s on Coloane’s Hac Sa Beach is probably the best-known Macanese restaurant.

  • almond cookies. Dry Chinese-style cookies flavoured with almond. Macau’s top souvenir, they’re compact, durable and hence sold pretty much everywhere.
  • galinha à africana (African-style chicken). Barbecued chicken coated in spicy piri-piri sauce.
  • galinha à portuguesa (Portuguese-style chicken). Chicken in a coconutty curry; despite the name, this is not a Portuguese dish at all, but a purely Macanese invention.
  • pork chop bun. The Macanese version of a hamburger, the name pretty much says it all: it’s a slice of freshly fried pork (often with a few chunks of bone left) with a dash of pepper placed inside a freshly baked bun.
  • beef jerky. More moist and fresh than typical jerky, and quite delicious. Easily found on the street leading up to the Ruins of St. Paul, where vendors will push free samples at you as you walk by with great enthusiasm. Be sure to try them all before choosing the one you like best!

All that said, the food of choice in Macau is still pure Cantonese, and a few aficionados even claim that the dim sum and seafood here beat Hong Kong. The streets of central Macau are littered with simple eateries offering rice and noodle dishes for under MOP$30 (although menus are often only in Chinese), while every casino hotel worth its salt has a fancy Cantonese seafood restaurant where you can blow away your gambling winnings on abalone and shark’s fin soup.

While the number of options is somewhat limited compared to Hong Kong, the popularity of the casinos with high rollers has also led to a proliferation of fine dining restaurants.

The greatest concentration of restaurants is in the Peninsula, where they are scattered throughout the district. Taipa is now a major destination for those going for Portuguese and Macanese food and there are many famous restaurants on the island. There are several restaurants in Coloane, which is also home to the famous Lord Stow’s Bakery, which popularized the Macanese egg tart. Yummy!

Vegetarians should take advantage of the Peninsula’s hole-in-the-wall vegetarian restaurants. Beyond providing a tasty, inexpensive vegetarian meal, these are a way to get away from the tourists and eat the way locals do. Check the listings in Macau/Peninsula, and keep your eyes out for signs with the character 素 (sù, “vegetarian”).

See Chinese table manners for more details on dining etiquette in Macau. While there are some minor differences, much of traditional Chinese table manners apply in Macau too.

DRINK:

Reasonably priced Portuguese wine is widely available. A glass in a restaurant is around MOP20, while bottles start from under MOP$100, and a crisp glass of vinho verde (“green wine”, but actually just a young white) goes very well with salty Macanese food. As elsewhere in China, though, locals tend to prefer cognacs and whisky. Macau Beer is passable and widely available, as is the Filipino brand San Miguel which has a brewery in Hong Kong. There is also a wine museum in which you can have the opportunity to taste over 50 varieties of wine.

There is a buzzing nightlife in Macau. There are a variety of bars and clubs along the Avenida Sun Yat Sen close to the Kum Iam Statue and the Cultural Centre where you can have a good night out. Locals, especially younger people, prefer to meet up with their friends in western style cafes or places that serve ‘bubble tea’, tea served with tapioca balls and often fruit-flavoured that can be served either hot or cold. The shops in the town centre (near Senado Square) are often open until late at night and are often crowded. The casinos have also become a big hit for entertainment, offering performances of international level (advance booking advised) and comprehensive shopping malls for those less interested in trying their luck with the machines. For ladies who want to pamper themselves after a shopping spree, there are spas available in almost all respectable hotels. These are different from “saunas”, which are thinly disguised brothels (prostitution is legal in Macau), but these can be easily distinguished by their shop appearance.

The bulk of Macau’s hotels are on the Peninsula, although there are also many options – including high-end ones – on Taipa and, increasingly, the Cotai Strip, which is challenging the Peninsula to become Macau’s premier casino area. Coloane has fewer and much quieter options, but among them is the beachside Pousada de Coloane.

Hotel rates are most expensive on Friday and Saturday nights, because demand is higher with tourists coming to Macau to gamble over the weekend. Try to make a booking through a travel agent, even if for the same day, as the rates can be substantially lower than walk-in rates. If you are coming from Hong Kong, book through an agent at the Shun Tak ferry pier for the best deals. Getting a package deal including return ferry tickets gives you the best price.

In the Inner Harbour area, many of the pensions and cheap hotels are also the place of business for many of the mainland Chinese prostitutes that work in Macau, and most hotel “saunas” are in fact thinly disguised brothels.

Quite frankly, the shopping options in Macau don’t hold a candle to Hong Kong. While the newer megacasinos have introduced Macau to the joys of sterile franchise-filled malls, the city center streets around the older casinos are still a bizarre monoculture of ridiculously expensive watch, jewelry and Chinese medicine shops (with an emphasis on herbal Viagra-type cures), all aimed squarely at liberating lucky gamblers from their winnings. Finding tasteful souvenirs can thus be surprisingly challenging, although the touristy streets between Largo do Senado and the ruins of St. Paul’s do have a scattering of antique shops.

Bargaining in the small shops can be done, but usually working on the principle of the shopkeeper quoting a price, the buyer making “hmmm” sounds and the shopkeeper lowering the price a bit (or a lot). A full-fledged haggling match is quite rare, as most antique shops sell precisely the same thing at precisely the same prices.

There are many pawnshops, especially along Av de Almeida Ribeiro in the center of town, where losing gamblers sell their cameras and Rolexes to finance the trip home or a return to the tables. For buyers, prices are usually not particularly good, but if you know the merchandise and are prepared to bargain there are some good deals.

**All travel information has been sourced from wikivoyage. However like wikipedia, wikivoyage is an open platform editable by any member of the public. Therefore, although very useful, all above information IS INDICATIVE ONLY and must be verified prior to personal use. Moreover, if you wish to see more information please visit: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Macau
TOP ATTRACTIONS
PLEASE CLICK / HOVER ON THE IMAGES BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Name: Ruins of Saint Paul’s
Location: Santo António, Macau
Name: The Venetian Macao
Location: Cotai Strip, Macau
Name: Macau Tower
Location: Sé, Macau
FLIGHT TIMES / MAJOR CITIES
PLEASE SEE BELOW MAJOR CITIES IN MACAU / CLICK OR TOGGLE BELOW FOR FASTEST AVERAGE FLIGHT TIMES FROM USA.

New York: TBC
Washington DC: TBC