I feel sorry for day-trippers arriving in Macau by ferry from Hong Kong without a clue what to do. True, there was a time when Macau was smaller–literally so, before reclamation filled in the Outer Harbour and created Cotai with its many resorts and casinos. That was also when just striking out and walking through Macau’s historic districts would bring you to its historic center with its slow pace of life and cafes. There was only one museum, the Maritime Museum. The dozen or so casinos in town were hidden away in hotels.
Nowadays traffic congests streets and there’s continual construction of new hotels, casino and shopping malls. In fact, there are so many different destinations vying for your time that you have to be very focused to concentrate on the places or subjects that interest you. My interest lies in history, as well as neighborhoods, food and other aspects of travel that root me in the here and now. My favorite haunts, therefore, are the older neighborhoods in the historic center of Macau, concentrated mostly on Penha Peninsula and around the ruins of St. Paul.
This article I wrote for travel2next, Macau Map and Walking Tour of Penha
Peninsula, takes in Macau’s oldest temple, a Chinese mansion that I consider an absolute must-see, churches, historic squares and other favorite spots on a walk from A-Ma Temple to Senado Square.
My second walking tour for travel2next, A Walk Around St. Paul’s Ruins, takes readers from Senado Square to the Ruins of St. Paul’s and Camoes Garden, with many stops in between.
If you don’t take time to walk through Macau’s historic districts, you really haven’t seen Macau at all.
