Macao Things to Do

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the Symbol of Macau! Saint Paul's Cathedral is a Portuguese 16th-century cathedral in the former Portuguese colony of Macau, in the People's Republic of China, dedicated to Saint Paul the apostle of Jesus. Today, its ruins IS Macau's most famous LANDMARK!.

Built from 1582 to 1602 by the Jesuits, the Cathedral was the largest Catholic church in Asia at the time before the Manila Cathedral in the Philippines was established by the Spaniards, and the royalty of Europe vied with each other to bestow upon the Cathedral the best gifts. With the decline in importance of Macau, which was overtaken as the main port for the Pearl River Delta by Hong Kong, the Cathedral's fortune's similarly ebbed, and it was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in 1835. The Fortaleza do Monte overlooks the ruin.

The ruins now consist of the southern stone façade - intricately carved by Japanese Christians in exile from their homeland and local craftsmen between 1620 and 1627 under the direction of Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola - and the crypts of the Jesuits who established and maintained the Cathedral. The façade sits on a small hill, with 66 stone steps leading to the façade.
Ruins of St. Paul's in Macau contain a structure of five tiers. The opening tier is comprised of ten Ionic columns having three entrances. 'MATER DEI' is carved on the middle entrance. The two side entrances are adorned with bas-reliefs in the prototype of 'HIS'. The subsequent tier has ten Corinthian columns with three windows. The figures of a Catholic saint are engraved on each tabernacle between two columns. The enduring three tiers are the most ornamented. The effigy of Madonna stands at the third tier, while the sculpture of Jesus stands on the fourth. The walls are sheltered with bas-reliefs in assorted patterns like angels, symbols of crucifixion, devils and a Portuguese sailing ship. The triangular grouping of the upper three tiers replicates the Holy Trinity as well as the sacred Virgin Mary.

It is part of the Historic Centre of Macau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

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to be able to have a look and appreciate the native macanese houses and alleys filled with local stuffs, ask your tour guide to detour for a few minutes from the walk in St. paul ruins to Leal Senado Square to see the real native Macau. you will see what the ordinary macanese live and how the buy stuffs and do business. the detour will end you at leal senado square in front of Santo Domingo Church and is more worth viewing than the various tourist traps selling souvenirs and other kitchy items that you see while walking the main road from Saint Paul Ruins to the Leal Senado Square.

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truly amazing and very deelicious, the famous portuguese egg tarts of macau has varied claims of origin. some say that lord stowe bakery made it while others say that It was created more than 200 years ago by Catholic Sisters at Jerónimos Monastery (Portuguese: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) at Belém in Lisbon Portugal and exported the tart to it's prized colony which is Macau! whatever it's orgin, one cannot get enough of these famous egg tarts once you tasted it! it is available everywhere in macau and a piece costs 5 macau patacas! you can also buy them at assorted bakeries like in pastelaria koh kei or lord stowes or other bakeries aroun macau. try it!

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the godess of Mercy in Chinese Buddhism , also known as kuan lam. The Statue is the most popular of all Buddhist deities. The statue stands atop a dome in the shape of a lotus flower, beneath which is an ecumenical centre for China's three predominant philosophies, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. The statue is a 20-metre-high figure in bronze rises from an artificial island reached by a causeway Close to the new Cultural Centre. the dome-shaped lotus stands with sixteen petals which measures 7 metres high and 19 metres across. The statue consists of different castings that permit the variation of strong winds. The Centre is divided in 2 levels: the first level is the Polyvalent Room on which the souvenir counter is located. The second level is a basement where a contemplation Room and a small library are located. The contemplation Room has a capacity of 50 people and is dedicated to mini activities, such as conferences, exhibitions and films, etc

Souvenirs and Cultural Institute publications are available for sale.

Opening hours: from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on Fridays. Opened on public holidays.

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one of the ten tallest towers in the world! At 233 meters, the Macau Tower's tethered "skyjump" and Bungy Jump by world renowned AJ Hackett from the tower's outer rim is the highest in the world. Soar to a breathtaking 223m above ground and marvel at the panorama from the observation decks. Then catch your breath over a quiet cup of coffee or while savoring the revolving restaurant's sumptuous buffet. And if you dare, take yourself to the edge on AJ Hackett's Skywalk.

The tower is one of the members of the World Federation of Great Tower of which CN Tower in Toronto Canada and Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas of which I've visited are also members. Besides it being used for observation and entertainment, the tower is also used for telecommunications and broadcasting.

Glass fronted lifts:you won't miss a moment of the spectacular view as you fly to the top in these high speed lifts.

Entrance and lift lobby:begin your journey in the lobby below the Convention Centre
Tower Opening Hours:

10am - 9pm (weekdays)

9am - 9pm (weekends and public holidays)

Tower Special
Observation Lounge(Level 58) and
Outdoor Observation Deck(Level 61)
Adults

MOP 75 per person
Senior Citizens
(Age 65 or above)

MOP 35 per person
Children
(Age 11 or under)

MOP 35 per person
Infants
(Under Age 3)

Free of charge
Group tickets are available from your travel agency.
Tower entrance ticket also sold at TurboJET Counter

Not much to see here, temples here and there, take pictures all you want. don't forget to buy souvenirs outside, theres this small store (near or under a tree at the park), the price is not that bad and the quality is good compared to others

Mount Fortress (Fortaleza do Monte) is situated on top of Mount Hill, It was Macao's defense fortress, built to fend off the foreign invaders comin' from the sea.

Went there at around 8am, we were walking all day and was very tired when we got to Fortaleza do Monte, but after taking in the fresh morning air accompanied by the hill's cool breeze, we were re-vitalized in a way that it kinda brought our fatigue-ridden bodies back to life.

There is a Museum you can visit, not sure what it stored...(Just Google it if you're interested haha) It was still closed when we got there so we just decided to explore the Fort's trapezoid grounds and check out it's famous canons.

The view from the fort was spectacular, you can even see the Ruins of St. Paul down below.

The Ruins of St. Paul's (Sao Paulo) stands adjacent to the famous Mount Fortress, it's handsome Baroque facade is a sight to behold.

St. Paul's Facade has become somewhat of a centerpiece of a museum. It is situated on top of a hill, you are welcomed by a long flight of stairs. but if your knees are not up to it, just cheat and take the inclined street that parallels the stairs, there's a strip of landscaped grounds that acts as a partition, be brave... just go over it haha..

When you pass the main facade, you can then visit the crypt, it actually houses the remains of Christian Martyrs, some religious paintings....

If eclectic paintings and religious relics doesn’t catch your fancy.... then I'd suggest you ditch the crypts and head directly to the stairway leading towards the top of St Paul's facade.... The view is Breathtaking!