Parks and the outdoors in Macau

Parks and the outdoors in Macau

1. SeeColoane

   A-Ma Statue

   The 20m statue is situated near the 172.4m Alto de Coloane and was erected in 1998. Adjacent to it is a large, quiet temple. The statue and temple can be reached via Estrada do Alto de Coloane or by walking the Coloane trail.

2. SeePeninsula

   Casa Garden

   This house, built in 1770, was the residence of the wealthy Portuguese merchant Manuel Pereira and was later rented out to the English East India Company. Today, it is the headquarters of the Oriental Foundation.

3. SeePeninsula

   Chapel of Our Lady of Penha and Penha Hill

   Capela de Nossa Senhora da Penha

   The chapel sits atop a steep hill which towers above the southernmost tip of Macau Peninsula. From the various lookouts from the hill, you'll get excellent views of the central area of Macau, Nam Van and Sai Van lakes, Macau Tower, the three Macau-Taipa bridges and across the Pearl River into China.

4. DoColoane

   Cheoc Van

   竹灣 - "bamboo bay"

   This is the smaller and more beautiful beach. The sand here is golden and more inviting to sunbathe or play on. There is a nice curved swimming pool just by the beach (as opposed to the traditional rectangular one at Hac Sa). A cordoned-off area of the bay is set aside for swimmers, and members of the Winter Swimmers Association go swimming here daily (yes, even in the coldest of winter!).

5. SeeColoane

   Coloane Village

   Quiet and lazy, Coloane Village, the main village on the island, is a joy to just walk around and explore. Its narrow lanes lined with pastel-coloured houses and shops. Avenida de Cinco de Outubro is the main esplanade where you can look across the narrow channel to Hengqin Island in China. Along this street you will find the pretty Chapel of St Francis set back from the road by a square flanked by restaurants. In the square is a monument dedicated to the fight against piracy. Further along is the collonaded Biblioteca (public library) and right at the southern end of the road is the Tam Kong Temple. North of the main square, you'll find the boat-building quarter, the village pier and the Sam Seng Temple.

6. EatColoane

   Fernando's

   Traditional Portuguese food, especially barbecue and seafood: lots of salty bacalhau (dried cod) and clams. Neither the decor nor the food are fancy, and it's expensive for what you get, but it's a Macau institution and has a devoted following. Just off Hac Sa beach, with a courtyard bar at the back.

7. SeePeninsula

   Guia Fortress

   Built in the 1600s on top of Guia Hill on the eastern part of the peninsula, the fortress's main function was to ward off any attack by China. Within the fortress is the Chapel of Our Lady of Guia and the 15 m-tall Guia Lighthouse, said to be the first modern lighthouse on the Chinese coast. Guia Fortress can be reached by the Guia Cable Car (Teleférico da Guia) just outside the entrance of the Flora Garden on Rua do Túnel, off Av Sidónio Pais.

8. DoColoane

   Hac Sa

   黑沙 - black sand

   Hac Sa beach, the larger of the two, in a bay with the Grand Coloane resort on its eastern end. The water is of mediocre quality but brave swimmers can enter the water here. Those less brave choose the swimming pool just opposite the beach.

9. SeePeninsula

   Lou Lim Ioc

   Jardim de Lou Lim Ioc

   Beautiful garden sanctuary on the peninsula of Macau. It was part of an old Chinese mansion reconverted to museum and art gallery.

10. SeePeninsula

    Luís de Camões Garden and Grotto

    One of the largest gardens in Macau, the land used to be owned by the British East India Company and was bought over by a Portuguese merchant who then willed it to the Macau government to be turned into a public garden when he died. The garden was dedicated to master Lusitan poet Luís de Camões. The gardens are popular with tai chi and aerobics groups and also people who bring their birds in cages to be shown off. The main attraction of the park is the Camões Grotto, where the one-eyed poet once lived with his Chinese bride in the late 16th century. Inside, there's a bronze bust of him.

11. SeeColoane

    Seac Pai Van Park

    This 20 hectare park along Estrada Seac Pai Van just south of the Taipa-Coloane Isthmus Causeway, has a medicinal garden as well as other green areas, a mini zoo and a lake. The Museum of Nature and Agriculture is located within the park, as is the Macao Giant Panda Pavilion (MOP10, free for seniors 65 and older and for children 12 and under).

12. DoCotai

    Wynn Palace

    Like its counterpart on the Macau Peninsula, the Wynn Palace has a performance lake with light and fountain shows. The fountains do some low-key dancing constantly, but the real shows, set to music, are every 20–30 minutes and are more spectacular than the ones at the other Wynn. The hotel/casino also has cable cars that carry you through the air around the performance lake on your way into the building.

13. EatColoane Not mapped

    Pousada de Coloane

    Pousada de Coloane, and facing the picturesque Cheoc Van Beach, this splendid restaurant serves delicious, home-style Portuguese cuisine in a lovely environment.

    Open Daily·Reasonably priced

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Macau (CC BY-SA 4.0).