Skip to content
MASA
Green space and water in Macau
asia

MacauTravel Guide

China5 stories

A former Portuguese enclave on the South China Sea where 400 years of East-meets-West history produced one of Asia's most distinctive food cultures.

Is Macau right for you?

When to come

Autumn and winter

Around 32°C by day in August, 19°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

It depends where you stand. There is a cheap version and an expensive one — the guides below say which is which.

What we've planned, and who for

We publish a multi-day route for this one.

Our editors pick it for a trip with children.

Macau is inGood with children
When to go
January: around 19 degrees by day, 13 at night, 34 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
February: around 19 degrees by day, 14 at night, 44 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
March: around 21 degrees by day, 17 at night, 80 millimetres of rain, wet.
April: around 25 degrees by day, 20 at night, 154 millimetres of rain, very wet.
May: around 29 degrees by day, 24 at night, 286 millimetres of rain, very wet.
June: around 31 degrees by day, 26 at night, 374 millimetres of rain, very wet.
July: around 31 degrees by day, 26 at night, 291 millimetres of rain, very wet.
August: around 32 degrees by day, 26 at night, 331 millimetres of rain, very wet.
September: around 31 degrees by day, 25 at night, 228 millimetres of rain, very wet.
October: around 29 degrees by day, 23 at night, 75 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
November: around 25 degrees by day, 19 at night, 39 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
December: around 20 degrees by day, 14 at night, 31 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

Autumn and winter

Average daily highs, recorded at Macau, 1991-2020 normals.

Where this comes from

Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (via en.wikipedia.org Template:Macau weatherbox) — The Macau article transcludes {{Macau weatherbox}}; data read from that template page.

Budget level

Mixed

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
  • Hong Kong66 km

    an easy day trip · both good in October, November, December

  • Hanoi, Vietnam810 km

    a full travel day · both good in October, November, December · a different price level (budget)

  • Taipei, Taiwan880 km

    a full travel day · both good in October, November, December · a different price level (mid)

  • Hoi An, Vietnam890 km

    a full travel day · a different price level (mid)

Plan itWhere to stay in Macauad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Macau

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Macau

Carved stone facade of the Ruins of St. Paul's in Macau against a blue sky
01
Itineraries

Three Days in Macau: the Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane on Foot

Macau is small enough to cross in under an hour and layered enough to reward three days, so here is exactly how long to give it and the order that makes the days work.

China · 10 min
A crowded Macau shopping lane lined with almond-cookie and pastry shops, the lit counter of the Koi Kei Bakery on the left and neon signs hanging over the heads of the crowd.
02
Food

What to Eat in Macau: Egg Tarts, Pork Chop Buns and the World's First Fusion Cuisine

Four centuries of Portuguese and Cantonese exchange made Macau a food city like no other. Here is what to eat, dish by dish, and where to find it.

China · 2 min
The Macau skyline at night with the illuminated lotus-shaped Grand Lisboa tower rising above the casino district
03
The List

The essential Macau bucket list, ranked

Portuguese ruins, the world's highest commercial bungee jump and casino palaces with indoor canals — Macau packs improbable extremes into a tiny peninsula. These are the experiences that matter, in order.

China · 2 min
Senado Square in Macau on a bright day, its pastel yellow and white Portuguese colonial buildings standing above the black-and-white wave-patterned mosaic paving as people stroll across.
04
Itineraries

Macau with kids: a family day that actually works

Heritage in the cool morning, air-conditioned spectacle in the afternoon: how to sequence a Macau day that keeps children and parents on speaking terms.

China · 15 min
The ochre and rose Venetian-style facades of the Venetian Macao resort in Cotai, tiers of white arcades and balustrades layered against a blue sky in late afternoon light.
05
Stays

Boutique or grand: where to stay in Macau

Macau offers the starkest hotel choice in Asia — a thousand-room Cotai megaresort or a twelve-suite inn built into a seventeenth-century fortress — and your base decides which Macau you actually wake up in.

China · 10 min
In pictures

Macau, framed

Portuguese classics and Cantonese mornings, Macau
Photo: John Mukiibi Elijah / Unsplash
Portuguese classics and Cantonese mornings, Macau
Photo: John Mukiibi Elijah / Unsplash
Portuguese classics and Cantonese mornings, Macau
Photo: MACAU PHOTOGRAPHY / Unsplash
Green space and water in Macau
Photo: MACAU PHOTOGRAPHY / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Macau

See and do

Eat and drink

Before you go

Practical essentials for China

Money

Renminbi, or yuan (CNY); Hong Kong uses the Hong Kong dollar (HKD) and Macau the Macanese pataca (MOP)

Language

Standard Mandarin is the national language; Cantonese dominates in Hong Kong and Macau, where English and Portuguese respectively are also official, and English is limited on the mainland outside hotels.

Power

Type A/I, 220V 50Hz on the mainland; Type G in Hong Kong and Macau

Getting around

Metros cover every large city and most visitors pay with a transit QR code in Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a foreign card, though Shanghai and Beijing now also accept a tapped foreign contactless card, and Hong Kong runs on the Octopus card.

Tipping

Tipping is not traditionally practised on the mainland and can cause confusion; Hong Kong and Macau restaurants usually add a 10% service charge instead.

Tap water

Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in mainland China, including the major cities; bottled water is sold everywhere.

Driving

Right-hand side on the mainland but left in Hong Kong and Macau; an International Driving Permit has no legal standing in China, so visitors who want to drive must obtain a temporary Chinese provisional permit.

Emergency

110 police, 120 ambulance, 119 fire; 999 in Hong Kong and Macau

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

Keep exploring

More of Asia

A busy Hong Kong street crossing in low sun, with tram tracks and yellow box markings on the road, a red taxi and minibus in traffic, and Chinese shop signs on the towers above.
Hong Kong
China
The Pudong skyline of Shanghai at night, with the Oriental Pearl Tower and illuminated skyscrapers reflected in the Huangpu River
Shanghai
China
A snow-covered Chinese pavilion behind a stone moon-arch bridge and a half-frozen pond in a Beijing park, bare willow branches hanging down across the frame.
Beijing
China
Hanoi's colonial-era Opera House floodlit gold at night beneath a full moon, its columned facade facing a square streaked with the light trails of passing traffic.
Hanoi
Vietnam
The ceremonial plaza of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, with manicured gardens and the orange-roofed National Theater and Concert Hall on either side under a blue sky
Taipei
Taiwan
The Japanese Covered Bridge (Chua Cau) in Hoi An, its tiled roof and carved timber gallery raised on squat stone arches over the canal, a red Vietnamese flag flying from the ridge
Hoi An
Vietnam
A Filipino platter laid out on a banana leaf: grilled fish, a mound of steamed rice, salted eggs with tomato, grilled aubergine, okra and a dipping bowl of soy and vinegar
Manila
Philippines
The turquoise terraces of the Kuang Si Falls in the forest above Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang
Laos
The gilded central stupa and spired cloister of Pha That Luang glowing gold under a deep blue sky in Vientiane, Laos
Vientiane
Laos
A resort swimming pool in Siem Reap ringed by travellers' palms and banana leaves, with white parasols, loungers and a thatched sala under a bright blue sky
Siem Reap
Cambodia
A vendor turning skewers of marinated meat over an open charcoal fire at a street grill in Cebu, Philippines
Boracay
Philippines
Binh Tay and Cholon, Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam