Macao travel guide

Macao is easy to plan once you split it into three zones: heritage on the Macao Peninsula, village lanes in Taipa, and the big hotels in Cotai.

The currency is the Macao pataca, and Hong Kong dollars are widely accepted. The pataca is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar at about MOP 1.03 to HKD 1.

From the airport there are the light rail, buses and taxis; from Hong Kong you arrive by ferry or by the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge shuttle bus.

The Ruins of St. Paul's and the Mount Fortress garden are free; the Macao Museum costs MOP 15 for adults.

Visa and entry requirements for Macao

Whether you need a visa, how long you can stay and which pre-arrival forms apply all depend on your nationality and the purpose of your trip. Check the official source below, and your own government's travel advice, before you book.

Entry conditions, such as how long you may stay, the passport validity required, a return ticket and proof of funds, vary by nationality.

• Entry requirements (Macao SAR Government Portal) (Macao SAR Government)
• Public Security Police Force of Macao (Macao SAR Government)

The Macao Peninsula is the old town, with Senado Square, the Ruins of St. Paul's, Mount Fortress and Kun Iam Temple. The façade of St. Paul's and the Mount Fortress garden are free, and the Macao Museum costs MOP 15 for adults. Taipa is the island zone with the airport and the light rail terminus; the Taipa Houses Museum is free and open 10:00 to 19:00. Cotai is a strip of hotel resorts along the road, so you get around by shuttle rather than on foot.

Based on information from Macao's Cultural Affairs Bureau, the light rail and the airport.

Continue by area: Macao Peninsula (in Korean), Taipa (in Korean) and Cotai (in Korean).

The Macao pataca is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar at about MOP 1.03 to HKD 1, and the Monetary Authority of Macao issues and exchanges patacas at that rate. Hong Kong dollars are widely accepted in shops and taxis, but price tags are in patacas. Tipping is not customary.

Electricity is 230 V, 50 Hz. Ask whether your hotel has adapters, and check that your devices accept the voltage.

TurboJET takes about 60 minutes from Sheung Wan in Hong Kong to Macao; economy costs HKD 194 on weekdays, HKD 212 on weekends and public holidays, and HKD 242 at night. The shuttle bus from the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge to the Macao Port runs 24 hours: HKD 65 for adults from 6:00 to 23:59, and HKD 70 from midnight to 5:59.

From Macau International Airport, the light rail Taipa Line runs from Airport station to Barra station. City buses cost MOP 6 in cash, and taxis start at MOP 21 for the first 1,600 m plus an MOP 8 airport pickup surcharge. The large hotels run free shuttles from the airport, ferry terminals, border gates and the bridge's Macao Port.

We compare the routes from Hong Kong in more detail in Hong Kong to Macao (in Korean).

Single light rail tickets cost MOP 6 for up to three stations, MOP 8 for four to six, MOP 10 for seven to nine, and MOP 12 for ten to twelve. With a transport card or Macau Pass, fares are MOP 3, 4, 5 and 6. Sections that cross the sea, such as Barra to Ocean, count as two stations.

Buses cost MOP 6 in cash and give no change. With a Macau Pass, regular routes cost MOP 3 and express X routes MOP 4. If you transfer within 45 minutes of your first ride by card, the second ride is free if its fare is the same or lower; otherwise you pay only the difference. Taxis add MOP 2 every 220 m and MOP 3 per piece of luggage, with a surcharge for trips to Coloane.

For Macao food, think egg tarts, the pork chop bun, African chicken (a Macanese spicy chicken), Portuguese-style seafood and seafood congee. We do not name shops or prices here; see each area hub's food articles.

Macao's tropical cyclone season runs from May to November, most often July to September. When typhoon signal No. 8 is raised, schools close, outdoor activities and sea transport stop, and the bridge may close. Check your travel insurance and flight-change terms before you go, and keep the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau notices open. The emergency number is 999, and the 24-hour tourist hotline is 853 2833 3000.

The light rail Taipa Line takes about 28 minutes end to end, so you can go from the airport to Barra in one ride. It runs from 6:30 to 23:15 Monday to Thursday, and until 23:59 Friday to Sunday and on public holidays, so check the last train if you land late. Late at night, choose between a taxi and a hotel shuttle.

Before you go to Macao

• Check your entry conditions and passport validity on the official sources
• Have your return ticket ready
• Choose the light rail, bus or taxi from the airport to your hotel
• Check free hotel shuttle timetables

• First visit to Macao: start with a heritage day on the peninsula, then add Taipa or Cotai the next day.
• Combining with Hong Kong: with two nights in Macao, pick one zone and split Hong Kong and Macao by date.
• Relaxing at a hotel: stay in Cotai and set aside a single day to walk the heritage sites on the peninsula.