What to Do in Macau | Best Casinos, Family-Friendly Activities & Museums

Macau is known best for its glitzy casinos along The Cotai Strip, but with a rich mix of Chinese and Portuguese influences, this seaside city goes way beyond bling. Planning what to do in Macau can include visits to historic hangouts like Senado Square and tours of modern marvels like Macau Tower.

Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center

Macau Tower is more than an observation deck. It’s a death-defying adventure on the highest commercial sky-jump in the world! It’s also a shopping mall packed with restaurants, a cinema and a glass-bottomed rim that visitors can walk all the way around. The tower is officially called Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center, and by all the activities available, it’s easy to see why.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends
Tickets: 165 MOP (21 USD) for the observation deck

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Watch The House of Dancing Water

One of the city’s most iconic and loved entertainment venues, The House of Dancing Water is an epic stage production and water show at City of Dreams casino on The Cotai Strip. The 90-minute show features dozens of acrobats and circus acts, as well as motorcycle tricks and even daring performances by professional deep-sea divers. (The House of Dancing Water is revamping its stage show and will reopen in 2021 with an even grander production. Watch online for opening dates and ticket prices.)

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Visit Macau’s Top Museums

Macau has a fascinating history, so it’s no surprise that it also is home to several museums that help tourists understand the city’s vast diversity. The best thing about many of Macau’s best museums is that they are located within a few minutes of each other in Macau’s central business district of Sé.

• Macao Museum, 112 Praceta do Museu de Macau – set in the center of the ruins of Monte Fort (Fortaleza do Monte), Macao Museum offers a look at Macau’s diverse history over three floors of exhibits and displays. After studying the city’s history, visitors are welcome to take in a bird’s-eye view of Macau from the Monte Fort Corredor (Corredor da Fortaleza do Monte) and stroll through the gardens of Monte Fort. Macao Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Tickets are 15 MOP (1.90 USD).
• Macau Museum of Art (MAM), Av. Xian Xing Hai – the Chinese calligraphy and paintings are a big draw to this museum, where galleries cover five floors loaded with culturally significant artwork and ceramics. Macau Museum of Art is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with last entry at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free.
• Macau Science Center, Avenida Dr. Sun Yat-sen – located on a small peninsula overlooking the South China Sea – and apparent by its spaceship-like design – Macau Science Center is worlds apart from any other museum in Macau. The tech-savvy center features 12 galleries full of hands-on activities related to space science, robotics, physics, genetics, electromagnetics and more. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, except Thursday and Lunar New Year’s Eve. Tickets are 25 MOP (3.15 USD).
• Maritime Museum, 1 Largo do Pagode da Barra – the South China fishing industry has relied heavily on Macau for centuries. Maritime Museum documents the history of the region’s marina and its traditions. Maritime Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (closed Tuesday). Tickets are 5 MOP for adults and 3 MOP (USD) for children on Sunday. On all other days, tickets are 10 MOP (1.25 USD) for adults and 5 MOP (.65 USD) for children.

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Senado Square

Set in Macau’s historic city center, Senado Square is an artsy district lined with historic buildings, chill restaurants and local boutiques. The colorful square with wavy-patterned tiles serves as the venue for many public events, and the centerpiece fountain with a celestial globe once used by the area’s seamen is a can’t-miss photo op.

Can’t-miss landmarks near Senado Square

• St. Dominic’s Church
• Leal Senado
• Holy House of Mercy
• Temple of Guan Yu (Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple)

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The Cotai Strip

Much like the Strip in Vegas, The Cotai Strip is one of the biggest reasons tourists flock to Macau. Besides casinos, the street is popular for flashy night shows, epic laser light displays and rocking pool parties. The Cotai Strip stretches almost 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) along Estrado do Istmo. The glitzy, glittering high-rise buildings are easy to spot.

Most popular casinos on Cotai Strip

• The Venetian Macao
• City of Dreams – The Countdown Hotel
• Wynn Casino
• Grand Lisboa Hotel
• Galaxy Macau

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A-Ma Temple

Sightseers planning making a trip to Maritime Museum should tack on some extra time for a tour of A-Ma Temple. The temple was built in 1488 and is Macau’s oldest Buddhist temple. It is located on scenic Barra Hill, and guests are welcome to stroll the grounds and take in the serene environment dotted with ancient temple buildings.

Hours: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
Entry fee: free

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