Macau

Like Hong Kong a colonial enclave returned to China (by Portugal, not Britain) in 1999, Macau's best known for its casinos, but it also offers a fascinating mix of Chinese and Portuguese cultures.

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A short but comprehensive video look at Macau

This 20-minute vid from a YouTube channel called CoolVision shows not just the glamorous casinos of the "Las Vegas of Asia" and its tourist attractions, but also imparts a good sense of its general feel and the "regular" side of this enclave.

7 top sights of Macau

Formerly a colony of Portugal, Macau is a special administrative region of China and is located on the Pearl River. This is one of world’s densely populated areas and is known as a largest spot for gambling in all of Asia. Macau has great scope for an excellent nightlife and the grand casinos (dominating the skyline, top), nightclubs, and also the atmosphere of the colonial past, making it a major tourist centre in Asia. Buildings that stand against the giant background of green hills, this…

Tripatini member seeks tips/leads re visiting Macau...

...as part of a Christmas 2012 trip. For more details, and to reply, please click on this link to our Ask A Travel Pro forum.

Comments

David Paul Appell December 18, 2025 at 1:37pm

I own a couple of 19th-century Macanese wooden statues of Catholic saints with Asian facial features, and I´ve always been interested in hybrid cultures like the one here - Han meets Portuguese. This is a very interesting read about that side of Macau, away from the casinos, which are almost exclusively for tourists: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/what-its-really-like-to-live-in-maca...

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/what-its-really-like-to-live-in-macao-intl-hnk?cid=ios_app
Maria de los Angeles December 17, 2025 at 11:48pm

Wow, gambling meets medical tourism? What a world https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y8nr1dg54o

Gambling hub Macau bets on healthcare tourism

Beijing has been pushing for Macau to diversify its economy away from gaming to healthcare tourism.
José Balido December 19, 2024 at 1:23pm

An interesting look on how Macau has changed drastically in recent years, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its return by Portugal to China: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/macaos-casino-boom-brings...
Helen Brown April 8, 2024 at 5:32pm

A big claim! https://travelnoire.com/macau-hottest-new-travel-destination-asia

Why Macau Is The Hottest New Travel Destination In Asia - Travel Noire

With its blend of Portuguese and Chinese culture, world-class resorts, and vibrant nightlife, Macau offers a unique experience for travelers.
Ken Kok Lee September 6, 2023 at 10:33am

It´s been interesting to observe how Macau´s post-COVID reopening has also opened up to new tourism emphasis on non-casino aspects, including culinary and Portuguese colonial heritage: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/macao-tourism-reopening-intl...

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/macao-tourism-reopening-intl-hnk
Jordan Simon January 12, 2023 at 11:14am

The Financial Times reports on how Macau is trying to expand its appeal beyond casinos: https://www.ft.com/content/c997ce4b-f818-40ed-a0c5-752f32799a9c

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Max Pesling June 3, 2022 at 11:03am

Looks like Macau is continuing to take a huge hit from the Covid situation in China - which is of course its main source of visitors/revenue - including travel restrictions. Bloomberg just laid it out for us: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-01/macau-s-gaming-s...