MACAU: Visit Macau One Of The Gambling Capitals Of The World

Macau is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China. Located across the Pearl River estuary from Hong Kong, until 1999 Macau was an overseas territory of Portugal.

One of the world's most densely populated spots, Macau generates more revenue from gambling than anywhere else on the planet, including more than seven times the revenue generated by "The Strip" in Las Vegas.

Best known worldwide as the 'Vegas of China', the Macau Special Administrative Region is indeed a mecca of gambling and glitz.

But the city is so much more than that. A Portuguese colony for more than 300 years, it is a city of blended cultures. Ancient Chinese temples sit on streets paved with traditional Portuguese tiles. The sound of Cantonese fills the air on streets with Portuguese names.

You can eat Chinese congee for breakfast, enjoy a Portuguese lunch of caldo verde soup and bacalhau (cod) fritters, and dine on hybrid Macanese fare such as minchi (ground beef or pork, often served over rice).

The Macau Peninsula holds the old city centre, where colonial ruins sit next to arty new boutiques. Further south are the conjoined islands of Taipa, Cotai and Coloane.

Taipa has gloriously preserved Macanese architecture, Cotai is home to the new mega casinos and Coloane is lined with colonial villages and pretty beaches.

Macau was one of the earliest European colonies in Asia and the last to be relinquished (1999) and thus has a more visible colonial history than Hong Kong.

Walking through the old city you could convince yourself you were in Europe,if the streets were devoid of people and signs in Chinese, that is. The Portuguese and Macanese populations continue to maintain a presence but, as expected, most of the population is native Chinese.

Besides the city itself, Macau includes the islands of Taipa and Coloane, which are connected to Macau by bridges and to each other by a causeway, now built up into the Cotai Strip.

The Chinese city of Zhuhai borders Macau to the north, and the border crossing carries heavy two-way vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The Zhuhai Special Economic Zone extends south to Hengqin Island, an area west of Taipa, Cotai and Coloane; the Lotus Bridge from Cotai connects to that area.

There is significant movement by the local population of both Zhuhai and Macau across the border, making the two feel like twin cities.

Macau is subtropical with hot summers and mild winters. Visitors should note that typhoons often strike from mid-summer to Autumn which could stop many activities there.

Although winter is generally mild, there are occasional cold fronts which could make temperatures drop 10°C (~25°F) in a day

In the 16th Century, China gave Portugal the right to settle in Macau in exchange for clearing the area of pirates under strict Chinese administration. Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East.

It became Portuguese colony effectively after the treaty signed by the Qing and Portuguese Governments in 1887. It was also the last when, pursuant to an agreement signed by China and Portugal in 1987, Macau became the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 20 December 1999, ending over 400 years of Portuguese administration.

China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula - Macau is officially the same country with mainland China, but maintains its own ruling systems.

Like its neighbour Hong Kong, Macau still does not have a full democracy and the locals often think that there is too much control or influence from Beijing with more one country, less two systems.

In recent years, Macau's economy has boomed rapidly due to the opening of the gambling licenses. Thousands of tourists are in Macau each day, mainly from mainland China and neighbouring regions.

The standard of living in Macau has as a result grown significantly, and in many cases, on par with some European countries. The tourist industry has also diversified instead of casinos, Macau is also promoting its historic sites, culture and cuisine.

As in the rest of China, the Lunar New Year is a really big deal when all public transport modes are overcrowded and booked out.

Macau was geographically divided into three regions: the peninsula and two islands. However, reclamation of the area between Taipa and Coloane has created the fourth region of Cotai.

Districts of Macau
- Macau Peninsula
The northernmost region connected to the Chinese mainland. It is the center of most tourist activity and is densely crowded.

- Taipa
The island south of the peninsula, accessible via three bridges. It is a major residential center and is the location of Macau's International Airport.

- Cotai
A strip of reclaimed land between Coloane and Taipa, with vast new casinos rising up (such as The Venetian, the largest casino in the world).

- Coloane
The most southern island, it is considerably less developed than the other regions due to its mountainous terrain. It has two beaches, several hiking trails and a resort. It is also the location of Macau's first golf course.

Entering Macau
For many years, the usual way to get to Macau was to fly into Hong Kong and take a ferry across to Macau. Today, Macau is becoming a low-cost airline hub, and some are now arriving at Macau to later go to Hong Kong.

Entry Requirements
- For foreign nationals, the maximum limit of stay in Macau is restricted to 30 days before the expiry date of the passport or travel document and the entry or re-entry permit.

- For example, if a South African citizen presents a passport which has a validity of 40 days when she enters Macau, she will only be allowed to stay for up to 10 days, even though in general South Africans can stay for up to 30 days in Macau visa-free.

Macau has a separate immigration regime from mainland China and Hong Kong. All travellers from mainland China and Hong Kong and all foreign countries have to go through immigration and customs checks on arrival in Macau.

Therefore, if you want to re-enter the Mainland from Macau, you will have to re-apply for another Chinese visa unless your existing one is a multiple entry visa.

While Hong Kong and likewise Macau are officially part of the People's Republic of China, don't let this cause confusion, as they are still designated as SAR or Special Administrative Regions operating under their own immigration controls, currencies and autonomous governments.

An entry permit to Hong Kong is not valid in Macau and vice versa.

Holders of a Hong Kong permanent identity card or a re-entry permit can enter Macau visa-free for up to 1 year without having to present their passport. Holders of a Hong Kong non-permanent identity card can enter Macau visa-free for up to 30 days and must present their passport.

Foreign nationals of the following countries/territories can enter Macau visa-free:

For up to 180 days: United Kingdom.

For up to 90 days: All other European Union member states, plus Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cape Verde, Dominica, Egypt, Grenada, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Norway, Serbia, South Korea, Switzerland and Tanzania.

For up to 30 days: Australia, Belarus, Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Malaysia, Monaco, Namibia, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Samoa, San Marino, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United States and Uruguay.

For up to 14 days: Brunei.

For up to 7 days: China (PRC) (solely for transit via Macau to a third country and holders of a two-way permit with a valid exit endorsement).

For foreign nationals, the maximum limit of stay in Macau is restricted to 30 days before the expiry date of the passport or travel document and the entry or re-entry permit.

For example, if a South African citizen presents a passport which has a validity of 40 days when she enters Macau, she will only be allowed to stay for up to 10 days, even though in general South Africans can stay for up to 30 days in Macau visa-free.

In addition, all foreign visitors who intend to enter Macau for less than 48 hours for the purpose of travelling onwards to another destination via Macau International Airport are exempt from obtaining a visa.

If you require a visa, it can either be obtained in advance from a Chinese embassy or consulate, or on arrival in Macau (Macau visas are separate from visas valid for travel to Mainland China).

A visa on arrival costs MOP100 (individual), MOP50 (children under 12; per person for groups of 10 or more travellers with a collective travel document) or MOP200 (family passport).

A visa issued on arrival is valid for multiple entries within 30 days of the issuing date. This is a very quick and cheap way of getting a visa and definitely preferable over filling in an application at a Chinese embassy or consulate.

However, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Nigerian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Vietnamese citizens,unless they hold a Hong Kong identity card cannot use the visa on arrival facility and must apply for a Macau visa at a Chinese embassy in advance or at the Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong.

The application form for a Macau visa if applying for one at a Chinese embassy or at the Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong is available at and the application fee is USD30 plus USD20 if the embassy has to refer the application to Macau.

The standard service takes 5 working days to process the visa application,if the embassy needs to refer the application to Macau, the application takes 3 weeks.

An express service of 3 working days is available for an additional USD20, while an 'extra express' service same or next working day, is available for an additional USD30 the express/'extra express' services are not available if the embassy needs to refer the application to Macau.

All travellers who enter Macau,regardless of whether visa-exempt or not may be required to show they have a minimum of MOP5,000 to fund their stay and possess a valid return or onward journey ticket.

The only exception to the return/onward journey ticket requirements is for residents of Hong Kong or mainland China, but not if they use a Hong Kong SAR or Chinese passport to transit through Macau to a third country/territory.

Lost/stolen travel documents: If your travel document is lost or stolen while you are in Macau, you should follow the procedure detailed at this webpage of the Macau SAR Public Security Police Force.

The form to complete for a lost/stolen Hong Kong identity card/travel document is , lost/stolen Australian passport/travel document and all other lost/stolen passports/travel documents .

Detailed information about immigration requirements is available at the website of the Macau Public Security Police Force.

By Boat
This is still the main way in which most visitors get to Macau. The main ferry terminal in Macau is the Macau Ferry Terminal (Terminal Maritimo) at the Outer Harbour.

This is a busy terminal handling most of the sea traffic between Macau and Hong Kong as well as the Chinese ports of Shekou and Fuyong,the latter which serves Shenzhen International Airport. Getting there/away: Buses 1A, 3, 3A, 10, 10A, 10B, 12, 28A, 28B, 28BX, 32 and AP1 run from the ferry terminal.

The bus stop is on the main road to the right as you walk out of the building. Pick up a free bus schedule in the tourist information centre in the building. If you are heading straight to a casino or hotel, most of these establishments provide free shuttle buses.

They gather to the left of the terminal building; step out of the arrival-level of the building and turn left; casino shuttles are in the big bus group while hotel shuttles are in the smaller bus group.

There is a lesser known ferry terminal in Macau, located at Pier No. 11 at the Inner Harbour. This is a new ferry terminal building after its former Pier 14 site was given to developers by the Macau Government. It is very near to the Macau city centre and can be easily reached on foot. This terminal mostly services boats to Shenzhen, Jiangmen and Wanzai across the Inner Harbour in Zhuhai.

A third temporary ferry service serves Taipa, Cotai and Coloane connecting to Hong Kong and Shekou. The Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal is adjacent the Ponte da Amizade Friendship Bridge on Estrada de Pac On, and is served by bus AP1 from the city to the airport, but not the other way around,unless you go around the entire loop.

There are also free shuttle buses to the Venetian, the Wynn, COD. A larger permanent ferry terminal is being constructed between the temporary terminal and the Macau International Airport, scheduled for completion in 2011.

From Hong Kong
Ferries to Macau operate from several points in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong International Airport where you can bypass Hong Kong Immigration and transfer directly into a ferry to Macau.

Macau-Hong Kong Island: Ferries from Hong Kong's Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island operate 24 hours a day at frequencies of every 15-30 minutes by day and hourly at night.

In Macau, they dock at the Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal. The cheapest one-way ticket from Hong Kong is HKD164,HKD25 extra per bag for luggage, though 1 hand-carry size luggage within 20kg could be free depending on the company and the trip takes one hour. You can buy tickets online in advance to ensure you secure the sailing you want at busy times. Weekend fares are more expensive.

Ferries are operated by TurboJet. Another frequent ferry service is operated by Cotai Jet directly to Taipa from Hong Kong, and there are free shuttle buses to The Venetian from the Ferry Terminal, for quick and easy access to Taipa and Coloane.

Macau-Kowloon: Ferries operate from the China (HK) Ferry Terminal on Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Ferries are slightly less frequent compared with services from Hong Kong Island, running every half-hour from 07:00-22:30. Fares start at HK$164 and the trip takes about 90 minutes. Both TurboJet and Cotai Jet operate on this route.

Macau-Hong Kong International Airport: Ferries from Hong Kong International Airport to Macau. These are less frequent but they allow you to bypass Hong Kong Immigration and Customs by transferring directly to the ferry in the airport's transfers hall. If a ferry ticket is purchased online in advance, your airline may be able to check your luggage all the way to Macau.

Alternatively, for airlines that are point-to-point and do not allow you to do so, you should request that the baggage handlers retrieve your checked-in luggage for you from the luggage belt which is only available after immigration while processing your ferry ticket by presenting your baggage tags.

You board the ferry at the airport SkyPier terminal which is accessed by an internal train. Fares start at HK$180 and services are operated by TurboJet Sea Express.

The price of ferry tickets differ based on the time and day of the week of the ride. Ferry departures at night (between 6PM and 6AM) and on weekends are more expensive.

Especially at the HK Macau Ferry Terminal, keep an eye out for ticket touts. Some offices here resell legit bulk tickets at a small discount, but an altogether slimier species sells unused tickets for ferries that are about to leave, you may catch them if you run, but will be out of luck and money, if you don't.

Be wary of anyone outside the elevators who enthusiastically beckons you to an agents office and shows you tickets for future sailings, only for you to end up with tickets for ferries that are departing in the next few minutes.

A few touts even pose as "inspectors" and, with practiced sleight of hand, swap your ticket. Don't let anybody not in uniform take your ticket!

From Mainland China: Several ferry companies run to Macau from mainland ports including Jiangmen, Shekou (in Shenzhen) and Fu Yong Ferry Terminal,next to Shenzhen Airport.

Macau-Fu Yong or Shenzhen Airport: TurboJet runs several ferries daily between the Macau Ferry Terminal and the Fu Yong Ferry Terminal. Journey time is about one hour. Economy fare $222, with premium and VIP fares also available. There are free shuttle buses connecting the Fu Yong Ferry Terminal with Shenzhen Int'l Airport at the front door of the ferry terminal, the shuttle journey taking 5-10 minutes. Taxis are also available from the terminal.

Macau-Shekou (Shenzhen):
Yuet Tung Shipping Co runs a ferry service departing from the Macau Inner Harbour Terminal at Pier 14 on Rua das Lorchas near intersection with Av Almeida Ribeiro at 10:00, 14:00, 17:30 and 20:15. $129, $78 for children. From Shekou, boats leave at 08:15, 11:45, 15:45 and 18:30. Journey takes about 1 and a half hours.

Shenzhen Xunlong Shipping Co operates from Macau's two other ports: 10 times per day between 09:45-20:45 from the Macau Ferry Terminal and 3 times per day between 11:00-19:00 from the Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal ¥170.

Macau-Jiangmen: CKS has a daily connection with Jiangmen from the Macau Inner Harbour Terminal at Pier 14 on Rua das Lorchas.

Macau-Wanzai (Zhuhai): Yuet Tung Shipping Co runs boats between the Macau Inner Harbour Terminal at Pier 14 on Rua das Lorchas, and the Wanzai Customs Port in Wanzai, Zhuhai. Journey time is about 10 minutes. $12.50. Boats start at 8AM and end at about 4PM. You can catch connecting buses to Gongbei and other places in Zhuhai from Wanzai.

A more frequent and cheaper option is to catch a ferry to/from Zhuhai's Jiuzhou Port, which is only a few kilometers from the Macau-Zhuhai border. Take a short taxi ride (¥10) or a No. 4 bus from the border crossing to the ferry terminal. The bus ride should be included in your ferry ticket. Ferries from Shenzhen Shekou Port to Zhuhai run every 30 minutes. ¥90.

When taking any ferry, make sure to arrive early since customs lines may take longer than expected.

By Car
The legal driving age in Macau is 18, the same as in Hong Kong and the Mainland.

There are two vehicular entry points into Macau from China. They are the Portas do Cerco (Guan Chap in Cantonese, Guanzha in Mandarin) at the extreme north of Macau Peninsula which connects you to Gongbei in Zhuhai, and the Lotus Bridge,officially the Cotai Frontier Checkpoint which links the Cotai Strip with the Wanzai district of Zhuhai.

You can only enter if your vehicle (cars only, no motorcycles) has both Macau and mainland China number plates and the driver carries both Macau and China driver's licenses. Note that you have to switch sides of the road; mainland China drives on the right, Macau on the left.

Portas do Cerco: This is the usual entry point into Macau from Zhuhai and is very busy. It is open from 7AM-midnight. The crossing will bring you directly into Gongbei in Zhuhai.

Getting there/away: The best way to approach the crossing from anywhere in Macau is to use Avenida Norte de Hipodromo which continues as Avenida da Ponte da Amizade, or Avenida Comendador Ho Yin from the western part of the peninsula.

Lotus Bridge: Much quieter than the Portas do Cerco, this crossing involves you driving over the Lotus Bridge over the narrow channel between Cotai and Hengqin Island (China). The crossing is open from 9AM-8PM. Getting there/away: The Cotai frontier checkpoint can be accessed via the Taipa-Coloane Istmus Road (still known as the Taipa-Coloane Causeway) and turn off at the Flor de Lotus roundabout about halfway between Taipa and Coloane.

By Coach
You can take the coach from Guangzhou, the mainland's third-largest city,formerly Canton. The trip takes about 3 hours and costs around ¥80. Coaches are available from the Guangzhou airport at regular intervals. The bus takes you within walking distance (200 metres) of Portas do Cerco, the usual entry point into north Macau.

There is also a direct coach from Shenzhen airport and also Shenzhen long distance bus station. The trip from Shenzhen is about 3 hours.

There is also a direct coach from Dongguan to Macau Airport. The trip takes about 3 hours and costs around ¥100.

You can also get a bus from either place to Gongbei bus station in Zhuhai. That puts you right across the street from the border facilities so you can walk to Macau. This can save you a bit of money; the bus is about the same price either way, but food and hotels are cheaper in Zhuhai.

By Air

Macau International Airport is off the shore of Taipa Island. It has basic facilities and a couple of aerobridges, but it's possible that you will park on the tarmac and take a bus to the terminal.

Macau's home carrier is Air Macau. While nowhere nearly as well served as Hong Kong, the airport is popular among low-cost airlines thanks to its low landing fees. AirAsia Group flies to Macau from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok-Don Mueang and Manila while Tigerair serves Singapore, Cebu Pacific and Philippines Airlines serve Manila and Clark, Thai Smile serves Bangkok and Jin Air serves Seoul-Incheon .

Bus AP1 plies a route between the airport and the Barrier Gate. Its route passes through several points on Taipa Island, and it stops at the ferry terminal on the peninsula on the way. It costs MOP4.20 per passenger, MOP3 per bag. It has limited provision for baggage, and can be very crowded,you may not even get the first bus to arrive.

Change at the ferry terminal for other destinations, the frequent number 3 bus runs from the ferry terminal and passes the Lisboa, Landmark Hotel, and Holiday Inn, or catch one of the hotel/casino shuttles which go the ferry terminal. The buses do not give change, but there is a currency exchange just inside the terminal that will change foreign currency into low denomination MOP.

Alternatively, take a metered taxi straight to your destination, but there's a MOP5 airport surcharge plus MOP2 for the bridge and MOP3 per bag. Fares to the city centre are around $40-50, the trip taking 15-20 minutes.

If you are bound for Hong Kong, Zhuhai or Shenzhen, you can use the airport's Express Link special bus service to connect directly to the ferry or the Zhuhai border without passing through Macau immigration.

However, the bus schedule is limited (11:00-18:00 only), which limits the utility somewhat; depending on your flight, if you don't need a visa for Macau, it may well be faster to go through immigration twice. If you have a same-day ticket, you can also use this service in the return direction to transfer directly to the airport.

Air Macau flies daily to Beijing, Nanjing, Ningbo and Shanghai. They also fly several times a week to Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Hefei, Nanning, Wuhan and Xiamen. Xiamen Airlines flies to Fuzhou, Hangzhou and Xiamen.

Other airlines include AirAsia, Cebu Pacific, EVA Air and Spring Airlines among others. It is usually cheaper to fly to Zhuhai and cross the border by land as flights between Macau and the mainland are considered to be international flights.

On Foot
You can cross from mainland China to Macau on foot at Gongbei/Portas do Cerco (Barrier Gate) crossings at the south of Zhuhai/the extreme north of Macau Peninsula. In fact, thousands of Macanese and Chinese citizens do it daily, making it an horrendously busy crossing. Depending on the time and day of the week, expect long waits to get processed, up to 3 hours.

Many business people work in Macau and live in Zhuhai, resulting in a morning rush hour into Macau, and an evening rush hour out of Macau. It is similar on the weekends, with many people trying to get in a full day's visit. Mid-afternoon might be the shortest wait, with times down to about 30 minutes.

Getting there/away: The massive underground Portas do Cerco bus terminal is beneath the pretty garden in front of the border checkpoint plaza. You'll be able to find buses to most parts of Macau, including Taipa, Coloane and the Cotai Strip from here, including many free buses to the casinos. From downtown Macau by taxi, the border is about 10 minutes and $30.

As most people crossing the Barrier Gate are either mainland or Macau residents, foreign passport holders may get a short queue at the Zhuhai immigration clearance as they do not pass through the same counters as Chinese nationals. However, Macau's immigration divides entrants only into Macau residents and visitors, without further differentiation, and foreigners have to queue with an overwhelming number of mainland residents.

There are money changers at the Barrier Gate that give very good rates so you can change your money into Chinese renminbi before crossing the customs.

Although you are not allowed to walk on the Lotus Bridge between Wanzai and Cotai, you can board a bus to cross it.

By Helicopter
The Sky Shuttle helicopter service operates every 15-30 minutes between Macau's Terminal Maritimo and the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier in Hong Kong, as well as five times a day to/from Shenzhen airport. The trip takes just 16 minutes, but weekday/weekend tickets cost a whopping HK$3700/3900 one-way.

Get around On foot: This is probably the best way to get around the Macau Peninsula, which is small, compact and full of things to discover. Many roads are also one way so there is quite a chance that it won't be slower than to take road transport which may need to make a long loop to reach the destination.

Most streets have a pedestrian sidewalk making walking easy, although you will have to fight the crowds going in all directions. Traffic rules are not very well adhered to, so ensure that you look both ways before crossing. In and around the Senado Square, the pavements will be made of hand-laid limestone pieces made into simple designs, something that will surely catch your attention. Macau is also hilly, be prepared to struggle up and down steep lanes and steps.

Especially in the old city, the city streets do not seem to run in any particular pattern and you'll most likely get lost at some stage, which is part of the fun of exploring Macau.

Don't bother trying to get around the Cotai area on foot though, as the huge long streets with nothing much on them except the outside edge of new hotels and giant building sites will eat up time you could better spend elsewhere in Macau.

By Coaches
Macau and its districts are served by three bus companies - Transportes Urbanos Macau (Transmac) and Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos de Macau (TCM). Sociedade de Transportes Públicos Reolian (Reolian). The bus system in Macau can be difficult to use.

It is often difficult to gauge which direction the bus is heading and the routes through the city center are very curvy, making a long ride out of a short distance. Bus drivers usually only speak Cantonese, very little English or Mandarin and certainly no Portuguese at all. Most bus stops contain no English, although you can sometimes figure out the destination from Portuguese words.

Nevertheless, the websites of all three companies have good route guides. The TCM website is only in Chinese, while the Transmac website depicts routes schematically.

There is a flat fare of $3.20 for rides within the Macau Peninsula, $4.20 between the Peninsular and Taipa, $5 between the Peninsula and Coloane village, and $6.40 between the Peninsula and Hác Sá (Coloane). But like the buses in Hong Kong, your fare is according to the bus stop you board, not by the length of the journey.

Fares are displayed next to the fare box, so get your destinations written in Chinese if you need to tell them where you're going. You need the exact fare as drivers do not give change. Macaupass, a debit card similar to Hong Kong's Octopus Card system, is now widely used by Macau citizens as it provide discounts on paying bus fare.

However, it may be hard to purchase one as the distribution points are limited. Buses accept Hong Kong coins,but not the $10 Hong Kong coin.

By Scooter
Scooters are a wonderful way to see the sites of Macau, they are also the primary mode of transport for locals due to Macau's narrow streets and lack of car parking space. Scooters will seat one or two people and can provide the convenience to see some of the more beautiful and less crowded spots in Macau, such as Coloane Village, Cheoc Van Beach or the Portuguese fort.

Macau is very small and it is easy to navigate around, while driving is much less hectic and more civilized than in other places in Asia.

Macau Scooter Hire provides scooters for rental, though it is best to make reservations online prior to your arrival. Motorbike rental starts at US$19 for 3 hours or $40 per day. The longer the hire the cheaper it gets per hour / day. Driving licenses from most countries covering mopeds or motorcycles are accepted.

By Shuttle Bus
If you've got more time than money on your hands, you can travel around Macau for free simply by hopping on and off the complimentary shuttle buses operated by all major casinos and hotels. Virtually all serve the Terminal Maritimo, with buses every 5 to 10 minutes, while the big boys (Venetian, Wynn, City of Dreams, Galaxy etc) also shuttle to the Border Gates, the Taipa Ferry Terminal and the airport.

The buses to Hotel Lisboa, for example, drop you off just a few blocks from Largo do Senado. You generally have to be at least 18 years old to use them. You may have to get a ticket from Lisboa Casino in order to leave the casino by shuttle but most of the casinos offer totally free to take their shuttle buses.

By Taxi
Taxi fares start at $17. Largo do Senado to the border is about 45MOP. The longest possible taxi ride from the Border Post at the extreme north of Macau to Coloane in the south would be well under 200MOP.

It is a good idea to have your destination written in Chinese as most taxi drivers know only Chinese. Most taxi drivers carry with them a list of casinos and other important places so refer to it on the sunguard of the front passenger seat.

Each bag placed in the boot of the taxi is entitled to an additional surcharge.

Macau has a taxi shortage problem, and aside from long queues for taxis, taxi drivers often illegally ask inflated prices without turning on the meter, or refuse to take passengers to undesirable destinations.

Beware of dishonest taxi drivers who often approach tourists just off the legitimate taxi stands or casinos, offering rides for 2-5 times more than the legal metered fares, practice known in Macau as "fishing".

During weekday rush hours (16:30-19:30), it can be very difficult getting a taxi as most taxi drivers on station head back to the depot to change drivers. If you are lucky enough to catch one, some drivers may ask you to pay extra, upwards of 50MOP-100 on top of the normal fare to your destination. It is not uncommon to see a huge line for taxi queues during peak times. Plan accordingly.

By Triciclo Cycle-rickshaws

As in Hong Kong, cycle rickshaws (triciclo or riquexó) are a dying breed, although a few still lurk around tourist haunts like the ferry terminal and Hotel Lisboa. Prices are negotiable, but a few hours of city touring by triciclo might cost around $200.

Car Rental
Car rental is not a popular option in Macau given the territory's high population density and small size. Avis provides car rental services in Macau and you have the option of renting the car with or without a driver. Roads are generally well maintained and directional signs are in both Chinese and Portuguese.

Unlike in mainland China, international driving permits (IDP's) are accepted in Macau, and traffic moves on the left side of the road with most cars being right-hand drive,largely due to influences from neighbouring Hong Kong.

If you wish to drive to mainland China, your vehicle must have a second set of number plates issued by the Guangdong authorities, and you would need to carry an additional Mainland license, as the Chinese government does not recognise Hong Kong, Macau or foreign licenses. You would also need to change sides of the road at the border.

Languages
Macau's official languages are Cantonese and Portuguese.

Cantonese is the most commonly spoken language of Macau. Mandarin is not widely spoken, though most locals are able to comprehend it to some degree. Staff working at major hotels and tourist attractions will usually be reasonably competent in Mandarin.

English is spoken by most front-line staff in the tourism industry. Nearly all museums and casinos have some staff with excellent English, as do many hotels, shops and restaurants, especially the up-market ones. However, English is not as widely spoken as in Hong Kong, so outside the main tourist areas, especially in establishments catering to the average working class, you will find that most people are not conversant in English.

This includes most bus and taxi drivers, so be sure to have staff from your hotel write down the names of your destinations in Chinese to show the taxi driver, and get your hotel's business card in case you get lost. If you have to ask someone on the street of directions in English, your best bet is to approach a young adult who is likely to be a college student or having graduated from it,which is not difficult to find given the fact that more and more young people in Macau are now entering universities.

Speakers of Portuguese won't find it very useful when talking to local residents, as it is no longer compulsory in schools, but it helps a lot in understanding place names and signs. There is plenty of informational material for tourists available in Portuguese as well.

As Portuguese continues to be an official language of the SAR, government offices are required by law to have Portuguese-speaking staff on duty; for tourists, the most commonly used is the Macau post office, Correios de Macau. Many Portuguese cafés and restaurants also have Portuguese-speaking staff.

All official signs in Macau are bilingual in traditional Chinese and Portuguese. Note that under the "one country, two systems" policy, Macau continues to use traditional Chinese characters and not the simplified Chinese characters used in Mainland China.

Vong or Wong?
One of the oddities of Macau is that some Cantonese names and words that are pronounced with what in English is a "W" sound, and that in Hong Kong are transliterated with a "W", are transliterated with a "V" instead, such as in Cheoc Van (which in Hong Kong would be Chuk Wan).

This can also be seen in the surname Vong in Hong Kong Wong. No doubt Portuguese pronunciation has had an influence on this choice of transliteration. To complicate things further, this has not been done consistently so there are both Vongs and Wongs in Macau - both written with the same Chinese character.

Attractions
Although best known for gambling, Macau is rich in attractions and oozing with atmosphere, thanks to hundreds of years of fusion between European and Chinese cultures.

Macau is a fascinating place to just walk around as the place is packed with churches, temples, fortresses and other old buildings bearing an interesting mix of Portuguese and Chinese characteristics.

Besides buildings, there are also hundreds of narrow alleyways forming a maze in the old part of Macau where the people of Macau carry out businesses and work. If the sheer density of humans get to you, take a break and enjoy several pretty gardens or head to the island.

One of the interesting things to see in Macau is a statue of the Bodhisatta Avalokitesvara,known as kwoon yam in Cantonese located next to the sea near the Sands Casino and MGM Grand. Despite being a Chinese deity, the statue is distinctly European in design and resembles statues of the Virgin Mary one can find in Europe.

Rua da Tercena is the most popular art, antique, and flea market street in Macau, a little off the beaten track with less Chinese tourist crowds and a lot of character. It is located near St Paul's, behind Senado Square. Follow Rua de São Paulo to Rua das Estalagens and turn down the hill to the next narrow street. Go past the shops selling antiques, the tailor shops, and other small shops until the road reaches a fork.

And if culture is not your thing, there is the Macau Tower for awesome views and adventure sports, or Fisherman's Wharf to enjoy some theme-park activities and shopping.

You'll find most of the attractions in Macau Peninsula, but Taipa and Coloane, each with a pretty village, also draw hordes of visitors. Visit the Cotai reclaimed land area to see its transformation into the "Las Vegas Strip of the East". The Venetian is the most famous with its Venice-styled shopping mall with rivers running through, and is also currently the largest casino in the world.

The City of Dreams is a giant casino with high end fashion shops, a free video 'bubble' show, three hotels and the world's most expensive theatre show. The 'House of Dancing Water' cost US$250 million and the stage holds five olympic swimming pools worth of water. Ushers give the front few rows of the audience towels. Free shuttles from the main ferry terminal leave constantly.

Heritage
A large section of Macau Peninsula has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site and 25 buildings and sites within the area have been deemed to have cultural and historic significance.

One of the best ways to cover the sights is to do the Macau Heritage Walk circuit. The heritage Buildings, the Sao Paulo Cathedral, the Fort and the Macau Museum are all adjacent to each other and can be conveniently seen individually even if one cannot catch the Heritage walk timing.

Taipa Village and Coloane Village, still inhabited by some fishermen, are also interesting with their colonial-era shops and houses along narrow lanes.

Museums
Macau has several museums. The "Macau Museum Pass", which gives discounted entry to most of these, is currently off the market. The main museums, such as the Macau Museum, are in Macau Peninsula although there are two museums on Taipa - the Museum of Taipa and Coloane History and Taipa Houses Museum.

Casinos
Gambling is Macau's biggest industry, and busloads arrive daily from mainland China to try their luck. In addition, many Hong Kongers arrive on weekends with the same aim. For many years, the Casino Lisboa was the most famous and a landmark well known to people outside Macau, but it is being eclipsed by Sands Casino which opened in 2004.

Nevertheless, the original Casino Lisboa is still worth a visit as its halls contain many original antiques on display from the private collection of gambling tycoon Stanley Ho.

Most casinos are located along the waterfront on the southern side of Macau Peninsula. North of the Lisboa is a strip with many smaller casinos, a number of hotels and bars, and quite a few restaurants. This can be one of the more interesting areas of Macau; among other things it has quite a good Indian restaurant and several Portuguese ones.

However, parts of it are also fairly sleazy, with lots of hookers and touts, so some caution is in order. New casinos have also opened in the area called NAPE south of Avenida de Amizade, including Wynn Macau and Sands Macau.

All this is going to be overtaken by the new development on the Cotai Strip, which is being made into "The Las Vegas Strip of the East". The biggest casino in the world, Venetian Macao, opened its doors in August 2007 and the not-much-smaller City of Dreams followed in 2009, with many more still to come. There are also several casinos on Taipa, including the Crown Macau.

There are ATMs available at either casino as well as Forex facilities to change your money. Gamblers are required to be at least 21 years of age, as of 1 November 2012 to be allowed to play. Interestingly, local civil servants are not allowed to enter the casinos with the exception of the first three days of the Chinese new year.

Greyhound racing

Another popular form of gambling in Macau is greyhound racing, where people bet on dogs in the same way that many people in other countries bet on horses. The minimum bet is MOP10, and payouts can be made in both Macanese patacas and Hong Kong dollars.

Canidrome is your spot for great Greyhound racing. It is located on Avenida General Castelo Branco. Greyhound races are held at the Canidrome on Monday, Thursday and Friday plus weekends - racing starts at 19:45 with 16 races each night.

MOP10 admission fee (redeemable when betting) to get in. Box seats are MOP80 for non-peak days and MOP120 for weekends and holidays. There is off-track-betting available for the Canidrome at Jai-Alai Palace, Hotel Lisboa and Kam Pek Casino.

Adventure
At a height of 233 metres, the bungy jump from Macau tower, maintained and operated by A. J. Hackett is the 2nd highest in the world. Along with the bungy, one can also try the Sky jump, that is somewhat like a jump but is more protected and doesn't involve a free fall, and a sky walk, that is a protected on a platform running around the circumference of the floor. Bouldering and sport climbing activities are also conducted at the tower's base. See the Macau Peninsula page for details.

Swimming
Macau's two beaches - Hac Sa - (black sand) and Cheoc Van (bamboo bay) - are located on the southern side of Coloane island. They are very popular and are frequented by locals and visitors, especially at the weekend.

Besides beaches, there are several public swimming pools all over Macau. All high-end hotels also have swimming pools.

Hiking/Cycling

There are opportunities for hiking and cycling on the relatively rural islands of Taipa and Coloane.

Bowling
There is a bowling centre of international standard which was constructed in 2005 for the East Asian Games at the Macau Dome in Cotai area. There is also a bowling alley in Macau near the Camoes Garden/Protestant cemetery.

Purchasing
The official currency of Macau is the pataca (MOP), which is divided into 100 avos. Pataca is the traditional Portuguese name for both dollars and pesos, and the $ sign is used locally.

The pataca is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar (HKD) at MOP1.03 = HKD1 and, in practice, a large percentage of cash transactions in Macau are made in Hong Kong dollars, which are accepted on an equal 1:1 basis by almost all businesses. If you pay using Hong Kong dollars, you may receive patacas as change, or a mixture of patacas and Hong Kong dollars.

If you pay in HKD and receive change in MOP, the vendor has, in effect, taken a small amount of foreign exchange commission from you. Consider it a convenience fee and if wanting to stretch your MOP as far as it can go, visit a currency exchange counter. You may find businesses refusing the HKD10 coin, due to the fear of counterfeits.

Although dollars and patacas may be used interchangeably almost everywhere, there are two main exceptions. Transactions made at government offices may only be made in patacas, and most casinos will only accept Hong Kong dollars.

Chinese yuan (CNY) are also accepted in some businesses, often at a poor exchange rate, but they can easily be changed to patacas at bureaux de change and banks.

Getting money is quite easy as there are banks and ATMs (cash machines) on nearly every street. Holders of a debit card on one of the international networks will have no issues withdrawing money. Holders of Chinese Union Pay cards will not have trouble either withdrawing local currency from their accounts. ATMs usually dispense patacas or dollars (100 and 500 notes) and some will also dispense Chinese renminbi currency.

Changing to or from patacas outside of Macau is almost impossible even in Hong Kong, so any patacas should be spent or changed before leaving the SAR. The money changers at the Barrier Gate provide good exchange rates; however, if you wish to change money before you arrive then change into Hong Kong dollars.

Visa and MasterCard credit cards are widely accepted in major restaurants, stores and the ferry terminal but some merchants may require a minimum purchase amount, usually $100.

Tipping is generally not practised, though bellhops may expect about MOP10 or so for carrying your bags. In full service restaurants, a service charge is usually imposed and that is taken to be the tip. However, you should know that the 10% service charge may not go to the specific people who served you. Rather, it is used by the owners to pay the salaries of these employees.

If you wish to give a tip, you should give it in cash directly to the person you wish to reward for their good service. Taxi drivers also do not expect tips, and will return exact change, or round it in your favour if they can't be bothered to dig for change.

Shopping
While the newer megacasinos have introduced Macau to the joys of sterile franchise-filled malls, the city centre streets around the older casinos are still a bizarre monoculture of ridiculously expensive watch, jewellery and Chinese medicine shops,with an emphasis on herbal Viagra-type cures, all aimed squarely at liberating lucky gamblers from their winnings.

Finding tasteful souvenirs can thus be surprisingly challenging, although the streets between Largo do Senado and the ruins of St. Paul's and in particular Rua da Tercena, do have a scattering of local art and antique shops.

Bargaining in the small shops can be done, usually working on the model of the shopkeeper quoting a price, the buyer making "hmmm" sounds and the shopkeeper lowering the price a bit. A full-fledged haggling match is quite rare, as most antique shops sell precisely the same things at precisely the same prices.

For a more Western shopping experience, head to New Yaohan on Ave Doutor Mário Soares n˚90. There is a bakery and supermarket on the 6th floor. On the other floors there are fashion, perfumes and everything else you would expect from a department store, but expect much higher prices to what you are used to.

Dining
Macau is famous for excellent restaurants, unique cuisine and mellow bars. Above all, the city is famous for Macanese and Chinese cuisines: .

Portuguese food (cozinha portuguesa), brought in by its Portuguese colonizers, is hearty, salty, straighforward fare. While many restaurants claim to serve the stuff, fully authentic fare is mostly limited to a few high-end restaurants, especially the cluster at the southwestern tip of the Peninsula. Typical Portuguese dishes include:

- pato de cabidela (bloody duck), Duck meat stewed in duck blood, vinegar and herbs, served with rice; sounds and looks somewhat scary, but it's excellent when well done
- bacalhau (salted cod), traditionally served with potatoes and veggies
- caldo verde, a soup of potato, chopped kale and chourico sausage
- eijoada (kidney-bean stew), a Brazilian staple common in Macau as well
- pastéis de nata (egg tarts), crispy and flaky on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside

Macanese food (comida de Macau) was created when Portuguese and Chinese influences were mixed together with spices brought from Africa and South-East Asia by traders, and many restaurants advertising "Portuguese" food in fact serve up mostly Macanese dishes. Seafood and barbecue specialist Fernando's on Coloane's Hac Sa Beach is probably the best-known restaurant serving this mixed cuisine.

- Almond cookies. Dry Chinese-style cookies flavoured with almond. Macau's top souvenir, they're compact, durable and hence sold pretty much everywhere.
- Galinha à africana (African-style chicken). Barbequed chicken coated in spicy piri-piri sauce.
- Galinha à portuguesa (Portuguese-style chicken). Chicken in a coconutty curry; despite the name, this is not a Portuguese dish at all, but a purely Macanese invention.
- Pork chop bun. The Macanese version of a hamburger, the name pretty much says it all: it's a slice of freshly fried pork (often with a few chunks of bone left) with a dash of pepper placed inside a freshly baked bun.
- Beef Jerky. More moist and fresh than typical jerky, and quite delicious. Easily found on the street leading up to the Ruins of St. Paul, where venders will push free samples at you as you walk by with great enthusiasm. Be sure to try them all before choosing the one you like best!
- Minchi. Minced meat with fried potato cubes, served on white rice.

All that said, the food of choice in Macau is still pure Cantonese, and a few aficionados even claim that the dim sum and seafood here beat those in Hong Kong. The streets of central Macau are littered with simple eateries offering rice and noodle dishes for under $30 (although menus are often only in Chinese), while every casino hotel worth its salt has a fancy Cantonese seafood restaurant where you can blow away your gambling winnings on abalone and shark's fin soup.

The greatest concentration of restaurants is in the Peninsula, where they are scattered throughout the district. Taipa is now a major destination for those going for Portuguese and Macanese food and there are many famous restaurants on the island. There are several restaurants in Coloane, which is also home to the famous Lord Stow's Bakery, which popularized the Macanese egg tart. Yummy!

Drinks
Reasonably priced Portuguese wine is widely available. A glass in a restaurant is around $20, while bottles start from under $100, and a crisp glass of vinho verde ("green wine", but actually just a young white) goes very well with salty Macanese food. As elsewhere in China, though, locals tend to prefer cognacs and whisky. Macau Beer is widely available and roughly $8 for a 330 ml bottle in supermarkets. There is also a wine museum which you can have the opportunity to taste over 50 varieties of wine.

There is a buzzing nightlife in Macau. There are a variety of bars and clubs along the Avenida Sun Yat Sen close to the Kum Iam Statue and the Cultural Centre where you can have a good night out. Locals, especially among younger people, prefer to meet up with their friends in Western style cafes or places that serve 'bubble tea'. 'Bubble tea' is usually fruit flavoured tea served with tapioca balls and can be served either hot or cold.

The shops in town centre (near Senado Square) often open until late at night and are often crowded. The casinos have also become a big hit for entertainment, offering performances of international standard (advance booking advised) and comprehensive shopping malls for those less interested in trying their luck on the machines.

For those who want to pamper themselves after a shopping spree, there are spas available in almost all respectable hotels. Note that these are different to "saunas", which are thinly disguised brothels (prostitution is legal in Macau), but these can be easily distinguishable by their shop appearance.
Sleep

Macau is very backpacker unfriendly. Due to government regulations there are no hostels in operation and the one YHA requires special permission for lodging. Therefore if you are a backpacker then it is better to stay in Hong Kong and come to Macau for the day, unless you're willing to spend $190 per night for a bed with no facilities.

The bulk of Macau's hotels are on the Peninsula and Cotai, although there are also many options - including high-end ones - on Taipa. Coloane, which offers fewer and much quieter options, has accommodation ranging from the famous Pousada de Coloane to Macau's two beach-side youth hostels.

Hotel rates are most expensive on Friday and Saturday nights because demand is higher with tourists coming to Macau to gamble over the weekend. Try to make a booking through a travel agent, even if for the same day, as the rates can be substantially lower than walk-in rates. If you are coming from Hong Kong, book through an agent at the Shun Tak ferry pier for the best deals. Getting a package deal including return ferry tickets gives you the best price.

In the Inner Harbour area, many of the pensions and two star hotels are also the place of business for many of the mainland PRC prostitutes that work in Macau, and most hotel "saunas" are in fact thinly disguised brothels.

Hotel listings are in the individual district pages. Budget accommodation is one that carries a 2-star rating or below, a mid-range place has a 3-star rating, and a splurge place has a 4-star rating or above.The cheapest hotels on a weekday are around $190.

Hotel Metropole Macau, Avenida da Praia Grande Macau, Macau,. As the first City Boutique Hotel in Macau, we are devote ourselves to service our guest with efficiency and courtesy to express the meaning of Boutique service. CNY400 - 1200.

Macau has 12 tertiary education institutions. Besides some smaller and more specialized schools (Security Forces School, Tourism School, European Studies Institute, etc), the ones of importance are:

University of Macau. The oldest and most popular university, established in 1981 (then under the name University of East Asia). Offers degree programmes in a wide variety of fields at all levels, including pre-university courses, bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees. The majority of degrees are taught in English, except education and law which are taught in a choice of either Chinese (Cantonese) or Portuguese.

Macau University of Science and Technology. Established after the 1999 handover of Macau to China, courses are mainly taught in Chinese (Mandarin) by professors from the mainland, and a significant portion of its student population draws from the mainland too.

Macau Polytechnic Institute. A spin-off of the former University of East Asia, it was established in 1991 to provide practice-oriented education and training mainly to the local population.

Macau Inter-University Institute. Established in 1996, it originally only offered postgraduate education, but since 2005 also offers undergraduate degree courses, and since 2006 pre-university courses, mainly in the humanities.

Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao (IFT) . Established in 1995, the Institute for Tourism Studies （Portuguese: Instituto de Formação Turística，Chinese:is a public institution of higher education which is administered by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government. The institution offers degrees in tourism, culinary arts, event, retail, heritage, and hotel management.

Employment

Non-residents who wish to take up employment in Macau, including those from Portugal or China, need to obtain a valid work permit and are then issued the so-called Blue Card,officially called Non-Resident Worker's Permit. The process takes approximately a month to receive a work permit, at which time employment may begin, and another 1-2 months to receive the Blue Card.

As illegal employment has over the past decades been a problem plaguing Macau, the authorities do crack down severely on any offenders (both worker and employer) caught. Visitors are therefore advised not to engage in illegal employment.
Stay safe
Severe weather

There is a risk of typhoons, mainly between July and September. A system of typhoon warnings is in place that are issued by the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau and are broadcast widely on television and radio:

The typhoon warning system is basically a copy of the system used in Hong Kong.

- Number 1: tropical cyclone is within 800 km of Macau
- Number 3: tropical cyclone is likely to bring winds of 41-62 km/h to Macau, with gusts of 110 km/h (usually issued when the typhoon is within 300 km of Macau)
- Number 8: tropical cyclone is nearing Macau, bringing with it winds of 63-117 km/h, and gusts of up to 180 km/h
- Number 9: the centre of the tropical cyclone is approaching Macau and it is expected that Macau will be severely affected
- Number 10: the centre of the tropical cyclone will hit Macau directly, with mean wind speed over 118 km/h and intense gusts

During a number 8, 9 or 10 typhoon everything in Macau shuts down. People stay home and it is not advisable to venture outside as there is the risk of injury or worse from flying debris.
Crime

It should be pointed out that compared to many other cities in the world, Macau is relatively safe to travel. The standard of living of the local Macau residents is generally good (one of the best in Asia). In addition, as a city geared towards tourism, the Macau government is keen to "clean up" the city and its image. For example, the police in Macau are now seen by the public as more effective than they used to be.

Points To Note When You Travel To Macau.

- You should beware of pickpockets, especially in crowded areas like tourist attractions and the border stations. Keep your valuables somewhere safe. Pickpockets usually come in a group and use one person to distract people while the others work.

- Be wary of harassment from street prostitutes and hawkers handing out leaflets/flyers.

- Recently a scam involving mainland Chinese visitors asking for money has become widespread, mainly in downtown Macau. These people, who are usually properly dressed, claim to have lost their wallet and not to have eaten the whole day, asking for $20-30 to buy some food. The police have issued warnings in the local media not to give money to these people.

- In the mid-90s, Macau had some vicious gang wars among the triads, mobsters with automatic weapons. Macau police had the situation partly under control by the time the Chinese took over in 1999. The current government seems to have it entirely under control; there has been no sign of open mob conflict in this century. The triads usually don't bother ordinary people, so the advice is not to mess with them (such as by borrowing money from loan sharks and then failing to repay it), and they won't mess with you!

- Macau has a large taxi shortage problem, and aside from long queues for taxis, taxi drivers often illegaly ask inflated prices without turning on the meter, or refuse to take passengers to undesirable destinations. Dishonest taxi drivers often approach people near taxi stands or casinos, offering rides for 2-5 times more than the legal metered fares, practice known in Macau as "fishing". Kidnappings in a locked in taxi are also not unheard of.

Health

One unexpected cause of sickness in Macau is the extreme temperature change between 35°C (95°F) humid summer weather outdoors and 18°C (65°F) air-conditioned buildings. Some people experience cold symptoms after moving between the two extremes often; it is not unusual to wear a sweater or covering to stay warm indoors, and it is therefore usually good advice to carry a long-sleeve item of clothing when expecting to visit air-conditioned places for extended periods of time.

Whilst tap water is technically safe to drink (taste aside), most locals boil or filter their water or buy inexpensive bottled water, which you are also recommended to do so. A 2.5 litre bottle of drinking water starts around $0.25 in supermarkets.

There have been some cases of Dengue fever in recent years. The government has proactively sprayed insecticide in areas where there is potential of mosquito breeding, so this risk is largely contained. However it is best to avoid being bitten by using mosquito repellent and/or wearing long clothing, especially at dusk.

Socialize

People in Macau are generally friendly to foreigners,given the fact that Macau had hundreds of years of Portuguese colonial rule, the locals, even the older population are used to living side by side with Westerners. However, do not assume the locals speak English (or Portuguese) and a few essential Cantonese phrases are always helpful.

When visiting Chinese temples basic respect should be shown, but taking photos is usually allowed and you don't need to ask for permission as long as there isn't a no-photography sign posted.

Binge-drinking or drunken behavior is not tolerated in Macau.

For a comprehensive list of respecting local culture, see the "Respect" section of Hong Kong, which is very similar to Macau.
Contact

Macau's international dialing prefix is 853.

The tourist information offices on Largo do Senado and at the jetfoil terminal have maps, information on museums and events, helpful English-speaking staff, and at the Largo do Senado office free Internet access. You may have to queue for the Internet, since there are only a few machines.

Chinoy Express, Rua De Mercadores. A cheap and fast internet cafe ($5/hr) right near Rua De Felicidade. Serves cheap snacks and right across the road is a Filipino bakery with cheap and tasty breads and very large bottles of San Miguel ($6).

Mobile phones
Macau has excellent mobile phone coverage. Macau has both GSM 900/1800 and 3G 2100 networks. Check with your operator. Phone plans stemming from the Mainland require proper set-up for use outside of the Mainland.

Wifi

Macau has extensive free wifi coverage throughout the city. It is known as the wifigo system. You can also use the encrypted service wifigo-s. The username is "wifigo" and the password is "wifigo"