Following an astronomical rise from sleepy fishing village to the ‘Vegas of China’, Macao is a hub of glitz, glamour and gambling. High-roller or not, those who look beyond the bright lights of the casinos and resorts are in for a treat – a cultural whirl of a city that is full of surprises!

Macao’s Culture
A Portuguese colony from 1557 to 1999, many of Macao’s most outstanding features are a unique fusion of both China and Portugal. The narrow streets have kept their Portuguese names, each lined with traditional shophouses and pastel-hued colonial architecture and leading to leafy, cobbled squares, rococo churches and Chinese temples standing on Portuguese tiles. Old forts loom over a skyline full of eccentric skyscrapers and bustling markets.

Food in Macau
All of your explorations of the city’s sights can be fuelled on a cuisine that is legendary and incredibly diverse, ranging from street food to Michelin-starred restaurants. While all manner of international cuisine is available, it is unique Macanese food that you shouldn’t miss. Fusing Chinese with elements of Portuguese, plus hints of flavour bought over from Portugal’s African and Indian colonies, this is food that will delight the tastebuds. Fresh bread, wine and coffee are staples, then there’s caldo verde (vegetable soup), bacalhau (dried salted cod) and African chicken. Also offering authentic tastes, dim sum and pasteis de nata are absolute musts.

Things Not To Miss in Macao
The UNESCO-listed Historic Centre is where you’ll find many of Macao’s greatest historical treasures, including the impressive Ruins of St Paul’s, once the largest Catholic church in Asia, and atmospheric A-Ma, a temple built in 1488, predating the city. From the historic, it’s easy to flit over to the modern – the new casinos of the Cotai Strip, built on land reclaimed from the sea, and the grande dames of the Macao peninsula – the ever-recognisable Grand Lisbao, Wynn Macao and Sands Macao.

Whatever your interests, be they historic and cultural, a vibrant nightlife or delicious food, this is a destination for everyone to enjoy.