The backpacker’s guide to Macau

Although from an administrative point of view Macau belong to China, when you travel to this city you can’t help but feel like you’re in the heart of Europe instead of Asia. Macau is one of the oldest European colonies in the Orient, and the colonial cultural heritage is more obvious in Macau than in other places.

A backpacker will have the time of their life when exploring this interesting pick and mix of Portuguese and Chinese elements. A few days in Macau will please even the most persnickety of backpackers: good food, nice atmosphere, and lots of affordable (if sometimes a bit seedy) accommodation options.

Choosing a place to stay is the first thing you should take care of as a backpacker. In Macau, budget accommodation usually means two star hotels. The tricky part will be to distinguish between ‘respectable’ hotels, and brothels disguised as hotels. The inner harbour area can be the most misguiding, since many two star pensions and hotels are used by prostitutes.




The safest bet is to book your accommodation through a travel agent. However, budget accommodation is pretty decent in Macau, and some of the hostels/guesthouses are even better then you’d expect for the price. Some good examples include the Ole London Hotel, Hotel Ko wah, Villa Universal and East Asia Hotel. Spending a bit more on accommodation is a good idea, even if it means giving up some gambling in Macau 😛

And while on the subject of gambling, here’s a little overview of what you can do in Macau as a backpacker. Gambling, obviously, is out of the question if you are on a budget. Macau is known as the Las Vegas of Asia, so there are more than enough casinos around the city. The casino-y atmosphere might bother some, but you can avoid the casino area by not going too often to the waterfront on the southern side of Macau Peninsula.

There are plenty of activities that you can do without spending a fortune: bungee jumping from Macau tower, swimming at the beaches of Coloane Island, hike in Taipa and Coloane islands. Visiting churches seems unavoidable in Macau, especially since this city has the highest density of church per square kilometer in the world (probably to counterbalance all those casinos). Visiting churches is usually free, and some of them are very nice.

If you want to get the most out of Macau, you should definitely visit the old part of the city on foot. It is not overly large, but bringing some good walking shoes is a good idea anyway. Parts of the old town look like mazes o narrow alleyways where the locals go about their daily business. You can find many interesting shops and little eateries in these alleys. When you get tired of the crowds, you can take some time off in a park, or head out to the rural areas in Taipa and Coloane.

One of the things that make Macau famous is the cuisine. There are countless great restaurants where you can taste some delicious Portuguese/Chinese influenced dishes, but since many of them are on the expensive side, small eateries (and there are many of them) will be a better choice for backpackers: the same good food, for less money and in a more atmospheric place.

The dim sum in Macau are said to be better even than those in Hong Kong. Try the pato de cabidela, the Macanese almond cookies, the local version of the hamburger, the pork chop bun.

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