How to Rock This Winter? Go Wild in Macau!

The extraordinary year 2020 is drawing to a close. We've all experienced so many stories this year. Want to cap it off with a happy trip? Here's the answer: go to Macau! You'll have a blast this winter~

Macau isn't a city you can sum up in a few words. It has two distinct faces—glittering extravagance spread across luxury hotels and the surrounding residential areas, while at its heart, a complete old-world and European charm is beautifully preserved.

Like most tourist cities, the streets are filled with visitors speaking Mandarin and various foreign languages—so much so that you might forget Cantonese is the local soundtrack.

Though Macau isn't huge, it packs in plenty of famed attractions. For example: the Macau Peninsula, home to many historical buildings; Taipa Island, clustered with luxury hotels and shopping malls; and Coloane Island, a quiet, laid-back, artsy little village.

Highlight 1 | Macau Food Carnival

Winter in Macau brings the annual gastronomic feast—the Macau Food Festival. It's a foodie's paradise, and I couldn't be happier!

Let me fill you in: The Macau Food Festival is a yearly food carnival. The first edition was held at the end of 2001, and this year marks its 20th edition.

This year's Macau Food Festival runs from November 13 to 29, 2020, at the Sai Van Lake Square in Macau. Opening hours are 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and 3 p.m. to midnight Friday to Sunday.

It's clear the scale has been expanding. What started as mainly local flavors has now become an international affair, evolving from a pure food festival into a full-blown food carnival.

This year's Macau Food Festival is truly a world food gala, gathering nearly 100 local Macau specialty dining stalls. There are five major food streets: Chinese Restaurant Street, European Cuisine Street, Asian Cuisine Street, Flavoursome Food Street, and Dessert Street—plus a Japanese food street on the lower level of Sai Van Lake.

Girls may worry about their figures and diet, but at the Macau Food Festival I simply can't hold back. The scale is enormous, the variety endless—and you can sample specialties from around the globe without leaving the country~

Besides eye-catching Indian roti in scallion oil, banana, durian, mango, pineapple and countless other flavours, there's Asian, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Singaporean and more. Isn't happiness just overflowing?

The food carnival offers more than diverse culinary culture; there are also live performances to spice things up and lottery draws. The people I spotted most? Couples and parents with kids.

On-site, you'll notice hand sanitiser stations in many spots. Staff strictly wear masks and gloves. Visitors must show their health code and get a temperature check. The dining area sets four-person tables at a one-metre safe distance with divider screens. The pandemic prevention measures are really thorough.

Sai Van Lake Square is dominated by Macau's iconic landmark, the Macau Tower—a true symbol of the city. The tower together with Sai Van Lake and Nam Van Lake forms a stunning "two lakes and one tower" scenery. Admire the views, savour the food, and enjoy life here.

Highlight 2 | Macau Grand Prix

In Macau, you can also witness race cars and super-cool drivers tearing up the track. It was my first time seeing a race, and I never imagined the cars would be so fast you can barely see them~

The Macau Grand Prix is an annual motorsport event held from the third Thursday to the following Sunday in November. It's the world's oldest street race and the only event that hosts both car and motorcycle races together.

During the festival of speed, racers tackle high-speed straights and twisting hairpin turns. The narrowest part of the track is just seven metres wide, making it widely regarded as one of the most demanding circuits on the planet.

This racing feast draws countless eyes every year—from world-class drivers and motorsport fans to rookies making their debut on the Guia Circuit.

According to the Macao Government Tourism Office, with pandemic control becoming normalised, the 67th Macau Grand Prix took place from November 22 to 24, 2020. Due to strict anti-epidemic measures, drivers from Mainland China and Macau took centre stage.

This year, organisers shortened the programme from four days to three. While the motorcycle grand prix was cancelled, five races were arranged: the Macau Formula 4 Race, Macau GT Cup, Macau Guia Race, Macau Touring Car Cup, and Greater Bay Area GT Cup.

Highlight 3 | Macau Winter Carnival

Winter isn't complete without snowflakes. And in Macau this November, you can play in the snow—real snow! Surprised?

The 3rd Macau Winter Carnival runs from November 12 to December 27 on Macau Tower Street (next to the Macau Tower).

The event gives us access to Macau's only outdoor real-snow playground, plus creative photo zones, a quirky children's area, booth game zones and more fun activities. It's absolutely fantastic!

As a northern girl, snow is nothing new to me, but many of my southern friends get super excited about it. Come to the Macau Winter Carnival and revel in the joy of a snowy wonderland~

Highlight 4 | teamLab SuperNature

Macau has a "body immersive art museum"—don't miss this visual feast!

teamLab SuperNature is created by the art collective teamLab. It's a complex, multi-level interactive space spanning 5,000 square metres, constructed from groups of super-large artworks reaching up to eight metres high.

The boundless Crystal Universe helps me understand cosmic space through art; the Valley of Flowers and People, with its shifting seasons, lets me explore loss, immersion, and rebirth; Light Sculpture reconfigures space by gathering light rays on a plane, forming three-dimensional sculptures.

This museum is a visual treat of artistic creativity, and at the same time a showcase of works exploring new understandings of humanity, nature, and the world.

These conceptual mega artworks invite you to immerse your body into them, become one with the pieces, and feel the charm of art.

Macau has done a great job with pandemic control, so many events have already been held in November, with more to follow. Macau is now a very safe travel destination!

Mainland residents need to present an Exit-Entry Permit for travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao, and the endorsement must be valid. Remember to apply at the exit-entry office in advance. Macau free individual travel has now resumed nationwide, so provinces and cities have long reopened endorsement processing. Entry is very simple: with a valid endorsement, you only need to provide a nucleic acid test result within seven days and your local Macau health code.

In Macau, both Hong Kong dollars and Macanese patacas are accepted—mainly for taxis and street snacks. Most places work on a 1:1 exchange basis, and some shops also accept renminbi at 1:1:1, so it's more cost-effective to convert your RMB to patacas before arriving. For hotels, shopping, restaurants and the like, nearly all accept online payment or credit cards.

One more thing: while enjoying your trip, wear a mask and protect yourself. I recommend following the official Macao Government Tourism Office WeChat account for the latest travel policies. The "My Heart for Macau" campaign also offers hotel vouchers and other perks~

Travelogue Contents 1. Preface 2. First, get to know Macau 3. Let me tell you how exciting Macau's winter can be! 4. Travel and health tips for visiting Macau. Travel Info, Hotel Index, Guide Index, Flight Index, Website Navigation, Tour Index, Cruise Index, Business Travel Index, Affiliate Partnership, Distribution Network, Friendly Links, Corporate Gift Cards, Insurance Agents, Agency Cooperation, Hotel Partnership, Destination & Scenic Spot Cooperation, More Partnerships, About Ctrip, About Ctrip, Ctrip Hot Topics, Contact Us, Join Us, User Agreement, Privacy Policy, Business License, Security Center, Ctrip Content Center, Intellectual Property, Trip.com Group Algorithm Disclosure