Macau 3-Day Trip: 2 People Exploring Taipa and Macau Peninsula
Bring your Exit-Entry Permit for Travel to Hong Kong and Macau to the local immigration office. It costs 20 RMB and is issued the same day. In Dalian, you need to go in person.
In Macau, Macanese pataca (MOP), Hong Kong dollars (HKD), and RMB are all accepted, but many places do not make up the difference in exchange rates—meaning they charge at a 1:1:1 ratio, even though the actual exchange rate is about 0.8:0.83:1.
So it's best to exchange some MOP or HKD before you go. Once you leave the airport, you’ll need a taxi (starting fare 19 MOP). Here's the first pitfall: if you have no cash and want to use electronic payment, you’ll most likely end up paying the driver in RMB. Don't ask me why.
With ICBC, you can buy foreign currency at a rate of 0.80 via mobile banking (this is a sight rate, not cash at 0.83). Then make an appointment for the next day to withdraw the cash. You must go to the bank in person with your ID. However, ICBC has a minimum withdrawal amount: 5,000 MOP for pataca, and I'm not sure about HKD. I didn't have time to go, so even though I bought the foreign currency and made an appointment, I didn't pick it up.
With Bank of China, you can call to make an appointment, but the downside is that you'll be charged the cash rate of 0.83 (for MOP), which is worse. For HKD, the cash and sight rates are the same, so that's fine.
The policies of the two banks above may vary by region. I’m based in Dalian.
Finally, after arriving in Macau, I found that the money exchange booth next to Rong Kee Beef Offal on Rua do Cunha is very cheap! Exchange 500 RMB in China, and bring the rest of your RMB to exchange in Macau. There are money changers everywhere.
3. Travel Adapter
You can buy one on JD.com. Hotels usually have USB ports, but I think it's better to be prepared. A travel adapter costs about 30 RMB on JD.
4. Official Accounts and Apps
Follow the Macao Government Tourism Office's official WeChat account. They have occasional lucky draws for 50% off hotels and airfare. Also, there are updated requirements for entering Macau, like how to calculate the validity of nucleic acid tests and how to convert health codes—blah blah blah.
Download the Macau Taxi app (Macau E-Taxi) for hailing cabs. Without an overseas SIM card, you won't be able to pay online.
5. Booking Hotels and Airfare
Air Macau occasionally has a buy-one-get-one-free deal on round-trip tickets. Keep an eye out.
We booked our flights on Ctrip: Spring Airlines from Shanghai to Macau.
One advantage of booking through Ctrip is that they set up a WeChat group with a virtual guide who provides tips and reminders—very useful.
Our flight was at 8 AM. We arrived at the airport at 6:10 AM. We had to fill in the Macau health code and customs declaration forms on our phones, following the staff’s instructions.
Then we boarded, slept, and landed.
At the airport, they checked the Macau health code and the printed nucleic acid test report (with a stamp). After checking luggage and passing through customs, we got a small slip of paper. Don't throw it away—some hotels will ask for it later.
We took a Macau E-Taxi from the departure level (easier to get a cab on the top floor). It was a Toyota minivan. The fare to Rua do Cunha was 33 MOP.
Rua do Cunha is very short—really short! We ate at Rong Kee Beef Offal (there's a money exchange next door). We ordered the beef trio (牛三宝) plus some noodles and a lot of chili—117 MOP. It was so much that both of us were stuffed and sweating. One person definitely couldn’t finish it.
We bought a milk tea for 24 MOP and two egg tarts for 20 MOP.
We strolled around a bit, then headed to the hotel because it was extremely hot outside!
We walked to The Venetian Macao, about 20 minutes. Even though I have a great sense of direction, I got lost several times because the map positioning in Macau isn’t very accurate, and Macau is so small that it’s easy to overshoot.
The air conditioning in Macau hotels is very strong—you'll need a jacket and long pants. You’ll see what I mean.
The Venetian, The Parisian, The Londoner, and other adjacent hotels are all connected underground, but I never really figured out the layout.
Each hotel has its own shopping mall, and they are linked by The Shoppes at Four Seasons.
Since we didn’t have a plan, we just browsed. Watches and bags priced at 20,000–30,000 MOP were about 2,000 RMB cheaper than on the mainland.
For dinner, we ate at Fei Zai Man.
After dinner, we took a bus to the Studio City Hotel to see the Figure 8 Ferris wheel. It cost 100 MOP per person, and you go around once.
We looked around a bit, then went back to the Venetian’s casino area. Minimum bet: 500 MOP. For LHJ (slot machines?), you can just put in cash directly, no minimum.
But you need HKD!! HKD!! HKD!!
The next morning, we went to Andrew's Egg Tart at The Venetian.
The Apple Store is in The Londoner shopping mall, opening at 11 AM. The iPhone 256GB was 8,799 MOP, which is about 10% cheaper than on Pinduoduo.
The iPhone 13 was released in Macau on October 8.
We took a bus to the Xindongfang Zhidi Hotel, which is in the busy area of Macau Peninsula, surrounded by hotels and casinos.
After settling in, we took a taxi to Ruins of St. Paul's.
The Ruins of St. Paul's is a church遗址. There's a small exhibition hall underneath.
Walking down from the Ruins, you'll find shops selling souvenirs—dried pork, dried beef (even though regulations prohibit bringing animal products, many people buy them), pharmacy items, almond cookies, etc. On the third day, I bought Koi Kei Bakery souvenirs here, spending over 600 MOP.
After visiting the Ruins, we wandered around and found a cha chaan teng (tea restaurant) for lunch. Instant noodles are just instant noodles...
Then it rained in the afternoon. We braved the rain to visit A-Ma Temple. It's very, very small. We took a quick look and went back to the hotel.
For dinner, we ate at a Portuguese restaurant.
In the evening, we went downstairs to take a look. It was all table games, no LHJ, and all locals. Minimum bet: 200 MOP.
We skipped breakfast and walked directly to the Hotel Lisboa (old). The hotel is really confusing; it's easy to get lost.
For lunch, we went to Zhen Dim Sum, spending less than 200 MOP. It's a local cha chaan teng chain with many locals—recommended.
Then we went to Macau Fisherman's Wharf for photos. Some people were taking wedding photos there.
After that, we took a bus to the Wynn Macau first floor to look at bags. It was quiet, but The Shoppes at Four Seasons was packed.
In the afternoon, we went near the Ruins of St. Paul's to buy some dried meat and almond cookies. We also went to Loushang to look at dried goods, but since buying more risked inspection and buying less gave a poor discount, we didn't buy anything. The bird's nest was really good, cheap, and of good quality. There were quite a few people, and they had all kinds of dried goods.
For dinner, we went to Hoi Cheng Hot Pot. We arrived early, so there were no other customers. We ordered the cheapest set meal (460 MOP)—ordering a la carte is very expensive—and added two bamboo shrimp. The bamboo shrimp were alive and longer than a palm. Not bad. There was a 10% service charge, so the total came to over 700 MOP. (You have to ask for the set menu or they won't show it to you.)
In the evening, we went back to the hotel. The old Hotel Lisboa had a minimum bet of 100 MOP, while the nearby Grand Lisboa, accessible via a skybridge, had a minimum of 500 MOP but many LHJ. Since we were there, we had to play. Make sure you have HKD ready.
We bought ferry tickets in advance on Ctrip for 200 RMB each. You also need a nucleic acid test result within 7 days for departure. Since our entry test was still valid, we didn't retest. We took a taxi to Taipa Ferry Terminal for 75 MOP. The office wasn't open yet; we needed to print tickets at the self-service machine in the basement. Just enter the order number and password.
There are duty-free products for sale on the ferry—this is your last chance to shop. Hard China cigarettes were 183 RMB, Feitian Moutai 2,499 RMB, and there were also cosmetics, etc.
At immigration, you need to queue, and then your luggage goes through inspection. So if you're acting as a proxy shopper, you might get caught. Macau's duty-free allowance is very limited, so be careful if you buy large quantities or prohibited items.
Macau is really worth visiting. Travel is about experiencing a culture and lifestyle different from home. Even though it's not abroad, it feels exotic, especially since you can't go to Hong Kong.
Total spending: about 10,000 RMB (hotel 1,400, airfare 3,400, ferry 400, lost 1,600 gambling, shopping and food about 4,000).
If I have the chance, I'll go again.
This is my first time writing a travelogue, so many details are missing. There's a lot of content, but I hope it can be helpful.
Table of Contents: 1. Preparation 2. Day 1 – Shanghai Pudong – Macau – Rua do Cunha – The Venetian Macao – The Shoppes at Four Seasons – Fei Zai Man – The Venetian Casino 3. Day 2 – The Londoner Shopping Mall – Xindongfang Zhidi Hotel – Ruins of St. Paul's – A-Ma Temple 4. Day 3 – Hotel Lisboa – Macau Fisherman's Wharf – Wynn Macau – Ruins of St. Paul's – Grand Lisboa Casino 5. Day 4 – Taipa Ferry Terminal – Shekou Port, Shenzhen 6. Final Thoughts
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