An hour by ferry from Hong Kong, Macau is a perfect place to spend a day strolling around the old city and dining in one of its many excellent restaurants. Its main draws are 24-hour gambling and its indigenous cuisine, a fusion of Chinese and Portuguese flavors. The adjacent islands of Taipa and Coloane, linked by bridges to Macau, also feature some fine restaurants. The local currency, the pataca, is worth roughly the same as the Hong Kong dollar, which is also widely accepted here.

Ruins of St. Paul

All that is left of this once grand cathedral, built by the Jesuits and perched precariously atop a steep flight of steps, is its magnificent, crumbling facade. Its most outstanding features are the ornate figures on the facade, comprising a “sermon in stone” that records some of the main events from the Christian scriptures.

In the 18th century, Macau also expelled the Jesuits, and the building was converted into barracks until it was destroyed by a fire in 1835. Only extensive structural work in the 1990s stopped the facade from crumbling. The attached museum houses paintings, sculptures, and relics from Macau’s churches.

Maritime Museum

Small-scale but interesting exhibits make this museum worth a visit for insights into Macau’s maritime past upon which its wealth was built. Displays include models of Chinese junks, Portuguese ships and fishing boats, a mock Hakka village, a Loong boat, and a small aquarium. There are also motorized junk rides around the harbor.

Fisherman Wharf

As themed complexes go, this is one of the newest, largest, and most technicolor in the region. It occupies a total of 92,900 sq m at the outer harbor. The complex is built on newly reclaimed land and is divided into three areas. Dynasty Wharf, built in Tang-dynasty style, is a massive food mall. At East Meets West, an artificial volcano erupts in pyrotechnic display at night, while inside are thrilling rides in mine carts (think Indiana Jones). The adjacent Children’s Fort is specifically for families. To see replicas of different areas of the world with themed restaurants and shops, go to Legend Wharf. It also has a marina for luxury yachts.