Macau is now an easy transfer or day tour from Hong Kong. Here’s why it’s worth visiting.
Getting to Macau from Hong Kong
The construction of a bridge-tunnel system has made Macau much easier to reach from Hong Kong. It now takes around 45 minutes to get between the two Special Administrative Regions, making Macau an easy day trip.
You can either go the expensive way, with a transfer, or the (relatively) cheap way. That takes the form of a day tour that visits most of Macau’s highlights.
You may, of course, fancy hanging around a little longer. If so, here are five reasons to visit Macau.
Why book Macau excursion from Hong Kong?
- 🌉 Travel across the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge — a unique experience in itself
- 🏛️ Visit must-see landmarks like the Ruins of St. Paul’s and the A-Ma Temple
- 🇵🇹 Discover Macau’s Portuguese-Chinese fusion heritage with a knowledgeable guide
- 🍴 Enjoy a traditional local lunch during your sightseeing adventure
- 🚐 All transportation included, with hotel pickup and drop-off in Hong Kong
Do you need a visa for Macau from Hong Kong, and how much does it cost?
British passport holders can enter Macau visa-free for up to 180 days, making it one of the easiest day trips from Hong Kong with no advance planning required.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge crossing costs approximately HK$150-200 (£15-20) each way via public bus, or HK$400-500 (£40-50) for a private transfer, significantly cheaper than the older TurboJET ferry option which costs around HK$340-440 (£35-45) return and takes 60 minutes from the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal.
A guided full-day Macau tour from Hong Kong typically costs £80-120 per person and includes bridge crossing, transportation, entrance fees, lunch, and a guide—often better value than organizing everything independently. Most tours depart Hong Kong at 8-9am and return by 6-7pm, giving you 6-7 hours in Macau to see the Ruins of St. Paul’s, A-Ma Temple, Senado Square, and the Macau Museum, plus time for a Portuguese egg tart at Lord Stow’s Bakery.
If staying overnight in Macau, budget hotels start around HK$500 (£50) per night, while casino hotels like The Venetian or Galaxy Macau often offer better rates midweek at HK$800-1,200 (£80-120), with the added bonus of free shuttle buses between major attractions.
Colonial chic
Once in Macau, it quickly becomes clear what an odd little place it is.
For a long time, it was a Portuguese trading post, and that shows in the architecture.
You’ll wander down a row of Chinese shophouses to find yourself faced with an Iberian-style church or monastery, painted in Mediterranean pastels.
You’ll also find as many Portuguese custard tarts as you will Cantonese dim sum dishes.
The Macau Museum
Built into the Fortaleza do Monte, the Macau Museum does a brilliant job of explaining what this oddity tagged onto the belly of China is all about.
It uses technology, recreated streets and good-old fashioned storytelling to show how the unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese was mixed.
It’s the sort of place you think you’ll duck into, but end up spending hours inside.
Having a flutter in Macau’s casinos
Macau is the Las Vegas of the east, crammed full of increasingly ludicrous and ostentatious casinos. If you’re the sort that likes to try your hand on the roulette wheel, roll the dice or test your luck on the cards, then it’s going to be your kinda place.
Half the experience, of course, is wandering through the OTT casinos, gawping at the bling and the gimmicks employed to stay one step ahead of the competition.
Watching the gamblers
The fun of the casinos isn’t in having a go yourself, however – it’s in watching the hordes of luck-obsessed punters flooding over from Mainland China.
Just sitting back and observing makes for a million gripping character studies – especially when optimism turns to anger, frustration and table thumping.
The lack of joy is notable – gambling in Macau is taken unnervingly seriously – but in many ways this makes it more intriguing.
The Macau Tower
A phenomenally ugly piece of willy-waving on the waterfront, the Macau Tower is a classic example of someone trying to scent-mark their territory.
Built under the orders of casino mogul Stanley Ho, the tower is an exercise in being tall for the sake of it.
It reaches 338m tall, and the thrill is in going down rather than going up.
It’s possible to bungy from the observation deck – the second highest bungy in the world.
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