If you have time to only do one thing in Macao, make sure it’s strolling around the historic center. As we’ve said, 22 amazing sites have been bundled together to make the center a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Start at Senado Square, which follows the European model by being the point from which everything else stems. Considered the symbol of Macao, its pretty pastel, colonial houses and azulejo tiles contrast starkly with the 20th-century Chinese architecture that can be seen in its background.
From the square, you can walk to the ruins of St. Paul. This impressive site stands where Macao’s main cathedral and college once stood. A fire consumed most of the structure in the 19th century, and the only thing that remains is the facade of the complex and the stairways that lead up to it. The landmark is a sight to behold: From the front, you could easily believe it’s a church, but change your angle just a bit, and the illusion breaks as if the church were but a set in a play.
In front of St. Paul are the ruins of the Guia Fortress. Walk up the hill through the stone walls, which sometimes open up to make way for cannons left to stand in their original place. The fortress itself is amazing, but it also provides panoramic views of the city that only get better and better the farther up you get.
Other places to visit include the Leal Senado Building, a neo-classical 18th-century building that was once the municipal chamber; and the Mandarin’s House, one of the territory’s most gorgeous examples of Quing Dynasty–era traditional Chinese compounds. If possible, pass by the Dom Pedro V Theatre, a pastel-green Portuguese edifice that is the oldest Western-style theatre in China.
