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48 Hours in Macau, Hong Kong

Macau is the Las Vegas of the East. Though there are casinos in other places in Asia - Kathmandu in Nepal and Goa in India, but the experience in Macau is more glitzy. But there is more to Macau than just casinos. The Historic Center of Macau was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO recently because of the 25 listed monuments from its Portuguese past.

Macau today stands on land that has been reclaimed from the sea. Located 43 miles southwest of Hong Kong, it is actually on the peninsula of the Zhujiang or the Pearl river estuary and consists of the Taipa and the Coloane islands. The peninsula is connected with mainland China through three bridges. One unique feature of Macau is that there is no cultivable land, no forest or woodland here. And so the inhabitants of Macau live of the sea. However in the recent years, tourism has become a big industry in Macau and employs many.

Macau is a small place, and so spending 48 hours in this city might be enough. There are two main things you can do here. Spend the first day touring the historic sites which include the Guia Fort’s Lighthouse and air raid shelters, the Church of Sao Paulo, St. Paul’s Ruins, the Macau Tower, Pou Tai Un Temple, Statue of the Goddess A-Ma, the A-Ma Temple, Museum of Macau, Chapel of Our Lady of Penha… and more. There are both Portuguese and Chinese heritage sites that are must see on your visit to Macau.

Spend the second day in your 48 hour trip gambling in Macau. For your information, Macau has the largest casino in the world in Sands Macau when it comes to the number of tables. So it is a major casino destination where people gamble away till late in the night, and enjoy the shows - Las Vegas style. In fact, gambling revenues from Macau are now even challenging Las Vegas, and so for the first time, the US city has some serious competition. Apart from the Sands Macau, there are other casino dens as well such as the MGM Grand Macau, Venetian Macao, Four Seasons, City of Dreams, Grand Hyatt, Cotai Strip and others. Macau is developing fast and some major hotel and casino projects are scheduled to open in a few months, bringing in hordes of gamblers from all across Asia.

And when you are not visiting the historic places and gambling, you can spend a few quiet hours in the many street side cafes, trying some serious Chinese cuisine. There are all kinds of eating joints - from street side cafes to takeaway shops to lavish restaurants. Other than Chinese food, Portuguese and Brazilian food is also popular in Macau.

Night markets will let you shop till late hours and keep a memento or two from your 48 hours in Macau.