Handpicked experience · Macau
Macau, Macau
A charity that has run since 1569, a Jesuit's lucky cannon shot that broke a Dutch landing, and frescoes that spent generations hidden under whitewash.
Catch sight of the historic 20th-century Hotel Central located near the Senado Square
Get up close with the Santa Casa da Misericordia or also called the Holy House of Mercy
See the former military center of Macau when you walk around Mount Fortress
Stroll around the oldest street in Macau where Chinese and Portuguese culture meet: Rua Dos Ervanarios
Admire the archaic beauty of the 17th-century Ruins of St Paul’s
Step foot on the iconic pavements of Senado Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The old centre and a hilltop fortification in one walk
An institution with an unbroken record since the sixteenth century
A chapel whose paintings were invisible until 1996
A working lighthouse older than most on this coast
A guide who adapts the route as the day goes
A private walking tour of three to four hours through central Macau: Senado Square and the lanes behind it, the Ruins of St Paul's, the A-Ma Temple by the inner harbour, and a climb to the fortress, chapel and lighthouse on Guia hill.
Entirely on foot, with one genuine hill. Macau is small enough to walk but steeper than it looks, and the Guia ascent is the only demanding part of the day. The route bends to your interests within the time available.
On the main square stands an institution founded in 1569 to care for the settlement's poor: the oldest Western-style charitable body in China, and it has never stopped operating. It ran the hospital, took in orphans and widows, and lent small sums to people no one else would lend to. Four and a half centuries later it is still working from the same square, which is a longer continuous record than most of the buildings around it can claim.
In 1622 a Dutch fleet landed several hundred men to seize Macau, which was thinly defended. According to the accounts, a cannon on the hill was fired by a Jesuit priest — a mathematician, not a soldier — and the shot struck the attackers' powder supply. The landing collapsed. The fortress you climb to was begun immediately afterwards, on the reasonable grounds that the next attempt might not be met with such luck.
The small chapel inside the fortress was built in 1622 and painted white inside for most of its life. During restoration work in 1996 the whitewash came away to reveal frescoes that had been hidden underneath: Christian scenes carrying unmistakably Chinese detail, including a lion and mythological figures no European painter would have added. Nobody knows exactly who painted them, and they had been invisible for generations.
Beside the chapel stands a lighthouse completed in 1865 — the first Western-style lighthouse anywhere on the China coast. It was designed by a Macanese architect, lit by an oil lamp turned by clockwork, and it still works. For decades the same tower was where typhoon warnings were hoisted, so the whole territory looked to this hilltop for the day's weather.
The Guia climb is on a steep paved path; there is a cable car alternative running to the top of the hill, and your guide can advise. Entry to individual attractions and anything you eat are arranged as you go. Summer here is hot and humid enough that an early start is not a preference but a strategy.
Open it to pick a date and work out the price.
What the fare covers, and what to budget for separately.
The practical detail, and the answers people actually ask for.
Mostly easy, with one real climb. Guia hill is steep but paved, and a cable car serves the top if you would rather not walk up.
A charitable body founded in 1569 — the oldest of its kind in China — which ran the hospital, took in orphans and widows and lent small sums to the poor. It is still operating from the same square.
A Dutch force landed to seize Macau. A cannon on the hill, fired by a Jesuit mathematician rather than a soldier, hit the attackers' powder and the landing collapsed. The fortress was begun immediately afterwards.
Paintings hidden under whitewash for generations and uncovered during restoration in 1996. They combine Christian scenes with clearly Chinese details, including a lion, and their painter is not firmly identified.
Yes. Completed in 1865, it was the first Western-style lighthouse on the China coast, and for decades the same tower carried the territory's typhoon warnings.
No. Admissions and anything you eat are settled as you go; the tour covers the guide, water and a map to keep.
Within the three to four hours, yes — say what interests you at the start and the guide will weight the walk accordingly.