Pastel Villas Meet Neon Nights in the Unexpected Allure of the World’s Fourth Most Visited City

Prior to my trip to Macao, I could barely locate the tiny Special Administrative Region of China on a map. Yet, this formerly Portuguese peninsular on China’s southern coast is the 4th most visited city on Earth, just behind London and ahead of Paris and Dubai. Macao leapt from 8th on the list with 18 million visitors in 2024, to 20 million visitors last year.

Although best known for its vast, opulent hotel casinos and a voracious gambling industry that makes Las Vegas look like Reno, I soon discovered that Macao also has much more to offer.

Here are eight reasons why millions flock to Macao each year.

Traditional Markets

(Paul Rogers)

For all the chic sophistication of Macao’s luxury malls, these grand gatherings of global brands are not distinctively Macanese. It’s the region’s traditional markets that offer shoppers singular local exotica (every souvenir I bought in Macau came from a market!) Be ready to haggle at the historic Red Market (Mercado Vermelho) inside a red-brick Art Deco building in the Horta e Costa district. This “wet” market selling fresh fish, meat, and produce alongside imported goods has been a daily hub for locals since 1936 and remains wonderfully un-touristy.

A five-minute stroll takes you to the daily staples and unique treasures of the famed Three Lamps Market. If you’re in Macao in the spring or fall, seek out the seasonal Tap Siac Craft Market, a major cultural and creative showcase for local and regional handicrafts alongside craft workshops, musical performances, and novelty foods.

Luxury Hotel Casino Resorts

For an idea of the sheer scale of Macao’s mega hotel casino resorts, consider that while it has only around half as many casinos as Las Vegas, Macao’s gambling industry is seven times the size of Sin City’s (generating close to $31 billion last year). But many of the hospitality brands are reassuringly familiar to American visitors, including the vast Venetian Macao, the largest single-structure hotel in Asia; Wynn Palace and Wynn Macau; and the MGM Macau and MGM Cotai.

While five of the world’s eight biggest casinos are in tiny Macao, there are also non-casino lodgings if you wish to avoid (or dip in and out of) the big casino bustle. We stayed at the sedate, Victorian-themed Rocks Hotel, conveniently located within the Fisherman’s Wharf hotel, retail, and entertainment complex.

World’s Highest Bungee Jump

Our first stop in Macao, straight off an 18-hour flight from LAX via Taiwan, was the soaring Macau Tower. In a way, this was entirely appropriate, as the elegant 1,100-foot needle is Macao’s tallest structure and the perfect vantage point from which to get a sense of the place. Only the purpose of our visit was the world’s highest commercial bungee jump, plunging from a platform that surrounds the tower at 765 feet. To my amazement, three of our party promptly launched themselves, one of them headfirst.

(Paul Rogers)

Despite the attraction’s perfect safety record, I opted for the tethered but still pulse-pounding Skywalk around the platform, while some of my companions stayed within the glass-floored interior or headed to one of the tower’s five restaurants. You can also take a controlled-descent Skyjump or join a guided climb to the very tip of the building’s 1,109-foot mast.

Multicultural History & Architecture

Four centuries of cultural exchange between China, Portuguese colonists, and global traders are visible in Macao’s architecture, with some older buildings exhibiting all these influences. Look out for pastel-colored colonial-era villas and churches, where elaborate carvings and intricate tile and ironwork adorn structures designed for Macao’s hot, humid climate with shaded courtyards and decorative screens. Chinese lion, dragon, and peony motifs sit alongside Portuguese crosses and fleur-de-lis, especially in the Historic Center of Macao, an enthralling UNESCO World Heritage site that includes the ruins of the 17th century St. Paul’s Cathedral; Guia Fortress and Lighthouse, dating to the same era; and the neo-classical 1874 Moorish Barracks.

Ultra-Luxury Shopping Malls

If you yearn for bougie designer labels, flagship stores, and the very latest collections, then Macao’s mega malls are for you. Most are conveniently integrated into the hotel casino resorts where you’ll likely be staying, so you can shop ‘til you drop without even going near a vehicle (or the outside world!)

(John Lee Brothers)

The Shoppes at Venetian comprises over 350 stores including Italian giants Prada, Armani, and Gucci in aptly faux-Venetian surrounds. Head to Galaxy Promenade at the Galaxy Macau resort for more than 200 high-end and high-street brands including new arrivals like a Breguet watches’ Tradition collection, limited-edition Jo Malone London fragrances, and a much-anticipated new Tory Burch boutique.

Meanwhile, the Shoppes at Four Seasons is known for an elegant, personalized shopping experience, its 150-plus prestigious brands including exclusive finds from the likes of Hermès, Chanel, and Cartier.

Serene Temples

We found a welcome change of pace at the oldest of Macao’s 40-plus temples, the 1488 A-Ma Temple, which predates the city itself. While often busy with both visitors and locals (and certainly self-aware as tourist attractions), these traditional places of worship honoring Buddhist, Taoist, and Chinese folk deities offer a sense of history, continuity, and spiritualism that’s almost the polar opposite of the materialist glitz of Macau’s casinos and malls.

Ornate, exotic, and often mysterious to overseas visitors, these incense-scented sanctuaries from Macao’s heavily urbanized surrounds provide perspective and pause for thought for even the most agnostic tourist, while providing some of the best photo ops of our trip. But remember to respect the privacy of Macanese worshipers practicing solemn ritual and prayer.

(Paul Rogers)

World-Class Restaurants & Dining

As one of the world’s most popular destinations for luxury travel, it’s no surprise that modern Macao is home to an abundance of truly world-class dining experiences. You’ll typically find these inside the region’s opulent hotel casino resorts and most serve Cantonese, French, or Huaiyang (Jiangsu Province) cuisine.

Perhaps the poshest is the Michelin three-star Robuchon au Dôme at Grand Lisboa hotel, an exquisitely finessed French experience conceived by the late, great Joël Robuchon. There’s a dress code at Robuchon au Dôme (no flip-flops or guys in shorts!) and children must be age 10 or older.

Fellow Michelin three-star awardee Jade Dragon at City of Dreams casino resort is renowned for Cantonese creations and impeccable service including calligraphers offering bespoke blessings and expert tea masters brewing memorable libations.

Historical Throwback Coloane Village

While today’s Macao is mostly urban and ultra-modern, the coastal Coloane Village somehow lingers in a much simpler past that framed my favorite day of our trip. In part, this is because the eponymous southern, hilly area of Macao was until recently an island. Although now connected to the peninsula by the reclaimed land of the Cotai Strip, Macao’s gambling hub, Coloane retains a sleepy demeanor. With a history of salt farming, fishing, and rampant piracy, today’s Coloane Village is a place of narrow lanes between faded pastel walls, mingled aromas of incense and sea salt, and warm Portuguese-style egg tarts from local vendors.

(Paul Rogers)

While Macao International Airport is served by Avis-Rent-a-Car (or you can hire an open-air moke there from Happy Mokes), there’s no need to rent a vehicle while in Macao, so take one of the frequent, cheap buses from Macao Peninsula to Coloane Village, which is easily walkable.