Macao, China

Visit Macao, the historic Las Vegas of China, on this GPS guided audio adventure of the Historic district to 15 locations with 25 minutes of audio! It's like having a tour guide in your pocket.

Explore on location on a driving or walking tour, or from the comfort of your home! This limited version features 5 locations.

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Macau is one of those places that you think you may have heard of but are not really sure, but mention its sibling and everyone knows her. So it is with Macau and Hong Kong. Like Hong Kong, Macau is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. Also like Hong Kong it has a rich background that mixes two very different cultures. While the two cities are connected by a high-speed ferry, that takes only an hour, The cultural aspects of the two cities are very different. Hong Kong was a British Colony from the 1850s until it was returned to the Chinese in 1997, Macau was a Portuguese colony.

The Portuguese came to Macau in the mid 16th century over 300 years before the British arrived in Hong Kong. Macau was often referred to as the "Christian City". It was from Macau that the Portuguese implemented their papal mandate to bring Christianity to the heathen people they encountered. For the Portuguese, trade and religion went hand in hand. Macau, at the mouth of the Pearl River, was the trade gateway to the Chinese Empire. A win-win situation for both nations. China wanted to remain mostly closed to outside influences; however, they did recognize that a certain amount of trade was beneficial. Macau is a thriving city complete with world-class facilities including some of the largest casinos in the world.

It has, however, been able to retain much of its cultural and historical sites. The Historic Centre of Macau has over twenty-five sites and has been recognized by the USESCO as a World Heritage site. The sites show here are all within walking distance and covers the central core. The Historic Centre of Macao covers only 20 ha about 45 acres. Length of this tour will vary greatly based on a person’s individual interest. Most people will find the guided six-hour commercial walking tours as unsatisfying, because everything is set and allows little time at each site for personal observations. Some visitors using this guide will visit the sites and be satisfied with a day tour.

If you have any interest in the time period or the cultural aspects consider doing this over two days. Those who are very interested in historical churches and photographers may want to consider spreading this activity over three days. This timing does not include time spent in the two major museums and six minor museums located within the area of this tour. Historic Centre of Macao naturally breaks out into three concentrations and starting points: Barra Square, St Augustine Square, and Senado Square.