400 years of Portuguese heritage and Asia's 'Las Vegas' in one place: the UNESCO-listed historic centre (Ruins of St. Paul's, Senado Square), Cotai's giant resorts, shows, the Macau Tower bungee and Macanese food. No direct flights from Ulaanbaatar — fly MIAT to Hong Kong, then about an hour by bridge bus. Mongolian citizens are visa-free for 90 days.
🛂 Visa: Visa-free · 90 days✈ Flight: 6.5h☀ Best months: March, October, November, December
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: March, October, November, December.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
Ruins of St. Paul's★ 4.5 (60,000)
CultureFreeForecourt 24 hours; crypt museum 9:00–18:00
The surviving stone façade of a 17th-century Jesuit church — Macau's emblem. Climb the 68 steps to the small museum behind it, then walk up to Monte Fort next door for city views.
A Portuguese-style square paved in wavy black-and-white stone, ringed by colonial buildings and St. Dominic's Church. From here it is a 10-minute walk to the Ruins of St. Paul's along a lane of snacks and souvenirs.
Travel guide
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goMacau needs no visa, but your paperwork depends on whether you transit Hong Kong or cross into mainland China.+
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Visa: 90 days visa-free
Holders of a Mongolian passport may visit Macau visa-free for up to 90 days. The passport must be valid for at least 90 days beyond your stay. Border officers may ask for a return ticket and hotel booking, so keep them on your phone.
Most travellers transit Hong Kong, which Mongolians enter visa-free. To cross into mainland China — Zhuhai or Hengqin — you need a Chinese visa; it is not issued at the Macau border, so get it in advance from the embassy in Ulaanbaatar.
Tip: The LRT runs from Cotai and Taipa to Hengqin — without a visa, don't ride through to the Hengqin station by mistake.
Visitors pay for hospital care, so travel insurance is a must. Hotel rates multiply over China's big holidays (Lunar New Year, 1 May, 1 October) and the Grand Prix, so check your dates and book early.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityTwo main ways in: across the bridge from Hong Kong airport, or landing directly at Macau International Airport (MFM).+
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From Hong Kong airport by bridge bus (HZMB)
From Hong Kong airport take bus B4 to the Hong Kong bridge port, clear immigration, and ride the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge 'golden bus' to the Macau port. Day fare ~MOP 65, night ~MOP 70; departures every 5–10 minutes in the daytime. From the Macau port, buses and free shuttles run to the resorts and the city.
Tip: You can also take the SkyPier ferry straight to Macau without collecting bags or clearing Hong Kong immigration — pricier, but easier with children.
Regular buses from the airport to the city and Cotai cost MOP 6 (no change given, so carry coins). Taxis charge MOP 21 for the first 1.6 km, plus MOP 8 from the airport and MOP 3 per bag. The LRT (Airport station) is the quick way to the Cotai resorts.
If you transit Hong Kong, a two-city eSIM (Airalo, Holafly etc.) installed before the flight is easiest: no network switch on the bridge. Google and WhatsApp are blocked in mainland China, but everything works in Macau.
Tip: Download Macau and Hong Kong in Google Maps for offline use.
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CTM tourist SIM
CTM tourist SIMs at Macau airport and the border ports: 3 days of unlimited data for MOP 78, 7 days for MOP 188, with CTM Wi-Fi. Show your passport to buy.
🚇Getting aroundMacau is small: walk the old town; buses, the LRT and free shuttles cover Cotai, Taipa and Coloane.+
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Buses and the Macau Pass
City buses cost MOP 6 for any distance, no change given. A Macau Pass card halves the fare (MOP 3) and pays in shops too; buy and top up at 7-Eleven and Circle K.
The Taipa Line links the airport, Taipa ferry terminal, the Cotai resorts and Barra (near A-Ma Temple); the Seac Pai Van Line brings you close to the panda pavilion. Fares depend on distance and are cheaper with a Macau Pass.
Black taxis with cream roofs charge MOP 21 for the first 1.6 km and MOP 2 per 220 m after that, with surcharges to Coloane and from the airport and ferry terminals. Evening queues at resort ranks get long — you can call a radio taxi.
The official currency is the pataca (MOP), pegged to the Hong Kong dollar: HKD 100 = MOP 103.20. Hong Kong dollars are accepted almost everywhere at 1:1, so spend what's left from Hong Kong, but change comes in patacas. Patacas are rarely accepted in Hong Kong — use them up before you leave.
Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay plus Apple Pay, Alipay and WeChat Pay are widely used in resorts and shops. Small eateries and buses need cash; withdraw patacas from bank ATMs.
🍜FoodMacau is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy: Portuguese, Cantonese and Macanese creole cooking in one place.+
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What to eat
Portuguese egg tarts (Lord Stow's, Margaret's Café e Nata), pork chop buns, minchi — Macanese minced meat with rice, African chicken, bacalhau (salt cod), serradura pudding. With children, dim sum and fried noodles are tasty and cheap.
Tip: On the lane from Senado Square to the Ruins of St. Paul's, shops hand out free samples of jerky and almond cookies.
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Where and how much
Local cafés and noodle shops in the old town are cheap; resort food courts are mid-range; resort restaurants are expensive. Restaurants usually add a service charge to the bill, so there is no need to tip separately.
🛡️Safety and health+
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Emergency numbers
Police, ambulance and fire — all 999. The 24-hour Tourism Hotline +853 2833 3000 answers in English: directions, hotels, complaints and where to turn in an emergency.
When a typhoon signal is raised in summer or early autumn, the bridge buses, ferries and flights can stop — follow MGTO and your hotel's notices and keep a spare day. In the heat and humidity drink plenty and spend midday indoors (resorts, museums).
Casinos do not admit children or young people — with kids, stick to the rest of the resort. Turn down anyone offering 'loans' or currency exchange around casinos. Hospitals: the government S. Januário Hospital Centre (24-hour emergency) and private Kiang Wu Hospital — call your insurer's assistance line first.
At A-Ma Temple and other temples, walk around people praying with incense and don't block their way. In Catholic churches cover shoulders and knees and keep quiet. The old town's stone paving is slippery — wear comfortable shoes.
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Smoking, litter, queues
Smoking is banned in indoor public places, at bus stops and in parks, with heavy fines. Littering and spitting are fined. Queue for buses, taxis and the LRT.
📱Useful apps+
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Routes and transport
Google Maps handles walking and bus routes well in Macau. The Macau Pass app shows card balance and top-ups; the LRT site has lines and stations.
Google Translate's camera mode reads Chinese menus and signs — download Traditional Chinese for offline use. The MGTO site lists festivals, shows and typhoon advice.
From the Macau bridge port take the golden bus to the Hong Kong port, then bus B4 to the airport; allow for two immigration checks and queues and leave Macau at least 4–5 hours before your flight. If a typhoon signal is up the bridge can close, so coming over the day before is the safe choice.
Spend or change leftover patacas in Macau — they are hard to exchange in Hong Kong or Mongolia. Use up the Macau Pass balance in shops or keep the card for your next trip.
Macau's oldest (1488) Taoist temple, dedicated to Mazu, protector of seafarers — the city's name comes from it. Small pavilions climb the hillside amid incense smoke.
A 338 m tower with a glass-floored observation deck at 223 m; for the brave, the world's highest building bungee jump at 233 m and the SkyWalk around the outside.
A huge mall with Venetian canals, painted skies and gondolas. Along the Cotai Strip, see the Parisian's Eiffel Tower, the Londoner and Galaxy on foot or by free shuttle.
A quiet fishing village: the yellow Chapel of St. Francis Xavier, seaside cafés and the original Lord Stow's Bakery (egg tarts). A half day away from the Cotai bustle.
An open-air waterfront complex of Roman, Byzantine and European-style buildings with restaurants and a children's playground. Next to the Outer Harbour ferry terminal.
Kids≈MOP 638–998Wed–Sun 16:30 and 19:30 (2026 season until 25 Oct)
An acrobatic show on a water stage at City of Dreams (90 min), relaunched in a new version in 2025. The 2026 season is announced to end on 25 October, so check the next season's schedule on the official site.
Coloane's largest black-sand beach: a pine-shaded seaside park, barbecue spots and a swimming pool. The water is not clear — better for a day out than for swimming.
The big resorts (Venetian, Galaxy, City of Dreams etc.) run their own free buses from the border ports and ferry terminals. Check routes and times on your hotel's site and ride to the door for free.
