The top places to visit in Macau are the Ruins of St. Paul’s, A-Ma Temple, Macau Tower, Taipa Village and Coloane. The Macao government’s statistics service recorded 40,069,360 visitor arrivals in 2025, up 14.7% year-on-year, and 23,524,943 of them were same-day visitors, so an overnight stay puts you in the smaller group.
- Ruins of St. Paul’s — The Jesuit church dates to 1602–1640, Wikipedia says, and burned on 26 January 1835. Only the stone frontispiece survives, and the same article counts 68 stone steps up to it. The site is part of the Historic Centre of Macau, which UNESCO inscribed in 2005.
- A-Ma Temple — In the Barra district, this temple was, per Wikipedia, “built in 1488” and honours Mazu, the Chinese sea-goddess. The same article gives the story that Portuguese sailors asked locals the place’s name and heard “A-maa-gok”, the root of “Macau”. It is also part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Centre.
- Macau Tower — At 338 metres, opened on 19 December 2001, according to Wikipedia. The tower offers the Skywalk X, an outer-rim walk, and a 233-metre bungee jump that Wikipedia calls “the highest commercial skyjump in the world”.
- Taipa Village — Wikipedia says that starting in the 1990s the old village “developed as a tourist destination as its Portuguese architecture attracted tourists”. The article lists the Taipa Houses–Museum and Our Lady of Carmel Church among its sights.
- Coloane — Macau’s southernmost area, with Coloane Village, Hac Sa Beach and Cheoc Van Bay, per Wikipedia. Wikipedia dates the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier to 1928. Before the Cotai land reclamation of the 1990s, Coloane was separated from Taipa by water.
Planning note
Most visitors cross by land: of the 2025 total, 33,084,253 arrivals (82.6%) came by land, 3,935,435 by sea and 3,049,672 by air, per the Macao government. Those three figures are the 2025 split, not a forecast for your travel dates. Check the entry rules for your passport with the Macao SAR authorities before you book, and for sequencing several stops see our multi-city itinerary guide.
Sources
- Macao SAR Government — Visitor arrivals for December and the whole year of 2025
- Wikipedia — Ruins of Saint Paul’s
- Wikipedia — Historic Centre of Macau
- Wikipedia — A-Ma Temple
- Wikipedia — Macau Tower
- Wikipedia — Taipa
- Wikipedia — Coloane
Explore more of FarSerene’s destination guides, including the Top 10 Countries to Visit in 2026 roundup, for more 2026 trip inspiration.
