Macau: Neighborhoods

Historic Center Punctuated by fortress-topped hills, the entire downtown is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where shoppers from Macau and mainland China throng the narrow, Mediterranean-style streets.

NAPE Cafes and clubs abound in this harbor-front grid of modern office blocks. After dark, it’s a hotbed for Macau’s legendary nightlife.

Inner Harbor Macau’s old waterfront district is a fascinating urban mix of tiny neighborhood shops, faded colonial-era commercial buildings and run-down wharfs. Experience it now, before it’s taken over by development.

Outer Harbor The site of newer projects (a series of wharfs, for one), this somewhat nondescript area built on landfill is noted primarily as the location of Macau’s ferry terminal.

La Barra/Sao Lourenço The Portugese-style villas of Macau’s movers and shakers peak out from behind bougainvillea-covered walls on this church-topped hill. Come for the gorgeous city and ‘mainland’ China views.

Taipa Fill up on Macau’s best almond cookies (Taipa is famous for them) as you poke around the narrow, shrine-filled lanes that survive amid the sprouting high-risers on this rapidly developing island.

Coloane Island Quaint ‘South China Sea’ villages, golf, custard tarts and hiking trails beckon on this pretty piece of the ‘old orient’, which is connected to the mainland via a causeway.

Cotai Located on a strip of land that joins the Taipa and Coloane Islands, Macau’s ambitious answer to the Vegas ‘Strip’ will soon to be home to at least 7 major casino resorts.