Exploring Macau on Foot

After we finished our hotel hopping in some of the elegant hotels of Macau we went to Senado Square (Largo do Senado). From Grand Lisboa we walked along Avenida d Infante D. Henrique. In approximately 10 minutes we were be able to reach the Senado Square.

We went to the Macau Business Tourism Centre first to get a map of Macau. We walked inside the alleys to look for a place to eat but found nothing appealing so we just ended up having our lunch at McDonald’s.

Afterwards, we continued our exploration of the place by walking inside the alleys. There were a lot of stores located in the square like milk tea stores (which I started to like), apparel stores and shops, and some stores that sells souvenirs and local goods. Of course, there are also hawkers selling the ever famous cookies and beef jerky. They have free samples to taste and I tried one but I didn’t like it though (or I’m not just in the mood to have some).

There are signs visible in every corner of the streets. We just followed the signs going to the ruins and after minutes of walking we were able to reach the Ruins of St. Paul’s.

Aside from the hotels, this is the one that made me excited to go to Macau. This one is one the most famous landmarks in Macau. I suppose a Macau get away will never be complete without getting here.

And this what has been left from the 17th century Portuguese cathedral dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle.

Built from 1582 to 1602 by the Jesuits, the cathedral was the largest Catholic church in Asia at the time, and the royalty of Europe vied with each other to bestow upon the cathedral the best gifts. With the decline in importance of Macau, which was overtaken as the main port for the Pearl River Delta by Hong Kong, the cathedral’s fortunes similarly ebbed, and it was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in 1835. – wikipedia.com

Despite ruins are ruined structures, they still look aristocratic and refined. I like its stone facade which is really picturesque. Its historic setting was really good for some look book moments so me and my best did some photo ops. Despite of our tiredness, we were still able to pose for the camera.

Then we moved on to our next destination, Macau Tower. The tower offers the best panoramic view of Macau as it stands 338 m (1,109 ft) in height from ground level to the highest point.

From Largo do Senado (Senado Square) we headed towards Avenida Do Infante Dom Henrique then turned right to Avenida de Praia Grandem then walk edstraight to Avenida Doutur Stanley Ho until we reached the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center.

It was a very long walk going to the tower. I was really tired. I already wanted to pause for awhile from walking and sit down but we needed to move on since it was already getting dark.

It took us about 30 minutes until we reached the tower. I must say this one was more tiring than all the trekking I did in Sagada last month.The tower is an observation deck with panoramic views, restaurants, theaters, shopping malls and the Skywalk X, a thrilling walking tour around the outer rim. Here’s also where the thrilling sky jump and bungee jump is.

There’s a fee to get to the observation deck. We’re on a tight budget so we just settled ourselves looking at the tower from the ground.