Where Old Europe Meets New China

Let me just clarify from the get-go: There’s more to Macau than casinos. Macau – often viewed by its haughty HK neighbours as a quaint backwater settlement – is relaxed and laidback.

Because of its small size, pedestrian-friendly layout and East-meets-West factor, it’s easy for visitors to enjoy strolling through this time-warp down atmospheric, narrow cobbled alleys, past grand baroque churches, balconied colonial mansions, open plazas dotted with Mediterranean-style cafes filled with palm-readers, caged birds and pipe-smokers.

And because of this time-warp feel, Macau has always been overshadowed by its glitzy near-neighbour Hong Kong - which is precisely why it's so attractive.

For the uninitiated, Macau comprises a peninsula and two islands, Taipa and Coloane, and is just 23.5 sq km in size. Surprisingly though, for such a tiny place, there is a lot to see, do and eat.

The Chinese city with a Portuguese accent is cashing in on its new popularity. These days, Macau is wooing commerce and tourism like never before, and plans are afoot for all kinds of family-oriented shopping malls, theme parks, towers and bridges, building on the enclave's attraction as a gambling haven.

Shop till you’re hungry.

Shopping is an absolute delight here and luxury items are generally cheaper than in other Asian cities.

Macau is a veritable treasure trove of Chinese antiques and collectibles, especially in the area surrounding St Paul’s. For porcelain and fine ceramics, there are wholesalers and retailers who will try to accommodate your every whim – they even custom-make items to your specification! As for jewellery, gold, silver, pearls and stones are imported duty-free, so you should be able to find some pretty good deals.

If you’re into clothes, you’ll be happy to know Macau has more than a hundred factories producing items for overseas markets, so look out for overruns and seconds in shops and markets. Looking for classier or more formal wear like jackets with Mandarin collars and the like? Try the Sao Domingos area and the Three Lamps district near the Red Market.

Eat till you drop.

Macau’s food is considered some of the best food in all of Asia, which is really not surprising when you consider that it has, over centuries, been influenced by Indian, Chinese and even Malay (from erstwhile Portuguese Malacca) cuisine.

For a taste of genuine, mouth-watering Macanese food, must-try items include the interestingly named African Chicken (grilled with piri-piri peppers), Tacho (a vegetables and meat stew), Galinha Portuguesa (chicken oven-cooked with potatoes, eggs, onion and saffron), Linguado Macau (fried Macau sole) for a start.