GBA city guide
Macao's small streets carry a wide trading history: Portuguese and Chinese cooking meet in Macanese food, former shipyards sit near village waterfronts, and Macau Tower has a New Zealand design connection. The peninsula, Taipa, Cotai and Coloane offer distinct settings for a food weekend, a cultural visit or an exhibition.
The peninsula is the old urban centre beside Zhuhai. Taipa, Cotai and Coloane lie to its south across the water. These are useful geographic areas for planning a stay, not a list of administrative districts. Macao SAR has separate entry and employment procedures from Mainland China and Hong Kong.
Living & visiting
The peninsula contains Senado Square, historic streets and urban hotels. On the western Inner Harbour side, Rua dos Ervanários and Pátio de Chôn Sau bring old trading streets, small shops and local eateries together.
Rua do Cunha is a pedestrian food street in Taipa village. The Museum of Taipa and Coloane History and nearby temples add cultural stops among the restaurants and small shops. Taipa also contains the airport, away from the village streets.
Cotai lies between Taipa and Coloane and contains large resort hotels and exhibition venues. Its broad resort complexes offer a different setting from the peninsula's streets and Taipa village.
Coloane retains a village and coastal setting. Its old pier recalls ferry connections with Taipa and the peninsula, while Coloane Library occupies the former municipal school and continues to serve readers.
Macao has an international airport, ferry terminals and land crossings from Zhuhai. The tourism office lists its entry ports, and the transport bureau publishes bus routes across the peninsula, Taipa, Cotai and Coloane. Mainland China and Macao have separate immigration systems.
From New Zealand, flying to Hong Kong and continuing over the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is an option to compare. HKIA's eligible SkyPier transfer coaches and ordinary land-side bridge transport follow different procedures. Select the Macao destination and plan the final connection to the peninsula, Taipa or Cotai.
Macao immigration enquiries: +853 2872 5488 or [email protected]. This is the official contact for Macao's entry requirements.
Emergency ambulance: 999. Conde de São Januário General Hospital has a 24-hour telephone line at +853 2831 3731 and a weekday information desk at +853 8390 5000.
The Health Bureau lists health-centre addresses and telephone contacts for the peninsula and islands, alongside hospital outpatient appointment-change enquiries.
Patane Library occupies a group of old arcade buildings on the peninsula. Lai Chi Vun's former shipyards, near Coloane, tell another part of Macao's working history.
Macanese cooking combines Portuguese and Chinese traditions with ingredients and seasonings from Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. Try minchi, a dish of minced meat and potatoes, or finish with serradura, a layered cream-and-biscuit dessert. Macao became a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2017, recognising its long culinary heritage.
The 73rd Macau Grand Prix is scheduled for 19-22 November 2026. For a motorsport-focused visit, the official race programme and ticket information provide the starting point for choosing which days to attend.
Macau Tower has a tangible New Zealand connection: Moller Architects' project credits Gordon Moller among its architectural team and records completion in 2001. His work also includes Auckland's Sky Tower. Macau Tower is home to Skypark by AJ Hackett, with bungy jumping and other high-level adventure activities.
Business & industry
Macao's hospitality economy brings hotels, restaurants and convention venues into the same visitor market. Cotai's large complexes host many exhibitions; the official convention and exhibition calendar identifies events by subject, date and venue, making it a useful starting point for hospitality and trade visits.
IPIM's Macao Ideas platform distinguishes goods made locally, Macao brands and Macao designs. Those categories do not all mean manufacture in Macao. Use the product and enterprise listings to identify a relevant contact and ask about origin, production and distribution before arranging a buying visit.
Macao peninsula, Taipa and Cotai
IPIM's service complex on the peninsula; exhibition venues in Cotai
Population: 689,000
Land area: 33 km²
2025 GDP: MOP 418 billion (approx. NZ$89.0 billion)
NZD conversion uses the same-year SAFE annual average.
Macao Peninsula, Taipa, Cotai and Coloane are geographic areas used for travel planning, rather than administrative districts.
Tell NZGBA your dates and interests if your New Zealand group is visiting Macao. We can discuss community connections and opportunities to meet other Kiwis in the GBA.