Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [256]
A free bus runs from the A-Ma ornamental entrance gate on Estrada de Seac Pai Van half-hourly from 8am to 6pm. You can also reach both by following the Coloane Trail (Trilho de Coloane; Click here) from Seac Pai Van Park.
CHEOC VAN BEACH Map
Estrada de Cheoc Van
About 1.5km down Estrada de Cheoc Van, which runs east and then southeast from Coloane Village, is the beach at Cheoc Van (Bamboo Bay). There are changing rooms and toilets and, in season, lifeguards ( 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm Sun May-Oct) on duty.
SEAC PAI VAN PARK Map
2887 0277; Estrada de Seac Pai Van; admission free; 9am-6pm Tue-Sun
At the end of Cotai, this 20-hectare park, built in the wooded hills on the western side of the island, has somewhat unkempt gardens sprouting species of plants and trees from around the world, a children’s zoo, a lake with swans and other waterfowl, and a walk-through aviary ( 9am-5pm Tue-Sun), which contains rare birds. The Museum of Nature & Agriculture (Museu Natural e Agrário; 2882 7277; admission free; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) has traditional farming equipment, dioramas of Coloane’s ecosystem and displays cataloguing a wide range of the island’s fauna and flora.
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TAIPA WALKING TOUR
1 Taipa House Museum Bus 28A from the ferry terminal will take you to Taipa. Begin your tour by visiting this beautiful Macanese villa built in 1921, which is now converted to the Taipa House Museum ( Click here).
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WALK FACTS
Start Taipa House Museum
End Largo de Camões
Distance 1km
Duration One to 1½ hours
Fuel Stops Many along Rua do Regedor
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2 Church of Our Lady of Carmel Walk up the steps to the 1885 Church of Our Lady of Carmel from the western end of Avenida da Praia. The colonial library, opposite, is a recent reproduction, replacing the original that had been pulled down illegally. Surrounding it are the pretty Carmel Gardens and just north is Calçada do Carmo, a positively delightful stepped lane lined with ancient banyans.
3 Temples Following Avenida de Carlos da Maia will take you past an old police school and into Rua Correia da Silva, which leads to a small early-19th-century Tin Hau temple on Largo Governador Tamagnini Barbosa. Northeast, just off Rua do Regedor, is Pak Tai Temple, dedicated to the Taoist god of the sea who became the ‘Emperor of the North’.
4 Markets There is a weekly crafts market ( noon-9pm Sun) in Largo de Camões. The Taipa market is housed in a building at the end of Rua do Regedor.
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SHOPPING
Macau is not really a shopping destination, but you’ll find a variety of shops straddling Avenida do Infante Dom Henrique and Aven-ida de Almeida Ribeiro in Macau Peninsula. Other shopping zones include Rua da Palha, Rua do Campo and Rua Pedro Nolasco da Silva.
There is a growing number of luxury outlets catering to high-end fashion shoppers. The massive Venetian Macao Resort Hotel ( Map) has the huge Grand Canal mall, which extends to the Four Seasons Hotel and is well stocked with familiar international brand names. Similar, yet smaller, shopping complexes include City of Dreams ( Map) and Wynn Macau ( Map; Rua Cidade de Sintra, NAPE).
New Yaohan ( Map; Avenida Comercial de Macau), located behind the Grand Emperor Hotel, is a large, multistorey, family-oriented department store.
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ANTIQUES & CURIOS
You’ll stumble across bustling markets and traditional Chinese shops in Macau’s back lanes, including the charming market street of Rua da Madeira that has shops selling carved Buddha heads and other religious items.
Rua dos Mercadores, which leads up to Rua da Tercena, will lead you past tailors, tiny jewellery stores,