A small place with a lot of options

Macao is one of the smallest places you will ever visit, and yet people manage to get lost in it constantly. The reason is that the city is split across a peninsula and two islands, joined by bridges, and each part has its own feel and its own transport quirks.

The good news is that everything is cheap and close. The bad news is that the information online is a mess, and the free casino shuttles, which look like a gift, come with catches.

The LRT

The Light Rapid Transit is Macao's metro, and for years it only served Taipa and Cotai. That has changed. The line now crosses the Sai Van Bridge into the Macau peninsula, which makes it genuinely useful for visitors for the first time.

Trains are clean, air-conditioned and rarely crowded outside peak hours. Fares are low and based on distance. You pay with a Macau Pass card or buy a single-journey token from the machines, which take cash in small notes.

The LRT is at its best for the Cotai strip, where it runs elevated above the casinos. Riding it at night, with the neon on either side, is one of the better free-ish views in the city.

The buses

Buses go everywhere and cost about the price of a bottle of water. They are the workhorse of the system. The catch is that routes are numerous, the stops are not always clearly marked in English, and the traffic on the peninsula can be slow.

If you plan to use buses more than a couple of times, get a Macau Pass. It saves you hunting for exact change and works on the LRT too. Cards are sold at convenience stores.

Where buses are worth it

• Between the historic centre and the border gate.
• From the peninsula out to Coloane, where the LRT does not reach.
• To Hac Sa and Cheoc Van beaches, which are otherwise awkward to reach.

The free casino shuttles

These are the transport Macao is famous for, and they are genuinely free. Casino operators run buses from the ferry terminals, the airport and the border gate to their properties, and anyone can ride them.

They are useful if your destination happens to be a casino, or somewhere within walking distance of one. In Cotai, most of the big resorts are clustered together, so a shuttle can drop you close to several of them at once.

What they are not is a sightseeing service. Stops are at casino entrances, routes are indirect, and they can be packed at peak times. Do not plan a day around them unless you are actually heading to those buildings.

Taxis and walking

Taxis are plentiful but demand outstrips supply at peak times, and there is a persistent problem with drivers refusing short fares. There are also app-based options, though coverage is patchier than in Hong Kong.

Walking is underrated. The historic centre, from the Senado Square through to the Ruins of St Paul's and up to the Guia Hill area, is compact and best done on foot. The streets are narrow and the pavements are tiled with the Portuguese-style black and white waves, which is a pleasant detail that most people miss from a car.

Summary of what to use when

• Historic centre: walk.
• Peninsula to Taipa or Cotai: LRT or bus.
• Cotai casinos at night: LRT, or a shuttle if it goes where you need.
• Coloane and the beaches: bus.
• Late night: taxi, and expect to wait.

Get a Macau Pass on your first day and the whole system suddenly makes sense.

Originally published on 71Asia Tours blog.