The highest point in Macao, and almost nobody is on it

Macao's historic centre is flat, hot and crowded. Then, ten minutes' walk from the main shopping streets, there is a hill with a fortress on top and a lighthouse that has been there since 1865. It is the oldest lighthouse on the whole China coast, and on a weekday morning you may have the whole terrace to yourself.

I do not understand why this is not on every itinerary. It is free, it takes two hours, and it gives you the only real overview of the city you will get.

Getting up there

There are two ways up. You can walk, which involves a winding road and some stairs, and takes about fifteen minutes from the top of Avenida Horta e Costa. Or you can take the Guia cable car, which is short, cheap and mostly used by locals going to the park.

Take the cable car up and walk down. That is the least effort and the walk down through the gardens is genuinely nice.

What is at the top

Three things, all close together.

The fortress

A small seventeenth-century fort with thick stone walls, a few old cannons, and a chapel on the same terrace. The views from the ramparts look over the whole peninsula, across to the mainland, and out to the islands.

The lighthouse

White with black bands, about 15 metres tall, still standing where it was built in 1865. You cannot normally go inside, but the exterior and its position on the ridge are the point.

The chapel

Small, quiet, and decorated with frescoes that were rediscovered during restoration work in the 1990s. Worth five minutes of silence.

Why the view matters

Macao is not a city you can understand from street level. From the top of Guia you can see how tightly packed the peninsula really is, how the high-rises of the outer harbour press against the old quarters, and how close the Zhuhai border actually is. It makes the rest of your trip make more sense.

Go in the late afternoon for the light, or on a clear morning for the visibility.

Pair it with the surrounding streets

• The Flora Garden, right below, is where residents do their morning exercise. Pleasant, shaded, unhurried.
• Walk down towards the Three Lamps district for old shops and cheap local food.
• Continue on to the Red Market area if you want a proper neighbourhood market experience.

Practical notes

Free entry to the fortress terrace. The cable car costs a token amount and runs short hours, so check before you rely on it. Bring water because the nearest shop is at the bottom of the hill.

Allow two hours for the whole thing, including the walk down. There is very little shade on the terrace itself, so a hat matters more than you would think, even in winter.

Getting there from the historic centre

From Senado Square it is a straightforward walk of about twenty minutes, mostly uphill and mostly through ordinary residential streets, which is part of the appeal. You will pass shops selling dried seafood, small temples wedged between apartment blocks, and the kind of neighbourhood hardware store that seems to sell one of everything.

If you are coming from the ferry terminal or the Cotai strip, take a taxi. It is cheap and it saves you a confusing bus transfer.

What else to do on the same hill

The Flora Garden below the fortress is larger than it looks and has a small zoo, a aviary and a lot of shaded paths. It is where Macao goes to exercise in the morning, and it is free.

From the bottom of the hill you can walk in any direction and find something worth seeing. Head towards the Red Market for a genuine wet market, or towards the Three Lamps district for old shophouses and cheap local restaurants that have not adapted their menus for visitors.

A note on timing

Macao is small, which makes it easy to over-plan. Do not. The city rewards wandering, and Guia is the best starting point because it gives you the map in your head before you get lost on purpose.

Most people do Macao in a single rushed day from Hong Kong. If you are one of them, honestly, skip the casinos and come here instead. The view is better and it costs nothing.

Originally published on 71Asia Tours blog.