Parks
Macau gets very hot in summer and its parks offer respite from the sun, a few historic monuments and lots of good people-watching opportunities.
♥♥ Luis de Camoes Gardens, Praca de Luis Camoes (daily 6 am-11:30 pm; buses #8A, #17 & #19). This green haven, just 15 minutes walk from the town center, makes for a welcome break from the city. Walkways, pavilions and large shady trees provide a cool escape and give a good excuse for some serious people watching.
There’s always a lot happening, with martial arts, exercises and power-walking all being practiced throughout the day. You’ll find a bronze bust hidden in a grotto up on the hillside, depicting Portugal’s famous poet, Luis de Camoes and a number of different trails leading off around the park. Don’t worry about getting lost as it isn’t huge and the area is well sign-posted. After a stroll through the park, make sure you don’t miss the Old Protestant Cemetery.
♥♥ Old Protestant Cemetery, Luis de Camoes Gardens, Praca de Luis Camoes (daily 6 am-11:30 pm; free; buses #17 & #19). Built in 1821, this was Macau’s first Protestant cemetery and is the final resting place of many adventurous 19th-century Americans, British and Germans. Headstones to seek out include the first Protestant missionary in China, Dr. Robert Morrison, and the landscape painter, George Chinnery, whose works can be seen at the Museum of Art .
The tranquil, reflective setting makes for a great retreat from the noise of the city and is well worth a trip in conjunction with the Luis de Camoes Gardens. Just next door to the cemetery you’ll find the Neo-Classical mansion of the Casa Garden, once headquarters of the British East India Company.
Guia Hill, Estrada de Cacilhas (daily 6 am-6 pm; free; buses #6 & #28C). Looming large over the Macau peninsula, Guia Hill offers a breath of fresh air from the seething streets below. The southern entrance is at the top end of Estrada San Francisco and brings you into the park just below the fortress and lighthouse. There’s a northern entrance by the Flora Gardens off Avenida Sidonio Pais. From either entrance it’s a short but steep climb to the upper section, but if you’re not up for this there’s a cable car from the Flora Gardens (Tues-Sun 8 am-6 pm; MOP$2 each way or MOP$3 roundtrip).
Most of the upper part of the hill is parkland and is very popular with fitness enthusiasts. The top of the hill is surrounded by the canon-bearing walls of the Guia Fortress (daily 9 am-5 pm), which contains a historic lighthouse and chapel.
♥ Lou Lim Ieoc Garden, Estrada de Adolfo Loureiro (daily 6 am-9 pm; free; buses #16 & #22). Lou Lim Ieoc is a traditional Chinese garden in the Suzhou style, complete with bamboo groves, lotus ponds and rockeries – a popular retreat from the streets. The garden was created in the late 19th century for a wealthy Chinese family. The family lived in the adjacent Victorian-style house and on occasion entertained Dr. Sun Yatsen, who used to live nearby.