did you ever been to macau?

We've finally been to Macau! It is beautiful and clean. The shuttle buses are also free. We went there a week ago. We thought the weather will be hot and we didn't bother to check and we were surprised to found out it is winter there. We've stayed in Taipa City but also had a tour in Macau Peninsula. We've been in Ruins of St. Paul, Fisherman's Wharf, Venetian Hotel and many more.

More : " ------------------------------------------ By air :By plane ------------------------------------------ Macau International Airport (MFM) is off the shore of Taipa Island. It is has basic facilities, and a couple of aerobridges, but it is possible that you will park on the tarmac, and have a bus to the terminal. Because of its low fees, it has been able to attract several low-cost airlines to serve Macau. Currently available are: * AirAsia [11]: has multiple flights daily from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and Kota Kinabalu, as well as three weekly flights from Kuching. * Bangkok Airways [12]: has flights from Bangkok. * Cebu Pacific Air [13] and Philippine Airlines: have daily flights from Manila. * Tiger Airways [14]: has daily flights from Singapore and Manila (Clark). * Jetstar Asia [15]: has daily flights from Singapore. * Viva Macau [16]: has flights from Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Tokyo, Busan and Sydney Other airlines such as Air Macau and Shanghai Air also have flights to Macau. To reach Taiwan from mainland China, it is usual to fly via either Macau or Hong Kong, since the only direct flights are on weekends. To and from the airport. Bus AP1 plies a route between the airport and the Barrier Gate. Its route passes through several points on Taipa Island, and it stops at the ferry terminal on the peninsula on the way. It costs MOP3.30 per passenger, and MOP3.00 per bag. It has limited provision for baggage, and can be very crowded (you may not even get the first bus to arrive). Change at the ferry terminal for other destinations, the frequent number 3 bus runs from the ferry terminal and passes the Lisboa, Landmark Hotel, and Holiday Inn, or catch one of the hotel/casino shuttles which go the ferry terminal. The buses do not give change, but there is a currency exchange just inside the terminal that will change foreign currency into low denomination MOP. If you are bound for Zhuhai, there is a special bus you can take from Macau airport direct to the border, without going through Macau Customs or Immigration. See the Zhuhai article for details. For flights from mainland China, it is usually cheaper to fly to Zhuhai and cross the border by land as flights between Macau and the mainland are considered to be international flights. See also Discount airlines in Asia. By helicopter A helicopter service is available from the Terminal Maritimo to the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier in Hong Kong as well as Shenzhen airport . It is a lot faster than the ferry but it also costs a lot more. _________________________________ By car _________________________________ There are two vehicular entry points into Macau from China. They are the Portas do Cerco (?? Guan Chap in Cantonese, Guanzha in Mandarin) at the extreme north of Macau Peninsula which connects you to Gongbei in Zhuhai, and the Lotus Bridge (officially the Cotai Frontier Checkpoint) which links the Cotai Strip with the Wanzai district of Zhuhai. You can only enter if your vehicle (cars only, no motorcycles) has both Macau and mainland China number plates and the driver carries both Macau and China driver's licenses. Note that you have to switch sides of the road; mainland China drives on the right, Macau on the left. * Portas do Cerco: This is the usual entry point into Macau from Zhuhai and is very busy. It is open from 07:00 to 24:00. The crossing will bring you directly into Gongbei in Zhuhai. Getting there/away: The best way to approach the crossing from anywhere in Macau is to use Avenida Norte de Hipodromo which continues as Avenida da Ponte da Amizade, or Avenida Comendador Ho Yin from the western part of the peninsula. Please see Zhuhai section on details to get to the Chinese side of the border. * Lotus Bridge: Much quieter than the Portas do Cerco, this crossing involves you driving over the Lotus Bridge over the narrow channel between Cotai and Hengqin Island in China. The crossing is open from 09:00 to 20:00. Getting there/away: The Cotai frontier checkpoint can be accessed via the Taipa-Coloane Istmus Road (still known as the Taipa-Coloane Causeway) and turn off at the Flor de Lotus roundabout about halfway between Taipa and Coloane. By bus You can take the coach from Guangzhou. The trip takes you about 2 hours and costs around RMB70. There is a direct coach from Shenzhen airport and also Shenzhen long distance bus station. The journey time form Shenzhen is about 3 hours. There is also a direct coach from DongGuan city (in GuangDong province) to Macau Airport. The trip is around RMB100 and 3 hours. You can also get a bus from either place to Gongbei bus station in Zhuhai. That puts you right across the street from the border facilities so you can walk to Macau (see next section). This can save you a bit of money; the bus is about the same price either way, but food and hotels are cheaper in Zhuhai. On foot You can cross from mainland China to Macau on foot at the Portas do Cerco (Barrier Gate) crossings at the extreme north of Macau Peninsula. In fact, thousands of Macau and Chinese citizens do it daily, making it an horrendously busy crossing. Depending on the time and day of the week, expect long waits to get processed. The crossing on the Chinese side is called Gongbei in Zhuhai. Getting there/away: The massive underground Portas do Cerco bus terminal is beneath the pretty garden in front of the border checkpoint plaza. You'll be able to find buses to most parts of Macau, including Taipa, Coloane and the Cotai Strip from here. From downtown Macau by taxi, the border is about 10 minutes and MOP$30. See Zhuhai page for details to get to Gongbei crossing. As most people crossing the Barrier Gate are China or Macau residents, you may get a short queue at the China customs if you hold passport of another country as there are separate custom counters for non-China and Macau residents. However, the Macau customs only divide their custom counters into Macau residents and all vistors, thus the queue is usually alot longer for passport holders of other countries as they will be queuing with large numbers of China residents. There are money changers at the Barrier Gate that give very good rates so you can change your money into RMB before crossing the customs. You are not allowed to walk on the Lotus Bridge between Wanzai in Zhuhai and Cotai. However, there are buses which shuttle between the two checkpoints. Get around On foot This is arguably the best way to get around Macau Peninsular, which is small, compact and full of things to discover. Many roads are also one way so there is quite chance that it won't be slower than to take road transport which make need to make a long loop to reach the destination. Most streets have a pedestrian sidewalk making walking easy, although you will have to fight the crowds going in all directions. Macau is also hilly; be prepared to struggle up and down steep lanes and steps. The city streets do not seem to run in any particular pattern and you'll most likely get lost at some stage, which is part of the fun of exploring Macau. The street signage is often poor if not lacking altogether (the azulejos-tile street signs are pretty but not very obvious and clear) so you may find yourself walking a few extra blocks in order to figure out the street you're on. Don't bother trying to get around the Cotai area on foot though, as the huge long streets with nothing much on them except the outside edge of new hotels and giant building sites will eat up time you could better spend elsewhere in Macau. By bus Macau and its districts are served by two bus companies - Transportes Urbanos Macau (Transmac) and Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos de Macau (TCM). Thankfully, their route numbers do not overlap and with a bit of figuring out which direction they are heading, they can be quite easy to use. Bus drivers usually only speak Cantonese, very little English or Mandarin and certainly no Portuguese at all. All rides cost MOP$2.50 within Macau Peninsular, MOP$3.30 between the Peninsular and Taipa, MOP$4 between the Peninsular and Coloane village; and MOP$5 between the Peninsular and Hac Sa on Coloane. But like the buses in Hong Kong, your fare goes according to the bus stop you board the bus and not determined by the length of the journey. Fare are displayed next to the fare box, so get your destinations written in Chinese if you need to tell them where you're going. Please see the Macau Peninsula page for bus routes which serve the district, and the Taipa, Coloane and Cotai pages for routes connecting these districts with the Peninsula. Many casinos and hotels offer frequent and free shuttle buses to and from the Macau ferry terminal and Taipa ferry terminal, and it is possible to change between shuttles there. Some also offer shuttles to the airport, border gate and other destinations. Look for signs or ask around. These shuttle buses are a good way to get around if you plan your journey beforehand. By taxi Taxis are affordable. Starting from September 2008, taxi fares start at MOP$13. Largo do Senado to the border is about MOP$40. The longest possible taxi ride (from the Border Post at the extreme north of Macau to Coloane in the south) would be well under MOP$200. It is a good idea to have your destination written in Chinese as most taxi drivers do not speak anything but Cantonese. Some of them may speak a little Mandarin or English, though it is not wise to count on your luck, and almost none speak Portuguese. Like in Hong Kong, every bag placed in the boot of the taxi will have an additonal surcharge. Many taxi drivers are off duty at Sundays and use their cars privately. Those taxis have a red sign in the front window. Expect some waiting for a free taxi on Sundays. By car Car rental is not a popular option in Macau given the territory's small size