Macau's Best Museums and Galleries

There is no better introduction to Macau’s unique history and culture than a trip to the Macau Museum. Situated in the stuccoed seventeenth-century Fortaleza do Monte in the heart of the Portuguese fortifications, the museum’s three floors cover the city’s diverse history, from its time as a small fishing port to its contemporary boom. Particularly fascinating is the floor devoted to the popular art and traditions of the island, which features ornate Chinese shadow puppets and finely detailed fans. Recent temporary exhibitions have included Michele Ruggieri’s early maps of China, international chinoiserie, and a show situating the nineteenth-century British photographer John Thomson alongside his modern follower Wong Ho Sang. After exploring the collections, take a stroll in the tranquil garden for a panoramic view of the city.

Macau Museum, No. 112, Praceta do Museu de Macau, Macau, China, +853 2835 7911

St. Paul’s Cathedral, built by Jesuit settlers in the sixteenth century, was Macau’s largest and grandest church before an 1835 typhoon set it ablaze. Although the magnificent five-tiered façade is all that survives above ground of the original complex this museum preserves objects from the colony’s Catholic history. While the collection focuses on silver liturgical objects and intricately carved crucifixes, the highlight is perhaps a portrait of St. Michael modeled on a Japanese Jesuit, the only work to survive the cathedral’s destruction. The adjacent crypt houses the bones of Vietnamese and Japanese martyrs, and a granite tomb thought to belong to Father Alexander Valignano, the Italian missionary who founded both the cathedral and its attached college.

St. Paul’s Ruins, Rua da Sao Paulo, Macau, China