Macau Shopping Guide

Gold never goes out of style, and is one of the most popular buys in Macao, with jewelry shops everywhere offering gold in different grades. Clothing is another main item here. Macau has 500 active garment factories, and overruns and seconds can be found in shops and market stalls, for a small percentage of what they would cost in the world’s leading boutiques. Other Macau shopping bargains include Chinese antiques, leather, and a delicious array of Portuguese wines and ports. Others enjoy purchasing dried seafood, Chinese herbs and medicines, and Macanese pastries as gifts for friends. Cameras and electronics are also available at bargain prices, although – as with jewelry and antiques – it is wise to ask for a warranty or guarantee when purchasing them, particularly if the brand is not familiar. Porcelains and fine ceramics are also popular buys in Macao. Some factories will even custom make a vase or set of tableware with your family crest, or in a pattern copied from your curtains.

There are many wonderful places for shopping in Macau. One of the most popular is the area around Leal Senado Square, which is the location of one of the new municipal markets. Avenida Almeida Ribeiro, leading off the square, is one of the most popular Macau shopping streets, featuring everything from high-end luxury boutiques to traditional Chinese delicacies like dried sharks’ fin and abalone. Not far from the square, if you follow Rua Nossa Senhora do Amparo to Rua da Tercena, you will find the original artisan section of Macau. Enjoy watching craftsmen carve camphorwood chests and family shrines, or print gold and red paper wrappings on hand-cranked presses, or weld bedsteads in traditional fashion.

Also popular is the Red Market, located on the corner of Avenida Almirante Lacerda and Avenida Hora e Costa. Built in Art Deco style, it houses a lively daily food market, and has a street market that stretches to Rotunda de Carlos Maia, also known as Three Lamps district. Another very popular Macao street is the Avenida Horta e Costa, a long shopping street that extends from the Red Market to the Flora Garden beneath Guia Hill.

The newest area for Macau shopping, Fisherman’s Wharf, opened in 2004 on reclaimed land in the Outer Harbour. It is like a theme park, with various port “towns,” among them New Orleans, Amsterdam, Lisbon and Cape Town. The area features shops, restaurants, nightlife, an amusement park and amphitheater. Still newer, the Las Vegas Sands’ Cotai Strip is still in development, slated to open in stages by 2009. The Cotai Strip is reclaimed land between the islands of Coloane and Taipa, and is expected to be a massive development of 20 resorts, including many modern shopping malls, showrooms and spas, among other entertainment facilities and casinos. From ancient Chinese herbal therapies to cutting-edge electronics, Macau shopping offers treasure for everyone!