Macau

By Shuttle Bus

If you've got more time than money on your hands, you can travel around Macau for free simply by hopping on and off the complimentary shuttle buses operated by all major casinos and hotels. Virtually all serve the Terminal Maritimo, with buses every 5 to 10 minutes, while the big boys Venetian, Wynn, City of Dreams, Galaxy etc also shuttle to the Border Gates, the Taipa Ferry Terminal and the airport. The buses to Hotel Lisboa, for example, drop you off just a few blocks from Largo do Senado. You generally have to be at least 18 years old to use them. You may have to get a ticket from Lisboa Casino in order to leave the casino by shuttle but most of the casinos offer totally free to take their shuttle buses.

By taxi

Starting from September 2008 taxi fares start at $13. Largo do Senado to the border is about 40MOP. The longest possible taxi ride from the Border Post at the extreme north of Macau to Coloane in the south would be well under 200MOP.

It is a good idea to have your destination written in Chinese as most taxi drivers are monolingual in 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. Most taxi drivers carry with them a list of casinos and other important places, so in case there's a communication gap, just look for it on the sunguard of the front passenger seat. Should you leave from a casino/hotel, a bilingual English/Cantonese speaking employee will generally be there to tell the cab driver where you want to go.

Like in Hong Kong, every bag placed in the boot of the taxi will have an additional 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 high population density and small size. Avis (http://www.avis.com.mo) provides car rental services in Macau and you have the option of renting the car with or without a driver. Roads are generally well maintained and directional signs are in both Chinese and Portuguese. Unlike in mainland China, international driving permits IDP's are accepted in Macau, and traffic moves on the left side of the road with most cars being right-hand drive largely due to influences from neighbouring Hong Kong.

If you wish to drive a mainland China, your vehicle must have a second set of number plates issued by the Guangdong authorities, and you would need to carry an additional Mainland license, as the Chinese government does not recognise Hong Kong, Macau or foreign licenses. You would also need to change sides of the road at the border.

On foot

This is arguably the best way to get around the Macau Peninsula, which is small, compact and full of things to discover. Many roads are also one way so there is quite a chance that it won't be slower than to take road transport which may 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. Traffic rules are not very well adhered to, so ensure that you look both ways before crossing. In and around the Senado Square, the pavements will be made of hand-laid limestone pieces made into simple designs, something that will surely catch your attention. Macau is also hilly, be prepared to struggle up and down steep lanes and steps.

Especially in the old city, 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.

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 three bus companies - Transportes Urbanos Macau Transmac (http://www.transmac.com.mo/) and Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos de Macau TCM (http://www.tcm.com.mo/) and since August 2011, Sociedade de Transportes Públicos Reolian Reolian (http://www.reolian.com.mo). The bus system in Macau can be difficult to use. It is often difficult to gauge which direction the bus is heading and the routes through the city center are very curvy, making a long ride out of a short distance. Bus drivers usually only speak Cantonese, very little English or Mandarin and certainly no Portuguese at all. Most bus stops contain no English, although you can sometimes figure out the destination from Portuguese words.

Nevertheless, the websites of all three companies have good route guides. The TCM website (http://www.tcm.com.mo/Rou...) is only in Chinese, while the Transmac website (http://www.transmac.com.mo/) depicts routes schematically. The Reolian website (http://www.reolian.com.mo...) is the best as it has English pages and all Macau bus routes, including those not operated by Reolian, as well as bus stops are clearly shown using Google Maps.

There is a flat fare of $3.20 for rides within the Macau Peninsula, $4.20 between the Peninsular and Taipa, $5 between the Peninsula and Coloane village, and $6.40 between the Peninsula and Hác Sá Coloane. But like the buses in Hong Kong, your fare is according to the bus stop you board, not 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. You need the exact fare as drivers do not give change. Macaupass, a debit card similar to Hong Kong's Octopus Card system, is now widely used by Macau citizens as it provide discounts on paying bus fare. However, it may be hard to purchase one as the distribution points are limited. Buses accept Hong Kong coins but not the $10 Hong Kong coin.