A visit to Taipa is a journey into 400 years of European traditions in Macau. The Portuguese landed in Macau in 1557, erected houses, instilled their culinary traditions and became part of a unique ethic group called the Macanese. Nowhere in the city offers a more authentic experience of this cultural bonding than in the village of Taipa. Admire pastel-hued colonial mansions, visit Buddhist temples and delight in a mouthwatering culinary scene.
The Taipa House Museum is a great place to start your tour. Here, Macau’s Portuguese and Macanese history comes to life via art and museum exhibitions housed inside a collection of elegant 1920s colonial mansions. Enjoy great views of the village and Our Lady of Carmel Church from the belvedere in Carmel Garden. Spot koi carp and lotus flowers in the Chinese-style Garden of Flower City and walk around the themed flower displays of Dra. Laurinda M. Esparteiro Garden.
Witness Buddhist customs at temples such as Kun Iam Temple and Pak Tai Temple. Tin Hau Temple is a 230-year-old shrine dedicated to A-Ma (aka Tin Hua), the venerated Chinese goddess of seafarers. Get educated on the archaeological excavations and past industries of the village and Coloane at the Museum of Taipa and Coloane History. Browse work by Macau artists at the Taipa Village Art Space.
A sensory overload awaits at Rua do Cunha Street, where restaurants, snack bars and street vendors serve up mouthwatering street food. Feast on everything from almond and peanut cookies to egg tarts, meat jerky and noodle soups. Shop for handicrafts and watch Portuguese folk dances at the weekend Taipa Flea Market. Then witness the lively action of the street unfold from the pretty Feria do Carmo public square.
Taipa sits squeezed between Macau’s Outer Harbour and the glitzy casino resorts of the Cotai Strip. Traveling here is quick and easy via public buses from central Macau and hotel shuttles from the ferry terminals. The village has an official website, which lists year-round art, food, music and family-friendly events.
