Santo Antonio

Getting around

Santo António is a compact parish on the Macau Peninsula, and its narrow lanes, slopes and stone steps mean it is best explored on foot. Buses and taxis can bring you to the edge of the historic streets but cannot enter the old lanes themselves, so the final stretch to almost every sight is walked no matter how you arrive. If you come into Macau through the Border Gate, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge port, the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal or Macao International Airport, plan your onward connection from the point where you actually arrive, since the approach to the old city differs by gateway.

Expect steps and inclines throughout, and note that the stone steps turn slippery after rain; spring and summer are humid and wet, while winter is generally comfortable for walking though rain and wind can make exposed slopes unpleasant. A half day covers the St. Paul's cluster and St. Anthony's Church at a sensible pace, and a full day can extend to Camoes Garden, Mount Fortress, Macao Museum or heritage sites in neighbouring parishes — though Mount Fortress and the Macao Museum involve substantial slopes and steps. For an easier day, avoid the busiest times on the St. Paul's steps and use the facade, Travessa da Paixao and St. Anthony's Church as your main stops with seated breaks, and be aware that pushchairs cannot avoid every staircase. Festivals, typhoons and road works can relocate bus stops, so allow extra time for waiting, congestion and immigration, especially on your return journey, and recheck transport and border operations during typhoon, rainstorm or heat warnings.

Three days in Santo Antonio

Day one: Start on the Macau Peninsula and orient yourself around the Santo António neighbourhood, where the parish church of St Anthony and the small Church of St Paul give the area its quiet, residential feel. Wander the lanes around Travessa da Paixão and take in Camoes Garden, a shaded retreat that rewards a slow stroll. Later, climb to Mount Fortress for a view over the peninsula and spend time in the Macao Museum to make sense of the city's layered past.

• St Anthony Church
• Church of St Paul
• Travessa da Paixão
• Camoes Garden
• Mount Fortress
• Macao Museum

Day two: Use the buses to reach the Border Gate and look across to Zhuhai, then return via the Macao Bridge for a sense of how the city connects to its neighbours. If festivals are on during your stay, plan your day around them, since processions and street celebrations can reshape the rhythm of the neighbourhoods. Expect warm and humid weather for much of the year, so build in breaks and carry water.

• Buses
• Border Gate
• Zhuhai
• Macao Bridge
• Festivals

Day three: Leave time for the transport hubs, whether you are heading onward to Hong Kong from the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal or flying out of Macao International Airport. Spend your final hours back in Santo António, revisiting the church and the surrounding streets at an unhurried pace before you depart.

• Hong Kong
• Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal
• Macao International Airport
• Santo António