Maritime Museum Macau

Maritime Museum, Macau 海事博物館, 澳门

Maritime Museum, Macau, China. — The entrance to Macau's Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum (Museu Marítimo) in the São Lourenço district of Macau is well worth a visit to understand how the city's history is intimately connected to the sea. From fisherfolk to pirates and the arrival of the Portuguese in their gallions, the sea is central to the story of Macau. Indeed, the museum's very location is thought to be where the Portuguese first set shore on Macau.

History

The museum first opened in an historic house (now used for the museum offices) in 1987 but proved too small for purpose. The present building dates from 1990 and is designed to represent a stylized sailing vessel.

Exhibits

The museum has a wide array of exhibits. These are grouped under various themes: Maritime Ethnology; Maritime History; and Maritime Technology. There is also an aquarium and public esplanade.

The Maritime Ethnology section is dedicated to the traditions and skills of Macau's fishing communities, as well as those of other coastal regions in South China.

The galleries feature detailed boat models, displays of traditional fishing methods, period costumes, and tools used in shipbuilding, along with references to the distinctive festivals celebrated by these maritime communities.

The exhibition is designed to create an immersive experience. Video presentations demonstrate fishing techniques and nautical craftsmanship, while a diorama illustrates the distribution of fish species in the waters around Macau. A small theatre with four movable scenes brings to life the legend of the Goddess Á-Mà.

The Maritime History gallery examines aspects of Portuguese and Chinese maritime history from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries.

The Age of the Discoveries is presented through models of caravels, frigates, and nautical instruments, accompanied by video displays and electronic models illustrating the routes taken by various explorers such as Pedro Cabral, Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan.

This section also includes a detailed model of a "Nau do Trato" (a merchant frigate), which carried out commercial voyages, including trade between Macau and Japan.

A replica of a Namban ("Southern Barbarian") folding screen from Japan brought to China by Portuguese traders is also displayed.

Additionally, Macau and its harbour are prominently featured in this part of the exhibition.

A three-dimensional model represents the city as it appeared in the seventeenth century, including its harbour, walls, and fortifications. An integrated lighting system highlights key locations within the model.

Recreation of a traditional street in Macau, China. — Recreation of a traditional street in Macau

The Maritime Technology gallery on the upper floor addresses technology and maritime transport, including dredging and navigation. Given its historical and practical significance to navigation, the model of the Guia Lighthouse is prominently featured. It was the first lighthouse constructed along the South China coast.

The exhibition also includes a collection of nautical instruments dating from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries. Among the items displayed are octants, telescopes, straightedges, mariners' compasses, and various sextants.

The aquarium consists of four, large, separate tanks: fresh water, harbour waters, a coral reef and the deep sea around a wreck.

Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business. — Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business

A Japanese musketeer mannequin. — A mannequin of a Japanese musketeer on display

Access & Information

1, Largo do Pagode da Barra
Tel: (853) 28595481
www: www.marine.gov.mo

Hours: 10 am to 6 pm (no entry after 5.30 pm) Closed Tuesdays. Free admission.

The museum is located in Barra Square close to the historic A Ma Temple.

From Senado Square to the museum is about 20 minutes on foot to the south. If coming by bus the following numbers are convenient: 1, 2, 5, 6B, 7, 9, 10, 10A, 11, 18, 21A, 26, 28B, MT4.

Other must-see attractions in the UNESCO-listed center of Macau include the Ruinas de Sao Paulo, Macau Museum, Dom Pedro V Theatre, St Lawrence's Church and St Joseph Seminary Church.

A Portuguese caravel. — A Portuguese caravel

Macau Essentials

For cheap flights to Macau check elong.com. A lot of budget airlines (Bangkok Airways, Jetstar Asia, AirAsia, Tiger Airways etc.) fly to Macau.
Macau International Airport has flights to a number of international destinations worldwide including Bangkok, Manila, Seoul and Taiwan and to many other Chinese cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Guilin, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Shanghai, Shantou, Xianmen and Xian.
Trains - for non-fliers the best option is to take a train to Hong Kong from Beijing West Railway Station and then a ferry to Macau.
Tip: A cheap / fast way to get from Beijing to Macau is to fly from Beijing to Shenzhen and then take a coach to Hong Kong. The flight from Beijing to Shenzhen is considered domestic and therefore much cheaper compared with flying to Hong Kong direct.
Buses and taxis are the major modes of public transport in Macau. Pedicabs are also available for sightseeing. Macau drives on the right, like the rest of China, except Hong Kong.
Visas: most passport holders of Western countries receive a free 30 or 90-day visa on arrival. To re-enter China requires a multiple entry Chinese visa, or a valid single/double entry visa.

Pedro Cabral. — The Portuguese explorer Pedro Cabral

Accommodation in Macau

Grand Lapa Hotel

For those looking for a comfortable and family friendly hotel, then a hidden gem is the Grand Lapa Hotel which is located directly next to Fisherman's Wharf and the Sands Hotel.

The hotel has undergone a transformation and has elegant interiors as well as some newly renovated hotel rooms. The hotel also has a modern spa, gym facilities and a swimming pool which has a water slide as as well as an outdoor Jacuzzi.

The Grand Lapa Hotel also offers a whole host of organised activities for children so parents can have a break. In terms of dining, visitors can try the Cafe Bela Vista, Naam Thai restaurant and Kam Lai Heen Chinese restaurant. The hotel's breakfast buffet is also very famous and worth sampling.

Address: Grand Lapa, 956 - 1110 Avenida Da Amizade, Macau

Ferdinand Magellan. — Ferdinand Magellan

Wynn Palace Hotel

For those looking for more glitz and glamour in terms of accommodation then they can book accommodation at one of the most over the top hotels in Macau, namely the Wynn Palace. An incredible and vast structure, not only does the interior mimic the exterior in term of glamour and opulence, the hotel boasts an incredible water show and its own cable car system.

The hotel has a famed buffet and also boasts some international acclaimed restaurants such as Sichuan Moon, SW Steakhouse and Japanese specialities at Mizumi. If visitors love shopping then the Wynn Esplanade is a shopping mecca spread over 106,000 square metres.

Address: Avenida Da Nave Desportiva, Cotai, Macau

Book hotels in Macau & Hong Kong - Macau has some of Asia's most opulent hotels.