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Sightseeing in Macau - Gardens
Cam?es Garden
In the 18th century this hilly, heavily wooded garden formed part of the grounds of the house which was occupied by the Chairman of the British East India Company, known as Casa Garden, which now houses an art gallery, and the Old Protestant Cemetery, filled with walkways, flowering trees, and old headstones marking the graves of merchants, missionaries, and others from foreign lands who made their home in Macau.
In 1835 the British moved out and the Portuguese owner had a grotto built around a bust of Portugal's national poet, Lu?s de Cam?es.The present bronze bust was installed in 1886 when the grotto became state property. Behind the grotto, paths lead up to a wooded hill with a Chinese pavilion and stone tables and stools, where local men gather to play Chinese chess. In front of the grotto is a spacious garden, with benches shaded by banyan trees, where people bring their caged birds for an outing, do their morning tai chi exercises, or meet with friends. At the entrance of the garden is a fountain that contains a bronze sculpture entitled "Embrace", specially made to symbolize the centuries' old friendship between Portugal and China.
Address: Pra?a de Lu?s de Cam?es, Macau Opening hours: 06:00 - 22:00
Garden of Commander Ho Yin
Comendador Ho Yin Garden extends from the rotunda on the Avenida Rodrigo Rodrigues, which features the Orient Arch, to the Avenida de Amizade. Located between highrise apartments, offices, and hotels, this green space provides a quiet retreat with tree-shaded benches and tables for chess players, landscaped shrubberies, bamboo groves, a playground, and a small cafe.
Address: Alameda Dr. Carlos de Assump??o, Macau Opening hours: 06:00 - 23:00
Park of Dr. Carlos Assump??o
Park of Dr. Carlos Assump??o extends the green corridor from the Avenida de Amizade across the newly developed landfill area to the bronze Kun Iam statue which stands on its man-made island at the shoreline of the Outer Harbour. The park features secluded arbours, avenues of palm trees, a children's playground, fountains, and ornamental ponds. At the foot of the park is a promenade with views of the Outer Harbour, bridges, and Taipa Island.
Address: Alameda Dr. Carlos de Assump??o, Macau Opening hours: 06:00 - 23:00
Arts Garden
The Arts Garden, containing flower gardens, fountains and statuary, runs alongside the Avenida de Amizade, bisecting Comendador Ho Yin Garden and Dr. Carlos d'Assumpc?o Park and providing a pleasant, traffic-free walk back to the downtown area. From here you can walk to the Cultural Centre and Hotel Lisboa, always along the water front, enjoying a changing panorama of Macau.
Address: Avenida de Amizade
Flora Garden
The European-style Flora Garden, situated at the base of Guia Hill parallel to the Avenida Sid-nio Pais. It was formerly the grounds of the Flora Palace, an aristocratic Portuguese mansion. The stone gateway at the entrance was once the palace guardhouse. A straight pedestrian avenue, lined with tall palms and flowering shrubs, leads to the former site of the palace, now occupied by an aviary, a small zoo, and a tree-shaded refreshment patio. The garden also features formal flowerbeds and a stone pathway that winds upward, past small waterfalls and belvederes, to the top of Guia Hill, the highest point in Macau.
An easier route to the top of Guia Hill is via the cable car near the park gate. Visitors can gain a bird's-eye view of the garden and a panoramic perspective of the city.
Cable car ticket prices: Adult's price is Mop$3.00 for one way, Mop$5.00 for return. For students; children from 2 to 18 years old and seniors over 65 years old, the price will be Mop$2.00 for one way and Mop$3.00 for return.
Opening hours: 8:00a.m. to 6:00p.m. Open everyday except Mondays (if Monday happens to be public holidays, the cable car will be closed on the next day). Open on public holidays.
Address: Avenida do Sid?nio Pais, Macau Opening hours: 06:00 - 20:30
Montanha Russa Park
Although situated in built-up, bustling suburbs, this is a quiet retreat in the north of Macau, next to the New Protestant Cemetery. The name 'russa' comes from the Chinese word for a snail, which describes the small spiral path that winds up to the top of the hill. The garden has secluded benches much favoured by lovers, and an impressive concentration of many different tropical and European trees, all carefully labelled in Latin and Chinese. There is an excellent indoor/outdoor Portuguese restaurant in a garden near the entrance.
Address: between the Estrada da Bela Vista and the Estrada de Ferreira do Amaral, Macau Opening hours: 06:00 - 22:00
Lou Lim Ieoc Garden
The most Chinese of all of Macau's gardens is the Lou Lim Ieoc Garden. It was built by a wealthy 19th century Chinese merchant, Lou Kau, and was inherited by his son Lou Lim Ieoc in 1906. When the family fortunes declined the garden fell into ruins, but it was eventually purchased and restored by the government and opened to the public in 1974.
The garden is modeled on those of Soochow, the most famous of all Chinese classical gardens. Enclosed by a high wall, it is a miniaturized landscape with narrow paths winding through groves of bamboo and flowering bushes, under moulded concrete "mountains" to a large pond filled with golden carp and lotus flowers. A nine-turn bridge zigzags across the pond (according to legend, evil spirits can only move in straight lines) to a large pavilion combining Classical and Chinese architecture elements. There are frequent art and craft exhibitions in the pavilion, which also serves as an auditorium for recitals during the annual International Music Festival.
Address: Estrada de Adolfo Loureiro, Macau Opening hours: 06:00 - 21:00
S. Francisco Garden
Next to the pink and white St. Francisco barracks and Military Club, the garden consists of flower beds between wide paths which lead up to a fine double stone staircase. On the upper level is a round tower built to honour the combatants of the First World War but now converted into Headquarters for the Association for the Handicapped. The garden is a favourite meeting place for students from nearby schools.
Address: Avenida de Praia Grande / Rua Nova Guia, Macau Opening hours: 24 Hours
Dr. Sun Yat Sen Municipal Park
At the north end of Macau, not far from the old gate that marks the Macau S.A.R.'s border with China, is the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Municipal Park. Located next to the canal that forms part of the border, the park features an aviary, a Victorian-style greenhouse, winding walkways, flower gardens, a fung shui forest of trees which is believed to bring good luck, and a bronze sculpture called "Permanent Handshake", representing the friendship between Portugal and China. High points in the park offer good views of the Chinese Special Economic Zone of Zhuhai across the border. A swimming pool, a children's playground, and multi-purpose sports fields provide recreation.
Address: Avenida do Comendador Ho Yin, Macau Opening hours: 06:00 - 23:00
Victory Garden
Stone terraces lead from the busy avenue to the monument commemorating the Portuguese victory over the Dutch in 1622. Flower beds and stands of trees decorate the garden, which offers benches for footsore tourists and students from the school next door.
Address: Entre Av. Sid?nio Pais, Macau Opening hours: 24 Hours
Vasco da Gama Garden
The Vasco da Gama Garden and the Victory Garden were created at the end of the 19th century. They used to be part of a long avenue, the Avenida Vasco da Gama built in 1898, to comemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the fleet of Vasco da Gama to India. Ficus rumphii trees were planted along this road, 500 meters long and 65 meters wide. These trees, some of them still in existence, gave a country look to this road.
In the Vasco da Gama garden, a bust of the Portuguese navigator, in 1911 work of sculptor Tom?s da Costa, stands out. Recent renovations add freshness to the this place, a new lake in the shape of waves was placed in the lower level of the garden and a new fountain with waterspouts surround the bust of the portuguese navigator. This garden has an area of 5000 square metres.
Address: Rua Ferreira do Amaral, Macau Opening hours: 24 Hours Source: IACM
Mong H? Hill Municipal Park
Mong H? Fort, situated on Mong H? Hill at the northern end of Macau, is a newer fortress, built in anticipation of a Chinese invasion following the Anglo-Chinese War in 1841. It was completed in 1866 and was in active service until the 1960's, when it was abandoned. Today the area has been turned into a park with flowerbeds, grassy slopes and walkways surrounding the old fortress walls. It provides a quiet refuge for people living in the nearby neighborhoods, and good views of the north end of the city.
Address: Avenida do Coronel Mesquita, Macau Opening hours: 24 Hours
Carmel Garden
Next to the Church of Our Lady of Carmel on a hill overlooking the village of Taipa and the old Taipa Praia, the garden follows a formal European design. It has a vine-covered gazebo with fountains and stone benches, meticulously maintained flower beds and paths winding up to a small belvedere. From the park you can follow a zigzag walkway lined with low scalloped walls to the old praia, where one of a row of restored 1920s mansions is now the Taipa House Museum.
Address: Avenida de Carlos da Maia, Macau Opening hours: 24 hours
Garden of Flower City
Located across the street from the ParknShop supermarket in the centre of Taipa's high-rise residential area, this walled garden is a modern interpretation of the classical Chinese garden, with traditional lotus ponds, winding bridges, and small pavilions, but it also incorporates a children's playground and a skating and scooter area.
Address: Rua de Evora, Taipa Opening hours: 06:30 - 22:00
Seac Pai Van Park
Situated in the wooded hills on the west side of the island, not far from the causeway to Taipa, this park is a popular place for family outings. There are children's playgrounds, picnic areas, flowerbeds, a small zoo, and a large walk-in aviary which is home to peacocks, pheasants, and other colorful species. There is also a garden of native medicinal plants and the small but attractive Natural and Agrarian Museum.
Address: Estrada de Seac Pai Van, Coloane Opening hours: 08:00 - 18:00