[Family Travel]A 4-Day, 3-Night Macau Itinerary for Families – Fun Trip Recommendations

If you've already taken your kids to nearby destinations like Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, and South Korea, why not consider “Macau” for your next family trip?

If your kids aren’t into sightseeing, aren't into hipster culture, don’t care much about food, and keep asking, “Mom, what’s there to do here?” — and especially if they hate waiting in line for 1–2 hours just to play a game — then check out this Macau family itinerary we’re sharing with you today.

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ANN’s colleague Emily traveled to Macau with her kids and came back raving about the trip. We were all amazed that they managed to spend four whole days in Macau before she even left. But after reading her travelogue, I’m seriously considering going back to Macau myself.

Emily: It was just our family (with kids aged 6 and 8), and we didn’t feel rushed at all. We took our time and had activities planned for the kids every day.

11:20 Arrive in Macau → Check in at Kyoto Hotel (main island, good location but smoky) → Walk about 3 minutes to Chan Guang Kee Restaurant for lunch (black pepper roast goose) → Take Uber to The Venetian – ride a gondola → Cross the overpass to Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central at 16:00 for the “DreamWorks Live” parade → (Main island) Dinner at Zyuzhou Porridge Noodle Shop at Grand Lisboa → Walk back to Kyoto Hotel → Kids go to bed around 10:30
(If you have time, consider walking to Wynn Macau to watch the free show and water dance before returning to Kyoto Hotel)

9:30 Breakfast at Cheng Kei Porridge Shop (about 6-minute walk from Kyoto Hotel) → After breakfast, cross the street to explore the area around Senado Square, Cathedral, and Rosemary Church → Lunch at Yeng Kei Market Food Centre – Zi Kei Beef Offal → Take Uber to the Macau Grand Prix Museum → Take Uber to nearby Macau Science Center → Take Uber back to Senado Square area for dinner at Restaurante ESCADA (Portuguese cuisine) → Enjoy Christmas night views at Senado Square → Walk back to Kyoto Hotel → Kids go to bed around 10:30
9:30 Breakfast at Nam Yue (recommended by Uber driver) → (Main island) Buy Margaret’s Egg Tarts → Lunch at 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana at Grand Lisboa (Michelin three-star) → Walk back to Kyoto Hotel to pick up luggage → Take Uber to The Ritz-Carlton, Macau for check-in → 15:30 Depart on foot to Galaxy Hotel and take shuttle to Studio City to see the 17:00 “The House of Dancing Water” show → Dinner at New York New York (Mexican cuisine) on the second floor of Studio City → Return to The Ritz-Carlton → Play in the super kid tent + enjoy large bathroom with jacuzzi + balloons + kids drawing activities → Kids don’t sleep until around 12:00

9:30 Breakfast at Nam Yue | Recommended by Uber driver → (Main island) Buy Margaret’s Egg Tarts → Lunch at 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana at Grand Lisboa (Michelin three-star) → Walk back to Kyoto Hotel to pick up luggage → Take Uber to The Ritz-Carlton, Macau for check-in → 15:30 Depart on foot to Galaxy Hotel and take shuttle to Studio City to see the 17:00 “The House of Dancing Water” show → Dinner at New York New York (Mexican cuisine) on the second floor of Studio City → Return to The Ritz-Carlton → Play in the super kid tent + enjoy large bathroom with jacuzzi + balloons + kids drawing activities → Kids don’t sleep until around 12:00

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10:30 Walk about 7 minutes from The Ritz-Carlton to breakfast at Tsui Wah Restaurant inside Galaxy Hotel → Walk about 5 minutes toward Taipa Old Town to explore Fortress Hill Street + visit Rua da Cunha + buy Lord Stow’s Egg Tarts + Lunch at Cheng Cheong Tau (water crab congee) → Take Uber to dessert spot Kafka (French pastries) → Take Uber to The Macau Studio City’s second floor – the Ferris wheel (transparent bottom, look down at the ground) → Walk to Warner Bros. Fun Zone on the third floor of Studio City and play for 2 hours (new equipment, minimal queues) → 5:15 Take Uber back to Galaxy Hotel for dinner at the food court → 18:20 Walk back to The Ritz-Carlton’s first floor – dessert at Ritz-Carlton Café → 19:00 Take The Ritz-Carlton’s private airport shuttle → 19:10 Arrive at airport → 20:40 Flight departure

On the first afternoon, head to The Venetian Hotel to ride a gondola. Book your tickets in advance on Klook. Since it's a canal set up inside a mall, the ride only lasts about ten minutes. We were hesitant at first, but a colleague said, “When are you next taking your kids to Italy to ride a gondola? If not anytime soon – then just spend a little and do it here!” The kids loved it. They waved to pedestrians and people on passing boats, and the gondolier even sang along the way. A really nice experience.

After the gondola ride, you’ll walk from The Venetian to Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central (connected by an overpass). At 4:00 PM, there’s a cartoon character parade featuring characters kids love (like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Madagascar) that lasts about ten minutes. They perform dances first, then the characters come around to hug or high-five as many kids as possible. Our kids got hugged by three characters — they were over the moon.

There are plenty of games for kids here. We arrived around 2:00 PM and stayed until almost 6:00 PM. We recommend coming after a meal since the only food option is McDonald’s.

We only bought the general admission tickets (without the 3D movie), because the venue is circular with sloped walkways. Once inside, remember to take the elevator to the 4th floor and explore from top to bottom. There are about a dozen zones, which makes it easier on the feet.

The play equipment here is quite new, with lots of interactive games (not just computer quizzes like in Taiwan, which kids don’t enjoy). Macau Science Center really has a lot of fun stuff to do, and the best part is that there’s rarely a queue — you can play non-stop.

Basketball zone.

Boat race (age settings apply).

Water pool exhibit.

Sound exhibit.

Children’s (kids-only) architect construction site exhibit.

When we were about to lose to the robot, we cheated by secretly taking two pieces — but the robot immediately called us out, saying, “You can’t take two pieces!” It’s pretty smart, huh? Bring your kids to challenge it too.

Gravity exhibit.

Space shuttle launch simulation. There’s also laser shooting, light signal reaction training, ball reflex games, bowling with motion sensors, and even mini motorcycle driving lessons... Sorry, we were having so much fun with the kids we forgot to take photos. Come and experience these with your little ones.

The tickets aren’t cheap — for two adults and two kids, we spent over 7,000 Taiwanese dollars. We booked the cheapest Zone C tickets, which were still fine; you can see the main performance area well enough.

Personally, I think it’s worth it. The stunts, moving stage equipment, and aerial stunts are really impressive. The kids were completely mesmerized, constantly exclaiming “Wow!” So definitely don’t miss it. (No photos allowed during the show, so here’s one of us in Zone C watching the central stage.)

Whether you catch the 5:00 PM or 8:00 PM show of “The House of Dancing Water,” we recommend checking out the New York New York (Mexican cuisine) in Studio City’s second-floor “Soho Zone.” It has family-friendly arcade games, a soccer table (free to play), a giant electronic pinball machine (also free), and possibly dart games.

Outside the store, there’s also a large children’s play area provided by the Sai Ao District. Kids have to follow the indicated movements to pass through the signboard—otherwise, they’ll bump into it. It’s really fun.

This time, when I bought tickets for The House of Dancing Water, I happened to catch a promotion: “Watch The House of Dancing Water and ride the Ferris wheel for free.” So on the afternoon of the fourth day, we went on the Ferris wheel. The equipment was brand new, the cabin had air conditioning, and there was even a transparent floor panel you could stand on to look down.

The ticket for two adults and two kids is 400 MOP (for two hours). If you’re sure you’ll go, it’s recommended to book tickets online in advance—it’s slightly cheaper. There are new game facilities inside. Although the venue isn’t very big, spending two hours here is quite enjoyable. And here’s the highlight again: no long queues, and you can keep playing over and over.

Characters from the Warner Bros. cartoon series.

There’s a rock-climbing activity.

Play laser tag with 3D glasses. Once inside, you’ll see several different scenes. The 3D glasses make it feel like bombs are flying at you. They also blow air at you. It’s dark inside, but not scary. Most people have probably played these games before, but here you can play nonstop without waiting in line.

The check-in lobby of The Ritz-Carlton isn’t on the first floor. As soon as you enter the hotel entrance, a staff member will guide you to take the elevator to the 51st floor. It’s really luxurious—I felt like a VIP, just sitting on a sofa while checking in. The staff even gave each of my two kids a booklet.

There’s an area in the middle that kids absolutely love because they can take as many candies and cookies as they want. When we entered the room, everyone went “Wow!” First, we saw two tents. I thought they were small play tents, but they were actually set up with mattresses, pillows, and little bathrobes for the kids to sleep on, along with kids’ slippers nearby. The living room also had lots of balloons—the kids were over the moon and started playing right away.

Moving further into the living room, there was a table with a plate of fruit, a chocolate cake, Christmas tree cupcakes, and a high-end glass box filled with candies. (The kids laughed happily again.)

Knowing it was our tenth wedding anniversary, they specially prepared a family photo, a card, and rose petals—it was so romantic.

The reason we booked this room was because of the luxurious marble bathroom. On the left is the toilet (of course, with a high-end bidet toilet that automatically opens and closes the lid), on the right is the rainfall shower, and in the middle is a large massage bathtub. The hotel thoughtfully scattered romantic rose petals around it.

The staff immediately asked our whole family to sit on the sofa, took photos for us using our phones, and also used their own phone to take pictures. When we returned from watching The House of Dancing Water, there was another surprise—the lobby, the cups we used, the bathroom we used, were all clean and tidy again. The photos we took in the living room that afternoon were arranged in our bedroom, along with a handwritten card from the staff. They really put a lot of thought into it.

Not only for adults, but they also offer customized services for kids. Based on the kids’ preferences, they provided a family photo and a children’s book for the kids, tailored according to the cartoon characters I mentioned my kids liked. It even had the kids’ own names on it—son RED and daughter JEAN.

The night view from the room at night—so beautiful. I’d love to come back in the summer too. Those blue lights are from the Galaxy Macau’s SkyPark, a huge water amusement area.

Finally, when we asked for flight information, the hotel staff immediately offered to arrange a private car for us. So it seems they do offer an airport transfer service.

All the services I enjoyed at The Ritz-Carlton were proactively offered by the hotel. If I have the chance next time, I’ll definitely choose this hotel again. They’re known for providing personalized services, so a tip for everyone: if there’s anything you’d like the hotel to provide, email them about it.

The taxi drivers weren’t very friendly and wouldn’t take us to nearby places, so we ended up using Uber (the app works in Taiwan and is available in Macau too). The drivers were much friendlier than taxi drivers, and the cars were newer.

We only exchanged Hong Kong dollars, and they accepted them. The exchange rate difference wasn’t a big deal since the amounts weren’t large.

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