Ruins of St Paul’s

The Ruins of St Paul’s are Macau’s symbol: the towering stone façade of the Church of Mother of God, built by Jesuits in the early 1600s and destroyed by fire in 1835. Its carvings mix Christian imagery with Chinese and Japanese motifs, a reminder of more than four centuries of Portuguese presence.

The ruins are part of the Historic Centre of Macao, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the top of the grand staircase, cobbled lanes lead down past shops selling almond biscuits and egg tarts to Senado Square, with its wave-patterned paving and pastel colonial buildings, and up to the old Monte Fort.

Macau is about an hour by fast ferry from Hong Kong, or a coach ride across the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge. Visit in the morning, before the tour groups arrive.