It was love at first sight for me the first time I had the chance to go to Macau.  I can still remember my anticipation and excitement as my plane sashayed along the runaway upon touchdown before it came to a complete stop about a kilometer away from the main airport terminal.  One of the things that must be done whenever you find yourself in a new country is to visit the Visitors’ Center at the airport or at the ferry terminal.  You can get copies of maps,  information materials, promotional booklets or coupons, and visitors’ welcome kits among others when you drop by the Visitors’ Center. If you don’t have a place to stay yet, you can also inquire at the center and they would be glad to suggest several hotels like the Hotel Sintra Macau.

Over the years, these forts evolved into tourist attractions not only because of what they symbolize in Macau’s colorful history but because of their interesting architecture and traditional designs.  These forts are also usually located near museums, churches and even some gardens which make them accessible to tourists.

Here are some remarkable fortresses in Macau that you can include in your itineraries:

BARRA FORT – The Barra Fort was built in the 1600s and is located at the end of the peninsula of Macau and is now a small community in the city.  During the 1700s, the chapel of St. James, was built also within this small town.

Visitors of the Barra Fort would immediately notice the cold proud granite walls that reach up to around thirty feet in height. There are about four cannons and about a dozen of the smaller cannons. Another tourist attraction of the Barra Fort would have to be the water reservoir that can hold 3, 000 tons of water.

GUIA FORTRESS – The Guia Fortress was built with the primary responsibility of protecting Macau from attacks that will be coming from the sea.  In order to better serve this purpose, this fort was designed to be an observation deck that allows a 360-degree picturesque view of nearby islands and of the ocean.  Tourists who would like to see the Guia Fortress would have to go to Guia Hill which, at 300 feet above sea level, is considered the highest of  the seven hills that one will find in Macau.

Other tourist attractions that one can find here include the Our Lady of Guia Chapel, the barracks, the house of the commander, and the Guia Lighthouse.  This light that emanates from this lighthouse can reach up to twenty miles. In addition to these attractions, the Guia Fortress is also enveloped with different legends.  The most famous of which is the legend of how the Lady of Guia left the chapel inside the Guia Fortress and held off enemy attacks by using her sacred robe as the shield during the time in 1622 when the Dutch tried to raid Macau.

MONG HA FORT – The Mong Ha Fort is considered the youngest of all the forts in Macau given that this was only built in 1866 to protect Macau during the height of conflict between European forces and the Chinese government.

Nowadays, the Mong Ha Fort is a favorite tourist attraction and visitors can go to Mong Ha Fort by going to Mong Ha Hill which can be found at Northern Macau.  There is also an exquisite park that is adorned with a lot of flowers and grass beds.

The Mong Ha Fort is now a hotel and training school of some Macau authorities.  There is also a superb restaurant that serves delectable Portuguese cuisines.

MOUNT FORTRESS – I think that this is the most visited of all the fortresses of Macau because of its strategic location on top of a hill next to the St. Paul Ruins.  Mount Fortress is also now included in the honorable list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Just like the other two previously mentioned fortresses, this fort was built around the 1600s during the height of the friction between the Portuguese and the Dutch.  Visitors of the Mount Fortress will get to see cannons of various sizes but based on historical data, these cannons were only used once.  Tourist attractions in the area also include a lovely park and the Macau Museum within the fort.  The Macau Museum gives visitors a glimpse of Macau’s multicolored history including the distinct differences between the Chinese and Portuguese cultures.

Mount Fortress is a favorite destination not only among tourists but also among locals.  When I visited Mount Fortress, I saw a lot of people who were there for an afternoon stroll, to walk their dogs, or to jog.

ST. FRANCISO BARRACKS – The attacks that were fired from the different cannons of St. Francisco Barracks protected the people of Macau during the peak of disagreement between the Portuguese and Dutch forces.  These barracks were constructed in 1629 on the very spot where the war cannons were placed to memorialize the time when the Portuguese won over the Dutch Navy forces.

The attention-grabbing pink colored walls currently serve as home to the Macau Police and Security Forces.  Visitors can go around the receiving area of the fort to view different items on display such as weapons, pictures and other relics.

During your visit to Macau, make sure that you spend some time to go down memory lane and learn more about Macau’s vibrant history by stopping by the different fortresses.   These forts represent the beginnings of the merging of various traditions and formation of the rich culture that can now be experienced by all of Macau’s visitors today.

Posted in Attractions, Macau

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