Family travel
Macau with kids.
Updated 29 September 2026
Pools, shows, egg tarts and a tower you can walk around the outside of. Macau is one of Asia's easier cities to do with children in tow, and you never need to go near a casino. Here is how to plan it.
Key facts
- Why it works
- The Cotai resorts are built for families: pools, shows, malls and attractions, most open to non-guests.
- Where to base
- Cotai for the full resort setup; the Peninsula for walkable sightseeing. See the hotels guide.
- Getting around
- Free resort shuttles, the light rail on Taipa and Cotai, cheap metered taxis.
- When to go
- October to December: mild and dry. May to September is hot, humid and typhoon season.
The case
Why Macau works with kids
Macau's reputation is all casinos, but the visitor experience is mostly something else: a compact territory (33 km²) where a UNESCO-listed old town sits twenty minutes from a strip of mega-resorts that were designed with families in mind. Pools, shows, gondola rides, a half-scale Eiffel Tower, a digital-art museum: the resorts compete for family attention, and most of their public areas are open to non-guests.
The practical side helps too. English is spoken in hotels, resorts and tourist areas. Hong Kong dollars are accepted everywhere at roughly 1:1, so there is no currency to explain. And Macau is one of the safest cities in Asia for visitors, which matters when you are herding small people through unfamiliar streets. See the practical guide for the details.
The sights
What kids actually enjoy
Ruins of St. Paul's, early. Go first thing in the morning to beat the crowds, then walk down through the old lanes. The grand staircase is made for sitting on, and the facade photographs well. Free and always open.
Senado Square. The wave-patterned square is fun to run across, and the lanes off it (Rua dos Ervanários, Rua da Felicidade) are made for wandering and snacking.
A-Ma Temple. Incense, moon gates and banyan trees on the hillside above the harbour. It is a working temple, so visit respectfully, and note the steps: this one is harder with a stroller.
Macau Tower observation decks. The 338-metre tower's decks are open daily, with the city spread out below. (The bungy jump and Skywalk are for older teens and adults, not small children.)
teamLab SuperNature. 5,000 square metres of interactive light installations inside The Venetian. A permanent exhibition, and the standout rainy-day or evening option for kids of any age.
The Cotai resorts, on foot. The Venetian's canals and gondolas, the Parisian's Eiffel Tower, the Londoner's Big Ben, Wynn Palace's Performance Lake, the Galaxy's diamond lobby show. The Strip comes alive in the evening, and you do not need to gamble to enjoy any of it.
See the attractions guide for the full list, and day trips for Taipa Village and Coloane's beaches.
Logistics
Strollers, naps and getting around
Cotai is stroller territory. The resorts are flat, air-conditioned and mall-like, connected by free shuttles that anyone can ride, and the light rail runs through Taipa and Cotai. This is the easy half of Macau with small children.
The old town is not. Cobblestones, hills and steps around the Ruins and A-Ma Temple make the Peninsula harder with a stroller. A carrier works better for babies; older kids will manage on foot. Taxis are metered and cheap for the in-between bits: have your destination written in Chinese.
Plan around the heat. From May to September Macau is hot and humid, with typhoon season in the mix. Sightsee in the morning, take a midday break (pool, nap, teamLab), and come back out in the evening. October to December is the sweet spot: mild, dry and comfortable.
Where to base. Cotai suits most families: everything on site, pools and kids' facilities, shuttles to the ferry terminals and airport. The Peninsula suits families focused on sightseeing, with the historic centre walkable from the door. Taipa and Coloane are quieter, 10 to 15 minutes from Cotai. See the hotels guide, honestly compared.
Food
Eating with kids
Macau is an easy city to feed children in. Taipa Village's food streets, around Rua do Cunha, pack Macanese, Portuguese and Cantonese into a few walkable blocks: graze rather than committing to one long lunch. Lord Stow's Bakery in Coloane is home of the legendary Portuguese egg tart, warm from the oven. Fernando's, also in Coloane, does the classic Portuguese meal in a relaxed village setting.
For picky eaters, the hotel buffets are the pragmatic answer: seventeen of Macau's hotel dining rooms sell bookable tickets online, and a buffet lets everyone eat what they want. See our buffet ticket guide, session by session. The dining guide covers the rest, from Michelin stars to egg tarts.
Plans
Two ready-made plans
A 2-day family itinerary: old town on day one, Cotai on day two, with pacing notes for mornings, midday breaks and evenings. And if you are visiting in November, taking kids to the Macau Grand Prix: where to sit, ear protection, and what to do when they need a break from the noise.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is Macau a good destination for kids?
Yes. The Cotai resorts are built around families (pools, shows, malls and attractions open to non-guests), the historic centre is compact and walkable, and teamLab SuperNature covers rainy days. You never need to set foot in a casino.
Where should families stay in Macau?
The Cotai Strip for most families: big resorts with pools, kids' facilities and free shuttles. The Peninsula for sightseeing-focused trips, with the old town walkable from the hotel. Hotels, honestly compared.
What do kids do in Macau on a rainy day?
teamLab SuperNature at The Venetian: 5,000 square metres of interactive digital art, a permanent exhibition. The Cotai resorts' malls and indoor attractions are the backup.
Is Macau easy with a stroller?
On Cotai, yes: flat resorts, free shuttles and the light rail. The old town is harder: cobblestones, hills and steps. Use a carrier for babies there, and cheap metered taxis between areas.