Macau For Children
With its heavy emphasis on casinos, shopping, nightlife and history, Macau isn’t the best place to visit if you’re on the road with little ones. There’s no Disneyland or similar type of large scale attraction designed specifically for them, so I don’t know how much they’ll like the city, if at all.
At the same time however, the local government is working hard to make Macau a more well rounded tourist destination for people of all ages, children included.
Here are a few places that they should enjoy visiting.
Macau Children Activities: The Cotai Strip
The biggest reason Macau is becoming much more family friendly is because of the monster hotels on the Cotai Strip. Almost every large hotel there offers a special Kids Zone play area for children aged 2 to 15.
Basically one large interactive playground, activities include arcade games, racing slides, climbing facilities, air cannons, costume play, drawing and craft work.
Here’s a chart listing prices for both children and their parents. Please note that the rate for the Kids Club at Galaxy is for 3 hours and not 2, while there is no time limit at the Warner Bros Fun Zone.
As for individual hotels and what they offer, the Venetian holds frequent exhibitions, some of which may appeal to children, such as Ice World, which was close to becoming an annual event.
Across the street at the City of Dreams, the House of Dancing Water has been wowing audiences of all ages since 2010, while its sister hotel, Studio City, is party central for little ones, featuring the figure 8 Ferris Wheel Golden Reel, 4D Dark Knight Batman Ride, and cutting edge VR fun at Legend Heroes Park.
And of course after the Parisian opened in 2016, Macau now has an Eiffel Tower too.
The best place to stay at if you have kids is one of the hotels at the Galaxy, since it allows access to the Grand Resort Deck, a 75,000 square meter water amusement park rocking river rides, wave pools, waterslides, rapids and Macau’s largest aquatic zone for children. Guests staying across the road at Broadway can sometimes use the Grand Resort Deck too, depending on the time of year and if there’s a special on.
Macau Children Activities: Legend Heroes Park
A step up in fun from the Kids Zones by about a factor of five, Legend Heroes Park at Studio City is a new attraction that children (and adults) of all ages should enjoy. In addition to traditional arcade style games it incorporates a heavy dose of VR, with Projection Mapping, Holograms, Motion Tracking, and Sportainment all available.
Prices are excellent too, especially if you come in a larger group of 3 or 4 people. The more, the merrier!
2 Hours
4 Hours
Legend Park is open from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm daily, with only Mondays off.
Macau Children Activities: Planet J
Located at Sands Cotai on the Cotai Strip, Planet J is marketed as an interactive theme park, the first of its kind in the world. Designed for children aged 5 to 14, visitors move from station to station completing different quests and journeys, with the aid of a magic scroll (iPad).
Reviews are mixed, with most praising the concept, costumes and layout, but criticizing how boring the tasks and games are. Staff seemed to admit as much to me, saying they’re always looking for ways to improve and make Planet J a better experience for children.
I don’t know if it’s worth it or not, but a Day Pass costs $460 and allows unlimited usage of the Magic Scroll and access to the VR Games.
Macau Children Activities: Angry Birds Play Center
Somewhat surprisingly, the only hotel on the old Peninsula with a Kids Zone is the Sofitel Macau.
Best suited for children aged 5 to 10, the Play Center features castle mazes, racing cars, ball pits, slides, and inflatable trampolines.
Prices are very good too, especially if you go for the Day Pass.
Located on the 3rd floor, hours are from 10:30 am to 8:00 pm daily.
Macau Children Activities: The Pandas at Saec Van Park
Macau’s Giant Panda Pavilion is located inside Saec Van Park, a little ways south of the Cotai Strip.
Home to two Giant Pandas, two baby pandas, and two red pandas, the best time to go is right when it opens at 10 am, to catch them eating breakfast. (The baby pandas can only be viewed on Sundays from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm.)
Children 12 and under and seniors 65 and above get in for free, while everyone else has to pay $10. The money from ticket sales is used to promote panda conservation worldwide.
Several buses service Saec Van Park including the 15, 21A, 25, 26 and 26A.
Hours are from 10 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 5 pm. The Giant Panda Pavilion is closed on Mondays.
For more information, please follow the link to the Giant Panda Pavilion website.
Macau Children Activities: The Science Centre
Perhaps a good two hour diversion, Macau’s Science Center is a hit with children of all ages, mixing fun with science in exhibits that include robotics, eco conservation, food science and space.
Even younger visitors aged 3 to 8 should have a blast in the Children Science and Fun Science Galleries, two themed playgrounds made just for them.
The Science Center is also home to a Planetarium with a huge tilted dome screen that explores the mysteries of the cosmos in both 2D and 3D.
Located behind the Sands Macao, many buses frequent the Science Center including the 3A, 8, 10A and 12.
Hours are from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm daily except on Thursdays when it’s closed. Tickets cost $25 for adults and $15 for children under 11.
For more information about the Science Center, please follow the link to Trip Report III.
Macau Children Activities: Communications Museum
The Communications Museum isn’t the first place I’d go to on this list, mostly because it’s so hard to get to, located up by the Reservoir and the Islamic Mosque and Cemetery. If you make the effort however, children aged 7 to 12 should get a kick out of making their own stamps, postcards and playing with the Flight Simulator.
They also might enjoy looking at all of the outdated technology and equipment that were cutting edge in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 00’s.
Extremely affordable, tickets are only $10 for adults and $5 for students.
For more information about the Communications Museum, please have a look at Trip Report III.
Hours: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, Closed on Monday How to Get There: Bus #18
Macau Children Activities: Future Bright Amusement Park
Future Bright Amusement Park is geared mostly toward local families, but if your kids love arcade games, bowling and ice skating, then it might be worth visiting for an hour or two.
Only $55 to ice skate and between $22 and $30 to bowl, the price is certainly right and there’s also a McDonalds on the premises when it’s time to refuel.
Located around the corner from the Protestant Cemetery in the direction of Kiang Wu Hospital, just be on the lookout for the McDonald’s sign and you’re there.
Address: Praca Luis de Camoes Hours: 10:00 am to 10:30 pm (ice rink)
10:00 am to 11:00 pm (arcade)
10:00 am to 1:00 am (bowling alley)
Macau Children Activities: Macau Tower
Granted, Macau Tower is included on my list of Overrated Attractions, but it might not be a bad place to take children. The Observation Deck on the 58th Floor is 223 meters above ground level, and affords fantastic 360 degree views of Macau, Taipa, and mainland China (at least when the weather co-operates.)
Tickets are $135 for adults and $70 for children aged 3 to 11.
A number of buses service the tower, including the 9A, 18, 23, 26, 32 and MT4.
Hours: 10:00 am to 9:00 pm (Monday to Friday) 9:00 am to 9:00 pm (Saturday and Sunday)