Venetian

Macau


Said to be one of the 10 largest buildings in the world, the Venetian is 980,000 sq metres of what might be described as Casino Gothic architecture, packed to the gills with busloads of goggle-eyed tourists. Features include some 3000 hotel suites, a full-sized arena, an on-site medical and plastic surgery clinic and more than 46,000 sq metres of gaming floor.

Its centrepiece is the Grand Canal Shoppes, an indoor mall surrounding three enormous curved canals, where gondoliers push boats of tourists through pool-blue waters while singing opera. The ceiling is painted and lit to resemble the sky at dusk, the shops are housed behind Venetian-style facades, and wandering magicians dressed like carnival revellers entertain the crowds. Surreal.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Macau attractions

1. Church of Our Lady of Carmel

0.3 MILES

Built in 1885, this lovely yellow neoclassical church stands on a hill overlooking the harbour, scenic Taipa Village and the pastel-coloured Taipa Houses…

2. Taipa Houses-Museum

0.31 MILES

Before being converted into a museum, the pastel-coloured villas (c 1921) here were the summer residences of wealthy Macanese. The Macanese Living Museum…

3. Taipa Village Art Space

0.35 MILES

A new art space in Taipa Village offering screenings and exhibitions related to Macau or Portugal. See their Facebook page for upcoming shows. Recent…

4. Museum of Taipa & Coloane History

0.37 MILES

This museum that used to be a 19th century municipal building has a display of excavated relics and other artefacts on the 1st floor. Religious objects,…

5. Taipa Village

0.38 MILES

The historical part of Taipa is best preserved in this village in the south of the district. An intricate warren of alleys holds traditional Chinese shops…

6. Pak Tai Temple

0.4 MILES

Pak Tai Temple sits quietly in a breezy square framed by old banyan trees. It is dedicated to a martial deity, the Taoist God ('Tai') of the North ('Pak')…

7. MGM Cotai

0.51 MILES

In the MGM Cotai's atrium, the walls are hung with LED screens showing razor-sharp images of landscapes from all over the world. These are interspersed…

8. Pou Tai Temple

1 MILES

A picturesque monastery founded in the 19th century by Buddhist monks, Pou Tai is the most important Pure Land Buddhism or Amidism site in Macau. There's…