Hi, it’s Solyn. This is a short one, because there’s really only one thing to say about Macau Tower.
Go up after 7 PM.
We got up there just before 6:45 and left around 7:20, which meant we saw both versions of the view. They are not the same experience.
Here’s what eighteen minutes does
These are from 6:45.
Grey haze, grey water, grey buildings. It’s a view, technically.
Then the light goes.
Same window, eighteen minutes later. The first of those night shots is timestamped 7:03. It turns over that fast.
The problem with that advice
The observation deck closes at 8 PM.
So the window where this view is worth the ticket is roughly 7:00 to 8:00 — one hour, and that’s it. Turn up at 6 and you’ll be looking at grey. Turn up at 8 and you won’t get in.
Plan the rest of your evening around that hour, not the other way round.
(That’s the summer picture, when the light holds late. Sunset comes earlier in winter, so the good window starts earlier too.)
What’s actually up there
Admission is MOP 208 for adults, MOP 138 for children aged 3–11 and for over-65s, free for under-3s. We booked online in advance and got it slightly cheaper, which took a minute and is worth doing.
That gets you Level 58, the observation lounge at 223 metres, and Level 61, the adventure deck. The tower itself is 338 metres to the spire and opened in 2001.
Be warned: the indoor space is smaller than you’d expect. It’s a ring around the tower, not a hall.
The other half of the building is AJ Hackett’s Skypark — the 233-metre bungy, which holds the record as the world’s highest, and a skywalk around the outside rim.
We didn’t jump. For the record, the bungy is MOP 3,988 and the skywalk MOP 788, and both include observation deck entry.
We did watch someone else go. There’s a camera feed set up so the rest of the deck can watch the drop, which is either generous or cruel depending on where you’re standing.
Getting there
The shuttle bus, again. There’s a free shuttle from Artyzen Grand Lapa to Macau Tower, and we caught it back to the hotel from the same stop.
If you’ve read the other Macau posts here, you’ll notice a pattern: we barely paid for transport all trip. The hotel shuttles cover most of it.
- The night view is the whole thing, and it delivers once the lights come on.
- Booking online is cheaper, and it takes a minute.
- Free shuttle from Artyzen Grand Lapa, both directions.
- You can watch the bungy on the camera feed without paying MOP 3,988 for the privilege.
- The one-hour window. Closes at 8, and before 7 it’s grey. That’s tight.
- The indoor deck is cramped, more corridor than lounge.
- Glass reflections make clean photos hard. Get the lens close to the glass.
- Admission: MOP 208 adult, MOP 138 child (3–11) and senior (65+), under-3s free. Cheaper booked online.
- Hours: 10 AM to 8 PM.
- Best time: 7 PM onward in summer. Earlier in winter, when sunset is earlier.
- What’s included: Level 58 observation lounge (223 m) and Level 61 adventure deck.
- Bungy: MOP 3,988, 233 metres, the world’s highest. Skywalk MOP 788. Both include deck entry.
- Getting there: Free shuttle from Artyzen Grand Lapa, both directions.
Would I come back?
For the view at the right hour, yes.
But I’ll be straight about what this is. If you’re not jumping off it, Macau Tower is a place you go to look at the night view. That’s the visit. Half an hour of grey, then one very good hour.
Time it properly and it’s worth the ticket. Time it badly and you’ve paid MOP 208 to look at haze.
— Solyn