Forbes Conrad for The New York Times
The Taipa Houses Museum offers a window onto the affluent colonial era.
LIKE an unabashed exhibitionist, Macau can't help itself. This former Portuguese colony perpetually flaunts its frenetic side. Bungee jumpers diving from the 61st floor of a gleaming tower. Surfers hanging 10 in a rooftop wave pool. Dragons materializing in surreal fog during dazzling multimedia shows. And let's not forget the gambling and gaming that saturates Macau's 35 casinos, including the Sands Cotai Central, a resort complex that opened earlier this year. But don't let the sensory overload eclipse a more serene, sophisticated side that's defined by lush landscapes, art galleries, avant-garde design shops and low-key bars.
Friday
3 p.m.
1. SCENIC ENCLAVE
Most visitors snap a photo of the wavy black-and-white stone paving of Senado Square, a pedestrian plaza that's the symbolic heart of the peninsula, and move on. Instead, walk into the neo-Classical Leal Senado, a k a IACM Building (Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro 163; 853-2833-7676) where a granite staircase leads to a hidden courtyard garden. Portuguese tiles (azulejos), ivy-covered walls and blooming flowers all make this an oasis of tranquillity.
4 p.m.
2. HANDBAGS AND TILES
Once a home for unmarried women known as the "Old Ladies' House," the Albergue SCM (Calçada da Igreja de São Lázaro 8; 853-2852-2550; facebook.com/albergue.scm) is a complex of Mediterranean-style villas surrounding a shady courtyard that holds fashion, art and architecture shows, workshops and exhibitions. It is also the setting where the Portuguese design team Clara Brita and Manuel Correia da Silva dream up innovative handbags, clothing, lighting fixtures and furniture to sell at their atelier-shop, Lines Lab (853-2852-3869; lineslab.com). Next door, the Portuguese Corner Shop (853-2856-2708; merceariaportuguesa.com) specializes in traditional Portuguese goods, including filigree jewelry (up to 890 patacas, or about $115 at 7.68 patacas to the dollar) and hand-painted tiles (up to 140 patacas).
7 p.m.
3. PIZZA IN MACAU?
You don't travel to Macau for just any slice of pizza. But Antica Trattoria da Isa (Avenida Sir Anders Ljungstedt 40-46; 853-2875-5102), a family-owned Italian restaurant, entices with its rustic charm (hanging garlic cloves, antique clocks and other collectibles) and pizza topped with Portuguese sausage. Exotic specials may include wild boar pappardelle and tripe Bolognese style. Dinner for two without wine: 138 patacas.
9 p.m.
4. SWING, JAZZ, WINE
Macau Soul (Rua de São Paulo 31A; 853-2836-5182; macausoul.com) is an antidote to the peninsula's glare and glitter. Down the hill from the ruins of St. Paul's Church, Macau's famous landmark, this cozy wine bar-lounge is bedecked with personal touches: framed paintings, photos and Asian ceramics that the somewhat eccentric owners, a British expat couple, David and Jacky Higgins, have amassed. Settle in and listen to an eclectic selection of music, sometimes live, from swing to jazz, while sipping one of the more than 400 Portuguese labels, including fine balanced reds from the Alentejo region.
Saturday
9 a.m.
5. A SALUBRIOUS STROLL
Do as the locals do and head to the spacious Camões Garden (Praça Luís de Camões), one of Macau's oldest parks. Named for the great Portuguese national poet, this boulder-studded expanse is blanketed with immense ficus and other century-old trees, and attracts a wide swath of citizens, from tai chi practitioners to local elders who, rather than walking their dogs, stroll while carrying their pet songbirds in ornate wooden cages. Take off your shoes and walk across the pebbly reflexology path.
10 a.m.
6. STEEP JOG
Most people hop on the speedy cable car to the top of Guia Hill with its 17th-century fort (Estrada do Engenheiro Trigo; 853-8394-3703); the city views can't be beat. But what's the rush? Instead, lace up your sneakers for a steep walk or jog up. Check out the nearby lighthouse (said to be the oldest on China's coast) and a small chapel with faded biblical and Chinese-themed frescoes. Then descend a bit to the 1.2-mile pedestrian path, though you might not want to follow the example of local runners who jog without shoes.
1 p.m.
7. BITES AND BIRDS
Rua do Cunha, known as the Food Street, on Taipa Island is the place to go to sate your afternoon appetite. Along this pedestrian lane, sample the almond biscuits, a local favorite, and paper-thin strips of myriad jerkies, spicy chicken and wild boar among them. Then head to Casa do António (Rua dos Negociantes 7; 853-2882-7892), a coffee shop that the gregarious chef António Coelho opened (he helms another restaurant, António, across the street). His Portuguese egg tarts are made using a traditional recipe (12 patacas). Wander over to the Taipa Houses Museum (Avenida da Praia; 853-2882-7103; housesmuseum.iacm.gov.mo; admission, 5 patacas), a set of green-and-white-painted villas that offer a window onto the affluent colonial era. Don't miss the exquisitely handcrafted rosewood desk in the study of the Macanese House. In this setting, beside a tranquil, waterlily-coated wetland, you may spot egrets and spoonbills.
4 p.m.
8. ART ESCAPE
Glimpse Macau's contemporary art scene at the Tap Seac Gallery (Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida 95; 853-839-96699; macauart.net/TS/indexe.asp). It's housed in a historic neo-Classical building decked out with arched doorways and wooden shutters. Here, both local and international artists of all stripes, from avant-garde sculptors to abstract painters, display their oeuvre in a sun-washed space.
7 p.m.
9. PIG'S EAR, ANYONE?
Despite its unremarkable facade, A Petisqueira (Rua de São João 15; 853-2882-5354) is a standout with flavorful Portuguese dishes and friendly service. The homey restaurant with checkered tablecloths and Portuguese knickknacks packs diners in (reservations are necessary). The menu is heavy on market-fresh seafood. Fried clams and grilled boar loin are noteworthy, as is the pig's ear salad. Dinner for two without wine: 488 patacas.
10 p.m.
10. ROMANCE ON THE ROCKS
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