Ilha da Taipa Island

Address: Taipa (Ilha da Taipa), Macau

Ilha da Taipa, commonly called Taipa, is one of the main islands of Macao and forms part of the territory’s urban and leisure area. The island combines a historic village core with modern infrastructure and is administratively in the Nossa Senhora do Carmo parish.

Key points of interest include the historic Taipa Village with temples and traditional shops and the Taipa Houses-Museum, a row of restored colonial villas illustrating Macao’s Portuguese-era domestic architecture. The island also hosts Macau International Airport on reclaimed land and is linked by reclamation to Coloane to form the Cotai district, which contains large resort developments.

Taipa evolved from a fishing and rural community into a mixed urban area through 20th and 21st century development and land reclamation. The island lies immediately south of the Macau Peninsula and is connected by bridges and road links to the rest of Macao.

• Connections: The island is connected to the Macau Peninsula by bridges and to Coloane by a reclaimed land corridor called Cotai, forming the modern land area of Macao.
• Character: Taipa combines preserved Portuguese colonial architecture and narrow village streets with modern infrastructure including the international airport and casino developments on adjacent reclaimed land.

What to See#

• Taipa Village: Taipa Village is the island’s historic core with narrow streets, traditional shops, temples and Cantonese and Macanese eateries, reflecting Portuguese and Chinese cultural influences.
• Taipa Houses-Museum: Taipa Houses-Museum comprises a row of restored Portuguese colonial villas converted into small museum spaces that illustrate Macao’s 20th century domestic architecture.
• Macau International Airport: Macau International Airport lies on the island’s eastern shore on reclaimed land and provides the territory’s main air connection to mainland China and beyond.
• Cotai area: The Cotai reclamation links Taipa with Coloane and hosts large integrated resort developments and entertainment districts on the reclaimed land known as Cotai.

Ilha da Taipa is one of the main islands of Macau and is directly served by Macau International Airport (located on Taipa). Taipa is connected to the Macau Peninsula and Cotai by road bridges, and local taxis and public buses run between the ferry terminals, the airport and Taipa’s main areas. If arriving by ferry to Macau peninsula, take a taxi or a cross-harbour bus/bridge route to Taipa; the airport is immediately adjacent to much of Taipa.

• Timing an evening visit to Taipa Village lets you combine the Rua da Cunha street-food scene with quieter daytime exploration of the village's narrow lanes and colonial houses.
• Arrive to Taipa via the island's main access points (Taipa Ferry Terminal or the Macau-Taipa bridges) and then head into the old village rather than staying on the larger Cotai Strip; the village lanes and small temples are the parts many tourists miss.
• If you plan to visit Taipa Houses-Museum or other small sites, check opening times in advance-these attractions are compact and often take under an hour, so you can combine them with food and a short stroll.