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Monte Fort in Macau
Monte Fort in Macau Facts
Fortaleza do Monte (Portuguese for Mount Fortress, also Monte Forte; officially Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora do Monte de São Paulo, in English: Fortress of Our Lady of the Mount of St. Paul) is a fort in Santo António in Macau SAR, China. It is the historical military centre of Macau. The Fortaleza forms part of the "Historic Centre of Macau" and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Chinese Name: 澳门大炮台
Type: Monte Forts
Address: Off Estrada do Repouso, Macau, China.
Best Seasons: Autumn
Recommended Visiting Hours: about 1-2 hours
Opening Hours: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Ticket: Free
Why is Monte Fort in Macau So Special?
- Monte Fort stands out as the best preserved and large European construction of its age in East Asia. It is ranked 12 on TripAdvisor Things to Do in 2016. In it is the Macau Museum, Macau’s best museum, that is interesting and quite popular in its own right.
- Originally built in 1616 AD, Monte Fort is one of China’s oldest Western-style forts.
Brief Introduction of Monte Fort in Macau
Monte Fort is an ancient monte forte in Macau, one of the part of China’s oldest Western-style fort buildings. Built in the 16th century by the Jesuits and later used as a center base of gravity of the military defense facilities in old times, and now it is part of the Historic Center of Macau and one of main attractions in Macau. Macau Fortaleza do Monte is located in the side of the Ruins of St. Paul. Around the forte, there is giant steel gun which has lost its military role but become testimony of Macau’s old relics and history.
Monte Fort is an almost-400-year-old, 100-by-100-meter stone fort, with superb sunset and casino views from the top. Together with Macau Museum inside, Monte Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is generally considered the premier historical attraction for tourists in Macau. The top battlements on the 9-meter-high walls are a great place to see the shimmering casino lights of mainland Macau and the colors of sunset. If the weather is right, the scenery is quite beautiful at dusk.
History of Monte Fort in Macau
Monte Fort was built by the Jesuits between 1617 and 1626. Walls enclosed quarters for soldiers and storehouses. Large cannons were set along the top battlements.
The fort was designed to survive a two-year siege, but the cannons were used in battle only twice. It is said that a miraculous shot fired accidentally by a monk hit a Dutch ammunition ship. The resulting explosions damaged the nearly victorious Dutch fleet so badly that they retreated.
It remained a military base until 1965 when a weather station was built there. The weather station building was removed by the then Macau Government between 1996 and 1998 and replaced with today’s Macau Museum.
Suggested Scenic Walk to the Monte Fort
The fort, the remains of St. Paul’s, and the Senado Square are part of the Historic Center of Macau UNESCO World Heritage site.
Heritage walk: You could take a half-kilometer walk from Largo do Senado Square on San Ma Lo Street and see the main attractions of the World Heritage sites during your walk and the local scenery, and you could visit the tourist shops along the way.
Walk east 50 meters from the front of Saint Dominic’s Church, and turn left at the first corner. Walk north 100 meters, and you’ll reach a narrower road called the Rua de San Paulo. Follow that northwards about 250 meters, and you’ll reach the Commercial and Tourist Center building. St. Paul’s is behind it.
See the remains of St. Paul’s Cathedral (1627), and then walk up all the stairs to the top or take the escalator to the museum.
Best Seasons to Visit Macau
The best time to visit Macau is the autumn season started from October to December, this period boasts most fine days without rain and typhoon.
- Spring in Macau (March – May) is a typical oceanic monsoon climate with mild March, Rainy April and humid May. It rains a lot, making May the wettest month of the year. The changeable weather in spring will cause few sunny days while few rainy days later. Umbrella is necessary in this seaon. Clothes to pack – A light sweater and a light coat are generally enough, but if it gets hot you’ll need summer clothing such as a T-shirt.
- Summer in Macau (June – August) is generally high temperature, humid climate with summer showers, typhoons and thunderstorms occasionally.
Clothes to pack – cummer clothes such as T-Shirts and shorts.Swimming in the sea and have a leisure day on the beaches can be recommended activities in Macau.
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Autumn in Macau (September – December) is the best time to travel to Macau. Bright sky and cool temperature with rare typhoon weather makes tourists have a joyful Macau tour in this period.Clothes to pack – besides summer clothes such as T-Shirt and shorts a sweater for evenings is needed especially towards the end of the autumn.
- Winter in Macau (Jan to February) is not a harsh cold season. Snow is unheard of in Macau and frost occurs only one once or twice a year.December is a peak travel time for Macau, and the 20th is an important day for people from Macau to return to the motherland. Many celebrations and activities fill this day. December is also a Christmas period so you also can get touch with the festival atmosphere there.
Clothes to pack – Sweaters, a light jacket or coat for evenings. Gloves and scarves are only needed by those particularly susceptible to the cold.
How to get to The Monte Fort
Travel with ChinaDragonTours (top recommended)
If you want to get out of the traffic and hassle of navigation, you can book a private tour package that includes visiting, dining and transfer from us. Our local guide and driver will escort you to Monte Fort in Macau in the fastest and most convenient way and take care of all the details. You just have to focus on the visiting.
Independent Traveler
You can easily walk to the Museum of Macau from either Senado Square, or from Luis de Camoes Garden and St. Anthony Church. You may take Bus No.10, 11, 21A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8A, 26A, 33 to Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro Station, then walk through Senado Square to get there.
Useful Travel Tips
- Shopping Around
It is said that Macau can enjoy the best shopping fun in the Asia Pacific region, because the goods here are not only various, but also cheaper than some neighboring regions. Jewelry, Chinese antiques, porcelain, electronic products and other goods are very affordable, you can buy some back. - Food
Many local cake shops sell a variety of delicious sweets and cakes.The most famous and special pastries are Almond Cake, Omelet, Sweetheart Cake, Portuguese Egg Tart, most coffee shops and bakery have.
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Macau Museum|
An integral part of the fort is the government supported Macau Museum that is the official museum about Macau’s history and present development. Three floors of exhibits that are divided by time periods afford a place that both adults and children can enjoy for about an hour or so. It sits in the grassy park on top of the fort. There is an escalator that can take you to the museum. You’ll see it as you walk the path up.