How to Get Around Macau as a Day Tripper: Free Shuttles, Buses, the LRT and Taxis
If you are working out how to get around Macau as a day tripper, here is the short version: you will not need a car, a travel card or much money. Macau is small, the casino resorts run free shuttle buses, a public bus ride costs MOP6, and the light rail links the Taipa ferry terminal with Cotai and the peninsula. The trick is knowing which one suits which leg, because none of them covers everything on its own.
This guide assumes you have already crossed over. If you have not picked a ferry or the bridge bus yet, start with how to get from Hong Kong to Macau, then come back here.
The short answer: what to use for each leg
- Ferry terminal or border to a resort: the free casino shuttle.
- Around the old town: your feet. The historic centre is compact.
- Old town to Taipa or Cotai, or out to Coloane: a MOP6 public bus or a taxi.
- Across Taipa and Cotai, or to the Taipa ferry terminal: the LRT.
- Tired, late or carrying bags: a metered taxi, now bookable on Uber.
Free casino shuttles: the day tripper's best friend
Macau's big resorts run free shuttle buses from the airport, both ferry terminals, the border gates and the bridge port. They are free, and you do not need to gamble to ride them.
Galaxy Macau's own schedule is a good example of how far the network reaches: free buses to and from the Border Gate, the Taipa Ferry Terminal, the airport, the Hengqin Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge port, plus a link between Galaxy in Cotai and its StarWorld Hotel on the peninsula, which also connects to the Macau Ferry Terminal. On some of Galaxy's routes, buses leave every 5 to 15 minutes.
The catch is that shuttles go to resorts, not sights. They are perfect for the ferry-to-Cotai leg and for getting back to the terminal at the end of the day. For the Ruins of St Paul's or Coloane village, you will need a bus, a taxi or your feet.
Public buses: MOP6 a ride, and no change
Macau's Transport Bureau (DSAT) sets the standard bus fare at MOP6, wherever you ride. Children up to one metre tall travel free with an adult. Express routes, the ones with an X in the number, can charge more when you pay electronically.
How to pay, as a visitor:
- Coins. Drivers do not give change, so have the exact fare ready. Hong Kong dollar coins are widely reported to be accepted on the bus, but carry a few patacas if you can.
- Alipay HK or WeChat Pay HK. Both can generate a ride code that DSAT accepts, at MOP6 a trip with no transfer discount.
- Not your Octopus. It is not on DSAT's list of approved ways to pay the bus. Here is where your Octopus card does and does not work in Macau.
Routes worth knowing: 101X and 102X run from the bridge port into the peninsula, and day trippers report that bus 33 runs from Taipa to the Almeida Ribeiro stop near Senado Square and that 26A connects Hac Sa beach in Coloane with the Cotai strip. Routes change, so check the number on the stop before you board.
The LRT: fast across Taipa and Cotai, but not to the old town
The Macao Light Rapid Transit's Taipa Line runs from Barra, in the A-Ma Temple district of the peninsula, across the Sai Van Bridge and through Taipa and Cotai to the Taipa Ferry Terminal, stopping at the airport on the way. End to end it takes about 28 minutes, with trains every 5 to 10.5 minutes.
- Hours: 06:30 to 23:15 Monday to Thursday, and to 23:59 Friday to Sunday and on public holidays.
- Fares: single-journey tokens cost MOP6 for up to three stations, MOP8 for six, MOP10 for nine and MOP12 for twelve. The sea crossing between Barra and Ocean counts as two stations.
- Buying a token: the vending machines take patacas only. The customer service counters take Hong Kong dollars, patacas and renminbi at 1:1, plus credit cards, Alipay and WeChat Pay, and give change in patacas. They do not take HK$10 coins.
What the LRT does not reach: the Macau Ferry Terminal in the Outer Harbour, Senado Square or the Ruins of St Paul's. It is the line for a Taipa ferry arrival, a Cotai afternoon, or an A-Ma Temple start. Two short spurs, the Seac Pai Van and Hengqin lines, are for residents and the border, not sightseeing.
Taxis, and Uber is back
Macau's taxis are metered. Since February 2024 the official tariff has been:
- MOP21 for the first 1.6km, then MOP2 every 220m.
- MOP2 for every 55 seconds you ask the driver to wait.
- MOP3 per bag in the boot.
- A MOP8 surcharge if you board at the airport rank, the Taipa Ferry Terminal rank, the Hengqin border or the bridge port, and MOP5 from the peninsula to Coloane (MOP2 from Taipa).
You can pay in Hong Kong dollars at 1:1. Taxis queue at the ferry terminals, the airport and the big resorts, but flagging one on the street is harder at rush hour. The radio-taxi line is 2881 2345, with a MOP5 booking fee.
The easier option for most visitors: Uber came back to Macau on 3 February 2026. It does not run private cars there; it books licensed taxis, the meter sets the fare, and you pay in the app, so there is no cash and no language problem. Uber's separate Hong Kong-Macau cross-border car needs 24 hours' notice and is priced as a premium service, not a day-trip saver.
Walking the old town
The historic centre is best on foot. Senado Square is traffic-free, and from there it is a short uphill walk through the lanes to the Ruins of St Paul's and its 68 stone steps. Wear comfortable shoes: the lanes are cobbled. If you plan to add the A-Ma Temple, the LRT's Barra station sits in the same district, so you can ride straight from there to Taipa or Cotai afterwards.
A day-trip route that uses all of it
- Ferry to the Macau Ferry Terminal. Taxi or bus to Senado Square.
- Walk the old town to the Ruins of St Paul's.
- Bus or taxi across to Taipa Village for lunch and egg tarts.
- Walk or take a short taxi ride to the Cotai resorts for the afternoon.
- Free shuttle or the LRT to the Taipa Ferry Terminal for your sailing home.
For what to see at each stop, our Hong Kong to Macau day trip guide has the full plan, and if you have small children in tow, the Macau with kids day trip version keeps the transfers short.
Quick answers
Can Macau be done in one day? Yes. The ferry is about an hour each way, and with shuttles, buses and the LRT you can fit in the old town and Cotai in a single day. Pick one side if you want a slower pace.
What is the best way to get around Macau? Free casino shuttles for terminal-to-resort trips, walking in the old town, MOP6 buses or taxis between districts, and the LRT across Taipa and Cotai.
Is there a free shuttle in Macau? Yes. The major resorts run free shuttles from the ferry terminals, the airport, the border gates and the bridge port. You do not need to gamble to ride.
Does Uber work in Macau? Yes, again, since 3 February 2026, but only for licensed taxis. Fares are metered and paid in the app.
How much is a taxi in Macau? MOP21 for the first 1.6km, MOP2 per 220m after that, plus MOP3 a bag and MOP8 if you board at the airport, the Taipa Ferry Terminal or the border ports. Hong Kong dollars are accepted at 1:1.
Can I use my Octopus card on Macau buses? No. Pay with coins, or with an Alipay HK or WeChat Pay HK ride code.
