Destination at a glance: Macau

The last outpost of the Portuguese empire, Macau only became part of China in 1999, two years after the British withdrawal from Hong Kong. Even today, the city state at the mouth of the Pearl River has a tangible Mediterranean feel, with baroque basilicas, cobblestone lanes, colonial mansions and grand civic squares.

Nevertheless, Chinese culture shines through in the form of caged songbirds, clicking chopsticks, Buddhist statues, incense-filled joss-houses and signs illuminated with neon hanzi characters.

For tourists from the mainland, the main attraction is the chance to gamble in Macau's glittering casinos; international visitors come for the Portuguese relics, the shopping and the beaches of Coloane, the former island at the tip of the Macau peninsula.

East meets west by Dennis Wong.?CC BY 2.0