Square with black-and-white wavy paving, a central fountain and yellow and white historic buildings under a blue sky.

Senado Square

The central square of the peninsula, covered in Portuguese-style paving and surrounded by the Leal Senado and the Holy House of Mercy: the gateway to the historic center.

  • Neighborhoods
  • Suggested time:1 h
  • Area:Historic Center

About Senado Square

Anyone who knows Portuguese-style paving gets a pleasant sense of strangeness here: the little stones are the same, only surrounded by signs in Chinese. The square, about 3,700 m², got its paving in the early 1990s and became pedestrian-only, with a fountain in the middle and people crossing in every direction.

The surrounding buildings tell Macau's story without needing a guide. The Leal Senado, from 1784, housed the city's first municipal chamber, and the Holy House of Mercy was founded in 1569 by Macau's first bishop. Most walks through the center start here, so it's worth pausing a bit, looking at the facades and only then heading into the alleys.

← Back to Macau

More things to see in Macau

View all

Image credit

  • Senado Square: wavy paving, a fountain and yellow mansions in a scene that looks like Lisbon but is in China.Photo: Bahnfrend · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original

Search destinations

Type at least 3 letters