Macao Island

Macao, the world’s largest gambling destination, is a one-hour ferry ride from downtown Hong Kong. A former Portuguese colony, Macao is now a semiautonomous special administrative region of China. Dozens of big brash casinos and their hotels fill Macao’s nine square miles: the Venetian, complete with gondolas and canals; the floral-themed Wynn Palace; the Hollywood-inspired Studio City; and the chic and elegant Parisian Macao with its own replica Eiffel Tower. There are more than a dozen Michelin-starred restaurants and no shortage of glitzy entertainment featuring theater, music, magic, and acrobatics.