Tapia Houses Museum, Macau Overview

Tapis Houses Museum is a beautiful museum complex made with five sets of houses, each representing and exhibiting the cultural and historical era of the Portuguese. Situated at Av. Da Praia Grande, Macau, the Tapia Houses were the colonial residences of the Portuguese families who were rich enough and stayed in Macau during the 20th century and opened as museums on 5th December 1999.

Administered by Macau Civil and Municipal Affairs Bureau, the Tapis Houses Museum is well maintained being in the list of the top eight sites in Macau. With the complex of five houses, the four exhibit artefacts and other items of Macau’s colonial era and the remaining one is used as an event venue. The Museums lie next to the northern line of an artificial lake, giving a pleasant surrounding with the Portuguese architecture along with art, sculptures, shows, and souvenir shops giving a beautiful area to set an everlasting impact on each one who visits. The buildings are Macanese Living Museum, Exhibitions Gallery, Creative Casa, Nostalgia House and House of Receptions from west to east.

Inside the Tapia Houses Museum

Macanese Living Museum
This museum showcases the life from Macau’s past in various ways. ‘Macanese’ is the ethnic group whose ancestors were Portuguese and they married Indians from South Asia and Chinese, Malay and Filipinos from the Southeast Asian region in Macau, making a separate ethnic group with their own cultures and traditions along with Western and Chinese beliefs and lifestyle which is exhibited by the items and arena in this museum.

Exhibitions Gallery
It showcases items by a number exhibitions portraying various themes for the locals and tourists to indulge in the traditional and historical exhibits with a place to share the art and culture, enhancing cultural tourism by exchanges between Macao and other countries on a small and large scale.

Creative Casa
It is a place for gathering information and promoting the traditions of Macau and other Portuguese-speaking countries along with selling some special products. There are two floors with the ground floor exhibiting and selling the products and the first floor being used as a temporary exhibition place.

Nostalgia House
This is another room for the exhibition of items of the Macanese people and Cotai district from various time intervals. All the products talk about their past and present by portraying their religion, lifestyle, tradition, architecture, food choices and others.

House of Receptions
This is not a museum but a venue that can be booked for receptions and other events and it is not accessible by the public.

How To Reach Tapia Houses Museum

The Taipa Houses Museum is easily accessible by public transport. The bus routes nearby are 11, 15, 22, 28A, 30, 33 and 34. One can also hire a taxi from any part of Macau. With a taxi from Ruins of St. Paul’s to the museum complex, it is just 13 minutes’ drive via Zhuhai.