Mount Fortress and Macao Museum

Mount Fortress was built by the Jesuits in the early seventeenth century on the hill above their church, and its cannon decided the Dutch attempt on Macao in 1622 when a shot from here hit the attackers' powder store. The ramparts now hold gardens and cannon with a view over the whole peninsula, and the Macao Museum was built into the hill beneath in the 1990s, covering the city's history over three floors.

What you actually see

• The ramparts - the seventeenth-century walls and cannon above the old town.
• The 1622 defence - the shot that ended the Dutch attempt on the city.
• The Macao Museum - the three-floor city history built into the hill beneath.
• The peninsula view - the whole city seen from the fortress gardens.

When to go

October to December is dry and cool. The museum closes Mondays. The fortress gardens are open longer hours than the museum.

Honest expectations

The museum closes on Mondays. The climb is steep, though an escalator covers part of it. The fortress gardens are exposed with little shade.

Nearby

The Ruins of St Paul's are below, and Na Tcha Temple is beside them.