Pou Tai Un Monastery

Pou Tai Un is the largest Buddhist complex in Macao, spread over a hillside in northern Taipa with a sequence of halls, a large bronze Guanyin, gardens and vegetable plots worked by the monks. It is best known outside Buddhist circles for its vegetarian restaurant, which serves the produce grown on site and has been running for decades. The complex is active and quiet, and few visitors come compared with the temples on the peninsula.

What you actually see

• The halls - the sequence of temple buildings up the hillside.
• The bronze Guanyin - the large figure at the centre of the complex.
• The vegetable gardens - the plots worked by the monks on the site.
• The vegetarian restaurant - the long-running kitchen using the monastery's own produce.

When to go

October to December is dry and cool. The restaurant runs at lunch and dinner. Festival days bring worshippers in numbers.

Honest expectations

This is a working monastery and behaviour matters. The restaurant is busy at lunch and does not always take bookings. It is a taxi or bus ride from anywhere else.

Nearby

Rua do Cunha is south, and Cotai is southwest.