Where you sleep decides the whole trip
Stay on the peninsula and the old town and Inner Harbour are walkable, but Cotai costs you shuttle time. Stay in Cotai and the halls are comfortable, but every old-town visit is a ride. For three days, either split two nights and one, or accept a single commuting day from one base. Do not change hotel every night.
Day 1: peninsula heritage and the Inner Harbour
Morning: Senado up to St. Paul’s and Monte Fort in one climb, then shade at Camões Garden or beside the library at midday. Afternoon: follow the Inner Harbour down to A-Ma, with the Mandarin’s House as the slow indoor stop. Eat near the avenue at night — do not cross districts.
Day 2: Cotai indoors, then the night
Day two belongs in Cotai: indoor halls, shopping and a show by day, façade lights and fountains by night. To save your legs, work only one side of the resort cluster and treat the other as a pass-through. If gambling holds no interest for you, this day still works — see the casino-etiquette guide.
Day 3: Taipa village and Coloane
Morning: Rua do Cunha and the Taipa Houses — two snacks to take away is enough. Afternoon: bus down to Coloane village, sit in the church square, have a tart, and if your legs allow add Hac Sa or Cheoc Van, not both. Do not ride back to Cotai for dinner; finish in Taipa or Coloane.
Leave one slot empty
Weather and crowds both rewrite Macau plans: summer afternoon storms, holiday queues on the steps, suspended sailings in typhoon season. Keep at least one slot empty across three days — to reclaim the half-day the rain took, or simply to sit in a café.