Montanha Russa Park

This garden was created, on top of a small hill, at the end of the 19th century. Outside the city limits, it was a favorite place for picnics. Although situated in built-up, bustling suburbs, this is a quiet retreat in the north of Macau, next to the New Protestant Cemetery. The name 'russa' comes from the Chinese word for a snail, which describes the small spiral path that winds up to the top of the hill. The garden has secluded benches much favoured by lovers, and an impressive concentration of many different tropical and European trees, all carefully labeled in Latin and Chinese. There is an excellent indoor/outdoor Portuguese restaurant in a garden near the entrance.

Its early beginnings are connected to a campaign, led in the 1869's, to improve the environment of Macau. The forestation of this hill coincided with that of the Guia hill and the creation of gardens throughout the city. An artificial elevation in the form of a spiral characterizes this garden.

From it, it was possible to see, years ago, the beach of Areia Preta. Nowadays, the sea view was gone, instead the densely populated Areia Preta and the Rua dos Pescadores are seen from this observatory.

The Montanha Russa was abandoned until it was recuperated in 1986. Gone are the days, when picnics were common in this park. Nevertheless it is still possible to have a quite meal in this wooded garden.