A Famosa Melaka: History and Visitor Guide

A Famosa (The Famous) was the fortress the Portuguese built after Afonso de Albuquerque’s fleet captured Melaka from its sultan in 1511. It was raised around a hill by the sea and became one of the strongest European forts in Asia. Today, the only part still standing is a single stone gateway, the Porta de Santiago, at the foot of St Paul’s Hill in the centre of Melaka (Malacca). It is one of the oldest surviving European structures in Southeast Asia.

The gate itself takes only a few minutes to see, but it is the starting point for a short walk through five centuries of Melaka’s colonial history.

A Famosa history in brief

The Portuguese held Melaka for 130 years. In 1641 the Dutch, allied with Johor, took the city after a long siege, repaired the walls and expanded the fortifications. Look above the arch and you can still see the Dutch East India Company coat of arms and the inscription ANNO 1670, from their renovation of the gate.

When the British took control in the early 1800s, they ordered the fort to be demolished so it could not be used against them. Most of it was blown up. The gateway survived, traditionally credited to the intervention of Sir Stamford Raffles, who was in Melaka in 1807, and today it is a protected monument. Part of the Middelburg Bastion, near the river, was rebuilt in 2006 and 2007 to show the scale of the original walls.

Visiting A Famosa

The Porta de Santiago stands beside Jalan Kota, opposite the Dataran Pahlawan shopping area, and is an open-air monument with no gate or ticket. Inspect the thick laterite walls and the small cannon displayed outside, then take the steps behind it up St Paul’s Hill.

At the top are the roofless ruins of St Paul’s Church, first built by the Portuguese in the early 1500s and later used by the Dutch. Inside you will find old Dutch and Portuguese tombstones propped against the walls and an open grave where the remains of St Francis Xavier were briefly kept in the 16th century before being taken to Goa. The view from the hilltop takes in the Melaka River, the old town roofs and the Strait of Malacca.

From the hill, paths lead down the other side to the Stadthuys and Christ Church in Dutch Square, which completes the loop.

Getting there

A Famosa is in Bandar Hilir, the historic core of Melaka City, about five minutes’ walk from Dutch Square and ten from Jonker Street. From Melaka Sentral bus terminal, take a town bus towards the historic centre or a Grab of around 15 to 20 minutes.

Note that A’Famosa Resort, a theme park and resort complex in Alor Gajah, is a different place about 30 minutes’ drive away. Make sure your driver knows you want the fort.

Best time to visit

Melaka is hot year-round, and both the gate and the hilltop have little shade. Go before 10am or after 4.30pm for cooler temperatures, softer light and fewer tour groups. Sunset from St Paul’s Hill is lovely on clear evenings.

How it fits into your trip

A Famosa, St Paul’s Hill and the Stadthuys make an easy morning walk of two to three hours, leaving the afternoon for Jonker Street and the evening for the river. See our Melaka City guide for planning, our Melaka state page for the wider region, and the Malaysia 7-day itinerary for fitting Melaka into a first trip.