Melaka Travel Guide: The Historic State Beyond the City

Melaka, also spelled Malacca, is a small state with an outsized history. This Melaka travel guide focuses on Melaka City, where most of the sights are, and the coast and countryside around it that reward a slower visit.

Why visit: a Melaka travel guide overview

In the 15th century the Melaka Sultanate controlled one of the busiest trading straits in the world. The Portuguese took the city in 1511, the Dutch in 1641 and the British later, and each left buildings behind. In 2008 the historic centre was listed by UNESCO together with George Town as the Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca.

Today it is an easy trip from KL or Singapore, with walkable streets, riverside paths and some of the most distinctive food in the country.

Areas of Melaka

The heritage core of Melaka City

Melaka City is divided by the Melaka River. On the east bank, Dutch Square holds the red Stadthuys and Christ Church, and a short climb up St Paul’s Hill leads to the church ruins and the gate of A Famosa, the surviving piece of the Portuguese fort.

Across the bridge, Jonker Street and the lanes around it are lined with Peranakan townhouses, temples and antique shops, and the street becomes a night market at weekends. The Melaka River Cruise is a relaxing way to see the murals and riverside houses, especially after dark.

Beyond the old town

Upriver from the centre, Kampung Morten is a Malay village of wooden stilt houses that the river cruise passes, and on reclaimed Pulau Melaka the Straits Mosque appears to float on the water at high tide, a popular spot at sunset.

The Portuguese Settlement, south-east of the centre, is home to a Kristang community with its own creole language and seafood restaurants by the sea. Further out, Alor Gajah and Jasin districts are rural, with paddy fields, kampung houses and family attractions such as the zoo at Ayer Keroh.

Getting around

The heritage core is small and flat enough to walk, though the midday heat makes early mornings and evenings far more comfortable. Trishaws decorated with flowers and lights wait around Dutch Square; agree the price before you set off. Grab is the easiest way to reach Melaka Sentral, the Portuguese Settlement or hotels outside the centre.

Food in Melaka

Melaka is one of the best places to try Nyonya (Peranakan) cooking: ayam pongteh, a chicken and potato stew with fermented soybean, and itek tim, a duck and salted vegetable soup. Chicken rice balls are a local speciality, as is satay celup, skewers dipped into a pot of peanut sauce at the table. Finish with cendol topped with gula Melaka, the dark palm sugar named after the state.

When to go

Melaka is hot and humid all year, with the heaviest rain usually around October and November. January to March tends to be drier. Weekday visits are far calmer than weekends, when day-trippers from KL and Singapore fill Jonker Street, and Chinese New Year brings lanterns and big crowds to the old town.

How long to spend

A day trip from KL covers the main sights, but one or two nights lets you see the old town in the cool of the evening and early morning, when the streets are quiet. Our Malaysian food guide explains the dishes to look for, and where to stay in Malaysia compares the best bases around the country.