20240110_131219Views of historic Melaka (January 2024)

Located in the southern portion of the Malaysian peninsula, the city of Melaka (commonly written in the Anglicized “Malacca”) is a small, but rich city that’s situated strategically by the Straits of Malacca, which has contributed to centuries of British, Portuguese, and Dutch rule. Although I would only have one night in town, I was keen on seeing and learning as much of the city as possible.

Melaka was my last stop during my time in Malaysia. After spending three, packed nights in Kuala Lumpur, I headed off to Melaka early in the morning by private driver (arranged by my travel agent). It was a quick, two-hour drive south, and soon enough, I reached the city by 11h00. My driver dropped me off at my hotel, housed inside a beautifully-restored Peranakan-style home. It was a stunning accommodation and very comfortable, although I wish I’d stayed a bit longer to enjoy all the amenities offered.

As I arrived too early to check in, I dropped off my bags and headed out to get lunch. I was in town on a Wednesday, and the streets were fairly empty of people. Melaka is a huge tourist draw for Malaysia, but only during the weekends for its Jonker Street Night Market, open Friday through Sunday. During this part of the week, the streets are inundated with visitors, Malaysians and outsiders, as it serves as a huge food and shopping festival for all. Unfortunately, I wasn’t visiting during the night market, so alas, my time in Melaka was very quiet and mellow.

Before getting lunch, I paid a visit to the Baba and Nyonya Heritage Museum, just a two-minute walk from my hotel. The museum is inside a former Peranakan house dated from the late 19th century, and today showcases the furniture and attire from that era. I paid 18 ringgits ($3 USD) for a self-guided tour, and I took my time going through the various rooms and admiring the elegant architecture of it all.

20240110_115127Inside the Baba and Nyonya Heritage Museum

20240110_115758Baba and Nyonya Heritage Museum

After the visit, I got lunch at a nearby restaurant. I wasn’t too hungry, but I ordered kueh pie tee, a Peranakan snack that consists of a vegetable filling inside a crispy shell, resembling a top hat. They were simple and light, and they were the perfect little finger food to eat to stave off hunger until dinner later that day.

20240110_122545Kueh pie tee

I strolled a bit down Jonker Street, the main street of Melaka, afterwards. As mentioned, it was fairly quiet that day, and not all of the shops were even open. I did, however, purchase a durian cream puff at one of the sweet shops (durian is still not my favorite) and checked out the Kampung Kling Mosque and Cheng Hoon Teng Temple before heading back to the hotel, where it was time to check in and rest a bit before I was to head out at 14h00 again for a guided tour of the city.

20240110_125120Durian cream puff

20240110_125426Jonker Street

20240110_131816Kampung Kling Mosque

My tour guide was a Malaysian woman native to Melaka and took me on a walking tour of the city. We spent three hours going around the city, starting at the Red Square. Also known as the “Dutch Square,” it is a remnant of the former Dutch colony from the mid-17th to early 19th century. The buildings are all painted a bright, cherry red– history has it that the buildings were painted red after Dutch rule, when the British came in 1824, to match their redcoats. It was a bustling square during our visit, with plenty of visitors taking photos and selfies of the bright plaza.

20240110_150242Red Square

Next visit was to the Church of Saint Paul, built sometime in the mid-16th century by the Portuguese (initially as a chapel) before turning to the Dutch and named after Saint Paul and finally served as a fort during British rule in the late 18th and 19th centuries. It is perched on top of the hill, and I could see quite far out to the distance, from the city limits to the Straits of Malacca.

20240110_152938Church of Saint Paul

We descended the hill and passed under the A Famosa, a former Portuguese gate from the early 16th century. It used to be a more-extensive citadel, but only the gate remains today. We then paid 30 ringgits ($6 USD) for a 30-minute river cruise along the Malacca River, which was a tranquil end to the guide tour of Melaka.

20240110_154350A Famosa

20240110_171543Jonker River Street Walk

I bid farewell to my tour guide at the start of Jonker Street and then I headed a bit out of the historic city center for dinner at a local hawker centre. I ordered duck noodles, which was simple, but tasty with a refreshing watermelon juice. I also got some ondeh ondeh, a sticky and chewy sweet, for dessert, before returning to my hotel to rest for the remainder of the day.

20240110_173339Duck noodles

That concluded my time in Melaka– even though it was a short, one-night stay, I got to see the highlights and enjoy a few of the good eats in town. While I wish I’d timed my visit during the Jonker Street Night Market, I still found the city charming and worth having visited. Melaka was also my last stop during my trip in Malaysia, and I would be heading off to the next part of my visit: Spain. Stay tuned! 🙂

— Rebecca

Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

42 thoughts on “Destination: Melaka, Malaysia”

  3. There was a time when I opened a small business with my friends from university, selling choux pastry with durian filling. That shot of the durian cream puff you had reminds me of that. I also enjoyed my stay in Melaka, and I would go back just for the food.

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  4. Particularly interesting as your itinerary is much the same is on my visit some fifty years ago. However, my trip was the reverse as started off in Spain. So….. yes, looking forward to seeing Spain fifty years on!!!

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    1. Incredible! I’m sure a lot has changed since your visit to Malaysia and Spain fifty years ago. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for my Spain series in due course!

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  6. A cruise along the Malacca River sounds like a relaxing way to see Melaka! The kueh pie tee looks delicious. Thanks for sharing, Rebecca! Looking forward to reading about your trip to Spain!

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  8. This looks like a beautiful little city that has a rich historical past with the strong influence of several European countries. I love how you can admire the eclectic and opulent artifacts the family collected from across the globe and glimpse the richness of Peranakan culture in the architectures at the Baba and Nyonya Heritage Museum. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. Thanks, Aiva! Melaka is a distinctive Malaysian city that’s been influenced by centuries of European rule, in combination with the Chinese and native Peranakan culture. Really a unique place, and certainly an underrated place to visit! Thanks for reading 🙂

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  9. Thanks for the introduction to Melaka and the brief tour. The lunch/snack looks delicious, and I love the bright colors of the buildings and the historic structures.

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    1. You’re welcome! It was a brief stay in Melaka, but a fruitful one, nonetheless! The colonial architecture was pretty to see, as well as learning about Peranakan culture in town 🙂

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  10. So great you combined Melaka as a stop off between KL and Spain; it’s perfectly located for that. I’m hoping to visit it soon on a similar journey – and your photos have only made me want to visit more 🙂 The red square is really striking!

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    1. Absolutely! Melaka is a smaller, underrated city in Malaysia, but still worth a pass-through! If you decide to go, I’d recommend going on the weekend instead, as I’ve heard the Jonker Street Night Market is really world-class!

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  12. Fascinating post! Malaysia has been added to the bucket list😊 It’s amazing how much colonial history and influence there is in Southeast Asia. I’m embarrassed to admit I did not realize it was so much so. At the time, it must have been troubling for the native peoples. And a durian cream puff. Who knew?

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    1. Indeed, there’s a lot of European influence in Southeast Asia (and Asia, in general). Not the greatest part of human history, that’s for sure. Having tried different iterations of durian (ice cream, cream puff, the actual fruit), I can say that I’m not a fan of the taste. But it was an experience!

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    1. Yes, indeed! Both the colonial and Peranakan architecture are truly a sight to see. To be honest, I don’t really care for durian, having tried it in several different ways (ice cream, cream puff, the actual fruit), but I’m glad I gave it a try!

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