By air
Kuala Lumpur International (KUL), ~2 h by road
Southeast Asia · Malaysia
Malacca, Malaysia
Portuguese, Dutch and Peranakan layers on one river
Getting there
Best time to visit
December to February — drier months
Don't miss
A Famosa
Christ Church and the Dutch Square
St Paul's Hill
The Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum
Things to do
A river cruise
Jonker Street's weekend night market
Trishaw rides
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Marcin Konsek · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Light clothes, a sun hat
A quieter corner
Kampung Morten, a traditional Malay village inside the city
Questions travellers ask
Which months suit a trip to Malacca?
December to February, the drier months. Light clothes and a sun hat will see you through.
How do I reach Malacca from the airport?
Fly into Kuala Lumpur International (KUL); Malacca is about 2 hours from there by road.
What are Malacca's must-see sights?
A Famosa, Christ Church and the Dutch Square, St Paul's Hill and the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum. For something different, wander Kampung Morten, a traditional Malay village inside the city.
What should I eat and do in Malacca?
Eat chicken rice balls, Nyonya laksa and cendol. Then take a river cruise or a trishaw ride, and catch Jonker Street's night market if you're there at the weekend.
About Malacca
- Coastal
- Riverside
Where it is
Malacca (Melaka) is the capital of the Malaysian state of the same name, on the south-west coast of the Malay Peninsula where the Malacca River meets the Strait of Malacca, between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
History
Malacca was founded around 1400 by Parameswara, a prince from Sumatra, and grew into the capital of a sultanate that controlled the spice trade through the strait. The Portuguese captured it in 1511, the Dutch in 1641 and the British took over in 1825, each leaving buildings behind; with George Town it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.
People
Malacca is known for its blended communities: the Baba-Nyonya (Peranakan Chinese), famous for their kebaya, beadwork and Nyonya cooking, the Chitty (Peranakan Indians), and the Kristang, Portuguese-Eurasians who still speak their own Portuguese-based creole. Malay, Chinese and Indian Malaysians make up the wider city.
Known for
- A Famosa's Porta de Santiago gate
- Christ Church and the red Dutch Square
- Jonker Street's night market
- Nyonya cuisine and chicken rice balls
- River cruises past old godowns
Did you know?
The Porta de Santiago, the surviving gate of the fortress the Portuguese built after 1511, is one of the oldest surviving European structures in Asia.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.