Top Ten Must-See Malacca Attractions

This traditional Peranakan museum – established in 1896 – is arranged to look like a typical 19th-cenutry Baba-Nyonya townhouse. Featuring Chinese hardwood furniture with a blend of Victorian and Dutch designs with mother-of-pearl inlay, this tour is made especially interesting by the tour guides who will tell you tales of the past with conspicuous Peranakan wit. Read more...

The largest Chinese cemetery outside of China, Bukit China houses more than 12, 500 graves spanning across the grassy hectares. In the 15th century, the Sultan of Malacca wed the Ming Emperor’s daughter from China. She brought along a vast retinue including 500 handmaidens and the area has been decidedly Chinese ever since. At the base of the hill is the Poh San Teng Temple – built in 1795 – and to the right of the temple is the Sultan’s Well – an important source of water for Malacca and a prime target for opposition forces seeking to take over the city in the 15th century. Read more...

Just across the Melaka Zoo in Ayer Keroh is the Butterfly & Reptile Sanctuary which showcases a collection of creepy-crawlies, snakes as well as some sad crocodiles at the reptile park. The layout is outstanding and the exquisite butterfly zone soothing plus there are also two impressive golden leopards in cages next to the tortoise pond. Read more...

Founded in the 1600’s, this shrine is Malaysia’s oldest traditional temple and indisputably Malacca’s most famous. This sanctuary is built around a robed effigy of the Goddess of Mercy, Kwan Yin, and during Chinese celebrations and festivals its halls are swarming with devotees. Read more...

Just a stone’s throw away from the unusually-hued Stadhuys is the equally coral-red Christ Church – the oldest Protestant church in Malaysia. Built in 1753 to commemorate a century of Dutch rule in Malacca, this church has a beautiful Dutch architectural design and the glazed-tile picture of The Last Supper in the church is worthy of note. Read more...

Housed within the Melaka River Pirate Park, the well-known, and recently relocated, 25-metre-high Eye on Malacca is a giant gondola-style Ferris wheel. Consisting of 16 pods – with each pod able to accommodate five adults at a time – which spin very slowly for about 20 minutes. Within the park there is also a pirate ship and trampoline bungee-jump that is popular with visitors. Read more...

This is the definitive shopping experience as you’ll find anything and everything crammed into the smallest nook and cranny of Jalan Hang Jebat or Jonker Street. Traditional beaded Nyonya shoes, kitschy knick-knacks, and artworks feature extensively throughout this night market but it’s the sumptuous fare that makes most people come back for more… and more. Try the fried-egg ice cream, fresh fish balls and radish cake. Read more...

Located in Malacca City Centre this club is one of Malacca’s latest hotspots. It has a bar downstairs with DJ Tokyo spinning some of the hottest hits while the upstairs is a club with a live band and dance floor. The club is jam-packed with an interesting crowd on the weekends. Read more...

Take a lazy 40-minute riverboat trip down the Malaccan River – also known as the ‘Venice of the East’ – past the old godowns (riverside warehouses). This waterway was once a trade and commerce centre for the Melaka Malay Sultanate, but is now nothing more than a gentle reminder of its bountiful past. Cruises don’t go out to sea but rather gently navigate nine kilometres upriver past Kampung Morten. Read more...