Malacca City is the magnificent tourist attractions in Malaysia and together with Penang Island,both are the only two UNESCO World Heritage site in the country.So a Malaysian tour would be incomplete if you do not make a visit to Malacca City.
Witness the rich inter cultural heritage of customs,festivals and a variety of cuisine.
The city is divided into the new and old sections. The older part of city is fairly compact and tucked into the nooks and crannies of its narrow streets within the Town Square and waterfront area near the river which are all within walking distance.
This nice building with its rich meaningful design architecture can be seen along Jonker walk.
This bridge across the Dutch Square leads to a major section of the old Malacca and straight ahead is Jonker Walk.
The main focal point of Chinese ancestors from Guangdong,Hainan and Fujian Provinces in China landed here during the early 19th century.
Most started with a humble beginning as labourers,traders and rickshaw pullers.
In early April 2007,the famous Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fatt was here filming part of his script "Tragic Hero" located towards the left side of the bridge near Heeren Street(Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock) corner.
Heeren Street has the most Baba & Nyonya houses of the Peranakan Chinese and there is a Dutch era shophouse built in the 1700s located at No 8 which is open to public as an interpretation and resource centre for the heritage zone.
The first finance minister of Malaysia ,(Tun aka Sir)Tan Siew Sin family house is at No:111
Across the Melaka River, is the new section of Melaka which is mostly built on land reclaimed from the Malacca Strait.
Dataran Pahlawan area has mega malls,complexes private hospitals and office block centres and straight head after a small roundabout is Melaka Raya where you can find cheap dormitory hostels.
Hotel Equatorial is seen in the horizon along Bandar Hilir Road.
Those days the sea was just beside here and everyday as early as 5:00am,the young and old came in droves to do their morning walk where the sea breeze was fantastic.
At that time I used to walk to a small lighthouse a short distance from here to do some fishing.There were shoals of duyong swimming around while the larger ships were anchoring nearby.
Even there was a lady that collects oyster among the rocks by knocking the shells with a spike hammer.So gone are the days where we have the chance to play with the mud skippers and baby crabs.
Makam(tombstone) of Hang Kasturi lies in between the row of shophouses along Jonker Walk.
He is one of the five Malay warriors apart from Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekir dan Hang Lekiu.
The tombstone has a bit of Indian influence as there were cavities that allow candles to be placed.
Outside Melaka town is the Air Keroh district close to the North-South Expressway which has many recreational theme parks including the traditional style of housing of all the 13 states of Malaysia call The Taman Mini Malaysia cultural park.
There are also a few offshore islands and beaches outside Malacca City.
Ethnographic Literature Museum,entrance fees RM5.00 which is a short distance from Dutch Square.
View inside of Ethnographic Museum.
The trishaw(malay:becha) is now mostly seen around the clock tower vicinity.
The Tranquerah Mosque is about 5km from town and just beside the Anglo-Chinese Primary School(ACS) entrance.
A mixed of Chinese Pagoda structure,temple style roofing but a muslim place of worship.
When the Japanese occupied Malacca. the ACS building was used as a Training Centre for the Japanese Navy.
Moving up Tranquerah Road along the coastal will lead you to seaside towns like Tanjong Kling,Terendak Camp(army commando training centre),Masjid Tanah(transport terminal),Tanjung Bidara,Kuala Sungai Baru and onward to Port Dickson.
Motels and chalets can be found along the way.
Tanjung Kling is a coastal town about 10km north-west of Melaka with numerous condominiums and hotels situated all along the coastal road. It is a regular weekend retreat for eating out and relaxation.
Pantai Kundor is about 2km further down. It has a nice beach with a good stretch of white sand.
A domineering presence in the skyline of Malacca, this twin-spired neo-gothic structure was built on the site of an old Portuguese church by a French priest, Father Farvé, in 1856, in honour of St. Francis Xavier, a prominent 16th-century Catholic missionary also known as ‘Apostle of the East’.
Getting to Malacca Air:
The airport is located at Batu Berendam about 10km from the town centre and is best to use this airport if you are planning to go to Indonesia's Pekan Baru and Medan town in the island of Sumatra.
Served by Riau Airlines,Wings and Firefly.
Batang Bus (yellow, cream and red) from Melaka Sentral will go past the aiport.
Buses will stop by the main road about 200 m from the airport building.
Tuah bas No. 65 (blue and white) to Taman Merdeka also goes from Melaka Sentral past the airport via Bachang.
Train:
no train lines,only at Tampin town (Alor Gajah district) in the outskirt near the boundary to Johore state.
Tampin rail station is now called Pulau Sebang stop(wef from:1/1/2013)
Tai Lye Bus No 26 passed by the train station which is 400 metres off the main road.
Fare to Malacca city MYR4.30.
Alor Gajah town and Tampin are about 8km distance apart so don't be confuse when travelling from Malacca city to Tampin town as buses normlly stop at a small terminal in Alor Gajah town to pick up passengers.
Salira (light blue and yellow) also goes from Melaka Sentral to Tampin via Ayer Keroh and Durian Tunggal. Get off bus at same spot as Tai Lye.
Both the above are very inconvenient and waste of time and money but good to go for a countryside ride and see the inner heart of Malacca.
The best option to reach Malacca is by express buses which will bring you to the new Malacca Sentral Terminal hub about 3km from town.
Express Buses:
1) Malacca-Kuala Lumpur Express: Hourly buses between Malacca City and Kuala Lumpur from 6:30AM-7PM. Tickets cost RM12.50.
2) Jebat Ekspres: Buses to Kuala Lumpur via Masjid Tanah and Alor Gajah.
3) Malacca-Singapore Express: Hourly buses between Malacca City and Johor Bahru and Singapore from 8AM-7PM. Tickets cost RM19.00 to/from Johor Baru, and RM22.00 to Singapore. The route from Singapore to Mallaca is SGD$20
4) Delima Express: Buses from Singapore to Malacca/ Malacca to Singapore. Tickets cost $20.80/ RM22. The boarding location at Singapore is City Plaza @ Payar Lebar.
5) Mayang Sari Express: Buses to/from Johor Baru. Tickets cost RM19.00.
Near the Maritime Museum(a replica of Flor de Lama-the Portuguese flagship that invaded Malacca) is the Harbour's jetty where ferries to Bengkalis,Pekan Baru,Dumai and even Batam(paradise island off Singapore) are available.
Bus No:17(green colour) from Malacca Sentral reach here.(so if you want to avoid high paying taxis fare,get this option to town which is just near Dutch Square.
Ferries to Sumatera Island of Indonesia.
1) Malacca to Dumai at 9AM and 3PM. Journey time is just under 2 hr. Tickets cost RM110/170 1-way/return.
2) Malacca to Pekanbaru, depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 9:30AM. Tickets cost RM120/210 1-way/return.
3) Malacca to Bengkalis in Riau Province, Sumatra, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays departing at 1100. Ferries connect to Selat Panjang where there are onward ferries to Batam and the other Riau Islands. From Bengkalis, ferries depart on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30AM.
Malacca ticketing office stalls on Jln PM10, Plaza Mahkota Melaka Raya.
4) Malacca to Bengkalis. Ferries connect to the town of Pakning. From Malacca, ferries depart on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 1PM. Tickets cost RM50/80 1-way/return. Tickets from Bengkalis to Pakning cost a further Rp 10,000. Bengkalis are not listed as a visa-free or visa-on-arrival point of entry into Indonesia.
Travelling around by local bus from Malacca Sentral:
Malacca Town Bus No 17: Melaka Sentral Terminal to the historic core, Mahkota Parade, Melaka Raya and the Portuguese Settlement. The fare from Melaka Sentral to Makhota Parade is RM1.
The last bus from Melaka Sentral leaves at 8:30PM, after which you would have to take a taxi which costs RM20 to Mahkota Parade.
Bus 8 goes from Melaka Sentral to Town Square for RM1.
Malacca Town Bus No 18: Melaka Sentral Terminal to Tengkera(ACS School) and onwards to Pokok Mangga
Malacca Town Bus No 19: Melaka Sentral Terminal to Ayer Keroh (Melaka Zoo and Taman Asean/Malaysia). The fare from Melaka Sentral to Ayer Keroh (Melaka Zoo and Taman Asean/Malaysia) is around RM 3
Malacca Town Bus No. 50: Melaka Sentral Terminal to the Mahkota Parade shopping centre and nearby seafood restaurants
Kenderaan Aziz (red and white): Buses from Melaka Sentral to Muar via Padang Temu also go past the historic core, Mahkota Parade and Melaka Raya
Panorama Melaka (red and blue) : This hop-on-hop-off bus brings tourists to the attractions in town for a flat fee of RM5/day (red bus) and RM2/day (blue bus). Among its fleet are 2 double-decker buses, one with an open top. The bus service runs at 10 min intervals from 7AM - 12.
Public Swimming Pool: Behind those food outlets restaurants at Dataran Pahlawan is the only public pool in town,just beside A&W fastfood reaturant outlet and a short distance opposite the Municipal Office.
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