Melaka overnight: Portuguese ruins, Dutch red squares and Nyonya kitchens

Six centuries of trade in one small river town: a sultanate, a Portuguese fortress, a red Dutch town hall and the kitchens of the Peranakan Chinese.

Area

Overnights

Start from

Kuala Lumpur

Distance

about 150 km south

Time needed

2 days

Best season

All year; weekdays are calmer; Jonker Walk night market on weekends

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

Express bus from TBS, about 2 hours

Tickets & rules

Small museum fees

Why go

Melaka is the perfect overnight from Kuala Lumpur. The old town is small enough to walk, and dense with history: a ruined Portuguese church on a hill, the brick-red Dutch square at its foot, the oldest Chinese temple in the country, mosques with pagoda-like minarets, and shophouses where Peranakan families have cooked the same recipes for generations.

Stay the night and the town changes. The day-trippers leave, the river is lit with lanterns, and the Jonker Walk night market fills the main street on weekends with food stalls, music and trinkets.

Above all, Melaka is a food town. Try the Nyonya laksa, the chicken rice served in balls, the cendol with dark palm sugar, and the Portuguese-Eurasian devil’s curry.

The story

Around 1400 a prince from Sumatra, Parameswara, founded a port at the mouth of the Melaka River. Legend says he was resting under a melaka tree when he saw a mouse deer kick his hunting dog into the river, and he chose the spot for its courage. Within decades Melaka was one of the richest ports in Asia, controlling the trade through the straits between India and China; Admiral Zheng He’s Chinese fleets stopped here.

In 1511 the Portuguese captured the city and built a fortress, A Famosa; only one gate, the Porta de Santiago, survives. The Dutch took over in 1641 and built the red Stadthuys and Christ Church. The British arrived in 1824 under a treaty with the Dutch.

Through all those centuries, Chinese traders married local women, and their descendants, known as Peranakans or Baba-Nyonya, created a culture of their own: a creole Malay language, beaded slippers, porcelain and a cuisine that blends Chinese and Malay. In 2008 Melaka and George Town were inscribed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Getting there

Express buses run frequently from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) in Kuala Lumpur to Melaka Sentral, about 2 hours. From there, a Grab to the old town takes 15 minutes. There is no direct train to the old town.

A suggested plan

1. Day 1 morningBus from TBS; check in near Jonker Street.
2. Day 1 afternoonWalk Dutch Square, Christ Church, St Paul’s Hill and the Porta de Santiago.
3. Day 1 eveningRiver cruise or riverside walk, then the Jonker Walk night market.
4. Day 2 morningVisit Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Kampung Kling Mosque and the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum.
5. Day 2 afternoonNyonya lunch, then bus back to KL.

Where to stay

Stay in a guesthouse or boutique hotel in a restored shophouse in the old town, around Jonker Street or along the river.

Good to know

• Visit on a weekday for calmer streets, or Friday to Sunday for the night market.
• Cheng Hoon Teng, founded in the 1640s, is the oldest functioning Chinese temple in Malaysia.
• Rent a bicycle to explore the riverside villages.
• Book the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum tour in advance; groups are small.