Malacca Attractions
Whether is your first time or you’ve been here countless times. Malacca will make you fall in love all over again with its unique blend of ancient buildings and modern living alongside breathtaking sights! Malacca is a famous tourist destination with a rich cultural heritage, subsequent to the colonial rule of Portuguese, Dutch and British. Traditional culture is carried on by the Baba & Nyonya who are descendants of the Chinese delegates of Ming Dynasty where they emigrated from China and settled here. What to do in Malacca, you may ask? Don’t worry, we’ve listed 18 top attractions in Malacca that is definitely worth visiting!
Why Malacca is Worth Visiting? This place is like a mixture of culture, where you can find traces of East countries (China and Japan) and West (Portugal, Spain, England). Pleasant climate. Friendly people around. A lot of unique places to see and visit! It’s almost impossible to see all the breathtaking places of Malacca in a few days, but you can try. There are 18 places Malacca attractions you must visit! So make a detail “to-do” list before your trip and be ready to have the most wonderful days in your life! Before you start planning a trip to Malacca from Singapore, get your FREE Singapore Public & School Holidays Calendar to max out your holidays. While it’s almost hundreds of interesting places there, there are 18 of them that you just must-see during your trip. If you didn’t see Jonker Street or Melaka River during your visit, you just didn’t see Malacca! So use your time carefully and take the opportunity to become a witness of rich history of Asia.
1. Malacca Jonker Street
Jonker Street Night Market – it’s a real event with live music, the wide array of stalls, polite and friendly hawkers and ubiquitous bargains. Jonker Walk comes to life at nights in full color with a lively party-like atmosphere. Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum – a collection of three restored houses from the 19th century. Hard Rock Cafe, which was opened in 2013, it is situated idealistically by the Malacca River. Mamee Jonker House – the perfect place for parents and children, which offers fun activities for visitors of all ages. Jonker Street Library, which is decorated with traditional Chinese furniture and has a unique collection of Buddhist literature. But the best attraction of Jonker Street is, of course, shopping and eating! Orang Utan House – an art house of Malacca-born Artist Charles Cham. It’s a studio gallery with the brightly painted exterior; Jonker Gallery is a great place for inexpensive souvenirs to bring back home; The giant San Shu Gong local produce shop; Joe’s design – the most-wanted place of everybody, who just in love with hand-made, one-of-a-kind jewellery. Natural Wellbeing – a shop with a unique collection of beauty products.
2. St. Paul’s Church Malacca
The ruins of the ancient church are very popular among tourist and native people of Malaysia. This historic church was built in 1521 and situated at the summit of St. Paul’s Hill. Right now, this Church is a part of the Malacca Museum Complex. A marble statue of St. Francis Xavier (built in 1953), which is situated in the complex, has only one arm, and here is why. Stories tell that when the best-known missionary was to be canonized in 1614 the Vatican demanded the right arm (the one Francis used to bless his converts) from the body. So they cut it off and blood appeared even after his death. They say that when the statue was erected, a large tree fell on his right arm. It will be hard to go to the Church using public transport, so think about taxi or go by car, locals would be happy to help you find the way to this famous landmark. People, who already visited St. Paul’s Church highly recommend being aware of a little climb you take and big crowds around this landmark. A lot of them point, that this is a romantic, historical place you will fall in love with.
3. Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum
This wonderful living museum was established in 1896 and once was the family home for the Baba Chan family. This heritage building is a unique blend of cultures, east and west countries and illustrates the lifestyle of the Peranakan at the end of the 19th century. The original design is influenced both by the European architecture and Eastern traditions and history. This museum shows a rich side of Malacca and exactly where you can feel and touch the past. Moreover, the museum has very good guides and interesting program. As a lot of tourists say: “Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum is one of the main attractions in Malacca that tourist should not miss.” Cameras inside the museum are prohibited.
4. Cheng Hoon Teng Temple
The most notable landmark of Malacca situated in famous Jonker Street and was built in 1646. This old Chinese Temple considered being the oldest Buddhist place of worship in Malaysia. The temple is dedicated to Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin). The building was designed by son-in-law of Captain Li, Malacca’s second Chinese captain. The temple is managed by the same trustees that serve Bukit Cina (significant hillside and burial ground few kilometers away from the town). Traditional Chinese Opera Theater is directly opposite Cheng Hoon Teng Temple. Next to the Opera’s building is a newly constructed Xianglin temple. This is a huge black, gold and red statue of the main Goddess of the Temple in the central prayer hall. Among tourists, this Temple is known as “A treasure of Malacca”, “The place you must see” and “A heritage landmark”. This place is open and inviting for everybody and is famous as a first Chinese temple in this country, which is made in a very unique and Malacca-like style.
5. Christ Church Malacca
This church was built by Dutch, when they took possession of the country. The most defining structure of Malacca is notable for unique design and history. A picture of a brick-red building with a huge white cross is famous all around the world. The church is located in Church Street, near to Malacca’s Chinatown center. Christ Church is situated across the bridge from the Jonker Street and it’s almost the most popular sight in the Stadhuys area. Close to Church are two museums, so you visit three places in a short period of time. This peaceful and historic place welcomes everybody, who wants to spend one day in harmony and to see history with his own eyes. As people say, there are tree services during the day in two languages – English and Chinese.
6. Melaka Wonderland Theme Park
Visiting this famous Park and Resort in Melaka is the best way to cool down and have great fun on a hot day in Malaysia. The highlights of this Malacca’s tourist attraction and huge multi zone park are high-speed water slides and thrill rides. The park is surrounded by 360 hectares of forest. This Theme Park features a whopping two million liters of water. The water theme park offers 16 different and equally exciting attractions. The most popular attractions are the Lazy Cum Crazy River, the Big Wave pool, the Adventure Island, Anaconda Twist, The Pendulum slides. The park is very close to the city center, so it’s not necessary to spend a night there. But if you want to have more than one day of fun, there is a big hotel in this Park you will be comfortable in. People say, that it’s real fun there and pool security is friendly and do their job well. But you need to remember, that tickets are a little bit expensive and there are a lot of people during the holidays and weekends.
7. Maritime Museum & Naval Museum Malacca
The Maritime Museum is a huge Portuguese ship, which sank near the Malacca. It’s 34 meters high and this ship-museum will take you hundreds of years ago. The Maritime Museum is a great place for people, who love history, sea and all, that connecting with it. For ship fans, there are a big collection of different ship models that are on display at the museum. Others can find exhibits of porcelain, silk, textile and spices used by the seamen of the past. And you can just enjoy the atmosphere of sea travels, ancient ship and old times. The best way to get to the Maritime Museum is by car or hiring a cab. Also, it’s located just ahead of the Stadthuys, so it’s better to go by foot there and enjoy all local shops, museums, galleries, churches. This museum inside the old ship is worth visiting!
8. Malacca River
