Malacca (Malay: Melaka)

The city of Melaka is divided into the new and old sections. The older part of the city is fairly compact and has many historical and cultural attractions tucked into the nooks and crannies of its narrow streets. Much of the remnants of Melaka's glorious past lie within the Town Square and waterfront area near the river.

Just above the Town Square is St. Paul's Hill (Bukit St. Paul) which is the site of the original Portuguese fort of A'Famosa and St. Paul's Church. There is a sign-posted heritage trail which visitors can follow to visit all the historical places in the old part of town. The new section of Melaka lies across the Melaka River and is mostly built on land reclaimed from the sea. It consists of modern shopping centres like the Mahkota Parade and is a bustling food and entertainment district.

Outside Melaka town, there are a some nice beaches, two excellent offshore islands with resorts and a golf course. The Air Keroh district is close to the North-South Expressway and has many recreational theme parks.

There’s Daiso at Carrefour, Melaka.












One of the uniqueness of Melaka, is the presence of Baba Nyonya heritage and cultures. From spoken language, to living lifestyle and food, there are distinctive attributes that make Baba Nyonya a special community. Though the population of Baba Nyonya descendents is relatively small, but their authentic recipes are especially known in the food heaven.
Cooked dishes aside, Nyonya kuih is another well sort-after Nyonya food in Melaka. Many people, both visitors and Malaccans, just couldn't stop loving the savory Nyonya kuih.

Address: 72, Lorong Pantai Tengkera 2C, Tengkera, Melaka.
As shown in the location map, you may get to Tengkera from Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (Heeren Street). If you're coming from Old Melaka town, it will only take you about 5 to 10 minutes.

Coming from Old Melaka, the first notable landmark that you will notice at Tengkera, is the Balai Polis Tengkera (police station; GPS: N2.20040 E102.23980) on your left. Then, keep going straight for about 1km, and you will come to Masjid Tengkera (mosque; GPS: N2.20405 E102.23201) on your right. Once you've spotted this mosque, you need to decelerate.
Just about 45m from Masjid Tengkera, you will come to a small lane on your left, called Lorong Pantai Tengkera 2C. Turn left into this small lane, and go towards the end to find the last house on your left. This is the place houses freshly cooked Nyonya kuih, at non-marked-up prices.
Please be reminded, that Loring Pantai Tengkera 2C is a narrow lane. If you're driving 4-wheel or SUV, it would be a bit hard to make turning in the lane for your way out.

If you think that Melaka Nyonya laksa is the synonym of curry laksa, you’re wrong In fact, the genuine Nyonya laksa is enriched with various spices but cooked without curry powder.
There are many places in Melaka serving Nyonya laksa, but Donald & Lily’s is one of my favourite.
Donald & Lily’s Corner is located at Jalan Tun Tna Cheng Lock (Heeren Street), within walking distance from Jonker Street and the reddish Dutch Square. However, the location of Donald & Lily’s Corner is less noticeable. You must walk to the back of Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, or go to Kota Laksamana car park, and you can find Donald & Lily’s Corner as shown in the following picture.

The dining area is located at the upstair of an old house built before World War II.
Nyonya Laksa (RM 3.20) is undeniably the signature dish here. Tasteful and spice-rich gravy, complemented by juicy clams (si ham), is enough to make you drool when thinking about it.

As a dining place serving Baba Nyonya cuisines, of course laksa is not the only selection available. Tau Kua Rojak (RM 3.50) is another worth-mentioning dish. It’s a dish of bean curds (tau kua), cucumbers and pineapples topped with rojak sauce.
Operating hour: 9.30am - 4pm, close on every Monday

Going to Malacca
By car
Malacca can be accessed from the North South Expressway. Leave the expressway at the Ayer Keroh exit. Alternatively, one can leave the highway at the Simpang Empat exit and proceed through normal road to Melaka. This route will pass through the town of Alor Gajah and now with the new highway (ring road) completed, the trip from Simpang Empat to Melaka will take approximately 20 - 30 minutes by car.

Malacca city is on the Coastal Trunk Road (Federal Route 5), and can be accessed from the Main Trunk Road (Federal Route 1) by turning off at Simpang Kendong or Tampin, Negeri Sembilan. Malacca is 150 km (93 mi) from Kuala Lumpur, 216 km (134 mi) from Johor Bahru, and 90 km (56 mi) from Port Dickson.

By bus
Many long-distance express buses connect Malacca with both Kuala Lumpur, Seremban, Johor Bahru, Singapore and other parts of Peninsular Malaysia.

All long-distance and local buses now operate from the Melaka Sentral bus terminal, a good 3km from the historic core of the city.


From Singapore

Many bus companies operate from Lavender St. bus terminal directly to Melaka Sentral Google Map. Bus schedules vary between companies but some operates have hourly buses. Best show up and buy tickets in advance if you want to travel on Saturday morning and return Sunday afternoon as many Singaporean tourists have the same idea. The fares can vary starting from around S$14 up to S$50 one way depending on class of the bus.

Bus rides often take any time between 3.5-5 hours depending on how long it takes to cross the Singapore-Malaysia borders, which during peak periods can cause massive delay. You will have to get your passport stamped at each end of the border and you must bring all your luggages with you when you are making an entrance into each country. Generally, the bus will wait for you at the border but sometimes they will expect you to catch the next bus if you take too long going through custom. Make sure you remember what you bus looks like (the number plate is quite a handy thing to remember). The buses will also have a half an hour rest stop along the way where you can purchase food and use the toilet facilities (whose cleanliness can be questionable). The Singapore custom has decent toilet facilities, if required.

Some of the companies operating to/from Malacca are:

Transnasional is the largest long-distance bus operator in Malaysia. It links the state with a host of destinations in Peninsular Malaysia like Kuala Lumpur, Seremban, Singapore and further afield. Transnasional buses depart from Malacca City (Melaka Sentral), Alor Gajah, A'Famosa Resort and Masjid Tanah.

Malacca-Kuala Lumpur Express: Hourly buses between Malacca City and Kuala Lumpur from 0530 to 1900. Tickets cost RM9.40.

Jebat Ekspres: Buses to Kuala Lumpur via Masjid Tanah and Alor Gajah.

Malacca-Singapore Express: Hourly buses between Malacca City and Johor Bahru and Singapore from 0800 to 1900. Tickets cost RM14.60 to/from Johor Baru, and RM17 to Singapore.

Mayang Sari Express: Buses to/from Johor Baru. Tickets cost RM14.60.

MCW Express: Frequent express services to Muar, Johor

By taxi

There are also chartered taxi services available at end of Jalan Kee Ann. These chartered taxis travel within Melaka state and outside Melaka such as to KLIA International Airport, Kuala Lumpur and even Singapore. They carry up to 4 passengers at a time. See Tourism Melaka for the official fare chart. Malacca has real lousy public transportation system, so, be ready to get your money riped off by taxi drivers, even for a 5 minute's drive, they sometimes charge you RM15.Most of the taxis in Malacca don't have a metered system, and they often charge according to their likes.

By train

Malacca Town is not served by any railway lines. The nearest railway station is at Alor Gajah District /Pulau Sebang(Former known Tampin)]] (Railway station Tel: +60-6-3411034), about 30 km (18 mi) away.

To get there/away: Tai Lye No 26 (red, blue and white) goes from Melaka Sentral to Pulau Sebang/Tampin via Alor Gajah. Stop along the main road near the level crossing just before entering Pulau Sebang/Tampin town. The station is about 400 m (437 yd) from the main road. 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.

By boat

Daily ferries run to and from Bengkalis, Dumai and Pekanbaru in Sumatra, Indonesia. All ferries arrive and depart from the Harbour Master's jetty (Jeti Shahbandar) at Taman Melaka Raya near the Maritime Museum. To get to/away from Jetty: Malacca Town Bus No. 17 (Green) goes near the Harbour Master's jetty which is just down the road from the Red Square.

To/From Dumai: Tunas Rupat Follow Me Express [2] (Malacca ticketing booth at Jln PM10 Melaka Raya. Tel: +60-6-2816766, office Tel: +60-6-2832506, +60-6-2832516; Dumai agent: Jl. Jend. Sudirman 4. Tel: +62-765-31398) operates two ferries daily. They depart Malacca for Dumai at 0900 and 1500. Journey time is just under two hours. Tickets cost RM110/170 one-way/return.

To/From Pekanbaru: Tunas Rupat Follow Me Express (Malacca ticketing booth at Jln PM10 Melaka Raya. Tel: +60-6-2816766, office Tel: +60-6-2832506, +60-6-2832516; Pekanbaru agent: Jl. Tanjung Datuk No 153, Pekanbaru. Tel: +62-761-858777) has ferries from Pekanbaru to Malacca on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0900. From Malacca to Pekanbaru, they depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 0930. The journey takes about six and a half hours. Tickets cost RM120/210 one-way/return from Malacca to Pekanbaru. NNH Ferry Services (Malacca ticketing booth G-15, Jln PM10, Plaza Mahkota Melaka Raya. Tel: +60-6-2881334) runs the Pelita Jaya ferry from Malacca to Pekanbaru on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0900.

To/From Bengkalis: Laksamana Group (Malacca ticketing office stalls on Jln PM10, Plaza Mahkota Melaka Raya) has ferries from 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 0930. Mulia Kencana (Malacca ticketing office Stall No. 5, Jln PM10, Plaza Mahkota Melaka Raya. Mobile tel: +60-13-3733545, +60-16-6826896, +60-12-3398428) operates three ferries a week from Malacca to Bengkalis. Ferries connect to the town of Pakning. From Malacca, ferries depart on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 1300. Tickets cost RM50/80 one-way/return. Tickets from Bengkalis to Pakning cost a further Rp10,000. Note that Bengkalis is not listed as a visa-free or visa-on-arrival point of entry into Indonesia. However, those entitled to visa-free entry, or at least Malaysian passport holders, do not seem to face any problems.

Get around

Malacca is by no means a small city, but exploring on foot is a good idea. You could rent a bike. Don't be ignorant and stand in the middle of the road holding up traffic in order to take pictures of buildings, for heaven's sake.

By car

Streets in the older/historical part of the city are very narrow, so they quickly become clogged during rush hours.

By bus

Malacca Town Bus No 17 (green bus): Melaka Sentral Terminal to the historic core, Mahkota Parade, Melaka Raya and the Portuguese Settlement

Malacca Town Bus No 18: Melaka Sentral Terminal to Tengkera and onwards to Pokok Mangga Malacca Town Bus No 19: Melaka Sentral Terminal to Ayer Keroh

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): This hop-on-hop-off bus brings tourists to the attractions in town for a flat fee of RM 2 per day. Among its fleet are 2 double-decker buses, one with an open top. The bus service runs at 10 minute intervals from 6am - 12pm. [edit] By taxiMetered Taxis are just about everywhere. Chartered taxis on Jalan Kee Ann also travel within the city and should not cost more than RM10 per ride.

Island Boat Services