Attractions in Malaysia

Location

Malacca has a long colorful history dated way back to more than 600 years. With the lack of natural resources like other states of Malaysia, Malacca/Melaka rely solely on industrialization and tourism development. To date, Malacca is well known by the world, and it's a place never to be missed when one visits Malaysia. Malacca is located on the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, facing the strategic Straits of Malacca, approximately 147 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur.

Overview

Malacca is a place where many culture meet and fused. One of the most pronounced influence is Portuguese architectural that one can see around Malacca. When the Portuguese came in 1511, they built a fort overlooking the river, and named it A Famosa . It was built to maintain the Portuguese stronghold across the Far East, to date it is one of the oldest European Architecture present in South East Asia. A Farmosa has been badly destructed by the Dutch, and the small gate house of the church is the only remaining structure of the fortress. The visit should take about 1.5 hours where you can wonder around the fortress, alongside you can see some souvenirs stall if you wish to get some. Interestingly, there's also some local artist, drawing the view of the fortress with just lead pencil. If you are lucky, you may also enjoy the street singing while admiring and imagining the glorious day of Portuguese.

Portuguese Square is also a place to enjoy the Portuguese culture within Malacca. Its located 20 minutes from Malacca town, within the Portuguese Settlement in Ujong Pasir. square is facing the sea where you can catch a hearty Portuguese food while enjoying the sea breeze. Apart from Portuguese influence, there is also Chinese descendant's settler that have adopted into the local Malay culture through intermarriage, forming the distinct Baba and Nyonya flavours. Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum will be the place for you to admire their unique heritage. Besides, The Stadthuys , which represent much of Malacca landmark, is the Municipal Town Hall build by the Dutch, and it's also the largest and oldest Dutch building around the region, and all the materials were imported from the Netherlands.

Jonker Street is the right place for the antic fanatics and food lovers. A good variety of local delicacies can be found there, for example, ice kacang, chicken rice ball and etc. If you are looking for a place for a night, there are plenty of hotels around Malacca, example Malacca Hotel. Other attractions of Malacca include Maritime Museum and Zoo Malacca.

Transport

From KLIA/LCCT, you can catch an express bus from the airport, for example, Transnational, were it will take approximately 120 minute. Alternatively, you can rent a car at the airport and take a slow drive towards south, taking North-South highway. Travelling from Singapore is also a breeze, either by self-drive using North-South highway, and exists at Ayer Keroh. Otherwise, there are plenty of express buses from Singapore to Malacca, example Delima Express