After you visited Kuala Lumpur, you should take a bus to see the historical city of Malacca. There's a lot to see and do like historical buildings, temples and night markets.
Malacca (or Melaka in Malay) is a beautiful town known for its rich history. It's located 148 km south east of Malaysia's capital city Kuala Lumpur. Back in the days the town had one of the most important ports in Malaysia, influenced by the Dutch, the British and the Portuguese. Sadly, in the end it lost its importance. The UNESCO world heritage site takes care of the historical center of the city and attracts thousands of visitors each year. Here are 9 amazing things you can do while you're there.
#1 Breakfast at Locahouz
Start your day with a lovely breakfast. The interior of Locahouz is beautiful and the staff there is very welcoming. Their menu has a lot of options and everything is fresh.
We enjoyed our breakfast/brunch a lot and spoiled ourselves: coffee and cake, you name it. The cappucino was served in the cutest cup ever. When we left, the chef looked up from the kitchen and asked if we enjoyed the food. It's a wonderful start into a day in Malacca.
#2 Malaysia's oldest Chinese temple
Just around the corner from the café, is the famous Chinese temple Cheng Hoon Teng. It's Malaysia's oldest traditional Chinese temple. The temple ranks among the most signifiant in Southeast Asia. Stroll around and watch people who go into the temple and pray. Use the opportunity to take some unique pictures.
#3 Walk around Dutch square
Walk further towards the center and explore Dutch square. While we were in town there was construction and renovation going on. But, I can imagine how cute all these shops will look like later. The city really makes an effort to keep old town like it used to be. It's fascinating to see all different kinds of cultural influences melting into one town.
#4 Walk around China Town
China town in Malacca is worth a visit. There are lots of hostels and homestays. We chose an accomodation there in a cute area. If you're not staying here, I would still recommend that you walk along the streets, watch locals doing their work, or stop for a cup of coffee in one of the cafés. A good time for pictures is when the sun sets and the laterns shine. Walk through the little streets and you'll get nice pictures.
#5 Taming Sari Tower
See Malacca from 80 m above in a 360 ° view. From up there you have a view over all interesting sights like St. Paul's Hill, Independence Memorial Building, the big ship, and the ocean. For 20 RM ($4.73*) each we received the entry ticket which comes along with a package of sweets and a bottle of water for each of us.
* exchange rate from 27/11/2015
#6 Walk up St. Paul's Hill
After a visit to the tower, we walked up to St. Paul's Hill to have another beautiful view over the town. On top is St. Paul's Church which was originally built in 1521. The ruins of the church are again a fantastic place for a little photoshooting. So make sure and wear your nice clothes.
#7 Rent a bike and discover the city
We rented out a bike and cycled around which was lots of fun. We stopped at the river to take lovely pictures and even made it to the ocean where the locals hang out. We didn't really have a route, and that was probably the most fun part.
Costs: 15 RM ($ 3.55) for 3 hours
#8 Jonker Street
Walk along Jonker street to see all kinds of street stalls where you can buy everything. From old pictures from Malacca to toys for kids or food. For dinner, try dumplings as a first course and then move over to other food stalls to enjoy other street food, or choose a restaurant with a nice view.
#9 Disney Rikshas
When you come to Malacca with kids, expect several rides with the amazing rikshas of Malacca.
Each riksha driver has a specific topic for his own riksha. Whether it's from the movie Frozen or Hello Kitty, there is something for everyone. Some play techno music, others play chart music and others play Disney songs.
Of course there are lot of exciting things to do in Malaysia and also in Malacca, I just picked a few. Are you planning to visit soon? Is there anything you did in Malacca besides my tips? Leave me a comment.
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