Melaka, Malaysia has been established as one of the world heritage sites by UNESCO because of its well kept heritage and culture. As Malaysia’s oldest historical city, Melaka or Malacca has become increasingly popular among tourists from around the world.

When visiting the small and compact town of Malacca, you can stroll down the streets installed with century-aged houses and specialty shops. With the support of both the American Express Foundation and Melaka Tourist Information Center, they were able to develop the Melaka Heritage Trail which will guide visitors and tourists to their destinations by simply following the map. This map is conveniently created with easy-to-follow illustrations and descriptions for every targeted site. Melaka Heritaage Trail is like turning back in time for most tourists.

You have to first drop at the Melaka Tourist Information Center when visiting Melaka located at the center of the old Malacca. This is where you get your map and inquire for best tips to optimize your touring to this historic town. You can enjoy 10 major stops not mentioning other mini stops along the trial. Here it is and have a great fun!

The first stop starts at the Malacca River where Melaka history began and molded. Previously, Malacca River was once known an active major port providing opportunities for trade but currently converted for attract tourists. Melaka had been taken over several times by foreigners because of this port. When riding along the river through Melaka River Cruises, you will see at the eastern bank the 15th century palace of Hindu Prince Parameswara.

Your next stop will be the Peranakan Culture or Baba Nyonya Heritage. This culture was initiated with inter-racial marriages between the native Malay women and the Chinese settlers in Melaka. When exploring the place, you will encounter the rich people lane Jalan Tun Tan Cheng where you will find delicately designed houses that show the combined influences of Dutch and Chinese. You can also request for a guided tour in the side of the street where Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum is located. You will see here the displayed miniature shoes which were used by the Baba Nyonyan women.

A few steps ahead you will see Cheng Hoon Teng or Green Cloud temple, the oldest Buddhist temple in Malaysia which despite its age, religious activities are still performed here everyday. Moving further you will see the Kampong Kling Mosque, the oldest mosque in Malaysia built in 1748 with Sumatran influence. It is still considered as the core of the Malay community.

Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar temple is the first and oldest Hindu temple in Malaysia. This temple was built for Vinayagar, a deity known to remove obstacles. You are in the right course when you see the well known bright red building referred by the locals as Christ Church, an old protestant church located in Dutch Square. It is believed that there are tombstones found underneath the church. You can regularly hear masses performed here in various dialects to serve its multiple language members.

You will see the St. Paul’s Historical Complex as you go around. It is the home of three oldest buildings in Melaka. Going at the foot of St. Paul’s Hill you will see a red building which was built in 1650 and the former home of Dutch governor. Moving up towards the top of the hill you will find St. Paul’s church which is overlooking the Malacca Strait. On the near side is the old gate of A’Famosa which was built in 1512 and known as Porta de Santiago.

On your way back you will see the Malacca Sultanate which is a newer structure among any other structures on the area. It is the replica of the original palace and turned as the new home to Malacca Cultural Museum. Your final stop will be the Proclamation of Independence memorial or the Malacca Club. This path will guide you back to Melaka Tourist Information Center, finishing your trip through this fascinating and rich culture of Melaka. When you finished visiting the highlighted sites, you can freely go around and experience more.

The very popular street at the center of Melaka has many names. You can have your own preference to call it as Jalan Hang Jebat, Jonker Walk, or Jonker Street. Tourists prefer to call it Jonker Street where rich colonial families resided.

Today, this narrow pathway has evolved into a haven of bargain hunters and antique collectors. You can find here 17th century old antique pieces, lamps, cast iron beds, decorative brass ware, handmade Chinese porcelain, and authentic paper money and old coins that were used by the early traders of Melaka. Valuable Buddha statues and some rare pieces created by locals from various Melakan eras can be found here.

You can get great deals and offers while shopping here. In fact, Jonker Street is an ideal spot to catch for rare center pieces and finds. Some of the popular antique dealers in Jonker Street are Abdul Company offering lamps, cast iron beds, brass ware, Chinese porcelain, and antique furniture; the equally famous second hand shops T.K. Kutty and Hj Abu Bakar can be found at Nos. 25, 26, and 55. Interestingly, you can find in these shops some antiques from 16th century and some Victorian collections.

Jonker Street actually belongs to the old Chinatown of Melaka. This is aside from the fact that the Chinese are the usual occupants of Jonker Street apparently making this street closely associated to Chinatown. Nevertheless, Jinker Street covers Jonker Walk and this is the right spot of the Jonker Walk night market, something that you should not miss when touring Melaka.

Jonker Street is widely known for its one of a kind and valuable finds but during weekends at around 6 pm, the street is changed into an amusing carnival like event where many expectant tourists are looking forward to. The Jonker Walk night market is the usual activity that happens weekly for locals where they install shops and display their items to sell.

You can take home from the night market some one-of-a-kind wares that reflect their cultural heritage like ethnic and local Melakan fare, ornamental jewelry and wooden clogs, souvenirs, and handicrafts. Prices ranges and might go higher for visitors however some stalls might accept bargaining. This fascinating bazaar kind of shopping extravaganza at Jonker Walk night market is a must-not-miss while visiting Melaka.

Wide range of food choices are also famous in Jonker Street in Melaka making this street a very popular district in Melaka, Malaysia in terms of food and entertainment. You can find here variety of food choices from various cultures. The Baba Nyonya delicacies are best to try to complete your trip in Melaka. The street is studded with cafes and shops during daytime and turns into food stalls at night. Jonker Street is full of activities anytime of the day. Wide choices of food and drinks are catered in Jonker Street. Among the best choices are the ice cold desserts which hungry visitors should try.

There are signature foods that you must try when visiting Melaka. These include herbal eggs, Vadai, fried carrot cake, barbeque squid, Popiah, fried radish cake, pineapple tarts, Hongkong style curry fish ball, Put Chai Ko, candied fruits, seaweeds, Dim Sum, and Chicken Rice Balls. This is only part of the entire list of foods that you ca taste while strolling Jonker Street.

If you enjoy nightlife, you can find karaoke nights where you can sing to your heart’s content. Choices for song dialects are Hakka, Hokkien, Mandarin, and English.

Even though Jonker Street made adapted some modern ways and made some improvements in their lifestyle, it has always preserved its cultural tradition and charm. This is very apparent with their shops, houses, and buildings that were made with specific pillars and carvings to show the heritage and culture of Melaka, Malaysia.

Image by Gonkie, Rikkya

Melaka is the core of Malaccan history and the state of Malaysia’s oldest capital city. The former occupation of the Japanese, British, Portuguese, and Dutch molded the Malaccan history manifested through its well preserved landmarks. Melaka is currently established as world heritage site by UNESCO which you should not miss when touring Malaysia.

The center of the city offers the most fascinating travel locations in Melaka. For your food craving and additional antique collections, you can go to the famous Jalan Hang Jebat or Jonker Walker. This spectacular walkway is studded with specialty stores where you can also feel the unique ambiance of Perakan architecture which is evident in Jonker Walk.

The rich cultural heritage is the strong pillar of Melaka tourism consequently preserved as possible. You can visit here several extraordinary museums particularly in the area of Bandar Hilir. You can also experience charming view the A Famosa Fort and St. Paul Hill in this location which are remnants from 500 years way back.

At the foot of St. Paul’s Hill you will see the Melaka Sultanate museum where they keep the Malacca Cultural artifacts. Moreover, another heritage structure of Melaka is the St. Paul Church ruins can be seen as you climb up the St. Paul Hill.

A Famosa Fort is among Asia’s oldest European architectural landmarks. For years only the small gate remained from the formerly known as powerful and massive structure. Alfonso de Albuquerque, a Portuguese commander, built this fort believing that Melaka can be an ideal port to link Portugal and China.

As you stand at the stairway of St. Paul’s Church you will see next to it a huge red building known as Stadhuys. It is considered as the important landmark in Melaka where the Dutch Governor officially resided. At present, you can find here two museums, the Ethnography Museum and the Historic Museum where they home wide range of tradition bridal costume collections and Malacca’s relics. Going to the back portion of the building you can see another museum known as the Literature Museum.

The largest Chinese cemetery outside China can be found at the northeast portion of Malacca town. The Melaka people have preserved well the Bukit China’s tombs originated from the Ming Dynasty.

The Kampung Keling, built by Indian Muslim businessmen in the 18th century is among the oldest landmarks in Malacca. It displays the distinct architectural influence of Sumatra where you can also see the Cheng Hoon Teng temple abundantly adored with mythological images and magnificent wood furnishings and carvings. It considered as the oldest Chinese temple in Malaysia.

Aside from experiencing the historical adventure of Melaka are the white sand beaches of the two major islands, the Pulau Besar considered as a beach sanctuary and Pulau Upeh the home of the rare Hawksbill turtle and considered as paradise for nature lovers. You can go to these islands via ferry from Jeti Anjung Batu in Umbai.

Beside from all of those amenities mentioned, there are other enthralling tourist’s spots in Melaka. Most tourists who come to the town of Melaka were delighted and fascinated by its tourist attractions. Moving around the town is not a problem through Panorama Melaka which conveniently shuttles tourists all over Melaka.

You tour to Melaka will always be a memorable one. You will be like stepping back in time with its well preserved culture that is rarely found anywhere in the world. The Melaka people have incredibly kept their heritage that stood until now to enrich its multicultural background.

Image by lOtkOt, treviño, zulyusof, Fahmishah