Melaka is a small yet very touristy city in Malaysia known for its history, weekend night market and cultural diversity. You may also see Melaka referred to as “Malacca”, which is the city’s anglicised spelling. However, I will refer to it as the Malay name “Melaka” throughout this post as this is the official city name as of 2017. Many backpackers skip Melaka if they’re on a tight timeframe, instead preferring to spend time in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. If you have the time, I strongly recommend spending a few days backpacking Melaka. If you are backpacking Melaka, try to plan your trip to allow being in Melaka for a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night. That way, you can experience the famous Jonker Street Night Market and eating all the great Melaka food.
How Many Days to Spend in Melaka
As someone who spent more than two weeks of their life in Melaka, I cannot recommend Melaka enough! Two weeks is probably a bit of an overkill, but you could easily spend 2-5 days in Melaka and never run out of things to do. Two factors that would affect how long you stay in Melaka are your preferred pace of travel and how much you love museums and history. Two full days would be enough time to explore if you’re not keen on museums and history. If you want to see a few museums, eat all the food and backpack at a leisurely pace, allow five full days in Melaka.
How to get to Melaka
Melaka is halfway between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, so most people backpacking will be coming from either of these two destinations. It is possible to get to Melaka from other places, such as Penang, the Cameron Highlands, Langkawi or Taman Negara. However, you would have to transfer buses in Kuala Lumpur.
How to get to Melaka from Singapore
Singapore to Melaka is a super popular travel route for those backpacking and locals alike. There are a few companies that operate bus services on this route, such as 707 Buses, StarMart SG Buses and SuperNice Express Buses. Depending on the timing of the bus and the traffic levels, the journey can take anywhere between 3.5 hours and 5 hours, including rest breaks and time is taken to stop at immigration. Buses depart between 7 am- 8 pm daily, running almost every 15 minutes. Expect to pay between 73- 110 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($16- $25 USD) depending on the bus company and the time. You can book your ticket online on 12GO Asia here.
The bus makes two stops in Melaka: Mahkota Medical Centre and Melaka Sentral Station. If you’re staying at Yote 28 Hostel or anywhere south of the river, get off at Mahkota, and you can walk. If you’re staying in the centre of Melaka, where hostels like Ringo’s Foyer and Ola Lavendaria are, get off at Melaka Sentral. From Melaka Sentral, you can easily get a taxi or Grab to your hostel.
All buses will stop twice for immigration, once at Singapore immigration and once at Malaysia immigration. The first stop will be for Singapore immigration, where you will need to show your passport to depart the country. The second stop will be Malaysian immigration, where you must take all your luggage off the bus. You will be asked for your passport and may be asked to show your visa (if you’re from a country that requires one) or for proof of onward travel. The bus will wait for you after both immigration stops; just make sure you get on the correct bus.
How to get to Melaka from Kuala Lumpur
Buses from Kuala Lumpur depart from TBS (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan) roughly every 15 minutes heading to Melaka. The journey takes roughly 2.5 hours and costs between 8-16 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($1.80-$3.60 USD). The first bus departs at 5 am, and the last bus leaves at 11 pm. All buses from Kuala Lumpur stop at Melaka Sentral Station, which is around a 45-minute walk from the centre of Melaka. Many Taxis and Grab cars are available at Melaka Sentral Station, though, so it is easy to get to your hostel. You can book the bus online at Busticketonline.com.
How to get around Melaka
Melaka is fairly small, with most attractions being in the centre of Melaka, so you will mostly be getting around on foot, by Trishaw or by Taxi/Grab. There’s no real public transport to get around Melaka, like buses or trains.
Getting around Melaka on foot
The majority of places in Melaka will be easily accessible on foot. Attractions such as the Famosa Fort, Sri Poyatha Temple, Stadthuys Dutch Museum, Saint Paul’s Ruin, Taming Sari Tower, the Night Market and all the museums are within 15 minutes walking distance of the centre. You can also walk to Kampung Morten Area (to visit Villa Sentosa); however, it is about a more like a 30-minute walk. But that walk is mostly along the river, which has lots of street art and cool architecture to admire on the walk.
An alternative way to getting around to walking would be taking a Trishaw. The Trishaws of Melaka are infamous on social media as they play loud music which is often themed to match the decoration on their Trishaw. For example, there are pokemon themed Trishaws that blare Pokemon theme songs. Jumping in a Trishaw is an experience in itself and is generally pretty affordable if you haggle. Trishaws only operate in the central area of Melaka and will often give you a guided tour or recommend places to stop.
Getting around Melaka by Grab/ Taxi
There are a couple of attractions which aren’t really walking distance from Melaka centre, where you may need to catch a Grab or Taxi. Melaka Straits Mosque, the Portuguese Settlement, and the Melaka Sand Dunes are all further afield, so you would need to get a car to take you there. Grab is easily booked around Melaka and will be more affordable than taxi rates. In Malaysia, many drivers prefer cash payments over card payments through the app, so make sure you change your payment method to cash in order to get a driver faster.
Where to stay in Melaka
Even though Melaka is fairly small compared to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, it still has a fair few hostels which cater to different types of backpackers. All of the hostels are very centrally located. You can book all accommodation here.
Ringo’s Foyer Hostel
Ringo’s Foyer is one of the best social hostels in South East Asia! From the moment I arrived, Howard (one of the owners) introduced me to everyone at the hostel and gave me so much info about backpacking Melaka. The hostel also runs a daily sunset bike ride to the Melaka Straits Mosque, which is such a great experience! They have pod beds with curtains, outlets and night lights within the pod. The main common area and bathroom area are small and pretty basic, but they have a great rooftop where everyone goes for drinks. Ringo’s Foyer felt more like a family than just a hostel, I strongly recommend staying there as a solo traveller.
Ola Lavendaria
Ola Lavendaria is in the best location in Melaka, it’s literally right in the centre of everything. The beds are pod-style and super comfortable. They also do single-person private rooms for a reasonable price, which is incredibly rare for a hostel. They have a cute, quirky cafe at the front that serves great coffee and food, where you can people-watch on the main road in Melaka. Given they have no common area other than the cafe, which is a public space, it is not the most social hostel. Still possible to meet people, but much trickier than somewhere like Ringo’s.
Yote 28
Probably the cleanest hostel I’ve ever stayed in! Yote 28 is immaculately clean, with modern interiors and fantastic amenities. It feels more like a boutique hotel than a hostel. The beds are pod-style with curtains, and they’re incredibly comfortable. The bathrooms are some of the nicest hostel bathrooms I’ve been in, and they have heaps of complimentary toiletries. One thing to note about Yote 28 is that it is in an odd location in Melaka, next to the mall on the side of a busy main road. However, it is only a short walk to the middle of Melaka. They also don’t run any activities or tours through the hostel, so it can be harder to make friends if solo backpacking Melaka.
What to do in Melaka
Melaka is a city chock-full of culture, history and great food, so there’s no shortage of things to do if you’re backpacking. If you love history and museums, you’ll love Melaka. If history and museums aren’t really your thing, still come for the food and the other attractions. Highly recommend taking a Trishaw to get between different sites just for the experience. Even though you can walk, riding in a Trishaw in Melaka is so fun and often, the drivers give you recommendations on places to visit.
Sunset at Melaka Straits Mosque
If you only do one thing in Melaka, make sure it is watching the sunset at the Melaka Straits Mosque! The Melaka Straits Mosque, also known as the floating Mosque due to its location on the water, is a really beautiful Mosque to explore both inside and out. If you are heading into the Mosque, make sure your shoulders, knees and chest is covered, and you have something to use as a head scarf. Alternatively, you can just watch the sunset over the Mosque from the rock bank to the left of the Mosque. At sunset, the Mosque lights up, so it is particularly beautiful. If you’re staying at Ringo’s Foyer, the hostel runs a nightly group bike ride to watch the sunset here, which I highly recommend!
Night River Cruise
During the daytime and at night, there are multiple sightseeing boats running up and down the river for tourists. While the daytime boat ride can be nice to properly see the street art and architectural building lining the river, nighttime is by far the best time to take the cruise. At night, the bridges crossing the river light up, and a lot of the river-side bars and restaurants have live music and fairy lights. It’s a really great experience, particularly if you can nab a window seat. The cruise departs from the riverbank between the Dutch Stadthuys and the Flor De Mar Museum- you can’t miss it! You can purchase tickets on the spot, which cost 30 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($6.85 USD) for a night ticket.
Dutch Stadthuys and Christchurch
If you go to Melaka, you can’t miss the big red Dutch building in the centre of town, the Dutch Stadthuys and Christchurch. While most people will stop here for a photo op, make sure you go inside the museum. The museum inside gives a great overall history of Melaka and the various cultural influences which have shaped the city. It costs 20 RM Malaysian Ringgit to enter ($4.50 USD) and is open every day except Monday. If you only do one museum in Melaka, this is one of the best ones for overall history!
Visit St Paul’s Church Ruin
The Church of Saint Paul in Melaka is a historical ruin on top of a hill in the middle of the town. It’s cool to visit to admire what is standing of the Church; however, there’s not much information on its history of it. It’s free to enter and open every day. My recommendation would be to go for sunset as you get an unobstructed view of the sun setting over Melaka.
Visit some of the many museums in Melaka
Melaka has so much history and culture; thus, there are about a million museums around Melaka dedicated to different periods. Depending on your interest level for certain periods or your time in Melaka, you’ll probably only get to a few. The Stadthuys Museum, which I’ve mentioned separately above, is a must! Keep in mind a lot of the museums will be closed on Mondays, and some of the smaller museums keep strange opening and closing times due to limited staff, so check the opening time on Google in advance.
A few others popular museums are the Cheng Ho Cultural Museum, the Baba and Nonya Museum and the Peoples Museum. The Baba and Nonya Museum is an old historical house, kept in pristine condition, which details how the Baba and Nonya people of Melaka lived. The Baba and Nonya people are the Chinese Malay community who lived in Melaka prior to European colonisation. It costs 15 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($3.50 USD) to enter the two-storey converted house museum. The Cheng Ho Cultural Museum focuses on the historical figure Cheng Ho, a Chinese explorer who frequented Melaka. It costs 14 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($3.20) to enter the multi-storey museum dedicated to maritime discovery in South East and East Asia.
The Peoples Museum Complex is a number of small museums just behind the Dutch Stadthuys. The mini-exhibitions focus on different ethnic groups in Melaka, notable residents, and traditions popular within the region at different times. Interestingly, they have a section called the Museum of Beauty which exhibits different beauty standards across the world. This includes explanations of things such as foot-binding in China and scarification for beauty in Ghana. The Peoples Museum costs 9 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($2 USD) to enter all exhibits.
Famosa Fort
Another important piece of history for Melaka, which is now a ruin, but still a cool site to visit. Famosa Fort was a Portuguese Fortress from the 16th century that was partially destroyed during the Battle of Melaka. There are a few informational signs about the fort around, but the best source of information will be in the Stadthuys Museum. The Fort is free to visit and located just behind Saint Paul’s Church Ruin.
Cheng Hoon Teng Temple
Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is the oldest functional temple in Malaysia. It’s really well-maintained and has beautiful architecture inside and out. There is no dress code or charge to enter; however, you may want to leave a small donation to help with the upkeep of the temple.
Taming Sari Revolving Tower
If you want a birds-eye view of Melaka, Taming Sari Revolving Tower is where you should go. Located a 3-minute walk from the Stadthuys, between the markets and the Mall car park, is the tower entry. It costs 22 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($5 USD) to enter and is open most days. Once you enter the tower, you will need to take a seat as it spins slowly, giving you panoramic views of Melaka. The tower ride lasts about 5-10 minutes.
Sri Poyatha Temple
Just down from Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is the oldest Hindu Temple in Malaya- Sri Poyatha Temple. The temple is only open for visitors from 7 am to 11:30 am and 6 pm to 9 pm daily. It is free to enter during those times but dress appropriately with your knees, shoulders and chest covered.
Villa Sentosa in Kampung Mortem
Villa Sentosa is a Living Museum located in the historic village of Kampung Mortem, just to the north of the centre of Melaka. It is a perfectly maintained example of a traditional Malay house, with the family who owns the house still residing within it. They provide free tours daily from 9 am- 5 pm, where a member of the family explains how local Malays live and the significance of certain architectural features. It is free to enter Villa Sentosa, but a donation for the tour and the upkeep of the house is encouraged. Afterwards, make sure you take a walk around Kampung Mortem to admire the other historical Malay houses and street art along that section of the river.
Where to eat in Melaka
Malaysia generally has great food and so much diversity in the different dishes available. Melaka is no exception; from eating their famous Laksa to smoothie bowls, you can’t have a bad meal in Melaka.
Jonker Street Night Market
I’d go back to Melaka purely to experience eating the food of the Jonker Street Night Market. The markets run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday Night and are a must-do in Melaka. It attracts massive crowds of those backpacking, domestic tourists from other parts of Malaysia and Singaporeans in Melaka for the weekend. Some foods to eat in Melaka include quail egg, grilled oysters, coconut ice cream, cendol, fishballs in sauce, fresh mango smoothies and colourful dim sum. The Jonker Street Market also sells lots of clothes, handicrafts and souvenirs.
Jonker 88
Jonker 88 is famous for their Nonya food, particularly their Laksa and for good reason! Make sure you check their opening hours on Google before you head there, as they only open certain hours and days of the week. At the times they are open, you may have to queue for a seat, but I swear it’s worth it! They’re pretty reasonably priced, given they are a popular spot to eat in Melaka. You have to order first and collect your food at the back before finding a seat. Chances are you won’t get your own table. Instead, you’ll be allocated any available chair and table space to enjoy your meal.
Heesan Kopi
A really cute cafe run out of a historical house. They sell great coffee and pastries and are right in the middle of Melaka.
Trois by Navy
The best smoothie bowl in Melaka! Trois by Navy is a short walk out of the central streets of Melaka, but it is so worth it for the brunch.
Stolen Cup
Another great brunch option! Stolen Cup has great all-day breakfast options, pastries and top-notch coffee. They’re right on the main street in Melaka, so they also have a prime location for eating and people-watching.
Gravy Baby
If you’re looking for good quality Western eats and brunch in Melaka, then get your fix at Gravy Baby. It’s a massive restaurant right on the river next to the main bridge crossing in Melaka. They also serve great cocktails and have live music at night. Gravy Baby is a bit on the pricey side but worth it, in my opinion, if you’re craving Western food.
Mamasita
After eating all the Malaysian food at the Jonker Street Market over the weekend, head to Mamasita for a change of cuisine. They do great Mexican (for South East Asia standards) and have happy hour specials on Margaritas.
Seedellas workshop
A great, affordable local cafe with all day breakfast options. They tend to be quite busy on weekends when the market is on. I would recommend trying to go during the week to avoid crowds.
Nightlife in Melaka
Melaka isn’t known as a “party” backpacking place compared to many other destinations in South East Asia. There’s not really anywhere popular with those backpacking to go dancing in Melaka after you’ve had a few drinks. There are a few spots where you can sit and have some drinks and a few good dive bars.
Reggae on the River
Lining the river in Melaka are a number of dive bars where you can get affordable drinks. Reggae on the River is one of the more lively and popular with those backpacking in Melaka. They serve really reasonably priced drinks and play good music. Most of the dive bars in Melaka also serve food if you haven’t eaten. You can stay there fairly late, particularly on a weekend, but most people will clear out by around 1 am.
Ringo’s Foyer Rooftop
This one is not actually a bar, just a further endorsement for one of my favourite hostels in South East Asia. Ringo’s Foyer is a super social hostel that has a great rooftop area. If you’re staying at Ringo’s, highly recommend grabbing a few drinks and joining everyone from the hostel for drinking games and just general life chat on the rooftop. The rooftop at Ringos is wildly one of the liveliest spots in Melaka for those backpacking!
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