The more I travel, the more I enjoy exploring the “off the beaten path” places. Sometimes, the tourist hotspots are disappointing, like Bali and Bora Bora, and often too crowded. So when we visited Malacca, Malaysia, a place we knew next to nothing about, we were pleasantly surprised. We spent two nights in Malacca, admiring the historic buildings and eating excellent food.
Why Two Nights in Malacca
From Puteri Harbour, we made plans to visit Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s modern capital inland city. Since the best way to travel was via bus or train, we decided to break up the trip with a stop in Malacca (also spelt Melaka) on the way. (Since I am writing this in English, I am using the English spelling. I have been told that either is correct and they are interchangeable.) We saw a lot but two nights in Malacca may not have been enough.
About Malacca
Malacca City is part of a World Heritage Site, combined with Penang to the north, and has a rich history as a maritime port. The charming city is intersected by the narrow Malacca river which is lined with pathways for use by cyclists and pedestrians.
Althought Malacca is on the Strait of Malacca, our sailing route north through Malaysia, it isn’t a great place to anchor a boat. The port is crowded with commercial vessels, anchorages are uncomfortable, and dinghy docks rare. And since Malaysia is relatively inexpensive for travel and accommodation, we went by land and stayed in a hotel rather than our boat.
Malacca is the oldest city on Malaysia’s Strait of Malacca. Founded in the late 1300s, the city’s downtown includes preserved architecture from Dutch, Portuguese, and British colonial times. The town reminded me of a less touristy Hoi An, with walkable riverfront paths and lots of excellent restaurants. In fact, Malacca, like Penang, its shared UNESCO site, is known as a Malaysian foodie hotspot.
Two Nights in Malacca: Sights
We had a short time to explore Malacca, and like much of Malaysia, it is hot and humid. The best move is to plan excursions for early morning and later in the day. We arrived in the afternoon, and after checking into our hotel, wandered across bridges and down along the river into Chinatown.
Before sunset, we ascended to the top of the Sky Tower, said to have the best view of Malacca. It was a bit cloudy but I am glad we went when we did because later we got lots of rain.
Our only full day was Friday which we started with a free heritage city walking tour at 9am. The tour began at the famed Dutch Square with its red colonial buildings, some dating as far back as the 1640s.
We continued through old churches and the fort, and then cut into lovely Heeren Street with its heritage homes and museums. Our walk ended 3 hours later at popular Jonker street, the heart of Malacca’s Chinatown. It was a fascinating tour and left us hungry for more of this intriguing city.
Eating and Drinking In Malacca
In our two nights in Malacca, we ate well. You see, this port city has some of the best food in Malaysia, a country with some of the world’s best food. We didn’t have time to try nearly enough restaurants, but here are our highlights.
traditional nyonya food at Campong O’oloo
Campong O’Oloo is a Nyonya restaurant in Malacca where we had a delicious dinner. Nyonya food is a cuisine in Malaysia, and Singapore, from the Peranakan people. It’s a fusion food of Chinese, Malay and other Southeast Asian cuisine, with spices and rich sauces. Definitely try it if you’re in Malacca, there are a lot of Nyonya restaurants and Campong O’Oloo was great. The servers were really friendly and gave us some good recommendations. One dish we had was otak otak lemak, a fish wrapped in banana leaves and grilled, then served in a sauce with fresh spices and coconut milk.
Campong O’Oolo, 17, Jalan Kampung Hulu, Kampung Dua, 75100 Melaka
malaysian laksa at D’Krub cafe
D’Krub Cafe was one of the restaurants I had already saved in my map, and when the tour guide recommended it, we made it our lunch stop. After hours of walking in the heart, we relaxed in the cafe’s cool courtyard and order laksa.
Now, we have had laksa before, most notably in Fiji and Darwin. But the laksa in Malaysia is another level, probably because it is one of the country’s signature dishes. When I say we inhaled this bowl of seafood laksa, savoring the umami and coconut flavors, believe it.
D’Krub Cafe, 51, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Taman Kota Laksamana, 75200 Melaka
Love Music Vinyl Cafe
Brian found this great music venue in Malacca. We spent two nights in Malacca and went to this spot both nights. The first night, we sat at the bar and listened to the vinyl choices of the other customers, and made our own requests. We chatted with the bartenders and locals, and returned the next night for the live band. Highly recommend if you’re in Malacca and like music and friendly people.
Love Music Vinyl Cafe, 43, Jalan Kampung Pantai, 75200 Melaka
Street Art
Aside from the arresting architecture and lively riverfront, Malacca attracts the eyes with some really cool street art. I am a fan of murals and love photographing them, and the streets of Malacca are full of colorful art representing the city’s history and culture.
Walk or cruise along the riverbank to get the best views of the city’s street art. We were mesmerized by the talent and the colorful displays.
Other Things to Do
River cruises are very popular in Malacca, but we live on a boat and got a lot of the waterfront views just from walking around. Cruises are popular because so much of the street art is along the river. Locals recommend a cruise right before sunset so you can see the town with and without the lights.
The Jonker Street Night Market only runs on the weekends, so we were happy to be there on Friday night. Until we went, and we were disappointed. We expected hawker stalls and good street food, befitting a food city. However, we arrived to vendors selling Asian hot dogs and cheap souvenirs, with huge crowds jostling for the sub-par wares. After a few blocks of the same, we exited Jonker Street. There are too many good spots in Malacca to spend time on that.
Would I go back? Absolutely. There are so many restaurants we didn’t try and museums to visit! Plus, I’d love to do a cycling tour to the outlying area, especially the highly recommended Hang Tuah Village with its traditional Malay stilt houses. Two nights in Malacca was a great intro, but if you like history and food, take more.
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