What to do in Malacca? — Top 10 fun, must do in Malacca & best things to do in Malacca

Malacca, also known as Melaka, is the oldest city of Malaysia, this city has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. Malacca is famous for that, but there are still many visitors who come here for the first time and don’t know where to visit, which what to do, what new things to experience. If you are one of them, rest assured, this article will help you. Here is a list of 10 activities, that you should do most when traveling in Malacca, don’t forget to jot down these worthy experiences. So, what to do in Malacca (what to do in Melaka)? Let’s check out our suggested Malacca what to see, must do in Malacca (must do in Melaka), top things to do in Malacca (Malacca things to do, top things to do in Melaka, Melaka things to do) including fun, best things to do in Malacca below!

What to do in Malacca: Visit Chinese Temple Cheng Hoon Teng (Merciful Cloud Temple)

Address: 25, Jalan Tokong, Kampung Dua, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Hours: 7AM–4PM

Cheng Hoon Teng is one of the most famous sites in Malacca, it is the oldest Buddhist temple in Malacca. It is dedicated to Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. This temple was built in 1673, it is also known as the “Temple of Bright Clouds”, Cheng Hoon Teng temple was built by Chan Lok Koa, the son-in-law of a Chinese captain.

The most sacred place of the temple is the main prayer hall, it can be said that the main prayer hall of this temple is one of the symbols of the most typical Chinese architectural beauty in Malacca. It has a roof-like roof decorated in dark wood with intricate carvings, next to the main hall are smaller chambers used as places of worship, in these chambers there are tablets with projections of the people who helped build the temple.

The people here said that all the materials used to build this temple are of Chinese origin, so this is both a place of religious expression but at the same time a place of worship that representative of the beauty of Chinese culture.

Opposite the main prayer hall is a red flagpole with a height of 7 meters, this is the place to keep the remains of those who built the temple. Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is one of the most representative cultural works from the 17th century that has existed to this day, visiting this temple will surely amaze you with its spectacular architectural beauty, Cheng Hoon Teng will bring you new discoveries in the field of sculpture and architecture.

Besides the unique architecture, this temple is also one of the places with beautiful and peaceful scenery. In the temple grounds, there are many ornamental plants and flower pots that are meticulously cared for, along with a quiet space, so this place becomes the best place to catch the sunrise and relax. watch the sunset during the day.

Cheng Hoon Teng is really a great place for visitors to find the most peaceful and happy moments in life, perhaps this is also the reason why this temple attracts thousands of visitors every year. If you have the opportunity to come to Malacca, do not forget to visit this famous Cheng Hoon Teng temple.

Enjoy the view at Taming Sari Revolving Tower

Address: Jln Merdeka, Bandar Hilir, 75000 Melaka, Malaysia
Hours: 10AM–11PM
Ticket price: Adults RM20, Children RM10, Students RM16 (price for foreign visitors)

If you are a lover of adventurous and thrilling games, Taming Sari Revolving Tower is a great place for you when coming to Malacca. This tower has a height of 110 meters, it can accommodate about 66 passengers, it is the first revolving tower in Malacca. The top of this tower is shaped like a sword hilt, this tower is built using advanced Swiss technology, the structure of the tower is very strong, it can withstand the pressure of earthquakes approx. 10 degrees richter, with such a design, visitors can feel secure when coming here to experience adventure rides.

Taming Sari Revolving Tower offers visitors an extremely satisfying view of the beautiful scenes of the whole city. The tower’s cabin will rotate from the ground to the top of the tower at a faster speed, when reaching the top of the tower visitors have the opportunity to admire the breathtaking beauty of the beautiful city of Malacca.

It seems that all the beauty of this land will be captured in your eyes when this cabin reaches the top of the tower, you will be in awe of the picturesque beauty of the Strait of Malacca, you will also have the opportunity to see Melaka river gently flows around the city and the bustling residential areas of the city. It can be said that to fully enjoy the beauty of Malacca, the top of Taming Sari Revolving Tower is the most suitable place.

Menara Taming Sari Ticket in Melaka

Coming to have fun at Taming Sari Revolving Tower, instead of climbing into a cabin that is not for the faint of heart, you can also choose to go shopping at a store or enjoy a coffee, right next to the tower there are 5 shops. There are shops and cafes with nice scenery so you can see the city, and there are also souvenir shops.

Must do in Melaka: Admire the beauty of the Sultanate Palace

Address: Jln Kota, Bandar Hilir, 75000 Melaka, Malaysia
Hours: 9AM–5PM/Monday: Closed

The Sultanate Palace now is a museum, is a palace built entirely of wood – a major construction feature of 15th century palaces. Sultanate Palace was built in 1985 by Sultan Mansur Shah, this palace is located at the foot of the hill St. Paul.

The Sultanate Palace is seven stories, according to historical records, this palace is completely nailless, it is supported by intricately carved wooden pillars, this palace has copper and zinc roofs. The Sultanate Palace is home to many famous historical artifacts such as statues, bronze bells, paintings, etc. These artifacts clearly reflect the customs, traditions and beauties in Malaysian culture hundreds of years ago.

Sultanate Palace is known as a cultural museum of the beautiful country of Malaysia, the museum has a very peaceful and pure beauty. Besides the richness of historical artifacts, the Sultanate Palace is as beautiful as other famous tourist spots. The most impressive thing for visitors is probably the road leading to the main hall of the museum, this road is likened by visitors as “the road to peace” because it is so beautiful, along the two sides of the road are the clusters of deep pink bougainvillea and covered green plants.

One of the more interesting things that this palace offers to visitors is the opportunity to discover the development of the traditional dressing culture of the people of Malacca in particular and the Malaysians in general. The palace stores both traditional and modern costumes, coming here you will have the opportunity to see the beauty of these traditional costumes and clearly see the development in the dressing culture of the people here. Sultanate Palace is one of the places to visit that visitors cannot miss, if traveling in Malacca without visiting this famous cultural museum, it is considered as if you have not set foot in this most beautiful and ancient land in Malaysia.

Stroll around Stadthuys

Address: Jalan Gereja, 75000 Malacca, Malaysia

Stadthuys is considered one of the famous cultural landmarks of the Dutch in Malacca, it was built by the Dutch in 1650, a historical structure, formerly it was the office of the Governor of the Netherlands and now it is under the administration of the The History and Ethnography Museum. This house is located on Laksamana Road next to Christ Church, this is considered the oldest historical site of the Dutch in the East.

Stadthuys is a typical Dutch-style structure, it has large walls and wide windows painted in red-orange, this color creates an attractive feature as well as its prominent and the highlight of the building, at the same time it clearly shows the Dutch people’s love of decoration with bright and colorful colors.

Stadthuys Museum has a very large space, this is considered a place to display paintings, statues showing the customs and traditions of the Malacca people and some activities in daily cultural life in the past. Stadthuys is known by locals as “Red Square” because of its color characteristics. Visiting Stadthuys, you will be expanded with massive architectural works that reflect the daily life of people.

It can be said that Stadthuys is one of the architectural works with the most beautiful precinct among the works in Malacca. Tourists say that Stadthuys is most beautiful at night when the yellow electric lights are turned on mixed in the fresh orange-red paint, the museum appears as beautiful as an oil painting.

The museum’s ground is also decorated with a lot of colorful flower gardens, it can be said that one of the most famous ways of life of the Dutch is to live close to nature, so around their houses always have clumps of trees and carefully tended flower gardens.

Stadthuys is considered one of the most unique architectural works, it gives visitors a beautiful, bustling and colorful space. Stadthuys was also voted as one of the most famous check-in places in Malacca, if you visit Stadthuys, don’t forget to bring a camera or phone, Stadthuys will definitely bring you great photos.

What to do in Melaka: Eating and shopping at the Jonker Walk night market

Address: Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Hours: Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 6PM–12AM

Jonker Walk is a very well-known street in Malacca, in the past 10 years, international tourists have become more and more known by the development and bustle of the street, and it has almost become one of the most beautiful symbol of this land of Malacca. Many people still say that if you visit Malacca, you must go to Jonker Walk to walk around, eating and shopping, this is a must do or in other words it is a “custom” of tourists when coming to Malacca.

Jonker Walk is a very vibrant and bustling area, from this main street, the activities spread to other streets. Jonker Walk is the convergence of hundreds of diverse stalls, from food shops to souvenir shops, antique shops, bars or nightclubs. Jonker Walk is only open from Friday to Sunday in every week, on every Friday afternoon people from many places flock here to have fun, shop… that’s why this place is always bustling and crowded.

Jonker Walk is also one of the interesting places to help you have the opportunity to enjoy traditional Malaysian cuisine, where there are many famous food stalls that you can enjoy without worrying about your pocket. The prices of the food here are quite reasonable. In addition to the annual commercial activities, Jonker Walk also has a separate stage for residents and visitors to perform street art. The crowded Jonker Walk mixed with vibrant street tunes will be a space and atmosphere that you should not miss when coming to Malacca.

Along the Jonker Walk are houses with ancient architecture, these houses will bring you back to the living space of Malacca people in the early 17th century. This area has many beautiful corners to take pictures so for professional photographers, this is a place not to be missed.

What to do in Malacca: Explore Villa Sentosa

Address: Lorong Tun Mamat 1, Kampung Morten, 75300 Melaka, Malaysia
Hours: 10AM–12:30PM, 2:30–5:30PM

Villa Sentosa is a famous villa built over 100 years ago, this is a famous place showing the lifestyle characterized by Malaysian culture. Located in Kampung Morten, near the Melaka River, Villa Sentosa will surprise you with its beautiful architecture and warm welcome from the villa owner.

Sentosa means peace, prosperity and harmony, this villa offers a peaceful living space and close to nature. The owner of this villa is Ibrahim, he is a very friendly person, when tourists visit or stay in his villa, he always tries to promote and introduce to visitors the beauty of daily life of the people of Malacca.

In addition to the rooms, Villa Sentosa has a very large garden area, the paths here are planted with grass, the garden is decorated with many ornamental plants and flower pots, fruit trees. In addition, Villa Sentosa also has a private room to display memorabilia from Malacca’s historical period from drawings, articles to artifacts in the people’s daily life as well as paintings, pictures of the building over the years.

Villa Sentosa has not been fully recognized as a museum because there are still Mr. Ibrahim’s family living here, but it is still visited regularly by foreign tourists because of its authentic beauty and the hospitality of the people who live here.

What to do in Melaka: Visit Church of Saint Paul

Address: 1935, Jln Kota, Bandar Hilir, 75000 Melaka, Malaysia
Hours: Open 24 hours

St. Paul Church is one of the oldest churches in Southeast Asia, it was built in 1521, it is located on the top of St. Paul hill and today it is under the management of the Malacca Museum Complex. St. Paul is a church with a very special architecture, the walls are covered with ferns and the stone inside is in the process of decay. This church is known by the Portuguese as the Church of the Mother of God (Madre de Deus), this church has witnessed the history of Malaysia’s colonization by the colonial countries, so its appearance is also somewhat affected.

To this day, the remnants of the church still clearly show that this was once an architectural masterpiece in the past. In addition, in front of this church there is also a jelly statue of Saint Francis Xavier, and there are many mystical stories related to this saint that are still handed down by the locals.

The roof of the current St. Paul Church has completely burned down, leaving only the walls and some skillfully sculpted tombstone relics, but this church is like a witness to history of the pain and loss that the whole country of Malaysia has to go through, so St. Paul church is still a place that attracts a lot of foreign tourists.

Due to its hilltop location, St. Paul’s church also offers visitors a beautiful view of the city, according to visitors every morning when the dawn has just risen and the birds chirping along with sunlight filtered through the fern-colored walls of the church and still exuded a sacred atmosphere. Perhaps it is because of this beauty that the church is always the choice of many people when coming to Malacca.

Must do in Malacca: Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum

Address: 48-50, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Hours: Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 10AM–12:30PM, 2–5PM

This museum is a combination of three old houses with beautiful architecture together. These three houses were built in 1896 and they were later converted into a traditional Peranakan museum years later.

These are the houses built by Chinese merchants who came to Malacca to do business, these merchants were married to local Malay women, these houses are where they live and their children later.

Because it was built by the hands of Chinese merchants, this museum has a very strong influence of Chinese culture and architectural style. These houses are connected by a common covered walkway, the museum is decorated with hand-painted tiles, and the teak revolving doors are intricately carved. The houses are surrounded by Greco-Roman pillars with red lanterns, each house has the name of the people who built the house and the two sides of the door are lucky messages used to give gifts to travelers.

Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum has a royal style with a very luxurious architectural design, most of the items used to decorate the houses in the museum are from China. Some objects are also made of extremely expensive gold, even in this museum there is a collection of gold leaf. This heritage clearly reflects the aristocratic way of life of the wealthy Chinese merchant class, and this museum is also a combination of the cultural quintessence of East and West. Therefore, the museum attracts a large number of international tourists to visit, this is an extremely useful cultural discovery site that you should visit once.

Must do in Malacca: Visit Famosa Fortress

Address: Jalan Parameswara, Bandar Hilir, 78000 Alor Gajah, Melaka, Malaysia

Formosa is an old fortress of the Portuguese built in 1512, this is one of the oldest surviving European architectural monuments in Southeast Asia. This fortress was built by Alfonso de Albuquerque (the leader of the Portuguese invasion of the Malacca Kingdom). Over hundreds of years of existence this fortress has been greatly damaged by war, today what remains of the fortress is only a gate of the fortress.

Previously this fortress was a long rampart with four main watchtowers, most of the villages gathered within the walls of the fortress, this fortress was used as a shelter and protection for the people of Malacca to go through the fire of war. When Malaysia was invaded by the British, this fortress was under the management of the British colonial government, during this period the fortress and residential areas here were severely damaged, it was almost wiped out by the British colonialists in Malacca.

The relics that remain today are an eloquent testimony of the fierce war history and indomitable spirit of the people of Malacca. For every Malacca, the fortress of Famosa is a sacred historical site and is being preserved by the people.

Best things to do in Malacca: Enjoy the famous Nyonya cuisine (Peranakan cuisine)

Besides the worthy places to visit and play, Malacca is also famous for its local cuisine, one of the experiences that you cannot miss when visiting the land of Malacca is enjoying the famous Nyonya dishes. Nyonya is the cuisine of the Chinese who immigrated to Malacca, this is a cuisine that combines local cuisine with Chinese cuisine.

Nyonya dishes requires sophisticated and elaborate, housewives in Malacca families spend most of their time preparing these Nyonya dishes, the art of Nyonya cooking is mixing and combining many spices together, these dishes often use old pungent varieties such as galangal, turmeric, aromatic leaves such as pandan leaves, pineapple, fragrant lime leaves, lemon, tamarind, mango as well as other herbs used to add flavors.

Nyonya is a traditional cuisine of Malaysia, enjoying Nyonya food is a practice that no visitor should miss when coming to Malacca. If you have not enjoyed Nyonya, then you have not set foot in Malacca.

The above article is a summary of 10 fun and interesting activities, must do that you should do when you come to Malacca, hopefully the above article will bring useful information to you, wish you and your family a great, really meaningful trip!

Must do in Melaka: Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in and from Melaka you can refer to

• Melaka Day Tour with Attraction Tickets from Kuala Lumpur
• Historical Melaka Tour with Lunch from Kuala Lumpur
• Melaka Day Tour with Attraction Tickets from Kuala Lumpur
• Private City Transfers for Kuala Lumpur and Surrounding Cities
• [SALE] 4G Prepaid SIM Card (MY Airports Pick Up) for Malaysia
• 4G WiFi (MY Airport Pick Up) for Malaysia
• Malacca Night Tour with River Cruise and Trishaw Ride
• Historical Melaka Tour with Lunch
• Zoo Melaka Admission Ticket
• Melaka Wonderland Water Theme Park Ticket
• Melaka Crocodile and Recreation Park Ticket
• Kidzooona Ticket in Melaka
• Upside Down House Gallery Melaka Ticket
• Melaka Bird Park Ticket

Are you looking for Melaka travel guide? Read more: Malacca travel blog — The fullest Malacca travel guide for a wonderful trip to Melaka, Malaysia.