A Weekend in Malacca

While it took us an insanely fun 10 hour (impromptu) roadtrip to get there, you can slip a weekend in Malacca easily into your Malaysia itinerary from KL! Several bus routes from Malaysia's capital city will have you at Malacca Central in under 2 hours: perfect for a weekend or even a day trip. While we spent most of our weekend relaxing, talking and chasing down brunch and delicious western food, there are a few stops you'll want to make sure you fit in. Here's 10 sights we loved in this old colonial port city! (The "old" spelling of the city is "Melaka": you'll find it spelled in several different ways).

Like other cities I've blogged about (and many cities period), colonialism greatly impacted both the appearance and the history of this city. (As a valuable port, some historians believe Melacca was the reason the Dutch, Portuguese and later the British invaded Malaysia in the first place). The iconic red buildings in the city center are a great place to start! The city is easily walk-able, so if your hostel is central a tourist map and sunscreen is the way to go.

1. Red Square (Dutch Square)

This square is home to several museums including Stadthuys (we went into none of the museums during our time, but you could spend lots of time in them if you're on a longer trip!) as well as Christ Church Malacca, and the Queen Victoria Fountain and Clocktower. So iconic.

2. Forts, Cannons, Waterwheels, Oh my

Walking right down the river from the square, there are several historical sites to check out. Wander through a fort, by a waterwheel and even up into a giant replica of a ship!

3. Walk the Canals

Called the "Amsterdam of Asia" for good reason, Malacca's river and canals are worth enjoying as you walk down the riverwalk. It's also a great way to see sites like St. Francis Xavier Church!

4. Murals and Street Art

Specifically, the canals and riverwalk are filled with funny, wacky and downright beautiful street art and murals.

Take a few (million) pictures!

5. Jump on a River Cruise

A great way to have a better idea of what you're looking at as you explore the riverwalk is to hop on a rivercruise. They're only RM20 for foreigners, which is about $5 for an hour long boat ride with historical commentary. Definitely worth it! You can get on board from the dock located behind the information center in the Red Square.

6. Climb up to St. Paul's Church

And I do mean CLIMB as the hill is quite steep! But once up, this church is just gorgeous, and the views from the hill are incredible. Catch some ocean breeze and wander through the tombstones and placards! The church has an interesting Catholic-Protestant history as well--it's been renamed a few times. I don't know about you, but I'm plotting to get married here!

And if you're still not done climbing:

7. Jonker Street

We'd recommend visiting this street during the day as well as at night! You may run into karaoke as well as tons of fun booths, street vendors and delicious snacks like Melaka's pineapple tarts. You can feel the Chinese influence here, in the heart of the city!

8. Check out the Remains of A Famosa

This gate is all that remains of the Portugese fortress, and is now one of the oldest European architectural remains in Southeast Asia! Worth checking out. Also in this are is the Sultanate Palace and an Independence Monument!

9. See the River at Night

There are tons of bars and laid-back cafes offering all ranges of prices along the river. Settle in at a nice table and soak in the lights over the water!

10. Slip into Some of Melaka's Eclectic Cafes

The cafe scene in Malacca IS. INCREDIBLE. Every cafe we visited had a wildly different vibe and crazy decorations, with delicious creative drinks (Rose lattes?!) and of course, brunch.

For us Malacca was a very much needed girl's weekend full of chatting and slowly making our way through the medieval-feeling streets, but this UNESCO city calls to any history buff or traveler looking for a lovely, quaint day or weekend stop!

Would recommend this port city to any traveller making the way through Malaysia! Stayed tuned for more Malaysian weekend trips as well as we navigate this crazy grant year :)