Places of Interest Within Walking Distance in Melaka

My parents are Malaccan. I am born in Melaka but not raised here hence I am as foreign to this place as most tourist out there. Last weekend we played tourist in this historical city and for the very first time, we brought the boys to explore the many places of attractions here. 

We stayed in a hotel nearby but to drive out to the heart of Malacca city, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is quite troublesome as parking will be a problem so we decided to just Uber/Grab our way there. The fare for the 5 minutes journey is about RM2 to RM3 only so why not? BUT the traffic can be horrible on weekends when tourists more than double in number resulting in cars in the city moving at turtle speed. 

We were caught in a horrible jam on Saturday night so we decided to walk instead. 

Today we are going to share 13 places of interest within walking distance in the heart of Malacca. You can visit all of these places on foot. 

THE STADTHUYS

Let’s take The Stadthuys as our starting point. This famous Red Square is a historical structure right in the heart of Malacca city. 

You won’t miss it as its red exterior stands out among the rest of the buildings there. 

CHRIST CHURCH

Just beside The Stadthuys is Christ Church Melaka. 

Situated along Jalan Gereja (also known as Church Street) it is the oldest functioning Protestant church in Malaysia.

A FAMOSA

About 4 minutes walk from Christ Church is the A Famosa.

The A Famosa fortress (not to be mistaken with the A Famosa water theme park) is among the oldest surviving European architectural remains in Southeast Asia. 

ST PAUL’S CHURCH

From the A Famosa, take a minute to climb up the stairs to St Paul’s Church.

The ruins of St Paul’s Church is situated at the summit of St Paul’s Hill. 

It was originally built in 1521, making it the oldest church building in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

DUTCH WINDMILL REPLICA

Make your way downhill and you’ll find yourself back at The Stadthuys. Just across The Stadthuys is a replica of the Dutch windmill.

A replica windmill indicative of the period of Dutch colonisation in Melaka. 

MELAKA TRISHAWS

At the end of the road where the windmill replica is located, you may find countless beautifully decorated trishaws or becas. 

Ayden found his favourite Pikachu trishaw. The starting price for a ride on these trishaws is RM35 and it can sit on average 2 adults and a child. 

HARD ROCK CAFE

After walking through the many trishaws, you’ll find yourself at Hard Rock Cafe, Malacca. 

The unique point of Hard Rock Cafe Malacca is it is located by the river side. 

JONKER STREET

Jonker Street is popular for its night market on Fridays and Saturdays that sells everything from tasty treats to cheap keepsakes.

MALACCA RIVER

Once you’ve squeezed your way between the human traffic jam in Jonker Street, it is time to squeeze your way out and walk along Malacca River. 

Take a leisurely stroll along the river to enjoy the heritage city. We caught a cultural dance on board a boat along the river.

The night river cruise along Sungai Melaka is also very popular with the many cruises available. 

MELAKA MARITIME MUSEUM

From Melaka River, walk on to Maritime Museum (Muzium Samudera) of Malacca. It is located not far from the Stadthuys. It is opposite Medan Samudera which is a handicraft and local produce building.

The Maritime Museum is a replica of the ‘Flora de La Mar’, a Portuguese ship that sank off the coast of Melaka while on its way to Portugal.

MENARA TAMING SARI

About 200m meter away from the Maritime Museum is Menara Taming Sari. 

The Taming Sari Tower is a revolving gyro tower and is ideal if you like to view Malacca from atop at the height of 80 metres. 

DATARAN PAHLAWAN

Walk along the street from the Taming Sari Tower and you’ll find Dataran Pahlawan. 

Dataran Pahlawan is modern shopping mall in the historical city. 

MAHKOTA PARADE

About 2.5km further is Mahkota Parade, another shopping mall in Malacca. 

We covered 9,000 steps from The Stadthuys to all of the above and back to our hotel. I was surprise that we did not even hit my daily goal of 10K steps.

So yeah, that is my summary of 13 Places of Interest within walking distance in the Heart of Malacca.