Independent travel in South-East Asia
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Malacca Attractions
You need to allow a full day to explore the early European history of Malacca. Most of the historic buildings are within a couple of kilometers from Chinatown and the best and easiest way to see them is to take a self guided walking tour. Most hotels will be able to provide a tourist map, so you can set your own tour. We suggest starting at the Stadthuys, the original town hall and governors residence. This building was built in 1641 and is the oldest in Malacca, and one of the oldest in the straights area. It now houses a museum on Malacca as a 18th century trading post, and the areas past.
From Stadthuys, you walk into the town square at the front of the building. In this vicinity you can see the Christ Church, and the old clock tower, all in the instantly recognizable deep red brick, same as the Stadthuys. You then proceed towards the river mouth from the town square, and you pass around the front of St Pauls hill, and past shops and souvenir stalls as you progress towards the river mouth. Next stop is the Maritime museum, that is housed in a replica eighteenth century Portuguese sailing ship. The museum gives a decent insight into Malacca's trading history, and the traders that visited here in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
From there, you continue around the original waterfront area (now about 500m inland, thanks to land reclamation), and you will reach Porta de Santiago, all that remains of the Portuguese fort A'Famosa, built in the early 1500's. From here steps lead from the back of the old fort, up Bukit St Pauls (St Pauls Hill), to St Pauls Church. From here, spectacular views over the Malacca coast are offered. The church itself, built in 1521, is now ruins, as it has been for almost 150 years, yet still offers an imposing sight. Within its walls are several dozen headstones of the earlier British and Dutch settlers. Then you can the proceed back to the Stadthuys via the path, and complete the tour.
Next - Malacca to Kuala Lumpur
Follow This Itinerary here
Arrival in Singapore--> Singapore --> Crossing to Malaysia --> Mersing --> Malacca --> Kuala Lumpur --> Genting Highlands --> Bukit Fraser --> Cameron Highlands --> Penang