Discover Malaysia

Melaka – The Historic City

The city of Melaka is divided into the new and old sections. The older part of the city is fairly compact and has many historical and cultural attractions tucked into the nooks and crannies of its narrow streets.

Much of the remnants of Melaka’s glorious past lie within the Town Square and waterfront area near the river. Just above the Town Square is St. Paul’s Hill (Bukit St. Paul) which is the site of the original Portuguese fort of A’Farmosa and St. Paul’s Church. The Portuguese colonized Melaka from 1511 to 1641. The first thing they did was build a fort overlooking the river, calling it A’Famosa. As Melaka was the centre of struggles between super powers of the time, and suffered the constant threat of attack, the A’Farmosa fort was the critical in Portugal maintaining its colonial foothold in the Far East.

There is a sign-posted heritage trail which visitors can follow to visit all the historical places in the old part of town. The new section of Melaka lies across the Melaka River and is mostly built on land reclaimed from the sea. It consists of modern shopping centres like the Mahkota Parade and is a bustling food and entertainment district.

Outside Melaka town, there are a some nice beaches, two excellent offshore islands with resorts and a golf course. The Air Keroh district is close to the North-South Expressway and has many recreational theme parks.

[State : Melaka]