Tag: Stadthuys Melaka

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Travel to Melaka

Best 10 Malacca Tourist Attractions you should NOT miss

Malacca Tourist Attractions - Jonker Walk


There are plenty of Malacca tourist attractions to visit on your trip and the fact that Melaka is a UNESCO heritage site, every street and corner became an attraction for the visitors. People that have visited Malacca would tell you why it is one of the best places to visit in South East Asia. Whether you want to go for fun, foodie venture, historical tour or natural beauty, Malacca is one of the best tourist destination in Malaysia.

Best 10 Malacca Tourist Attractions

We have compiled list of the best 10 Malacca tourist attractions, which should not be miss. For the activities you can do in Melaka, please checkout top things to do in Melaka.

1. Melaka Wonderland Theme Park

For fun lovers, Melaka Wonderland Theme Park is among the best Malacca tourist attractions. You would find one of the best theme park of Asia in here. It is located in the area of Ayer Keroh. You would not feel any less entertained than any of other theme parks. The clean blue water in the ponds and pools will wash away your worries and you would never regret putting Melaka Wonderland on the top of your list. Slide, twirl, jump and get thrilled in Melaka and be a cheery child again!


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2. The Stadthuys

When back from Malaysia, you will surely like to tell your buddies that you actually visited a seventeenth century building; The Stadthuys in Melaka. It is one of the Malacca tourist attractions for history lovers while not the only one. It is said that it is the oldest structure of Dutch architecture that survived in Melaka. The colonial time structure lives in the shape of gigantic walls, wide windows and heavy doors. The reddish brown, wooden-iron structure is the place to visit if you want to see oldest Malacca buildings.

Among all Malacca tourist attractions, this one should not be missed. The picture of The Stadthuys can be seen in plenty of postcards in Melaka as well.

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3. A Famosa Fort

Can’t tell if your picture with A Famosa Fort where a cannon on your right will be most liked or the one with the cannon on your left. But a trip the famous, A Famosa Fort is going to be fun and your buddies will love to comment on your pictures at A Famosa Fort. Reason? The fort got history, sight, location and architecture. It is sixteenth century building that survived only enough to tell you where the fort stood. A Famosa Fort reminds of the Portuguese rule in the country. The only thing the fort misses till today is; A picture with you. A Famosa Fort is also among the recommended heritage places to visit in Melaka.

4. Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum

Probably among the first Chinese to enter Malacca, and introduced a culture that will mix with Malay’s to give birth to a unique and celebrated culture of Chinese-Malays or the Baba Nyonya. The Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum is one of the finest depiction of culture of the Chinese Malay people. You would love to see the art, architecture, furniture, style and bridal rooms of the culture that are still saved in the museum.

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5. Melaka Zoo

I love the way my Chinese friend calls it an animal garden. The Malacca Zoo offers same species of animals you would not find anywhere else in the world. There are no two headed dogs or four headed snakes. What makes Melaka Zoo Ayer Keroh specialty is to offer an environment where animal moves freely and yet providing safe environment to the visitors as well. Seriously, I don’t like talking to animals with them behind the bars. Animals are no prisoners! You would love the stalls in the zoo too and will certainly appreciate a guided tour.

A unique feature of the Zoo is the Night Safari, which is also known as Melaka Zoo Night Safari. If you’re looking for some nighttime fun then a visit to the night safari is must. There are plenty of Malacca tourist attractions and Melaka Zoo is always favorite among families.

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6. Bukit Cina

The China Hill in Melaka, also known as Bukit Cina is home to a number of graves of Chinese ancestors in Malaysia. At first sight, you won’t believe that it is a graveyard. The reason is that the graves are spread at an area and the graves are not simply pile of rocks. They hold memorials of the ancestors. There are around 12,500 graves. People jog here since the scenery is good and the area is green and fresh.

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7. Malacca Butterfly Reptile Sanctuary

Malacca Butterfly Reptile Sanctuary is a serious endeavor. You will find here the cutest parrots, the most colorful big size butterflies and the haunting thick snakes. The sanctuary also called Taman Rama Rama, offers you view of the best crocodiles in the town! A Must visit if you doubt it and again a must visit Malacca tourist attractions if you believe it.

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8. Jonker Walk

If you have been to Malacca before then you probably took a walk in the famous Jonker Street once or twice. You also bought something from the street or ate from one of the local restaurants. The street is so popular among the tourists that the local authorities have made an attraction by the name of Jonker Walk. If you are visiting Malacca then you should experience Jonker Walk in the famous Jonker Street.

The street became live mostly past sunset and that’s the best time to visit this local attraction. There are plenty of stalls on both side of the street selling various stuff. You will find a lot of souvenirs as well and the local food.

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9. Menara Taming Sari

One hundred and ten (110) meters tall tower, the Menara Taming Sari Melaka is a great Malacca tourist attractions for those that love to see how the city looks at a glance. The Tower offers a 360 degree view allowing you to see different places, their locations and distances. Operational since 2008, the tower is visited by most of tourists at night because the city turns into a very mystical place at night as seen from above. If you’re not afraid of heights, this Malacca tourist attraction should be in your to-do list.

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10. Maritime Museum Melaka

You would find another Melaka attraction a little ahead of the Stadthuys. It is the Maritime Museum that offers you model of ship that does not belong to this century. You have probably seen such ships in movies but here you will come to know that this model is Portuguese and the ship is replica of ship that sank in the coast of Malacca. This model is 34 meters high and 8 meters wide. The Museum preserves the history of Malacca, particularly its maritime history.

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Please let us know what do you think of best 10 Malacca tourist attractions list. Share your experience by adding comments below. If you’re traveling across Malaysia and want to know tourist attractions in other destinations, below are some of the recommended guides:

Photo Credit: Phalinn Ooi

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Travel to Melaka

Stadthuys Melaka – The Famous Dutch Square

Stadthuys Melaka - The famous Dutch square in Malacca


There are places in a city which became center of attractions for tourists and Stadthuys Melaka is among the most visited Malacca attractions for tourist. It is an Old Dutch building, actually a reconstructed one, that is a big city hall once used for public gatherings. Representing the Dutch architecture, it is a red building in the center of city that was built in 1650 by the Dutch people on the land. For the same reason, Stadthuys Melaka is also known as the famous Dutch Square.

Stadthuys in old Dutch spelling referred to City Hall. The other famous name of Stadthuys include Red Square Dutch Square.

History of Stadthuys

Stadthuys Melaka is the oldest Dutch building in the east. The Stadthuys or Stadius was built under the administration of Dutch Governor and Deputy Governor. During the British rule in nineteenth century, the Malacca Free School started operating near the vicinity of the Stadthuys. The Stadthuys had been used mostly as the center of administrative work. It served government deepl operations for over 300 years. The building today serves as a history museum. Since 1982, it displays the history of Melaka during times of Malay Sultanate, Portuguese, Dutch and British colonization.


Attractions around Stadthuys

Being in the heart of the historical city, the Stadthuys Melaka is surrounded by many visit-worthy tourist places. There is an eighteenth century Christ Church Melaka nearby. The other nearby tourist places include Melaka River, Melaka River Cruise, famous Jonker Street, Cheng Ho Culture Museum, Maritime Museum, Malaysian Youth Museum. A must observe landmark of the Dutch Square, the Queen Victoria’s Fountain is also located here.

One of the popular activity and things to do in Melaka is to stroll around Stadthuys and take as much as pictures possible. You will also find this landmark on many postcards in Melaka.

Inside View

After the maintenance of the building and its conversion into a museum, it is used as the Museum of History Ethnography. You would find here customs of Malacca people through their statues, dressing and occupations. You will find history of the place in the mas hanging through walls, photographs and the exhibits.

Location

The Stadthuys is still a live place that is center of attraction for the tourists. It is also called the Dutch Square Melaka. It is just vpn besides the Christ Church. The famous Jonker Street is just opposite to the Stadthuys.

Getting to Stadthuys

Stadthuys Melaka is one of the fame tourist attraction in Malacca so you will not have any problem getting to Stadthuys. Most likely, you will be staying in a nearby hotel or hostels and you can just walk to this place.  You need to walk to or take a cab to the Stadthuys if you’re accommodation is a bit far.

It is a recommendation to visit the closely located places of Melaka in a go and, of course on foot. Furthermore, you can inquire from the hotel or hostel staff as well.

The Stadthuys Melaka was constructed as an administrative block today it is one of the best places to visit in Melaka. While visiting this place, make sure to take lot of selfies 🙂

Photo Credit: Brian Jeffery

Categories
Travel to Melaka

Top 10 Historical Places to Visit in Melaka (Malacca)

A Famosa Fort Melaka


Melaka is a small state of Malaysia that covers not more than 1,664 km² area. This small state with population of around 800,000 in 2010 offers great hospitality to the visitors. You will find plenty of tourist attractions, best restaurants and shopping places here, but let us now introduce you to the aspect of Melaka that made it one of the world heritage sites of UNESCO. There are plenty of places to visit in Melaka that attract tourists, especially those interested in heritage history.

Top 10 Historical places to visit in Melaka

Melaka has been ruled by Portuguese, Dutch, British Japanese and every ruler has left their mark in the city. It is also strategically located on the straits of Malacca, which is the third largest strait in the world.

Here is our hand picked top 10 places to visit in Melaka with historical background. Read on as you will find it handy when in Melaka.


1. St Paul’s Hill

The St Paul’s Hill is surrounded by a lot of historical places and restaurants. You have to climb up the hill to see the St Paul’s Church which is one of the great historical places of the city and country. The Church was first constructed in 1521. The Church is today part of Malacca Museum Complex. The building was just a chapel in 1521, which the Christians of that time dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In the end of the sixteenth century the Church was renamed Igreja de Madre de Deus.

Due to rich heritage St Paul’s Hill is on the top among 10 best places to visit in Melaka.

2. St Peter’s Church

The St Peter’s Church was built in 1710 by the Portuguese Catholics. The building was completed in the Dutch reign. Being a world heritage site, it is the oldest Catholic Church in the country. People still visit the Church and attend sermons in the big halls. There is a bell in the Church that mentions that the building was erected in early seventeenth century. Do visit this historical place, you will also find an alabaster statue of the Christ.

3. Christ Church Melaka

A little younger than the other historical Churches in Melaka, the Christ Church was built in 1753. It is the Protestant Church located just near the St. Paul Hill. Captain of the Malacca Burghers, Abraham de Wind laid the foundation stone of the Church. It took around 12 years to complete the Church. After the completion of this Church, it became the primary Dutch Converted Church google in Dutch Malacca replacing the Bovenkerk. The Red building adds to the elegance of the environment around even today.

Christ Church Melaka is in the city center which is best known as red square. You will not miss this among other places to visit in Melaka.

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Places to visit in Melaka

4. Syed Al Attas Mansion

This building reminds of the Muslim rule in Malacca. The Syed Al Attas Mansion was the building owned by Syed Mohammad Al Attas who was a Muslim opponent of the Dutch in late 1800. Today, the place serves as the Penang Islamic Museum. You may visit the museum between 9:30 am to 6:00 pm any day other than Tuesday. The place reflects the lifestyle of the Muslim rules of that time.

5. Heeren Street

The Heeren Street is located just near the Jonker Street in Melaka but it’s importance still stand. This place is one of the most important roads. The visitors to the Jonker Walk also visit this place and visitors especially come here to see how some of the residential use buildings were converted to the finest restaurants and historical places. The place was once inhabited by the richest Malaccan families. Thus, it was famous as the “Millionaires’ Row”. Walk in the Heeren Street and be glad since you are lucky enough to visit the place that once welcomed only the richest.

The simplicty of Heeren street is unique so keep this among your places to visit in Melaka list.

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6. The Stadthuys

In the cluster of historical places in Malacca, the Stadthuys is also counted. The name of the place is a Dutch word that means a city hall. The buildings in the place are painted red, thus it is also known as the Red Square. This is the place connected to almost all parts of the city and you can call it the heart of Malacca Town. The Dutch Governor of Malacca built it in 1650. The Stadthuys is reserved as a Museum of History and Ethnography today. The place stores some of traditional costumes and artifacts that remind you of history of Malacca.

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7. Cheng Hoon Teng Chinese Temple

The Cheng Hoon Teng temple or “Temple of Green Cloud” reminds of the Chinese architecture in Malacca. The Chinese used to practice three Doctrines here including Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. The Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is one of oldest functioning temple in Malaysia. Just near the Harmony Street, the Temple covers 4,600 m² area which is beautifully decorated. There is also a 7 meter pole that has a red flag with names of three captains.

For a unique experience, keep this temple among the list of places to visit in Melaka.

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8. Queen Victoria Memorial Fountain

In the Stadthuys, there is a Queen Victoria Memorial Fountain that serves as a central place from where you can visit almost all the historical places of the city. The Queen Victoria Regina date mentioned on the fountain is 1837 to 1901. Almost every tourist to Melaka likes to have a photo by this fountain since it is both beautiful and historical. Getting here early is the key else you might have to get in a queue to take a picture in front of the fountain.

9. Dutch Square

The Dutch Square and Queen Victoria Memorial Fountain are located at a same place. The Dutch Square or the Malacca Town Square is monument of the British administration that was built in the mid of 17th century , and the Dutch lined it with the main townhouse, or Stadthuys, along with the Dutch Reformed Church, now called Christ Church.The red buildings in the square look great in the night lights.

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10. Tan Kim Seng Bridge Melaka

On the River Melaka, the Tan Kim Seng Bridge is most famous as well as important. There was a rich Chinese trader and philanthropist in 19th century after whom the bridge is named. He donated the bridge to the town. Tan Kim donated bridge as well as land for Chinese cemetery to the town. You can find the bridge near Clock tower.

The unique aspect of Melaka is preservance of heritage sites to date. I hope you find top 10 historical places to visit in Melaka list handy. If you want to suggest a place then please feel free to add below in comments. If you’re traveling in Malaysia and would like to know best places to visit, below are some of the recommended guides: