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Malacca UNESCO World Heritage City


Malacca is one of the two World Heritage Cities in Malaysia (Penang is the other). Therefore I expected clear signs how to reach the historical city center. Although I cycled on a main road into the city, there were no directions to the Malacca World heritage City,  not even a clear sign to the city center.

Welcome to Malacca World heritage City
The only sign I found about Malacca being World Heritage City, opposite of St. Francis Church at a parking ground

Malacca Town Hotels

It took me some searching and hoping for the best until more or less by accident I ended up at the more familiar sight of Malacca's city center. Although Malacca is a major tourist destination it was remarkable quiet on this Tuesday afternoon. I decided it would be useful to have a city map so I moved to the cities main tourist office. It was closed, as it was closed during the rest of the Tuesday and the whole Wednesday (I checked several times when I was walking around). Also the Malacca UNESCO World Heritage office was closed (soon to be opened, Malacca is already more then a year listed in UNESCO's World Heritage list).

Arriving in Malacca's World Heritage City
Arriving in Malacca's World Heritage City

Walking through Malacca's historical China town was fantastic. Jonker Street and many other little streets were renovated and were breathing a pleasant atmosphere. However, where to find something in the heritage area was limited to announcements of some (uninteresting) Mosques. It seems the local government did everything to avoid promoting the heritage area.

Just south of the heritage area a complete new build massive shopping center had been build which had not been there when I first visited Malacca in 1991.

City center Malacca with Christchurch and Stadthuys
City center Malacca with Christchurch and Stadthuys

I kept wandering through the city center, admiring the small Chinese shop lots. In a less visited I was enjoying a lunch in one of those typical little food stalls were I had a ho kien mee (prawn noodles). It always amazes me how cheap these meals can be, less then a dollar and you're eating more then you can handle.

Detail of a roof of a heritage house in Chinatown, Malacca
Detail of a roof of a heritage house in Chinatown, Malacca

Still, tired of walking around I found a little cafe with fruit juices with all kinds of exciting names. What would image when reading: "Honeydew Tomato Hangover", "Cucumber Cruiser", "Give Me Back My Guava" or "Pineapple Hu La La". Sure, the drinks were not cheap, but drinks like these must be great, and they were!

A'Famosa, the Portuguese Fort in Malacca
A'Famosa, the Portuguese Fort in Malacca

To my surprise most of China Town was closed at night with the exception of 1 or 2 restaurants. Nightlife seems to be restricted to the shopping malls.

Accommodation in Malacca

Malacca is one of the prime tourist destinations of Malaysia. Therefore it has a wide range of hotels available. You check out our page with descriptions of hotels in Malacca or simply use our search box for direct bookings:

Malacca Town Hotels

Continue cycling to Johor or Port Dickson and Klang

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More about hotels in Malacca

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Johor Bharu to Malacca

It is arguable that this is an area in Malaysia you can easily skip. True, there's not a lot to enjoy in between Johor and Malacca but it is pleasant cycling on mostly quiet roads. Here's what you can see.


From Klang to Pangkor

It's not the most exciting road to cycle, but there are some places worth a visit. Here's what you should do:

Cycling from Klang to Pangkor


Penang Heritage City

The old Armenian Quarter of Penang is one of Malaysia's UNESCO's World Heritage Cities. It's a beautiful area with plenty to see:

Penang Heritage City


Johan cycled Pangkor to Penang

Johan, at the time of the journey, 8 years old, cycled on his kid bike from Pangkor to Penang. It took him 4 days cycling plus one day rest in Taiping.

Here's Johan's Story


Malacca to Klang

The surprise in your journey on the west coast is probably this road leading north out of Malacca through Port Dickson to Klang.

Check it out




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