Top 10 Things to Do in Malacca in 2026

Malaysia's oldest functioning Chinese temple, established in 1646 by the first kapitan cina of Malacca, the Cheng Hoon Teng is a masterpiece of southern Chinese temple architecture — its rooftop friezes of glazed ceramic figurines, its incense-filled prayer halls, and its extraordinary collection of imperial porcelain donations from Chinese emperors make it the most historically significant Chinese religious building in Malaysia.

Three restored terraced shophouses in Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock that have been preserved as a living museum of Peranakan domestic life — the extraordinary collection of Nyonya porcelain, carved furniture, traditional dress, and domestic objects accumulated by the Teo family over generations represents the finest window into the Baba-Nyonya culture that evolved in Malacca between the 15th and 20th centuries.

The Porta de Santiago gate — all that remains of the 1511 Portuguese fortress that once covered an entire hilltop — sits at the base of St Paul's Hill, where the ruined walls of St Paul's Church (1521) and the grave of Francis Xavier mark the physical evidence of Portuguese conquest and Catholic mission in Southeast Asia. The hilltop view over the Strait of Malacca is the most historically resonant panorama in Malaysia.

The terracotta-red Stadthuys — the oldest surviving Dutch building in Asia, constructed between 1641 and 1660 as the Governor's residence — anchors Dutch Square alongside the Christ Church (1753), the Victorian fountain, and a trishaw fleet decorated with plastic flowers that is simultaneously kitsch and endearing. The red-painted colonial ensemble is the most photographed streetscape in Malaysia.

Malacca's most distinctive dining experience — satay celup — involves selecting raw ingredients from a trolley (prawn, tofu, fish cake, quail egg, vegetables) and cooking them yourself in a communal pot of simmering peanut sauce at your table. The method is exclusive to Malacca and the best examples, at Capitol Satay on Lorong Bukit China, have been practised by the same family for over 60 years.

A surviving Malay kampung within walking distance of Malacca's UNESCO heritage core, Kampung Morten preserves traditional Malaccan Malay stilt houses along the Malacca River with wooden facades, carved barge boards, and raised verandahs that make it a living example of vernacular Malay architecture in a city otherwise dominated by Chinese and European colonial buildings.

A 45-minute cruise along the Malacca River from the Quayside Hotel jetty passes under 40 murals painted on the river embankment walls, through the historic Dutch and Chinese quarters, and along the gentrified riverside cafe district that has developed along the banks of the river that was once the commercial artery of the medieval trading city. Night cruises, when the embankment murals are illuminated, are particularly atmospheric.

The cendol at Jonker Street's original stall is, for many Malaysian food writers, the finest version of Malaysia's most beloved dessert — a particular combination of slow-simmered coconut milk, freshly pressed gula melaka palm sugar of exceptional caramel depth, and pandan-flavoured cendol noodles that produces a dessert of extraordinary subtlety when made with the quality of ingredients that this family-run stall has insisted on for generations.

The largest traditional Chinese cemetery outside China, Bukit China in Malacca contains over 12,500 graves including some dating to the Ming Dynasty — making it simultaneously a functional burial ground and one of Malaysia's most significant historical sites. The hill's Sam Po Kong temple, reputedly linked to Zheng He's 1405 visit, and the Hang Li Poh Well at its base are directly connected to the diplomatic history of the earliest Malaccan Sultanate.

Malaysia's oldest functioning Chinese temple, established in 1646 by the first kapitan cina of Malacca, the Cheng Hoon Teng is a masterpiece of southern Chinese temple architecture — its rooftop friezes of glazed ceramic figurines, its incense-filled prayer halls, and its extraordinary collection of imperial porcelain donations from Chinese emperors make it the most historically significant Chinese religious building in Malaysia.

Three restored terraced shophouses in Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock that have been preserved as a living museum of Peranakan domestic life — the extraordinary collection of Nyonya porcelain, carved furniture, traditional dress, and domestic objects accumulated by the Teo family over generations represents the finest window into the Baba-Nyonya culture that evolved in Malacca between the 15th and 20th centuries.

The Porta de Santiago gate — all that remains of the 1511 Portuguese fortress that once covered an entire hilltop — sits at the base of St Paul's Hill, where the ruined walls of St Paul's Church (1521) and the grave of Francis Xavier mark the physical evidence of Portuguese conquest and Catholic mission in Southeast Asia. The hilltop view over the Strait of Malacca is the most historically resonant panorama in Malaysia.

The terracotta-red Stadthuys — the oldest surviving Dutch building in Asia, constructed between 1641 and 1660 as the Governor's residence — anchors Dutch Square alongside the Christ Church (1753), the Victorian fountain, and a trishaw fleet decorated with plastic flowers that is simultaneously kitsch and endearing. The red-painted colonial ensemble is the most photographed streetscape in Malaysia.

Malacca's most distinctive dining experience — satay celup — involves selecting raw ingredients from a trolley (prawn, tofu, fish cake, quail egg, vegetables) and cooking them yourself in a communal pot of simmering peanut sauce at your table. The method is exclusive to Malacca and the best examples, at Capitol Satay on Lorong Bukit China, have been practised by the same family for over 60 years.

A surviving Malay kampung within walking distance of Malacca's UNESCO heritage core, Kampung Morten preserves traditional Malaccan Malay stilt houses along the Malacca River with wooden facades, carved barge boards, and raised verandahs that make it a living example of vernacular Malay architecture in a city otherwise dominated by Chinese and European colonial buildings.

A 45-minute cruise along the Malacca River from the Quayside Hotel jetty passes under 40 murals painted on the river embankment walls, through the historic Dutch and Chinese quarters, and along the gentrified riverside cafe district that has developed along the banks of the river that was once the commercial artery of the medieval trading city. Night cruises, when the embankment murals are illuminated, are particularly atmospheric.

The cendol at Jonker Street's original stall is, for many Malaysian food writers, the finest version of Malaysia's most beloved dessert — a particular combination of slow-simmered coconut milk, freshly pressed gula melaka palm sugar of exceptional caramel depth, and pandan-flavoured cendol noodles that produces a dessert of extraordinary subtlety when made with the quality of ingredients that this family-run stall has insisted on for generations.

The largest traditional Chinese cemetery outside China, Bukit China in Malacca contains over 12,500 graves including some dating to the Ming Dynasty — making it simultaneously a functional burial ground and one of Malaysia's most significant historical sites. The hill's Sam Po Kong temple, reputedly linked to Zheng He's 1405 visit, and the Hang Li Poh Well at its base are directly connected to the diplomatic history of the earliest Malaccan Sultanate.