{"id":327,"date":"2014-10-12T03:55:52","date_gmt":"2014-10-12T03:55:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.nz\/stories\/guide-to-melaka\/"},"modified":"2022-04-21T00:46:33","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T00:46:33","slug":"guide-to-melaka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.nz\/stories\/guide-to-melaka\/","title":{"rendered":"Budget or blow-out: Malacca"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once a bustling, cosmopolitan port of enormous strategic importance,\u00a0Malacca<\/a>\u00a0(also known by its Malay name, Melaka) was visited by ships from all over the world. They travelled to Malaysia to buy and sell porcelain and silk from China, gold and pepper from Indonesia and sandalwood from Borneo. Today, the ornately decorated shops and teahouses where tradesmen once did business now host tourists keen to check out remnants of the compact city centre\u2019s 16th-century glory. In fact, the architectural mix of redbrick Dutch colonial buildings, Portuguese fortifications and Chinese temples saw Malacca declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008. Whatever your budget \u2013 whether you want to splurge or save \u2013 there are plenty of great ways to experience the city\u2019s rich heritage.<\/p>\n

How to see the sights<\/h2>\n

Trace ancient trade routes with a river cruise that winds its way towards the Straits of Melaka. You\u2019ll pass several sites of historic significance, including Villa Sentosa in the tiny Malay village of Kampung Morten. This house was built in the 1920s and, having been handed down through subsequent generations, is meticulously preserved. Check out lavish wedding costumes, old-school kitchenware and a huge Chinese gong believed to bring good luck. Several companies operate year-round tours, with boats meandering past flower-strewn riverbanks and sleepy bars sporting colourful murals before reaching a towering replica of the Portuguese ship Flor De la Mar. At RM15 per person (around $5), it isn\u2019t going to break the bank.<\/p>\n

For a slightly more energetic (and expensive) option, pedal off on an Eco Tour which takes in 20km of Malacca\u2019s stunning surrounds and passes through luscious plantations over the course of three hours. The round-trip costs RM100 (around $40) per person.<\/p>\n

However, if you want to save your cents and still get some exercise, most hotels and guesthouses offer a free bike rental service. Pedal your way from Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, which dates back to 1646 and is the oldest Chinese temple in Malaysia, past the boutiques and cafes that line Jonker Street, all the way to Porta de Santiago gate, the crumbling structure is all that\u2019s left of A\u2019Famosa, a fortress built in 1511 by the Portuguese.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t fancy working up a sweat, see the sights from the comfort of a trishaw \u2013 these extravagantly decorated \u2018taxis\u2019 can easily be flagged down outside Stadthuys city hall \u2013 a bold testament to the Dutch colonial era.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once a bustling, cosmopolitan port of enormous strategic importance,\u00a0Malacca\u00a0(also known by its Malay name, Melaka) was visited by ships from all over the world. They travelled to Malaysia to buy and sell porcelain and silk from China, gold and pepper from Indonesia and sandalwood from Borneo. Today, the ornately decorated shops and teahouses where tradesmen… Continue reading Budget or blow-out: Malacca<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,5,2,4,30],"tags":[32,337,233,10],"authors":[],"class_list":["post-327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia","category-destination","category-experiences","category-explore","category-food","tag-foodie","tag-malacca","tag-malaysia","tag-tips","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBudget or blow-out: Malacca | Expedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.nz\/stories\/guide-to-melaka\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Budget or blow-out: Malacca | Expedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Once a bustling, cosmopolitan port of enormous strategic importance,\u00a0Malacca\u00a0(also known by its Malay name, Melaka) was visited by ships from all over the world. 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