Malacca (also called Melaka in Bahasa Malaysia) is a wonderful city for nice daytime activities or for a stay of more than one day. There are quite a few hotels and hostels available, but there are also many homeowners who are willing to put their house in Malacca up for rent. The city has many beautiful attractions, all clearly representing the great history of the city. From Kuala Lumpur you can easily access Malacca by bus, taxi or rental car . Residents of the capital often travel to Malacca during weekends to have a good rest and to enjoy the delicious food which the city is famous for.
Opposite St. Francis Xavier's Church you will also find a large car park where you can park your car (secured) at the price of RM10. This is especially useful if you travel to Malacca by car. There are many trishaw drivers in the city, who will drive you trough the town for only a few ringgit. This used to be a fun means of transportation, but in the last few years it has gotten a little out of hand. The drivers started to install large sound systems onto their trishaws and now they drive through the streets of Malacca making a lot of noise. I cannot imagine that this is what UNESCO had in mind when they decided to make it a World Heritage Site. A ride from Porta de Santiago to Jonker Street for example will cost you RM10.
Fun attractions in Malacca are for example a visit to St. Paul's Church, formerly a church for the Portuguese and later a cemetery during the Dutch occupation. The nearby sight Porta de Santiago was once built by the Portuguese as a fortress to protect against attacks by the Dutch. There is not much left after several wars, but the entrance is still upright and in place. The Dutch governor had the Stadthuys built, a beautiful building with some obvious Dutch traits. Next to the Stadthuys you will be able to find Christ Church, in which you can recognize the Dutch architecture of that time more clearly. Other famous places in Malacca are Jonker Street, Bukit China, Kampung Keling Mosque, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, the Portuguese settlements and the crooked St. Francis Xavier's Church.
Another great attraction is a boat trip on the small river that runs through the city. The take-off point is near St. Francis Xavier's Church. There is also a boarding location near the bridge leading to Jonker Street. A boat trip along the canals costs RM10 per person (RM5 for children). The tour takes about 30/40 minutes. The tour is fun during the daytime, but also pleasant to do in the dark at night. When it is dark, all of Malacca lights up (which is occasionally a bit too touristy).
Malacca can also be explored by bus as tourists can visit the historical sites of Malacca by traveling in a red double decker bus for only RM5 per person per day. The great thing about this 'Malacca City Tour' is that you can hop off at a historical site and hop on again on the next bus to visit another historical site. There is also the 'Panorama Melaka' single decker bus that takes passengers to numermous other interesting places within and around Malacca. The fare for this bus is RM2 per person per day; you can go to Malacca Sentral, Malacca library, Malacca Hospital and many other places (this bus also does the 'less touristic route'). There are numerous places where you can start the tour; offical start for Panorama Melaka is at the Malacca Sentral Bus Station. Check this map for more information on routes of the busses. Operating hours are between 7am and 10pm daily. The double decker bus will depart every 45 minutes from a particular stop along the route, the panorama bus every 20 minutes.