Malacca Travel Guide

Malacca has the layout typical of a maritime coastal city that grew from a humble river, a good harbor, and large volumes of cargo and travelers passing through its port. As the centuries passed, layers of development grew around the aged and enthralling core. Thus, the gems of historical Malacca, by and large, have come to lie within a mile's radius of the town square, while latter-day additions (such as leisure and entertainment parks, golf courses and shopping malls) are located farther away.

Bandar Hilir (Malacca Town)

History is the soul of Malacca and the portal to its timeless, exotic beauty. The Town Square is easy to find, but just in case the taxi driver does not know where it is, try asking for Dutch Square, the Tan Kim Seng Clock Tower, Queen Victoria's Fountain or the Stadthuys-because all are within eyeshot of each other. Even harder to miss is the gradient of colors-all a similar tint of red-which makes the whole scene look like an unfinished oil painting. Close by, the revitalized...