I’m going to give you the best Melaka itinerary (Malacca itinerary) because this place cannot be missed in Malaysia!
It’s easy to get to from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, it’s fun and colourful and you don’t need long to see all of the best things to do in Melaka because it is a small city!
I spent 2 days in Melaka enjoying the street art, the street food, the historical buildings and temples and I loved it! There are also day tours from Kuala Lumpur to Melaka like this if you are short on time or just fancy visiting for the day!
Melaka Itinerary
Whether you’re looking for a Malacca itinerary for 1 day or a Melaka itinerary for 2 days, or even 3 days, you can pick and choose from my itinerary below to help plan your Melaka Trip!
Just looking for the top things to do in Melaka! Here’s my post on 10 amazing and fun things to do in Malacca!
Short on time? Here’s a quick low-down on where to visit with a few days in Melaka:
- Cute Cafes for Breakfast
- Jonker Street
- Cheng Hoon Temple
- Cheng Ho’s Cultural Museum
- Melaka Clock Tower
- Jonker Night Market
- Church of St Pauls
- Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum
- Maritime Museum
- Melaka River Walk
Getting to Melaka
Kuala Lumpur to Malacca by bus is 2 hours and a very easy journey, I did it with no problems at all.
Singapore to Malacca by bus is just 4 hours including the overland border crossing and Malaysia offers a 90day free visa to most nationalities so it is easy to travel to Malaysia and Melaka from Singapore for a few days.
Each of the above buses will drop you off at Melaka Sentral bus station.
From Melaka bus station to the city centre you can get a taxi outside the station which will cost about 20RM. Or you can order a grab taxi which is much less expensive at about 7RM, or get local bus 17 from stand 17 from Malacca Sentral to the Clock Tower for 2RM.
What’s really handy is that you can book your Malaysia buses in advance on 12GO Asia to save you time when you get there and so you know you have a confirmed booking! That’s what I did and it made my trip to Melaka from KL much easier!
Kuala Lumpur to Melaka Day Tour
Talking of KL, if you are really short on time and you only want to do a day trip to Melaka from Kuala Lumpur and don’t have time to spend the night there, I do recommend an organised day tour to help you with the logistics and timings!
There are day tours from Kuala Lumpur to Melaka like this which I recommend instead of trying to visit yourself on a Melaka day trip!
1 Day Melaka Itinerary
This Melaka itinerary for 1 day is a great itinerary to follow if you are visiting for Melaka for a one day trip because you will see all of the top tourist attractions in Melaka and get a feel for why this city is so fun!
For a one day trip to Melaka I recommend getting up early and getting to Melaka by mid-morning at least, this way you will have the morning, all afternoon and early evening to enjoy the best things to do in Melaka!
Breakfast at the Cafes in Melaka
When it comes to planning your itinerary, be sure to plan in time to enjoy the cafes because the cafes in Melaka are really good! There are a mix of local cafes and restaurants and also fancier cafes that could be taken straight from London!
I really loved Navy Navy for breakfast so definitely get breakfast out on day 1 in Melaka! For more ideas of where to go, check out my friend Rose’s cafe guide to Melaka!
Jonker Street – Street Art & Shops
Jonker Street is the Main Street in the tourist centre of Melaka and it offers a lot. You’ll probably visit a cafe for breakfast near Jonker Street so I suggest staying in this area to see more of it.
When it comes to things to do in Melaka and what to do in Melaka, finding street art is one of the top things to do, especially if you like to post colourful photos on Instagram!
Lots of street art can be found around the River and it’s all in perfect condition and as well as looking along the river be sure to head off into some side streets around Jonker Street.
Jonker Street also has some great independent shops so if you’re looking for souvenirs from Malaysia these shops are a good place to look!
Cheng Hoon Temple
Cheng Hoon Temple is just off of Jonker Street so it’s worth seeing on morning 1 of your Malacca itinerary whilst you are exploring Jonker Street.
There are a few Buddhist Temples in Melaka but this is famous as it is the oldest working Buddhist temple in Malaysia and I read on a sign there it’s the oldest temple in South East Asia!
Lunch
You’ll notice by now that there are so many places to eat in Melaka so enjoy one of the restaurants or cafes for lunch near Jonker Street. One of the cafes I really liked and is highly recommended is Geography Cafe.
Cheng Ho’s Cultural Museum
There are lots of museums in Melaka which are really interesting, Cheng Ho’s Cultural Museum is just off Jonker Street so it’s a good place to visit after lunch.
It’s a history museum chronicling the life of noted Ming Dynasty explorer and fleet admiral Zheng Ho.
Clock Tower
The Clock Tower in Melaka or Menara Jam Melaka as it’s also called is a hive of activity! Especially with the tricycle drivers!
This is another great photo spot on your Melaka itinerary, especially photos of Christ Church which is a historic protestant church you can go inside of and the square opposite with a Dutch Windmill!
If you still have time in the afternoon of your Melaka itinerary then I recommend seeing some more museums and galleries close by like Cheng Ho Gallery and Melaka Literature Museum.
Jonker Night Market
Come evening, there is only one place to be- Jonker Night Market! This is easily top of the list of things to do in Melaka and the top Melaka attraction!
Jonker Street is one of the main tourist streets in Melaka and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening it turns into a night market full of food stalls, clothes stalls and so many other things!
I won’t lie to you, it gets busy! But it’s worth it and a great way to spend the evening in Melaka so do try and plan your trip to Malaka for a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night for one of the best night markets in Malaysia!
Just looking for the top things to do in Melaka! Here’s my post on 10 amazing and fun things to do in Malacca!
2 Day Melaka Itinerary
If you are 2 days in Melaka, I recommend you spend this day of your Melaka trip itinerary going slightly further out than you did on day 1.
Church of St Pauls
Start your day at the Church of St Pauls, or the ruins of the Church of St Paul’s to be precise.
I liked walking here as it isn’t far from the river and the Clock Tower where Christ Church is however it is a bit hidden and once you’re there it opens out into the Fort and you’ll end up seeing much more than just the Church.
St Paul’s ruins are up a hill with a fair few steps but there’s a good view and you can even see the sea! I recommend visiting here in the morning of this 2 days Melaka itinerary so it isn’t as hot and the walk isn’t as hard!
Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum
Behind the ruins of the Church of St Pauls is Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum which is recommended highly as one of the best places to visit in Melaka and as you are so close by, it’s worth visiting on your trip to Melaka!
Maritime Museum
I went to the Maritime Museum next on my Melaka trip where I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the history of Malacca as a port city and the colonisation of the Portuguese, Dutch and British.
I also loved walking to the Maritime Museum as it took me out of the really tourist centre of Melaka like it is around Jonker Street and showed me a more local side of the city.
On the way from the Church of St Pauls to the Maritime Museum is Dataran Pahlawan Shopping Mall, it isn’t a huge mall but it is a good place to visit if you need a bathroom or some air-con as I did!
Walk along the River
When ending your day in Melaka on this Melaka itinerary, I recommend walking back to your accommodation and back towards Jonker Street via the River.
You’ll pass lots more street art and nice cafes and it’s a good way to get away from the crowds of Jonker Walk in Melaka, especially if you visit for a weekend in Melaka when it get’s very busy.
The footpath up the river goes quite far however I felt like it got a bit industrial after walking for a bit and there are not many things to do in Melaka up there, so you can walk as far as you want and then turn back or cross the river on one of the many bridges and walk back the other side.
Have you booked your flight to Melaka yet??
I use Skyscanner to book all of my flights! I’m a huge fan of Skyscanner because I love how easy it is to compare different dates and routes to help me find the best flight at the best price! Open Skyscanner by clicking here and search for the best flights as you read this post.
Melaka Tricycle Ride
And finally, on your last night in Melaka you have to go on a ride on one of the fun, loud and colourful Tricycles. I recommend leaving this until night time because at night the tricycles light up and are even more fun!
If you are visiting Melaka as a family, this is definitely a great way to end your trip to Melaka!
How to get around Melaka
One of the reasons I loved Melaka so much is because it is easy to get around by foot! Although the city of Malacca is quite big, the tourist centre is only small and when planning what to do in Melaka, it’s easy to plan it all by foot!
If you need transport you can order a Grab taxi, get a public bus which are really efficient or you can get a crazy and colourful tricycle!
I hope this Melaka itinerary has helped you plan your trip to Melaka!
- For more of my posts on Malaysia see:
- Things To Do in Georgetown!
- Travellers Guide to the Small Perhentian Island!
- How Much it Costs to Visit the Perhentian Islands!
- All Malaysia Posts