Give the old town two days. Start at the Stadthuys and Christ Church, climb St Paul's Hill and come down through Porta de Santiago to the Sultanate Palace. Cross the river for the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum and Harmony Street, then take the river cruise at dusk. Save a Friday or Saturday night for Jonker Walk, and a sunset for the Straits Mosque.
Malacca was the great port of the Strait for three centuries, held in turn by a Malay sultanate, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. Its old core, listed by UNESCO with George Town in 2008, packs all four into a walk of a few blocks either side of the river.
The Dutch town hall and the red square around it are the city's postcard, and the Stadthuys now holds the History and Ethnography Museum. Go early, before the tour coaches, and step into Christ Church next door.
The roofless Portuguese church on the hilltop holds Dutch tombstones along its walls and the best view over the old town. Climb from Dutch Square and leave by the far steps, which drop you at Porta de Santiago.
The only surviving gate of the Portuguese fortress, spared when the British demolished the walls in the early 1800s. It takes ten minutes, so combine it with St Paul's Hill directly above.
Chinatown's main street of shophouses, cafes and antique dealers turns into a night market on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Graze the stalls for satay, pineapple tarts and cendol, then step into the quieter lanes either side.
Two linked townhouses keep a wealthy Peranakan family's home as it was, carved screens, gilt and all. It is the best single explanation of Malacca's Straits Chinese culture.
Malaysia's oldest Chinese temple still in use, dedicated to Guanyin, with lacquered beams and porcelain-shard roof figures. It sits on Harmony Street, a few doors from a 1748 mosque and a Hindu temple.
A round trip of about 45 minutes upriver past Dutch Square, Chinatown's back walls and the stilt houses of Kampung Morten. Take it at dusk, when the riverside lights come on.
A timber reconstruction of the 15th-century sultan's palace, drawn from the Malay Annals and built without nails. Inside, dioramas tell the court's history; the gardens behind are the quiet corner of the hill.
A modern mosque on stilts at the edge of a reclaimed island, which seems to float on the strait at high tide. Arrive an hour before sunset and stay as it is lit.
A Malay village of timber stilt houses on a river bend, 15 minutes' walk from the old town. Villa Sentosa, a family home kept as a living museum, shows how a wealthy Malay household lived a century ago.
A Hindu temple to Vinayagar, one of the three faiths on Harmony Street.
A full-size replica of the Portuguese carrack Flor de la Mar, with galleries inside.
On the site of Admiral Zheng He's warehouses, with a mock-up of his treasure ship.
The Stadthuys galleries, telling the city's story in order from the sultanate on.
Shophouses, clan houses and the Peranakan mansions of Tun Tan Cheng Lock.
Lion dances and red lanterns fill Jonker Street and the Chinatown clan houses.
The Portuguese Settlement soaks passers-by on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.
A candlelit procession at St Peter's Church, led by a Kristang brotherhood.
A state holiday marking the 1989 declaration of Malacca as a historic city.
A week in the Portuguese Settlement up to 29 June, ending with blessed fishing boats.
The end of Ramadan, with open houses and Malay feasting across the state.
Little India lights up, with kolam patterns and sweets along Jalan Bendahara.
The Portuguese Settlement and the old churches dress up for the season.
Coaches leave TBS in Kuala Lumpur about every 30 minutes and take around two and a half hours. Melaka Sentral is north of the old town; a Grab or local bus covers the rest.
A small airport at Batu Berendam, north of the centre, with a handful of regional routes. Most visitors fly into KLIA and take a coach.
The nearest station is Pulau Sebang/Tampin, about 38 km away, on the line between Kuala Lumpur and the south. A taxi or Grab covers the last stretch in about 40 minutes.
The old town is a walk of a few blocks either side of the river. Grab is cheap for anything further, and the decorated trishaws suit a short ride rather than a commute.
Hainanese chicken rice pressed into balls, served beside poached chicken.
Rice noodles in a coconut curry broth with prawns, egg and tofu puffs.
Skewers of seafood and vegetables dipped in a pot of hot peanut sauce.
Fish in a sour, fiery tamarind and chilli gravy, Malacca's signature.
Shaved ice with pandan jelly, coconut milk and dark gula Melaka syrup.
A Nyonya braise of chicken and potato in fermented soybean and sugar.
The Kristang "devil's curry", hot and sour, cooked after Christmas.
Fish grilled in banana leaf with sambal, best at the Umbai jetty.
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