Melaka transportation guide
Get around Melaka by traditional trishaw
Melaka is blessed with great transport links so getting around town or to and from the city is never a major headache. Although there is no railway station in Melaka, perhaps surprisingly for such as key historical settlement, express buses can be found at Sentral Bus Station to all over the peninsular. And its strategic position of the west coast of Malaysia, just a couple of hours south of the capital Kuala Lumpur, puts it in easy reach of Singapore as well.
Getting around Melaka
Although Melaka has grown in size to quite a large metropolis in recent years, exploring on foot remains the best way of seeing the city.
Most tourist attractions are situated in the central heritage district and getting lost in the narrow alleyways is half the fun. Attempting to navigate the cramped interior by vehicle can also be quite a feat, so hire cars should be reserved only for journeys farther afield.
There are plenty of metered taxis around the town and a permanent rank immediately outside Sentral Bus Station. Journeys should cost around RM15 although beware of drivers who refuse to use their meters, and at least agree a price beforehand. Traditional peddle rickshaws (trishaws) complete with music and fake flowers are available for tourists all over the city and can represent good value for a whole day sightseeing (around RM30 per hour is reasonable).
Bus travel from Melaka
Melaka central bus station
Long distance buses no longer use the Express Bus Terminal but operate out of Sentral Bus Station situated around five kilometres north of the city centre. From here there are many companies such as Transnasional or Jebat Ekspres which travel to all over the Malaysia and beyond to Singapore. Most long distance buses tend to leave first thing in the morning and in the evening rather than throughout the day, and remember to bring some warm clothes on board to protect against overzealous air conditioning.
Currently there are direct services to Singapore (nine daily, five hours), Butterworth (10 daily, six hours), Kuala Teregganu (daily, nine hours), KL (15 daily, two hours), Mersing (two daily, five hours), Johor Bahru (five daily, four hours) and Kuantan (daily, six hours). There are also local buses which originate in Sentral Station and travel to all parts of the city (tickets cost RM2 for 24 hours).
Rail travel from Melaka
Melaka does not have its own train station but those that want to sample the delights of Malaysian railway travel merely have to travel 38kms north to the town of Tampin (Tel: +60 (0)6 411 1034). From here there are four direct daily services to Singapore (six hours, RM24/18 adult/child one way) and north to KL (three hours, RM18/12 adult child). To get to Tamplin Station take a taxi or bus Tai Lye No 26 (blue, red and white) from Melaka Sentral, just ask the driver where to get off. For train timetables and online booking click here.
Ferry travel from Melaka
Two daily ferries run at 09:00 and 15:00 to Dumai in the Indonesia Island of Sumatra with Indomal Express (two hours, RM100, Tel: +60 (0)283 2506) and also on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday at 11:00 to Pekanbaru. All services leave from Harbour Master's jetty (Jeti Shahbandar) in Taman Melaka Raya by the Maritime Museum. The jetty can be reached by Green Melaka Bus 17 or taxi.
