The Melaka River winding through the centre of the city of the same name is one of the main tourist attractions.

Sightseeing cruises ply the water, and beautiful pedestrian promenades known collectively as the Malacca River Walk run along both banks.

The 10 best hotels in Malacca

Promenade full of cafes

In our opinion, the west bank of the river is the nicer promenade, where there are many more restaurants and cafes.

The best part of the walk is along Chinatown right in the center of Melaka, roughly from the Jonker Street level and up to the northern edge of Chinatown at the Hang Tuah Bridge level.

However, you can continue along the river into the more modern high-rise part of the city. The pedestrian promenade ends at the Jalan Tun Mutahir Bridge.

In total, you can walk 2.5 km in one direction - see the route map.

In the historical part you can admire the nice colourful houses along the river and the very successful paintings on the walls of the houses.

Hotels overlooking the river

Surprisingly, there are not many well rated accommodations with river views along the promenade and we could only recommend two hotels:

• RC Hotel Melaka *** - a small local hotel on the northern edge of Chinatown with rates from 45 usd per night
• Swiss-Garden Hotel Melaka **** - a modern hotel in the tallest skyscraper in Melaka

What to see around

Discover all the places to see in Malacca.