Night Attraction in Melaka: River Cruise in Melaka River

The famous Landmark in Melaka is the Christ Church, The A'Formosa (a fort) and the century old life line of Melaka that is the Melaka river. Malacca as it was called then, was of great importance.  Situated along the Straits of Melaka, the spice route between the East and West, Melaka was a bustling port. Ships stop over at Melaka as it was in a strategic position the. Thus countries fought to conquer and control this important port. At first it was ruled by the Malay Sultanate in the 15th century, then the British came, then the Portuguese fought for it in 1511, and the Dutch fought for it in 1641. The Chinese came too, and as some of them settle down the married the locals which in turn created the Baba Nyonya (Peranakan) culture of Melaka. As a result, now Melaka is also famous for the unique food and culture of Peranakan.  Thus, this city also has myraid architectural designs of colonial buildings worth seeing, and a simple way to do it is taking cruise along the Melaka River.

Melaka River Cruise takes 45 minutes along the river and 9 km long. The fare is different on weekdays and weekends. For MyKad local Malaysian, th e fare is RM13 on weekdays and RM18 on weekends, with Senior, Disabled and student RM10. For foreigners, it is RM18 for weekdays and RM23 for weekends. A boat can accommodate about 40 passengers. A private boat can be rented for groups with prices from RM720 - RM920. There are commentary along the way given in 2 types of languages that is English and Malay Language. Operation hours from 9.00am - 11.00pm depending on which jetty you embark. For more information on ticketing, please check here.

Melaka River Cruise is run by Melaka local government, is now a popular tourist attraction with more than 1.07 million travelers. Both the locals and foreign tourist alike are awe by the historical sights along the way. It runs day and night. There are 3 Jetties one can take the river cruise. 

 1) Muara Jetty, next to Quayside Heritage Centre, close to the Maritime Museum

2) Taman Rempah Jetty, next to the Hang Jebat Bridge linking Jalan Tun Mutahir to Jalan Tun Sri Lanang. 

3) The Shore Jetty, next to The Shore Melaka, a retail, hotel and residential area with attractions such as 3D Interactive Park, Shore Oceanarium, and Sky Tower

The view along this cruise is fantastic, as we pass through many different types of century old buildings. I took this cruise about 15 years back, and at that time, Melaka river was very dirty, smelly. I saw two big monitor lizards too. But after the make over and clean up, this river is clean with murals painted on some buildings.

I would highly recommend taking a night cruise. Why? Because Malaysia weather is mostly hot and humid, with the sun shining fierce and strong. Sometimes the weather is unpredictable and it rains, and this boat is not a fully sheltered one. Another reason is that during the night, the bridges and building are illuminated with colourful lights. But for those who likes natural and some light, I suggest you can take it in the evening where during sunset to get a glow of sunset too. 

The light illuminating this bridge changes color from yellow, red and purple. a beautiful sight to behold!

 

Dining along the riverside and with the background of colonial houses. 

Muara Jetty

I was so attracted to this riverside dining that I went to dine there the next day for dinner.

It was indeed a beautiful feeling, sitting along the Melaka River, eating and with cool breeze blowing, and able to wave to the passengers of the Melaka River cruise when they pass by. 

For more information: call during office hours:

 Melaka Cruise company: 06 281 4322/23 

or Taman Rempah Jetty : 06 2861530

or Muara Jetty: 06 289 1531

Related post on attractions in Melaka

1. I stayed in a nostalgic boutique hotel, Timez Heritage Boutique Hotel during my recent visit to Melaka. Timez Heritage Hotel is in Jonker Street and about 7 miniutes walk to jetty. Check out the photos and more about this boutique hotel in Jonker Street : Timez Modern Heritage Hotel

2. Melaka River Night Cruise

3. What's new in Melaka - Encore Melaka   

4. Kelabang Coconut Shake

Here is a video of Melaka River Cruise: