Melaka transportation - getting here
You can catch ferries to Sumatra from Melaka
Melaka has great transportation links so getting to town and around the tourist sights is not difficult. Despite not having a railway station in Melaka, which is perhaps surprisingly for such as key colonial settlement, express buses connect the city with all over the Malaysian peninsular from Sentral Bus Station. And Melaka's enviable position on the west coast of Malaysia, and just two hours south of Kuala Lumpur, also puts it within easy reach of Singapore.
Getting around Melaka
Although Melaka's glorious heyday has certainly past, the city continues to grow in size and has become quite a large metropolis. But exploring the city on foot remains the method of delving into its appealing history.
Most of Melaka's tourist attractions are located in the central heritage district. Hetting lost in these narrow alleyways is half the fun of a visit here, and attempting to navigate the cramped lanes by hire car is not really worth the effort. Only consider renting a vehicle for journeys farther afield such as visiting Ayer Keroh.
Plenty of metered taxis ply the streets of Melaka, and there is a permanent rank situated immediately outside Sentral Bus Station. Journeys around town should only cost around RM15, but beware of unscrupulous drivers who steadfastly refuse to use their meters. At the very least agree a reasonable fare before setting off. Peddle rickshaws (trishaws) come brilliantly adorned with bright flowers and speakers belowing out traditional music. Although these are reserved solely for tourists rather than a means of public transportation per se, they can offer good value sightseeing if you stike a bargain for an entire day (RM30 per hour is probably reasonable).
Bus transport from Melaka
Melaka Sentral has great connections
Long distance buses in Melaka no longer use the city's Express Bus Terminal but now operate out of Sentral Bus Station which is situated around five kilometres north of downtown. Many companies including Transnasional and Jebat Ekspres travel from here to all over the Malaysia and beyond to Singapore and even Thailand. Most long distance coaches in Melaka tend to leave early in the morning or late in the evening and not a steady intervals throughout the day, and remember to carry some warm clothes in order to protect oneself against overzealous air conditioning.
Currently there are direct services from Melaka to Butterworth (10 daily, six hours), Singapore (nine daily, five hours), Kuala Teregganu (daily, nine hours), Mersing (two daily, five hours), KL (15 daily, two hours), Kuantan (daily, six hours) and Johor Bahru (five daily, four hours). There are local buses which also originate in Sentral Station and then travel to all neighbourhoods of the city (tickets are RM2 for 24 hours).
Rail transport in Melaka
Melaka doesn't have a train station but people who wish to sample the delights of Malaysian railway travel can just travel 38kms north to the nearby town of Tampin (Station Tel: +60 (0)6 411 1034). There are four direct daily services from here to Singapore (RM24/18 adult/child one way, six hours) and north to Kuala Lumpur (RM18/12 adult child, three hours). To reach Tamplin Station take a cab or alternatively bus Tai Lye No 26 (blue, red and white) from Melaka Sentral Station. Ask the driver where to get off. Timetables and online booking are here.
Ferry travel from Melaka
Two ferries run at 09:00 and 15:00 every day to Dumai in the Indonesian Island of Sumatra with Indomal Express (RM100, Tel: +60 (0)283 2506, two hours) and to Pekanbaru on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday at 11:00. All services leave from the Harbour Master's jetty (Jeti Shahbandar) in Taman Melaka Raya near the Maritime Museum. This can be reached by Green Melaka Bus 17 or taxicab.
