Malacca is THE place for the travelers. If you like carrying too many things with you, you may miss a lot of fun and entertainment. So, you are suggested to have a light luggage in order to make it a great venture. Here are some of the guidelines & handy tips for the backpackers travelling to Malacca. These tips will help you through your travel, visit, stay and meals; Enjoy your Malacca Travel tips for backpackers.
Book a Backpacker hostel
Melaka offers a range of hostels, bed & breakfast, extending from cheapest to most luxurious. Here is a list of hostels that are highly recommended. These offer second night’s stay in less than 30 RM or USD10. The services are reasonable and basic facilities like furniture, bathrooms, WiFi and sitting areas are available.
- River View Guesthouse and Hostel (North West of Christ Church Melaka)
- Jalan-Jalan Emas (In Harmony Street)
- Jalan-Jalan Besi (Near Melaka River)
- Fernloft Melaka – The Heritage Hostel (Around Red Square)
- Old Town Guesthouse (Around Bukit China)
The Old Town Guesthouse is a little more expensive but the sitting area and the furniture is quite more comfortable.
Explore Heritage Places

Did you know that Melaka is a UNESCO world heritage site? You may like to walk in the city and see some historical places without paying the entry fee. You would appreciate a walk by the Melaka River. It is so beautiful and entertaining and you will get many occasions to save in you cameras. You can also observe historical mixed architecture of Melaka. There are museums that you should see from outside and Churches, Temples and Mosques to visit in Melaka. They do not cost you a penny. The St. Paul’s Hill Melaka offers great and priceless view of the city.
Related Article: Top 10 Heritage Sites to Visit in Melaka
Take a walk in the Jonker Street

As a backpacker, you should visit the historical Jonker Street and stroll by the stalls, window-shop artifacts, craft items & food. The place offers so many things to eat, shop and see. There are gift shops, souvenirs shops, artifact shops and much more. People come to this place and have few of their most favorite meals as well. Nightlife in Jonker Street is very colorful & vibrant. Entertainment and fun stalls are operated here especially on the weekends.
Try the popular Melaka Coconut Shake

The coconut shake is a specialty of Melaka. It is a cold drink with coconut milk, ice cream, milk and crushed ice. You will love to have a glass of coconut shake several times during a sunny day in Melaka. The coconut shakes costs not more than 2RM but excite your taste buds beyond description. You can enjoy this favorite local drink from many stalls in the Melaka city.
Related Article: Top Local Food to Try in Melaka
Take a Ride in the River Cruise

You are recommended to take a river cruise journey in Melaka any time between operational hours of 9 a.m. to 11:30 pm. You will admire the natural beauty and the human value-addition in the scenery of the city. This 30 to 45 minutes boat ride is full of pleasure and amusement for tourists. In just 15 RM (adults) or 7 RM (child), you will be able to enjoy one of the best boat ride that takes you to the historical enclave of Melaka.
Take a Bus Ride

Although there is an airport in the city located in Batu Berendam, but as a backpacker, you might prefer to travel by bus. It is not only inexpensive but you will also get to see a lot of places on your way. So, you can book a bus ticket online and plan a bus trip from Singapore to Malacca. A road trip to Melaka will not cost you more than USD30. However, you must book ticket in advance since there is congestion during tourism seasons of New Year and summers.
The buses depart from Singapore to Melaka from morning till late night. The Melaka Sentral Bus terminal is most popular among the backpackers traveling to Melaka from Singapore.
Trishaw Tour

In Melaka, local transport is not very popular. Good news: Most of the worth visiting places are located in the form of clusters. You can for example, walk from Heeren Heritage Street Melaka to the Melaka River Cruise in just five minutes. However, some places need you to take a ride. Taxi and Trishaws are the wheeled-options in such scenarios. You can rent a tremendously decorated trishaw in just RM 40.00 per hour.
Turn off Data Roaming

The local citizens as well as the businesses facilitate the visitors in Malacca. With many other things, Wi-Fi is also free to use in many places. So, get rid of your expensive data roaming during your trip to Melaka and enjoy free web surfing, Google Map locations, and upload your pictures on social media instantly.
Take Photos and Make Note
Recording memories is a ‘must to do’ task during your trip to Melaka. Take a camera, smartphone, a diary, and anything that will help you record the memories of the place in words and images. You will not be able to record one of the best memories of Melaka in your camera (i.e. food); your taste buds will do the job. Enjoy and observe things as you would write about it later in your blogs, too.
Related Article: Your Day Trip Guide to Melaka
Eat Less, Travel More
The journey one takes to travel Malacca can go a waste if one keeps sleeping most of the time. You are suggested to eat less, sleep less and travel more. Healthy eating will allow you to remain light and fresh while over eating may be followed by extra hours of nap. So, in order to make most out of it, you are suggested to sleep and eat less and remain active.
These are some of the recommended backpackers tips for the budget travelers visiting Melaka. To share your backpacking experience, please add comments below.
Feature Image Credit: Aleksandr Zykov