Name: Melaka
Rating: 3.8

Melaka River, Melaka Overview

The clear and narrow Melaka River flows through the middle of Melaka city from Negeri Sembilan feeding the Straits of Melaka. Dubbed as the 'Venice of the East', it is visited by the tourists for the 45-minute Melaka River Cruise offering stunning view of traditional shophouses, colonial buildings and ancient settlements.

On both sides of the Melaka River are food joints and shops for a pleasant walk around the river and beautiful paintings drawn on the buildings, providing a contemporary look. The best time to visit is during dusk when the surroundings glow with colourful decorations and lights.

Melaka River Cruise

The 45-minute long Melaka River Cruise is popular among the tourists. The day cruise provides a detailed view of the natural surroundings and the night view is for enjoying the man-made creations. It is best to visit at night when the surroundings glow with decorative lights. There are three main types of cruise:

Dinner Cruise
Explore the vibrant and historical surroundings while enjoying a delicious meal in the riverboat. There are individual bookings available along with bookings for special and private events.

Timings: 9:00 AM - 11:00 PM every day

VIP Cruise
This can be booked for a selected group of people by advance booking, providing facilities like live entertainment along with enjoying the surroundings.

Timings: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturday.

Water Taxi
Explore the beauty of Pulau Udan, Pulau Upeh, Pulau Nangka, and Hanyut dan Pulau Besar.

Timings: 9:00 AM - 11:00 PM

The tickets can be purchased from the counter near the Spice Garden Jetty or Melaka River Square Jetty. Tickets can be easily booked online as well.

Foreign Adult (12 years and above) – RM 30
Local Child (2 - 12 years) – RM 15
Foreign Child (2 - 12 years) – RM 25

Bridges at Melaka River

Tan Boon Seng Bridge: This is a bridge with historical importance as the river passes the bridge coming from the Dutch Square and it was closed to cut communications between both sides when the Portuguese invaders came to Melaka.

Ghost Bridge of Melaka: Connecting Kampung Pantai and Kampung Jawa, it was the place of violence and destruction during the invasion of Japanese. Therefore, this pedestrian bridge was given such a name.

Old Market Bridge: This is again a pedestrian bridge for linking Kampung Hulu with the Old Market area.

Chan Koon Cheng Bridge: This helps in connecting the two parts of ChinaTown. It is for the use of everyone, linking Kampung Jawa.

Cathay Bridge: It is a helpful bridge for people to walk from the Old Bus Terminal to the other side of the River which is known as Old Cathay.

Jalan Hang Tuah Bridge: It is near the Old Plaza Inn, connecting Jalan Abdullah with Jalan Hang Tuah and hence it has been named after it.

Tan Kim Seng Bridge: It connects the residential and commercial zone to St. Paul Civic Zone, providing the link to both sides of the river.

How to Reach Melaka River

Melaka River flows through a prominent area in the city and is a major spot known by all the locals and taxi drivers. So, it is best to hire a taxi from anywhere, taking around 33 minutes from the inland city centre.