St.John's Fort
Rebuilt by the Dutch in the 18th century, St. John's Fort was once a private Portuguese chapel dedicated to St. John the Baptist.
The fort has an interesting feature - cannons face inland as, during that time, attacks on Melaka came mainly from the hinterland instead of from the sea.
Another attraction for many is the view from the top of the hill where St. John's Fort stands, particularly for the fantastic tropical sunsets
St.Paul's Hill (A'Famosa)
The Portuguese colonised Melaka from 1511 to 1641. The first thing they did was build a fort overlooking the river, calling it A'Famosa. As Melaka was the centre of struggles between super powers of the time, and suffered the constant threat of attack, the A'Famosa fort was critical in Portugal maintaining its colonial foothold in the Far East.
Within the fort walls were housing and food stores, a castle, a meeting room for the Portuguese Council and five churches. A seven-month attack by the Dutch just about destroyed the entire fortress, leaving only the entrance faade and the structure of a church at the top of the hill.
Go for a stroll up St. Paul's Hill on a cool late afternoon and wander among the majestic trees and historical remnants. Here, you can almost imagine the glories and miseries of the besieged lives the Portuguese would have led right here all those years ago...
Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum
The 'Straits Chinese', also called the Baba and Nyonya, are Chinese of noble descent who have adopted much of the Malay culture into theirs. This has been a gradual process lasting over 400 years since the great Chinese explorer Admiral Cheng Ho first brought Chinese settlers to Melaka. Over the centuries, the Baba Nyonya have developed a distinct and highly interesting culture that is unique to Malaysia's west coast, particularly Melaka.
The public can now view the historical artefacts unique to this heritage at a captivating private museum run by the Babas and