Malacca Experience, Walking Tour with Serge

Overview

Discover Malacca on this fascinating and unique overnight excursion from Kuala Lumpur. Unesco World heritage designated, the fascinatingly multi-cultural city is the oldest in Malaysia, founded as far back as 1400 by a Malay-Hindu prince.

After establishing a healthy trade in spices Malacca quickly became one of Southeast Asia’s most important trading ports attracting Chinese immigrants and Portuguese colonialists as well as those from many other corners of the world. Today this diversity remains with different cultures and religions thriving in a calming co-existence; Taoist temples sit within the sounds of the Muezzins call to prayer from the mosque, and down the street you’ll find the oldest Malaysian Hindu temple.  With such cultural variety it is unsurprising that food is a big deal here, this is the perfect place to try new flavours with restaurants representing the best dishes of many regions.

As a trading port, the river was the cities lifeblood; on the western banks where Chinese immigrants settled, there is a wonderfully preserved maze of atmospheric streets and shophouses displaying distinct Chinese influence in the architecture. A French-Malaccan couple, Serge and his wife have under-taken a careful private restoration of their 100 year old family home using traditional material and techniques. Happily for visitors, they have opened their authentic Malaccan home as a bed and breakfast, a first of its kind experience, ideal for anyone with an interest in architecture and history. Your host Serge Jardin was born in the French countryside in the 1950s and trained as an historian with a master’s degree from the University of Paris. Having spent many years with his own tour company in Malaysia, he is a now a published historian and a wonderful tour guide and will take you on an incomparable journey with personal insights into life in Malacca.