Christ Church, Malacca

Christ Church, Malacca tickets: which one to buy

The church is the red building on the square that every visitor to Malacca photographs, opposite the old Dutch town hall, and it is free to enter with a donation box inside. There is nothing to book. Walking tours of the historic centre cover the square, the hill with the ruined Portuguese church above it, the remaining fort gate and the shophouse streets across the river, and take about two hours;

heritage-focused guides here are good and cheap. River cruises and trishaw rides both start within sight of the door, the trishaws decorated to a degree that has to be seen. The whole old town received a UNESCO listing in 2008 together with George Town. Malacca is an easy two hours from Kuala Lumpur by bus or car and is usually done as a long day trip, though staying a night is far better because the square empties in the evening.

Visiting Christ Church, Malacca: what to see

The Dutch took Malacca from the Portuguese in 1641 and used the older church on the hill for worship until it became too dilapidated. To mark the centenary of the conquest they began this one in 1741, and it was finished twelve years later. It is the oldest functioning Protestant church in Malaysia and has been Anglican since the British took over the settlement, being reconsecrated in 1838.

The construction is worth looking at closely: the walls are brick shipped from the Netherlands and faced with local red laterite, the ceiling beams are each cut from a single tree with no joins, and the pews and the handmade brass fittings are eighteenth-century. Dutch tombstones are set into the floor, carved in Portuguese and Armenian as well as Dutch, a record of who lived and traded here. A glazed tile panel of the Last Supper hangs above the altar. The distinctive red paint is a later British addition. The pulpit is carved from a single piece of hardwood and has stood in place since the church opened.

Christ Church, Malacca opening hours and the best time to go

The square is crowded from mid-morning to late afternoon and close to empty by seven in the evening, which is the best hour to see the building. The church closes to visitors during Sunday services and on some public holidays. Malacca is hot and humid all year with heavy rain from October to December, and the middle of the day is for indoor sightseeing or a boat.

Weekends bring domestic visitors from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and the night market on Jonker Street runs from Friday to Sunday evening, which is the liveliest time to be here. Chinese New Year and the Christmas season both fill the town. The museum in the old town hall opposite and the climb to the ruined church on the hill together make a half-day. Twenty minutes inside the church is enough. A fountain built for Queen Victoria stands on the square and marks the usual meeting point for tours.