Roughly 4km east of the city centre on the coast is the Medan Portugis. The small kampung centred on the square is the heart of Melaka’s Eurasian community, who are descended from marriages between the colonial Portuguese and Malays 400 years ago. Many of them speak Kristang, a Creole language that mixes Malay with archaic Portuguese. The square, styled after a typical Portuguese mercado, wasn’t completed until the late 1980s.
The kampung is unexceptional and the square is often empty, except on Saturday evenings when cultural events are staged. But the sea breeze is lovely while enjoying a relaxing meal at the many restaurants in and around the square. Town bus 17 from the local bus station or Panorama Melaka buses will get you here.
