Originally spelt as Malacca, this was one of the three British Straits Settlements in South East Asia (the other two being Penang and Singapore) along the Straits of Malacca - this port was famous for East-West trade as far back in the 17th century.
Now one of the 14 states in Malaysia, this state located between the states of Johor and Negeri Sembilan, remains one of Malaysia's premier tourist attractions.
One of Melaka's best known tourist attractions are the red buildings near St. Paul's hill where there are a bunch of old buildings, ranging from the remains of the St. Paul's church, a 16th century building destroyed by the British when they took over, to buildings built by the British in the 17th and 18th centuries. Nearby there is also Porta de Santiago, the only standing remains of the old Portugese fort, A Famosa.
If you're eating out in Melaka, I suggest that you especially taste the local food which isn't found anywhere else in Malaysia. There's the satay chelup, where you dip food which has been pieced together on satay sticks in to cook in a special sauce and there's the chicken rice balls where you get chicken rice but the rice comes in the shape of balls - quite interesting.