My travel companion and I have been to Melaka and the Jonker Walk Night Market on numerous occasions and I hope to provide you with a meaningful review of our experience visiting the main artery of Melaka.

Like most night markets in South East Asia, Jonker Walk starts off slow and continues to grow as the night progresses. Despite its name, Jonker Walk is not entirely closed off to road traffic during the daytime. On weekends, before the market officially opens, it is common to see Jonker jammed with tourists and the odd car trying to squeeze through all the distracted pedestrians. During my most recent visit to Melaka, I couldn’t help but ponder why the road isn’t completely vehicle free (at least on weekends)? Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait too long before vendors started showing up, pulling all kinds of goodies out of rustic boxes and plastic bags. Once the market stalls started popping up, the cars started to disappear. Jonker Night Market had officially begun.

With rows of permanent shops on both sides of the road and two lines of market stalls there is no shortage of merchandise and food to keep you occupied for a couple of hours. One of the strengths of the Melaka night market is the balance it strikes between commercialized goods, artwork, traditional medicines and the prices they are offered for. Unlike many other markets in South East Asia, Jonker’s initial prices might be inflated but not nearly as much as Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur or the markets found in Bangkok. The vendors tend to take on more of a volume approach to sales opposed to completely ripping off tourists. Therefore, if you are travelling on a budget or travelling with children you can actual plan to buy a few things without feeling guilty for the rest of your visit.

If you are lucky and you visit the Jonker Walk Night Market during one of the major Chinese celebrations (like Chinese New Year’s for instance), they often have performances on a well maintained stage right in the heart of the action. If this is the case during your visit, either try to get a seat early or park yourself at one of the nearby hawker stalls and enjoy one of the famous Malaysian meals like chicken satay with ice lemon tea (lemon ice). This is what Melaka is all about – cheap hawker food, Chinese street lanterns, an upbeat street vibe surrounded by historical architecture.