7-Day Heritage Unesco Trail: Diethelm Standard

Arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and transfer to the city of Malacca.

Upon arrival, check in at the hotel.

Melaka was conferred the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 7 July 2008. On a full day tour of Melaka, you travel back through more than 600 years of history. The city was formerly under colonial rule by the Portuguese, Dutch and the British.

This heritage trail begins with a visit to St. Peter's Church (1710), the oldest Christian church still in use in Malaysia today. Next, drive past the largest 17th century Chinese cemetery outside of China, located at Bukit China. Then, we stop to admire two iconic structures, the landmark gateway "Porta de Santiago" and the ruins of St. Paul's Church. St Paul's Church lies buried between the 17th-century Dutch tombstones. Porta de Santiago was a fortress built by the Portuguese in 1511 and is also known as "A Famosa. The final stop is to explore Stadyhus (1641 -1660), also known as the "Red Square" due to the salmon pink colour of the building. It was once a Dutch Administration centre which today houses the Malacca Museum and some government offices.

We slow down to enjoy a 40-minute boat ride on the Malacca River. This journey passes a number of heritage buildings situated along the river and traditional fishing villages. After the cruise, stroll to Cheng Hoon Teng, an ancient Chinese Temple, before stopping for lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, wander along Malacca's antique row known as Jonker Street. All sorts of antiques are on display, at a reasonable price here, along with art galleries, souvenir shops, dried food shops, and more.

At the end of the tour return back to the hotel.

Accommodation at The Majestic Melaka

Estimated driving time/distance:
Kuala Lumpur Airport - Malacca: 2 hours, 140 kilometers

Meals included:
None

After breakfast, the first part of the morning is at leisure - spend the morning exploring the historical city of Malacca at your own pace.

11:30 hours
Check out of the hotel and transfer to Kuala Lumpur to continue this heritage adventure.

On arrival in KL, check in at the hotel. The rest of the evening is free at leisure.

Accommodation at The Majestic Kuala Lumpur.

Meals included:
Breakfast

09:00 hours
Start the tour of the historic heart of KL, which covers many of the famous colonial-era landmark buildings clustered in a compact area surrounding Merdeka Square.
We start and end at the Masjid Jamek LRT Station. Built in 1907, Masjid Jamek is the place where the history of Kuala Lumpur began. The first set of buildings we pass include the Sessions Court Building, Panggung Bandaraya Building (the city theatre that was formerly the old City Hall), Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) and the Old High Court Building.

Next up, is the iconic Sultan Abdul Samad Building completed in 1897. With a distinctive Moorish-style and a stunning clock tower it is one of the most photographed buildings in KL. Formerly used by the colonial British Administration, it was more recently home to the Superior and High Courts of Malaysia. Continue to the stunning Industrial Court Building located on the corner of Merdeka Square. The building previously housed the Loh Chow Kit Emporium which opened in 1905. The nearby Loke Yew building is an Art Deco design.

Around Dataran Merdeka Kuala Lumpur (Independence Square), are the old Post Office Building and the Textile Museum. Other nearby sites of note include The Fountain of Independence Square, Merdeka Square Flagpole and the Royal Selangor Club. The club, founded in 1884, was a meeting place for recreation and relaxation especially for expatriates, but from the start always had a mixture of Chinese, Indian and Malay members as well. The final two stops are at the Cathedral of St Mary and Masjid India. Finish back at Masjid Jamek LRT Station.

Accommodation at The Majestic Kuala Lumpur.

Meals included:
Breakfast

After breakfast, we depart to the 'Town Built on Tin' also known as Ipoh. Close to Ipoh, we stop at the Sam Poh Tong Cave Temple in Gunung Rapat. The temple houses an impressive work of art with various statues of Buddha set among the natural stalactites and stalagmites. After that, we continue towards Ipoh, where the town was home to wealthy miners during the tin heydays. Driving through the streets of Ipoh is like being caught in a time warp. Ipoh town has two distinct parts and the Kinta River divides the historic centre of Ipoh into the Old Town and New Town.

The Old Town is home to old Chinese and colonial styled buildings while the New Town sees stretches of shophouses, which cover the livelier business hub. Ipoh is certainly a charming heritage site.

Check in at the hotel and then enjoy a stroll along Ipoh Heritage trail and re-discover some of its' historical wonders.

Accommodation at The Indulgence & Living Boutique Hotel.

Estimated driving time/distance:
2 hours 20 minutes, 205 kilometers

Meals included:
Breakfast

08:30 hours
After breakfast at the hotel, check and transfer to Kuala Kangsar, an attractive royal town of Perak, around 60km north of Ipoh. En route, we stop at the Ubudiah Mosque and the Iskandariah Palace (royal palace). The Ubudiah Mosque is reputed to be one of the most beautiful mosques in the country. Look out for the bands of marble and the golden domes. Elephants damaged the Italian marble flooring twice during the First World War.

Next up, is Taiping. Taiping means "Eternal Peace", and it is Perak State's foremost historic town. Formerly, known as Larut, the town was in the midst of a bloody feud between Chinese secret societies who worked the lucrative tin mines in the 1870s. With peace between the feuding parties in 1874, the town changed to its present name. Before the founding of Kuala Lumpur in the south, Taiping prospered for several decades, scoring several firsts: first museum in the country, first English newspaper and first swimming pool. Today, it still retains many iconic heritage buildings covered on the heritage trail. These include:

* Post & Telegraph Office (1884),
* Town Rest House (1894)
* King Edward VII School (1905),
* Ceylon Association (1899)
* St. George's Institution (1928)
* Hokkien Association (1931)
* Old Mosque (Masjid Lama) (1897)
* Peking Hotel (1929)
* Tseng Lung Hakka Association (1887)
* Police Station (1881 and rebuilt 1936)

The heritage trail also visits Taiping Market, made up of both the Old Market (1884) and New Market (1885) buildings. Nearby, is the Cantonese Association and Temple for the Immortal Girl (1887), the Public Library (1882), which formerly housed the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China and All Saints Church (1886), the first Anglican Church in the Federated Malay States. The trail passes Perak Museum (1883) with its exhibits of ceramics, weapons, and stuffed animals, including the skull of an elephant that charged at a train in the 1950s. Near to the museum is the statue of Colonel Walker, considered the "Father of the Malay States Guide" and Fort Carnavon (1885), named after the Earl of Carnarvon, Secretary of State for the colonies from 1894 to 1878.

As we continue the journey, we cross the fourth longest bridge in Southeast Asia to arrive at Penang. On arrival, check in at the hotel, with the rest of the evening at leisure.

Accommodation at Hotel Penaga, Penang.

Estimated driving time/distance:
2 hours 30 minutes, 169 kilometers

Meals included:
Breakfast

09:00 hours
After breakfast, experience the historic and vibrant city of "George Town". Start at Chowrasta Market ("Four Cross Road in Urdu") and witness the lively roadside trading of livestock, vegetables and fruits. Afterwards, enjoy some scrumptious toast bread at Toh Soon Caf'e9, where charcoal is conventionally used to toast bread and boil water.

A must-visit shopping haven, Campbell Street, formerly named "Sin Kay" by the Chinese in the 19th century, is one of Penang's notable precincts where you can shop for bargains and enjoy a variety of retail shops, boutiques and restaurants. Treat yourself to "yu char kuih" (Doug-fritters) at Campbell Street Wet Market, probably the oldest existing market in Georgetown built around 1900 and still sporting late Victorian ornate cast iron columns and brackets. Additionally, savour some delectable dim sum. Try succulent steamed pork spareribs and "char siubao" (steamed buns with roast pork) and mouth-watering shrimp dumplings with the translucent skin better known as "hargao".

Next up, visit the ornate Khoo Kongsi Clan House building which features a magnificent hall embellished with intricate carvings and woodwork. Stop at Kapitan Kling Mosque, a dome-shaped minaret named after the Indian Muslim merchant, and then for brunch, enjoy the Indian Muslim traditional pancake known as roti canai (made of dough with egg). It requires a skilful hand-flipped dough technique to produce a very thin and flat roti canai.

After brunch, walk to Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, a Dravidian-style temple, which sports a sculptured tower or Gopuram, covered in brightly painted statues of gods and goddesses. Then, continue with a visit to the Goddess of Mercy Temple, honouring Kuan Yin and built in the 1800s by early Chinese settlers of the Hokkien and Cantonese communities.

By now, you will probably feel peckish! Indulge in banana leaf rice at the nearby Banana Leaf Restaurant and experience eating rice with curry on a banana leaf, with your hands, as the early Indian settlers did. Quench your thirst with a glass of "pulled" tea (the tarik).

The afternoon is free at leisure to explore more of the city or relax at the hotel.

Accommodation at Hotel Penaga, Penang.

Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch

After breakfast, transfer to Penang Airport.

Meals included:
Breakfast