Portuguese Settlement

The Portuguese Settlement is a historic fishing village at Ujong Pasir, about 5 km from Melaka city centre in Melaka Tengah, Malacca. Established in 1933 for the Kristang community, descendants of 16th-century Portuguese settlers, it is the main centre of Kristang culture in Malaysia. The settlement is known for its distinctive community, Portuguese Square, seafood restaurants and annual cultural festivals.

Visitors can expect a small coastal residential village with rows of fishermen's houses, fishing boats along the shore, and the central Portuguese Square facing the Strait of Malacca. The area includes seafood restaurants, a small Kristang museum, St. Peter's Church nearby, and cultural displays. Visitors can walk through the village, observe daily fishing activities, dine on seafood, and learn about Kristang heritage and Catholic traditions.

The settlement was established in 1933 on land acquired at Ujong Pasir to resettle the Kristang fishing community, descendants of Portuguese who settled in Melaka after 1511. It was created to provide housing and fishing grounds for the community and was later expanded with Portuguese Square, opened in the 1980s, as a cultural and commercial centre.

It is the principal settlement of the Kristang people, an ethnic group of Portuguese-Eurasian descent with a distinct Kristang language, Catholic faith, cuisine, music and dance. It preserves Portuguese-influenced traditions including the annual Festa San Pedro honouring St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen, and serves as a living centre for Kristang cultural heritage in Malaysia.