Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum
Quick answer
Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum in Melaka, Malaysia — the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum is a family-run house museum at 48–50 Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock in Melaka's old town, showing how a wealthy Peranakan (Straits Chinese) family lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Open Monday and Wednesday to Friday: 10:00 AM – 4:15 PM; Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 AM – 4:45 PM; closed Tuesdays. Admission: RM25 for adults; RM15 for children up to 12. Allow 1 hour.
Visitor information last reviewed 25 September 2026. Check the official museum site for current details.
Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum at a glance: hours, tickets and time needed
| Opening hours | Monday and Wednesday to Friday: 10:00 AM – 4:15 PM; Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 AM – 4:45 PM |
|---|---|
| Closed | Tuesdays |
| Admission | RM25 for adults; RM15 for children up to 12 |
| Booking | Tickets usually available on the day |
| Time needed | 1 hour |
| Best time to visit | Weekday mornings at the 10:00 AM opening, avoiding Tuesdays (closed). |
| Getting there | Walk: One street from Jonker Walk via Jalan Hang Lekir; about 5 minutes from the Stadthuys on Dutch Square across the Melaka River |
| Address | 48 & 50 Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia |
| Official website | babanyonyamuseum.com |
Checked 2026-09-25 against the official website. Prices and hours change — confirm before you travel.
What is Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum known for?
The Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum is a private house museum on Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, the street once known as Heeren Street in the heart of UNESCO-listed Melaka. The house combines three terrace lots acquired by the Chan family in 1861: Nos. 48 and 50 formed the main homestead and No. 52 the servants' quarters. Four generations lived here before Chan Kim Lay, the first grandson of Chan Cheng Siew, opened it as a museum in March 1985. It is still managed by the family, and its name comes from Baba and Nyonya, the honorifics for a Straits-born gentleman and lady.
The museum is presented as the home of Baba Chan Cheng Siew (1865–1919), a second-generation Straits-born planter nicknamed Towkay Cermin Mata, the 'boss with glasses'. He moved his estates from gambier to rubber, served as a Justice of the Peace and temple trustee, sat on the Chinese Advisory Board and was a founding director of the ice maker Atlas Ice. The family traces its roots to Tong'An county in Fujian province, arrived in Malacca in the early 19th century and is now in its seventh generation. Cheng Siew's grand funeral in 1919 was reported in The Straits Times.
The interiors mix Dutch, Portuguese, Malay, Chinese and colonial influences in the way that made Straits-born homes distinctive. In the formal reception hall, the Thia Besar, Chinese blackwood furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl and marble stands beneath five-metre-tall silk embroideries. A staircase of solid cenggal wood with gold-leaf carving, reputed to be the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, leads upstairs, and sinks bearing Chan Cheng Siew's initials appear in several rooms. The ancestral hall is still used for family prayers seven times a year, and the kitchen, dining room and wedding displays show everyday Nyonya life.
The house is shown in 14 sections, from the reception hall and dark hall to the bridal chamber, dining room, kitchen and bathroom, with an audio track for each on the museum's website. It is closed on Tuesdays and opens at 10:00 AM on other days. Tickets cost RM25 for adults and RM15 for children up to 12 and can be bought online or at the door; groups of 15 or more must book a month ahead. The museum stands one street from Jonker Walk and a short walk across the river from Dutch Square and the Stadthuys.
Best for: History Enthusiasts · Architecture Enthusiasts · First-timers
How long do you need at Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum?
Allow 1 hour. A focused route through 5 must-see highlights at Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum without museum fatigue. Follow the stops in order:
- 1
Grand Reception Hall (Thia Besar)
📍 Ground floor, front hall
Start with the blackwood furniture and five-metre silk embroideries in the men-only formal hall.
- 2
Dark Hall and airwell
📍 Ground floor
See the screens through which the women of the house watched visitors, then the light-filled airwell.
- 3
Carved staircase and wedding chamber
📍 Upper floor
Climb the gilded cenggal-wood staircase to the bridal chamber and birthday and funeral displays.
- 4
Ancestral Hall (Thia Abu)
The family altar where prayers are still held seven times a year.
- 5
Dining room and kitchen
Finish with the tok panjang table, Nyonya porcelain and the kitchen at the heart of Peranakan home life.
What are the must-see works at Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum?
5 highlights that define the collection: Grand Reception Hall (Thia Besar), Carved cenggal-wood staircase, Ancestral Hall (Thia Abu) and more.
Grand Reception Hall (Thia Besar)
Chinese blackwood furniture and silk embroidery
📍 Ground floor, front hall
The men-only formal hall, furnished with blackwood pieces inlaid with mother-of-pearl and marble and hung with five-metre silk embroideries of generals and scholars.
Carved cenggal-wood staircase
Solid cenggal wood with gold-leaf carving
📍 Between the ground and upper floors
A staircase with foldable panels and gilded carving at the back, which the museum says is reputed to be the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.
Ancestral Hall (Thia Abu)
Chan family ancestral altar
The family altar with the portrait of Chan Cheng Siew's mother, Chew Poye Yan (1845–1903), where prayers are still held seven times a year.
Dining room and Nyonya porcelain
Peranakan tableware · early 20th century
The long tok panjang table with sets of porcelain for every occasion: red for birthdays and weddings, blue-and-white for funerals and English patterned plates for daily use.
Chiu Thau wedding display
Peranakan wedding ritual
A three-tier altar, bamboo tray and rice measure used in the hair-combing coming-of-age ceremony that bride and groom performed before a Peranakan wedding.
Collections and highlights
- • Chinese blackwood furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl and marble
- • Silk embroidery panels
- • Gilded cenggal-wood staircase and carved screens
- • Nyonya porcelain for weddings, birthdays and funerals
- • Peranakan wedding and funeral displays
- • Family portraits and ancestral altar
- • Period kitchen and bathroom fittings
Tips for visiting Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum
- 1.
Best time to visit
Weekday mornings at the 10:00 AM opening, avoiding Tuesdays (closed). Weekends bring day-trippers to the Jonker Walk area.
- 2.
Tickets & booking
RM25 adults, RM15 children up to 12, online or at the door. Groups of 15+ must book at least a month ahead; Mandarin tours for groups on request. RM100 surcharge for visitors in costume.
- 3.
Accessibility
A historic townhouse whose upper floor is reached by the original staircase; the website gives no step-free information, so call +60 12-567 1273 before visiting with a wheelchair.
- 4.
Photography rules
No published policy; photography has traditionally been restricted inside, so ask at the ticket desk. The facade can be photographed from the street.
How do you get to Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum?
- walk One street from Jonker Walk via Jalan Hang Lekir; about 5 minutes from the Stadthuys on Dutch Square across the Melaka River
- bus BAS.MY Melaka route M100 from Melaka Sentral loops through the city centre; alight for the Stadthuys/Dutch Square and walk 5 minutes across the river
- car About 20 minutes from the Ayer Keroh toll exit; the open-air car park opposite Casa del Rio is a 2-minute walk
- taxi Grab, taxi or trishaw to Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock in the old town
Address: 48 & 50 Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum: frequently asked questions
How much are tickets to the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum?
The museum's own online shop prices adult admission at RM25 and children up to 12 years old at RM15, with no separate rate for foreign visitors. Tickets can be bought online in advance or at the entrance. Note the museum's rule that visitors dressed in costume pay an RM100 surcharge, so leave the rented kebaya for photos outside.
When is the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum open?
It is closed every Tuesday. On other weekdays the website lists hours of 10:00 AM to 4:15 PM, and on Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 AM to 4:45 PM. Because the house is shown room by room, arrive well before those times rather than at the last minute. The museum occasionally closes for a few days for maintenance and posts notices on its website.
How long does a visit take?
Allow about an hour. The house is divided into 14 tour sections, from the grand reception hall and dark hall through the airwell, carved staircase and wedding chamber to the ancestral hall, dining room, kitchen and bathroom. The museum's website offers a recorded audio track for each section, which you can listen to on your phone as you go.
Can I take photos inside the museum?
The museum's website does not publish a photography policy. Visitors have long reported that photography is restricted inside this privately run house, so ask at the ticket desk before taking any pictures. The richly decorated facade on Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, with its shutters and carved doors, can be photographed freely from the street.
Who was the family behind the house?
The Chan family acquired the three terrace lots in 1861. The house is presented as the home of Baba Chan Cheng Siew (1865–1919), a planter known as Towkay Cermin Mata, the 'boss with glasses', who switched from gambier to rubber, served as a Justice of the Peace and co-founded the Atlas Ice company. His grandson Chan Kim Lay opened the house as a museum in 1985.
Are group or guided tours available?
Groups of 15 or more must book at least one month in advance through the group booking page and can request guided tours in Mandarin. Specialised tours for primary school groups come with a printable activity map. Families with children aged five to 12 can buy an activity kit for RM10, and a children's activity room opens during school holidays.
How do I get to the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum?
The museum is on Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, historically Heeren Street, one street from Jonker Walk; walk via Jalan Hang Lekir. The Stadthuys on Dutch Square is about five minutes away across the Melaka River. Drivers can use the open-air car park opposite Casa del Rio, a two-minute walk away, about 20 minutes from the Ayer Keroh toll exit.
Is Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum open on Tuesdays?
No — Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum is closed every Tuesday. It is open Monday and Wednesday to Friday: 10:00 AM – 4:15 PM; Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 AM – 4:45 PM. Plan a different museum for that day, and check the official website for holiday changes.
Is Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum free to visit?
No — standard admission is RM25 for adults; RM15 for children up to 12.
