Singapore to Melaka by car: route, tolls, parking and a weekend plan

To drive from Singapore to Melaka by car, cross at Tuas, take the Second Link Expressway to Senai North, go north on the North-South Expressway (E2) and leave at the Ayer Keroh toll plaza. PLUS's calculator charged a car RM29.26 from Tanjung Kupang to Ayer Keroh on 2 November 2026. Woodlands is cheaper, at RM24.43 from Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI), and it suits a start in the north or east of the island.

Leave the car at the open-air car park opposite Casa del Rio. The Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum names it in its own directions, two minutes' walk from the museum on Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, and those directions reach it from Jalan Hang Jebat, which is Jonker Walk.

Check the calendar before you set the map. The roads around the Stadthuys close to cars at weekends, from 6pm on Friday to 1am on Monday on the latest report we found, so arrive knowing where you will stop.

Key takeaways

• Use Tuas unless you start in the north or east. The Second Link Expressway meets the E2 at Senai North, so you skip Johor Bahru's streets, but LTA charges S$2.10 each way against S$0.80 one way at Woodlands.
• Exit at Ayer Keroh. A car pays RM29.26 from Tanjung Kupang or RM24.43 from BSI on PLUS's calculator, read on 2 November 2026. Touch 'n Go card, SmartTAG or RFID, per PLUS's FAQ.
• The Ayer Keroh R&R and overhead restaurant sit north of the Ayer Keroh exit on Wikipedia's table, so your last R&R going north is Pagoh.
• Plan around the car-free zone. Jalan Laksamana, Jalan Gereja and the roads beside the Stadthuys were closing from Friday evening as of October 2026, and holidays stretch it.
• Try the Melaka Smart Parking app at home. The city council uses it for its 14,000 street bays, and we found nothing on whether it takes a Singapore plate.

The route from Singapore to Melaka

Both checkpoints end up on the same expressway. The difference is the part in Johor.

We would take Tuas for this trip, as our Woodlands or Tuas guide does for anywhere north. You pay more for it, and parts of the Tuas departure car zones are closing in phases until late 2027 (The Star, 26 August 2026), so look at the cameras first. If Tuas is jammed and Woodlands is not, the extra road through Johor Bahru is a fair trade.

Which exit for the old town

Melaka has three exits on the E2. Going north you reach Jasin, then Ayer Keroh, then Simpang Ampat.

Wikipedia describes Ayer Keroh as the interchange closest to the state's central areas, and Tourism Malaysia draws the Ayer Keroh Expressway running into the city on its map guide. Jasin saves RM1.48 and Simpang Ampat costs more because you drive past Ayer Keroh to get there. Simpang Ampat makes sense for A'Famosa Resort.

The museum's route from the toll takes about 20 minutes by its own reckoning. It follows the Ayer Keroh Highway and Lebuh Ayer Keroh, and it finishes on Jalan Laksamana and Jalan Hang Jebat, which is the trouble: both are in or beside the car-free zone below. Set your map to the car park and let it pick the last stretch.

How long the drive takes

We found no figure from PLUS, LTA or a venue, so treat it as the empty-road time. It leaves out the checkpoint. ICA says car travellers leaving at peak hours over the 2026 National Day weekend waited up to three hours for clearance, and it advises early mornings or late evenings.

Roadworks in Johor

PLUS is adding lanes between Yong Peng Utara and Senai Utara, the stretch you join at Senai North. The southbound smart lane from KM26.5 to KM19.3 closed from 22 September 2025 with no end date given, and two lanes stayed open (Malay Mail, 18 September 2025). PLUS also scheduled a closure of several minutes between Kulai and Senai Utara for rock blasting on the night of 10 March 2026, so check the PLUS app before a night drive home.

Tolls in ringgit and what pays them

These are Class 1 figures from PLUS's calculator, read on 2 November 2026, and LTA's tolls, last updated 28 May 2025. The calculator gave the same fare in both directions for every pair below.

Do not add the checkpoint toll on top. The calculator's RM24.43 from BSI is a through fare, and so is its Tanjung Kupang figure, so treat RM24.43 or RM29.26 as the total.

Each charge has its own payment. The Singapore toll comes off a stored-value card, and LTA says neither checkpoint has a top-up machine. PLUS lists Touch 'n Go cards and SmartTAG for its plazas. JPJ says the road charge is paid by Touch 'n Go card or the eWallet app.

Keep the card loaded for the way home. PLUS lists Touch 'n Go self-service kiosks at the Gelang Patah R&R both ways, the Pagoh R&R both ways and the Machap R&R going north.

R&R stops and petrol on the E2

PLUS's own site confirms that each of these exists and which way it faces. Its pages give kilometre markers for the lay-bys only, so the other markers and the petrol brands come from Wikipedia's table. Check the brands on the day.

Gelang Patah comes too soon to be much use, so Machap is the first real stop, and Pagoh is the last R&R before your exit. The Ayer Keroh R&R and overhead restaurant turn up in road trip guides, but Wikipedia's table puts them at about KM205 and KM209.9, while the exit is at KM195.5. Leave at Ayer Keroh and you never reach them. Motorist Malaysia picked two stalls on this road in July 2026, the Ramly kiosk at Pagoh going south and the nasi lemak at Ayer Keroh going south, and only Pagoh's falls on your way home. SAYS reported the franchise's last day at Pagoh south as 30 November 2025, so do not count on that one.

You leave Singapore with at least three-quarters of a tank, since LTA requires it, so petrol is really a question for the drive home. Before you fill up, read what a Singapore car may buy in Malaysia. Read the nozzle too, because none of these sources says which grades a station stocks.

What to have ready at the checkpoint

LTA says Malaysian officers may ask for a printed certificate of insurance and printed road tax validity, so print both the night before, and bring your driving licence. You need two cards with money on them: a stored-value card for the Singapore toll and a Touch 'n Go card for PLUS. Everyone in the car needs a passport. ICA strongly encourages MyICA QR codes for a faster clearance, and our QR clearance guide goes through the steps.

The rest is in our checklist for driving across, and the JB traffic guide covers when the queues build. For a trip this long, the queue decides your arrival time more than the expressway does.

Car-free hours in the old town

Melaka calls it the Zon Bebas Kenderaan, or Car Free Zone. It started on 19 August 2023 as a Saturday night trial over 2.3km of road and has grown since. Melaka Digest listed the roads in October 2026 as Jalan Istana, Jalan Mahkamah, Jalan Gereja, Lorong Gereja, Jalan Laksamana and parts of Jalan Tun Khalil Yaakob and Jalan Merdeka. That takes in the front of the Stadthuys.

The city council has not published a timetable we could read, and the hours have moved before. Melaka votes on 14 November 2026 and the DAP's state chairman wants the closure reviewed (Melaka Digest, 11 October 2026), so look for a council notice closer to your trip.

Jonker Walk has a closure of its own. Tourism Malaysia says Jalan Hang Jebat shuts to traffic for the night market on Friday and Saturday nights, though its older map guide says Friday to Sunday. If your hotel is on any of these roads, ask how the car gets in and out before you book.

Where to park near Jonker Walk

Nothing official lists every car park, so this is what we could tie to a named source. None of it is a recommendation over the others, and the 2023 list may have changed.

We would use one of the malls on that list on a Friday night or Saturday, since the police named them for this, and walk in. The Spice Garden option is the odd one out but it has a point: the cruise operator runs a hop-on, hop-off boat with 14 jetties along the river, so you can leave the car upstream and ride into town.

The street bays

The app replaced the old SVP Smart app and scratch coupons stopped at the end of 2024. We found nothing that says whether it takes a Singapore plate, so try registering your car at home. If it refuses, skip the street bays and use a car park that takes Touch 'n Go.

Do not count on free weekends. The Edge reported in June 2018 that the council had stopped charging on weekends and public holidays, and we could not find a current source saying that still stands, or the current rate.

Be careful with anyone waving you into a space. In January 2026 the mayor said a RM3 charge at Pantai Klebang was illegal, and that anyone collecting parking fees must hold a council permit and licence and display it (Sinar Harian, via SAYS).

Things to do in Malacca over a weekend

The list starts from Tourism Malaysia, with each venue's own site where it has one. It is not ranked. The old town is small enough to walk: Tourism Malaysia puts Dutch Square three minutes from Jonker Street and St Paul's Hill four.

On the way in, near the exit

Two places sit by Ayer Keroh, so they are easier on arrival than from the old town. Skytrex Melaka is a forest adventure park with a skybike and a Tarzan swing, and its own site puts it five minutes from the PLUS exit along Jalan Ayer Keroh. Melaka Zoo is in Ayer Keroh too, on Tourism Malaysia's map guide. Both need the car, so park up in town afterwards.

Where to eat

These come from Eatbook's Melaka itinerary, published on 7 October 2026. We have not eaten at them.

• The Baboon House on Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, for cheeseburgers and ginger lemon beer.
• Kopi Harian on Jalan Hang Jebat, for Nanyang-style toast and Nyonya laksa.
• Baba Kaya on Jalan Bunga Raya, for a Peranakan breakfast.
• Christina EE on Jalan Hang Lekir, for pineapple tarts and cendol.
• Ee Ji Ban on Jalan Melaka Raya 3, for chicken rice balls.
• Sin Hiap Hin in Kampung Jawa, a 100-year-old bar pouring rice wine.

Tourism Malaysia says most night market stalls still do not take cards, so bring small notes.

A weekend plan by car

One night works, and it spares you crossing twice in a day. This plan leaves on Saturday so the car is parked before the crowds. If you can only leave after work on Friday, expect to reach town inside the car-free hours and ask your hotel where to stop.

1. The night before: top up both cards, print the insurance and road tax papers, make the QR code and try the parking app.
2. Saturday, early: check the Tuas and Woodlands cameras, read the time stamp on the picture, then go.
3. Saturday, on the road: stop at Machap or Pagoh, exit at Ayer Keroh, and add Skytrex now if you want it.
4. Saturday, afternoon: park, then walk Dutch Square and St Paul's Hill.
5. Saturday, evening: the river cruise, then the Jonker Street night market.
6. Sunday, morning: the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum, or the Maritime Museum if you have children.
7. Sunday, afternoon: lunch, then rejoin the E2 at Ayer Keroh. Fill up at Pagoh or Machap and check the cameras before you commit to a checkpoint.

ICA advises late evenings for the queue, so a long lunch costs you nothing. If you would rather split the drive, our Legoland guide covers a stop off the Second Link, and JB day plans work for a shorter trip.

Frequently asked questions

How long does Singapore to Malacca by car take?

TheSmartLocal put it at 3 to 4 hours in March 2026, and we found no figure from PLUS or LTA. That leaves out the queue, which ICA reported at up to three hours at peak over the 2026 National Day weekend.

Which toll plaza do I exit at for Jonker Walk?

Ayer Keroh. The Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum, a street from Jonker Walk, puts its door about 20 minutes from that toll.

How much is the toll from Singapore to Melaka?

On PLUS's calculator, read on 2 November 2026, a car pays RM29.26 from Tanjung Kupang to Ayer Keroh or RM24.43 from BSI, each way. Singapore's own toll is S$2.10 each way at Tuas or S$0.80 going out at Woodlands, and Malaysia's road charge is RM20 per entry.

Is Tuas or Woodlands better for Melaka?

Tuas for most drivers, because the Second Link Expressway reaches the E2 at Senai North without Johor Bahru's streets. Woodlands is cheaper and suits a start in the north or east, or a day when Tuas is the worse queue.

Where can I park near Jonker Walk?

The museum there names an open-air car park opposite Casa del Rio. A 2023 police list for the car-free zone also has Dataran Pahlawan, Mahkota Parade, Plaza Mahkota and Medan Samudera.

Can I drive into Jonker Walk on Saturday?

Plan not to. Tourism Malaysia says Jalan Hang Jebat closes to traffic for the night market, and an October 2026 report has the nearby car-free zone running from 6pm Friday to 1am Monday.

Sources

• PLUS: Toll fare calculator, Class 1, BSI, Tanjung Kupang, Kempas, Lima Kedai, Jasin, Ayer Keroh and Simpang Ampat (checked 2 November 2026)
• PLUS: Our expressways, Second Link and Senai North
• PLUS: Our facilities, R&R list, Touch 'n Go kiosks and lay-by markers (read 2 November 2026)
• PLUS: Machap R&R, northbound
• PLUS: Machap R&R, southbound
• PLUS: Pagoh R&R, northbound
• PLUS: Pagoh R&R, southbound
• PLUS: FAQs, accepted toll payment methods
• PLUS: Media statement on rock blasting, Yong Peng Utara to Senai Utara widening (5 March 2026)
• Malay Mail: PLUS to close Smart Lane between Kulai and Senai from Sept 22 (18 September 2025)
• LTA OneMotoring: Vehicles registered in Singapore, tolls, tank rule and what to carry (last updated 28 May 2025)
• LTA OneMotoring: Traffic cameras
• ICA: Heavy traffic expected at land checkpoints during upcoming September school holidays (31 August 2026)
• The Straits Times, republished by The Star: Car lane closures at Tuas Checkpoint from Sept 1 (26 August 2026)
• JPJ FAQ: road charge per entry and how it is paid (read 2 November 2026)
• Tourism Malaysia: The Historical City of Melaka
• Tourism Malaysia: Dutch Square
• Tourism Malaysia: St Paul's Hill and the Church of St Paul
• Tourism Malaysia: Melaka River Cruise, jetties and car park
• Tourism Malaysia: Museums in Melaka
• Tourism Malaysia: Best things to do in Melaka for couples, Jonker Street night market and Encore Melaka
• Tourism Malaysia: Melaka map guide, exits, distances and places of interest (file dated February 2024)
• Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum: Getting here, route from Ayer Keroh toll and car park (read 2 November 2026)
• Cheng Hoon Teng Temple: official site
• Melaka River Cruise: official site, cruise length and hop-on, hop-off jetties (read 2 November 2026)
• Encore Melaka: official site
• Menara Taming Sari: official site
• Skytrex Adventure: Skytrex Melaka, location and courses (read 2 November 2026)
• Bernama: Parking in MBMB goes fully digital from Jan 1 (9 October 2024)
• Malay Mail: Melaka to introduce new smart parking system on October 2 (28 September 2024)
• TIMES Parking: Melaka parking guide (10 April 2025)
• The Edge: No more parking fees on weekends, public holidays in Melaka (June 2018)
• SAYS, reporting Sinar Harian: RM3 parking charge at Pantai Klebang illegal, says MBMB (6 January 2026)
• Utusan Malaysia: Car-free zone hours, contra routes and parking areas (28 December 2023)
• Melaka Hari Ini: Car-free zone extended for New Year 2026 (30 December 2025)
• Melaka Digest: CFZ, roads and sales in Banda Hilir (10 October 2026)
• Melaka Digest: CFZ history and DAP's proposed review (11 October 2026)
• BBC Portal: CFZ Banda Hilir, operating hours and the 14 November state election (11 October 2026)
• TheSmartLocal: Weekend getaway destinations near Singapore (5 March 2026)
• Motorist Malaysia: The 5 best R&R food stalls on the North-South Expressway (21 July 2026)
• Eatbook: Melaka food itinerary (7 October 2026)
• TheSmartLocal: Things to do in Melaka (22 April 2025)
• Wikipedia: North-South Expressway Southern Route, interchanges, R&R markers and petrol brands (last edited 25 October 2026)
• Wikipedia: Second Link Expressway, Gelang Patah RSA
• Wikipedia: Johor Bahru Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway
• SAYS: Ramly Halal Kiosk closing at R&R Seremban Utara and R&R Pagoh Selatan (13 November 2025)

Radiant VEP Solutions is not affiliated with JPJ. You can apply yourself at vep.jpj.gov.my. The car also needs an activated VEP tag linked to a Touch 'n Go eWallet before it enters Malaysia, and if yours is not sorted yet, our application service can take it from here. JPJ makes the approval decision, so leave time before the trip.