There are steps from St. Paul's Church down the hill to A' Famosa or the Porta de Santiago, all that remains of the Portuguese fortress of A' Famosa, constructed by Alfonso d'Albuquerque in 1511.

Cannons were fitted around A' Famosa but a long siege by the Dutch in 1641 caused severe damage and the fort was nearly annihilated by the Dutch. Some of fortifications were repaired by the Dutch in 1670 and they inscribed the Dutch East India Company's coat of arms. Only a small part of the fortification on the hill over-looking the Melaka town, old port and the Straits remains.