This Malaysia travel blog section is getting huge and with so many posts on Malaysia travel, we need to pull them all together in one page for you to find everything easily. This page will help you plan your trip to Malaysia and let you know what to expect. We’ve visited Malaysia many times now, visiting diverse areas, and to be honest, it’s not our favourite part of Southeast Asia, this page covers personal experiences in Malaysia too. That said, there are still plenty of cool things to see and do along with some special and unique highlights. Kuala Lumpur is one of our favourite cities these days and Kuching and Sarawak fully hold our hearts as fabulous destinations. The Malaysian people tend to be some of the nicest on the planet too, very kind, helpful folk.
We’re able to share with you some Malaysia travel hints, tips, ideas and suggestions, mostly positive but some negative. We’ve had a few bad experiences in Malaysia over the years including theft, terrible hotels, an environmental disaster and a ferry breaking down. We joke about our ” Malaysia curse” and really, you couldn’t make it up. Everything that can go wrong for us in Malaysia, does.
We are not sponsored by Malaysia tourism so can share honest reviews and opinions. On this page you can access the information you need to plan your holiday or vacation in Malaysia.
We’ll start by listing our individual posts on destinations in Malaysia, further down the page you’ll find general Malaysia travel information. We include links and tips from a few other blogs and bloggers too.
Malaysia Travel Blog – Destinations
If you’d like a general overview of what Malaysia offers, we have a post here called, Highlights of Malaysia for Families. Below we run through a few key destinations in Malaysia which you’ll probably want to include in your Malaysia itinerary. We cover facts and personal experiences. This is the oldest part of our website, you’ll probably be able to tell I was a very new travel blogger when I put together some of these posts.
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is a vibrant modern city where you can visit ancient temples in the morning, be in China Town for lunch, while away the afternoon in an up-market mall and watch a spectacular fountain display as the sun goes down. There is much to keep all of the family busy and Kuala Lumpur with kids is a great choice.
Kuala Lumpur was our first stop when we left Australia back in 2013 and we enjoyed it, it was good to be in a modern city for a while and we loved being able to access authentic Indian food.
We visited Kuala Lumpur again in 2017, 2019 and 2020 and always stay at one of our favourite places in the world, Back Home Kuala Lumpur. It’s a solid base in the city with all kinds of accommodation from dorms to family rooms, great food nearby and always a warm welcome. Take a look at Back Home here. It’s also within walking distance of the free KL buses and KL’s ” green lung” KL Forest Eco Park.
We have a collection of posts on Things to do in KL below.
Kuala Lumpur Travel Blog
Kuala Lumpur, Getting Around, Indoor Archery and a Rollercoaster
Things to do in Kuala Lumpur Part 1. We hunt down the mall with the indoor roller coaster and discover indoor archery right next door. Getting around KL and conquering the free buses around the city.
Kuala Lumpur. Chinatown, Hedgehogs, Temples and Street Food.
Things to Do in Kuala Lumpur Part 2. Heading to China Town we enjoy markets, toys, pet shops and street food before exploring ancient Chinese and India Temples. Then it's time for a tea tasting session.
Kuala Lumpur. Best Family Accommodation, Malaysia
Our favourite places to stay in KL. We head " Back Home" every time we're in town.
Things to Do in Kuala Lumpur with Kids
Things to do in Kuala Lumpur with Kids. It does what it says on the tin. There are some amazing playgrounds and water play areas plus attractions such as the superb aquarium and Petrosains science museum. We also talk about Batu Caves - a must- visit destination.
Travel Vaccinations in Kuala Lumpur
We headed to the Petronas Towers to top up our travel vaccinations. Cheaper, easy and super efficient.
What We Don't Like About Kuala Lumpur
There are a few issues in Kuala Lumpur that you should probably think about before you arrive.
More Things to Do in Kuala Lumpur With Kids, The Colonial District
The Colonial District is another joy to explore. From here we headed up to the mosque too.
Malacca
Malacca, an easy bus journey to the south of KL has some beautiful and well-preserved buildings in the old town. It has it all, Chinese, Indian and Dutch colonial, a remnant of this town’s massive importance in the sea trade routes.
The old town has something of a museum or theme park feel to it and becomes packed with tourists, mostly local, browsing the shops and large night market. At night tacky cycle rickshaws blaring modern pop are popular with local tourists.
Outside the old town is another modern city with modern conveniences.
Malacca Travel Blog
Malacca Travel Blog. First Impressions.
Malacca, Arrival and first impressions.
Kawan Kawan Guest House Malacca ( Melaka) Review
Kawan Kawan was one of the guest houses we used in Malacca. We liked it, take a look.
Keeping the Children Happy in Malacca
Keeping the kids happy in Malacca, playgrounds, museums, shopping, food and more.
Ipoh
Ipoh is north of Kuala Lumpur, inland, but on the bus route we took from KL to Penang. We really enjoyed Ipoh and will be back. Ipoh is a world-famous food destination with visitors arriving for Ipoh white coffee, pandan pastries, tofu, and many other dishes. Ipoh is also home to The Lost World of Tambun water park. We really enjoyed our day there. If you have the time, there are dozens of temples, caves, and historic monuments to explore and the Ipoh waterfront walk is very pleasant indeed. Read all about Ipoh Malaysia and things to do in Ipoh in our dedicated post.
Penang
Penang comprises Penang Island, with its beachside resorts as well as a section of the mainland. A bridge connects the two.
On the island you will find historic George Town, famous for street art, yet more colonial architecture and food. There are any number of tourist attractions on Penang, it’s a huge tourist draw.
The resort area of Batu Ferringhi is one of our least favourite places in Malaysia, as with Langkawi, this island is packed with man-made tourist attractions and has limited genuine charm.
We were robbed twice on Penang. That said, in 2017 we had a great stay in Little India, Georgetown and enjoyed Indian food and the famous Snake Temple. We can recommend Heritage 16 ( click to see it here) modern, family-friendly hostel with large family rooms. One of the most famous Chinese restaurants in Penang is right next door.
- Things to Do on Penang for Families There is loads to keep you busy on Penang. The snake temple, Kek Lok Si, butterfly and bug parks, historic sites of Georgetown, modern shopping malls, and a National Park. There are beaches and more and more tourist attractions open all the time. A modern bus system will get you around the island or we found that Uber was good here. We were robbed on a bus, so beware of pickpockets.
- Where to Eat Out in Batu Ferringhi Penang ( for backpackers) There is McDonalds, the famous food courts, and plenty of upmarket restaurants. Our favourite was an Indian restaurant/food court.
- Penang Kek Lok Si Temple This is a lovely Chinese-style temple, well worth a visit and the kids had a ball.
- Penang Huge Spiders, Photo of the Week We took the kids along to Penang’s butterfly and bug park. The boys loved holding a giant millipede. This will be great for you if you’re new to the tropics.
- Fort Cornwallis, Georgetown, Penang With Kids An interesting historic fort in Penang. Worth a look and great for the kids to have a run-around.
Legoland Malaysia (Near Johor Bahru)
Superb Legoland Malaysia is our favourite global Legoland park by far, we highly recommend a visit and genuinely loved it. It’s far to the south, almost on the Singapore border. We travelled by comfortable bus to Johor Baru then less-comfortable bus to the Legoland location where we stayed for 3 nights. It doesn’t make sense to stay in Johor Baru, it’s too far away.
Legoland Malaysia Review. Totally Awesome!
Our review of Legoland Malaysia. We have been to 3 big Legoland parks around the world. This one was our favourite. Find out why here.
Getting to Legoland Malaysia From Malacca and Travel Burn Out.
The journey from Malacca to Johor Baru and onto the Legoland Parks area from Malacca. And me having a total melt down.
Hotels Near Legoland Malaysia Johor Baru
We used an ultra budget guest house near Legoland Malaysia and actually, we really loved it. These days there are a lot more options as hotels and AirBnbs have sprung up around this new tourist focus.
Legoland Water Park Malaysia Review
We loved the Legoland Malaysia Water Park. It's right next door and ideally, you should allow a full day here as well as a full day in the Legoland park itself.
The Perhentian Islands
The Perhentian Islands lie off Peninsular Malaysia’s east coast.They comprise two main islands, Perhentian Besar or Big Perhentian, and Perhentian Kecil or Small Perhentian. Kecil normally has larger volumes of tourists because of greater accommodation options and better prices. There are a few smaller, uninhabited islands, all within the Perhentian Marine Park. Tourism to the Perhentian Islands is highly seasonal, as we discovered to our cost, the eastern monsoon causing rough seas and murky waters, you really need to visit between March, maybe April, and October. We were there too early in the year, February, this isn’t a good time to visit. Boats run to the Perhentian Islands from the mainland departing Kuala Besut. The speed boat ride should be 30 to 40 mins.
Cameron Highlands
We have visited Cameron Highlands. This area isn’t too far by road from Kuala Lumpur with the drive taking under 3 hours. This area became popular because its elevation offers cooler temperatures, it is a typical tropical hill-station. This better weather makes the Cameron Highlands famous for tea plantations, strawberry farms, roses, orchards, waterfalls, and forests. Expect big hotels, high rises, and much commercial activity here. We did find one very nice Chinese temple to visit along with a good Chinese vegetarian restaurant. I wouldn’t say this was a must-visit in Malaysia, but if you have the time it’s worth a look.
Malay Borneo – Don’t Miss Sarawak!
Borneo and Sarawak are where Malaysia totally won us round. We were blown away by how lovely the city of Kuching is and had wonderful experiences trekking in the jungle, staying in an Iban village longhouse and seeing orangutans and proboscis monkeys, along with the super-sized blooming Rafflesia flower. You can do all of these things from Kuching.
If the people on Peninsular Malaysia are nice, the good folk of Kuching blow niceness out of the water. I’m not kidding! Kuching is also where we learned to enjoy Malaysian food, why? We finally found good vegetarian and vegan Malay dishes, now they are good!
Kota Kinabalu – Sabah Borneo
Kota Kinabalu is the capital of Sabah, like Sarawak, Malay Borneo. This is where you need to come for Kinabalu National Park, Mount Kinabalu and the White Sandy Beaches Kota Kinabalu.. We have been to Sabah and didn’t enjoy it. It was so bad we left early. It was really disappointing after enjoying Sarawak so much. Read about Sabah Malaysia, here.
Langkawi Island
We have been to Langkawi twice and both times found it a bit underwhelming. It is undoubtedly a very beautiful island with picture-postcard beaches and many and varied tourist attractions.
We had bad experiences with even “top end” hotels being of a very low standard and hugely expensive for what they offer. We were visiting for Ironman Malaysia and we had a lot of problems finding food to fuel our competitor.
I’ll warn you that our kids had bad experiences with tiny jellyfish here, in Australia we call them sea lice and kids feel them far more than adults. Stinger season is dependent on time of year in Australia, I guess it may be here too.
Try the Ultimate Guide to Langkawi by Wagoner’s Abroad, they talk about family-friendly attractions, tours and watersports in Langkawi as sponsored by Tourism Langkawi.
Malaysia Travel Tips and Information
How to Book Hotels and Find the Best Accommodation Deals in Malaysia
Agoda are the leading online booking engine for Asia, they are Asia-based and as such have the biggest selection of hotels, resorts, guest houses and hostels, they can also often source the best deals. We recommend you always check Agoda for Asia and certainly for travel to Malaysia.
To save you time also check Hotels Combined. This is an online booking comparison site, they check many big name booking sites to find the best deal for your hotel on your dates. They are also one you should check. Because this site finds best possible prices their deals will often be non-refundable. If you’re looking for a refundable reservation try Booking.com.
Be warned that you don’t get so much for your money in Malaysia. Standards in hotels are lower and prices higher relative to destinations such as Thailand and Vietnam. The new tourist tax makes Malaysia more expensive again. A 10% AND 6% tax is payable to the hotel on arrival. The 10% seems to cover tips. You should probably read up on this before you go, it may change again.
Best Time of Year to Visit Malaysia
Malaysia is as tropical as you can possibly get. Actually, we should call this climate Equatorial, for that is what it is. Temperatures and humidity remain high all year round. Expect to see daytime heat in excess of 30º C at any time of year. All expect short, heavy, tropical downpours in the afternoons.
The duration of these downpours increases in the wettest months, September-October on the West Coast, including Langkawi and towards Sabah and November to February ( the North East Monsoon) on the East Coast. The East Coast has more of a cooling breeze than the West.
April-October is the wet season for Kuala Lumpur, Malacca and the Cameron Highlands, but really, this makes little difference. The best time to visit is generally considered to be between March and October.
Be aware of seasonal air pollution intensification. Burning off crops causes copious smoke to drift over from Indonesia, the effects can be extremely severe.
What to Wear in Malaysia
Interestingly, there is not much pressure to cover up in Malaysia. I was surprised to find young girls with bare shoulders and short shorts.
I prefer to cover up, I think it shows respect. You will see a lot of exposed skin, far more than I expected, due to the mix of cultures here.
To visit mosques or other religious or sacred sites, you will, of course need to be properly dressed. We were given correct clothing when visiting the mosques of Kuala Lumpur.
Travel Costs in Malaysia
We feel that Malaysia works out more expensive than other countries in South East Asia (excluding Singapore) and that you get less for your dollar. Sarawak, Malay Borneo, seems to us significantly cheaper than the mainland.
In 2017 we’re seeing lower accommodation costs in Asia generally, it was noticeably cheaper than 2 years previously.
Buses in Malaysia are good value and often nice, modern buses. It depends which bus company you pick though, we’ve had a couple of bad ones too. You can catch a bus into Singapore from Kuala Lumpur or from the south.
Some food in Malaysia is ultra-cheap, street food, low-cost Indian restaurants and so on will cost you cents, elsewhere you’ll pay a lot. Food can be as cheap or as expensive as you’d like it to be in Malaysia. If you are a budget traveller watch out for heavy use of palm oil and sugar. Also drink prices can vary immensely, always shop around.
Beer is very expensive but available in many shops. We’re not the sort to keep detailed records of our spending, but these guys do. Travel Costs in Malaysia by Or Big Fat Travel Adventure.(couple). When working out your costs for a Malaysia trip, always factor in your travel insurance and other health essentials. Visa, vaccine, and COVID 19 test requirements are fluctuating too fast for me to include them right now.
Backpacking Malaysia
We have backpacked Malaysia as a family with kids but if you’re looking for information on Backpacking in Malaysia geared towards young singles or couples, try Backpacking Malaysia by Gamin Traveler
Scuba Diving in Malaysia
Yes, Malaysia is a destination for scuba divers, we are divers, but with kids it’s hard to find time, check out Scuba Diving in Malaysia : Tioman, by Phenomenal Globe. Very soon we’ll be getting the scuba diving sites of Malay Borneo on the Malasia travel blog, they’re high on our bucket list.
Food in Malaysia
You will find excellent Indian food, particularly southern Indian. We’re big fans of Indian food and as soon as we arrive in Malaysia, our first port of call will be an authentic Indian restaurant. We’ve never been disappointed. If the town you’re in has a Little India, and most do, you’ll probably be best off looking there.
Nyonya cuisine is worth checking out and they say the Chinese is good but in our experience (admittedly limited) all the Chinese we’ve ordered has been not great.
We finally started to love Malay food once we found vegetarian and vegan versions of popular dishes such as nasi lamak and roti canai. The usual chicken parts and dried fish ingredients didn’t float our boat.
The coffee situation is particularly bad in Malaysia with premix containing powdered milk and sugar being a regular feature. These days you can easily find a Starbucks or any number of other coffee chains. This is one country where I would certainly take emergency back up coffee or even something like an Aeropress. (see travel coffee makers here)
Malaysia Guide Book
Malaysia Travel Blog – What’s Next
Our Malaysia travel blog and guide is constantly evolving and growing. We’re arriving in Langkawi and travelling further in Malaysian Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia soon, so a lot more Malaysia content to come. I don’t want to come across as negative about Malaysia, if we hated it we wouldn’t keep going back to explore more areas. Malaysia does have bags of charm and I always enjoy visiting Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately, we have had a lot of bad luck in Malaysia, but is it luck? We’ve never been robbed anywhere else in 5 years. We’ve never been on a ferry that’s broken down anywhere else and we never normally struggle to find good food. The people of Malaysia, the women particularly, have been super kind and friendly so I feel bad leaving less than glowing reviews, but as always, I’m honest. Maybe too honest.
