Travelling in Malaysia: peninsula routes, Borneo and costs

• Kuala Lumpur: three to four days, or five with day trips to Putrajaya or the Genting Highlands.
• Penang: two full days for George Town, three to four with Penang Hill and Batu Ferringhi.
• Langkawi: three to five days.
• Malacca, Cameron Highlands: about two days each.
• Ipoh: one to two days, often on the way to the Cameron Highlands or Penang.
• Kota Kinabalu and Kuching: three to four days each; allow five to six in Kota Kinabalu to climb Mount Kinabalu.

• Kuala Lumpur: the Petronas Towers, Batu Caves, Chinatown and Jalan Alor.
• Cameron Highlands: tea estates and trails at 18-25°C.
• Ipoh: old-town murals, white coffee and cave temples in limestone karst.
• Penang: George Town's UNESCO-listed shophouses, street art and hawker food.
• Langkawi: beaches, a cable car and mangrove and island-hopping tours.
• Malacca: a walkable UNESCO core shaped by Malay, Portuguese, Dutch and British rule.
• Johor Bahru: across the Causeway from Singapore, with Legoland and a heritage quarter.
• Borneo: Kota Kinabalu for Mount Kinabalu and island trips, Kuching for Semenggoh orangutans and Bako National Park.

A backpacker budget covers a hostel bed (US$6-15), hawker meals at US$2-4 and the LRT, MRT and local buses. Mid-range buys a 3-4 star or boutique hotel (US$18-35 a night), restaurant meals, Grab rides and the occasional flight to Borneo. Kuala Lumpur is the most expensive city; Penang, Langkawi, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu cost less. Hotel rates in December-February and July-August run 15-30% above the low season.

Full breakdown: the Southeast Asia cost guide, and for stays, the best hotels in Penang.

• West coast: June-August is a second good window. Kuala Lumpur is hot and humid all year, with rain in short downpours; October-December are its wettest months.
• Penang: best December-February; October is the wettest month.
• Langkawi: best November-April; seas are rough in July and August.
• Borneo: November-February brings the northeast monsoon, rough seas and flooding. Kuching's Rainforest World Music Festival runs in June or July.
• Cameron Highlands: 18-25°C year-round.

Month by month: best time to visit Southeast Asia.

Submit the free Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) online up to three days before you travel, and carry a passport valid for at least six months. Chinese passports get 30 days per visit under a mutual exemption, Indian passports 30 days until 31 December 2026, and ASEAN nationals other than Myanmar stays of under a month. Citizens of about 31 countries must apply for an e-visa first on the official portal. Extensions are decided case by case at an immigration office.

Rules for every passport: Southeast Asia visa requirements.

• Bag-snatching: common in the big cities, sometimes by thieves on motorbikes. Carry bags on the side away from the road.
• Drink spiking: reported even in reputable bars and restaurants. Do not accept drinks from strangers.
• Card and ATM fraud: widespread. Shield your PIN and keep your card in sight.
• Taxis: at airports, buy a fixed-price coupon at the counter in the terminal; elsewhere, insist on the meter or book through Grab.

The eastern Sabah warning covers the islands from Sandakan to Tawau, not Kota Kinabalu or the Sabah mainland. Emergency numbers: 999 for police and ambulance, 112 from a mobile, 994 for fire.

The regulator, MCMC, requires providers to verify prepaid registrations against original ID; for foreigners that means a passport. CelcomDigi's Tourist SIM is open to any non-Malaysian passport holder, lasts as long as the data pass you buy (7, 14, 30 or 90 days) and cannot be reloaded, with at most two accounts per person. U Mobile also limits registrations to two SIMs per person and offers a tourist eSIM.

• From KLIA: the non-stop KLIA Ekspres reaches KL Sentral in 28 minutes from Terminal 1 (Terminal 2 is 3 minutes further) and runs every 20 minutes; after 11pm trains stop at all stations. A Grab takes about an hour.
• ETS trains: Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh in about 2.5 hours, Ipoh to Butterworth (ferry to Penang) in 1.5-2 hours, with services south to JB Sentral.
• Express buses: from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) in KL to Malacca in 1.5-2 hours and the Cameron Highlands (no rail link) in 3.5-4 hours.
• Langkawi: ferries from Penang (2.5-3 hours) or Kuala Perlis (about 45 minutes), or a one-hour flight from KL.
• Borneo: fly from KL to Kota Kinabalu (about 2.5 hours) or Kuching (about 2 hours).