Traveling in Malaysia

Malaysia as a unified state did not exist until 1963. Previously, a set of colonies were established by the United Kingdom from the late 18^th century, and the west half of modern Malaysia was composed of several separate kingdom. This group of colonies was known as British Malaya until its dissolution in 1946, when it was reorganized as the Malayan union. Due to widespread opposition, it was reorganized again as the Federation of Malaya in 1948 and later gained independence on 31 August 1957. Singapore, Sarawak, British North Borneo and the federation of Malaya joined to form Malaysia on 16 September 1963. However, less than two years later Singapore seceded from the federation and became an independent republic on 9 August 1965.

The Malays form the majority of the population. Some Malays are of Arabs descent and there are sizable Chinese and Indian communities. (In Malaysia there are 3 main races, Malays, Chinese and Indians. Malays can trace their ancestors to Indonesians and Arabians). Islam is the largest as well as the official religion of the federation. The Malay language is the official language.

The country is separated into two regions – Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysia Borneo – by the South China Sea. Malaysia Borders Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines. The country is located near the equator and experience a tropical climate. The best time to visit Malaysia is May to September.

Malaysia is divided in thirteen states and three federal territories

The Capital is Kuala Lumpur

The main cities are George Town, Ipoh, Johor Bahru, and Malacca Town.

Population: 25.000.000

Calling Code: +60

GMT: +8

Currency: Ringgit (RM)

VISA

-Citizens of Bangladesh, China, Bhutan, Cuba, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, North Korea, Nepal, Myanmar, Taiwan, Vietnam and all Certificate of Identity (CI) holders must get a visa prior to entering into Malaysia.

-Commonwealth Nationals (apart from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), British Protected Persons or Nationals of Ireland, Switzerland, Netherlands, San Marino and Liechtenstein, do not require a visa to enter Malaysia.

-For a Social and Business not beyond three months, the nationals of Norway, Sweden, Italy, United States of America, Albania, Austria, Algeria, Belgium, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Czech Republic, -Republic of Slovakia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Bahrain, Jordan, North Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Tunisia, do not need a visa.

-For a Social and Business visit not beyond one month, the citizens of ASEAN countries do not need a visa to enter Malaysia.

-For a Social and Business visit not more than 14 days, the nationals of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and South Yemen do not need a visa.

-For a Social and Business visit not beyond one week, the nationals of Bulgaria, Romania and Russia do not need a visa.

-For a Social and Business visit not beyond one month, the nationals of countries excluding those stated above (apart from Serbia Montenegro and Israel) are permissible to enter Malaysia without a visa.

-Any visitor, planning to visit whichever part of Malaysia, requires only one visa to travel straight from one part of the country to another.

THE MUST SEE AND HOW TO GET THERE

-Kuala Lumpur

Some of you will be arriving at Kuala Lumpur international airport, for others, it will depend were you are. From Singapore, Bangkok and southern Thailand there are direct trains and buses. (See timetables below)

-Cameron Highlands

To reach Cameron Highlands, you have two options. The first one is to take a train to Ipoh. From Ipoh take a bus from the train station to Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands. The Second option, you can catch a bus from Kuala Lumpur or Penang which takes you straight to Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands.

-Langkawi island

From Kuala Lumpur, take a train or a bus to Alor Setar. Once in Altor Setar, take a bus to the ferry terminal at Kuala Kedah. There is a ferry every 30 minutes to Langkawi; the journey takes 1h30.

http://www.langkawi-ferry.com/

-Malacca City

Since there is no direct train to Malacca, you can take a bus from Kuala Lumpur at the main bus station. There is a bus every hour and the ride is 3 ½ hours. From Singapore, there is also a bus, the ride is 5 ½ hours. You can also take a train from Kuala Lumpur or Singapore to Tampin. Once in Tampin you can go to Malacca either by bus or taxi.

TRAINS IN MALAYSIA

The trains in Malaysia are safe, cheap and comfortable. There are 2 railway lines. The main one is from Singapore to Padang Besar (near the Thai border) going through, Tampin (for Malacca city), Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh (for Cameron Highlands) and Butterworth (for Penang). The second one is the jungle line from Singapore to Khota Bharu (near the Thai border).

Singapore – Kuala Lumpur
Train Number		2	6	12
Singapore	Depart	07:40	14:00	22:00
Johor Bahru	Arr/Dep	08:28	14:49	23:08
Gemas	Arr/Dep	11:19	17:57	02:51
Tampin (for Malacca)	Arr/Dep	12:21	18:50	03:58
Kuala Lumpur	Arrive	14:23	21:17	06:23

The trains run every day.

Train numbers 2 and 6 have: 1^st class seats (Premier) and 2^nd class seats (superior)

Train number 12 has: 2^nd class sleeper (superior Night), 2^nd class seats (Superior) and Deluxe Sleeper (Premier Night Deluxe)

Kuala Lumpur – Singapore
Train Number		5	1	11
Kuala Lumpur	Depart	08:15	14:00	21:10
Tampin (for Malacca)	Arr/Dep	10:39	16:14	23:39
Gemas	Arr/Dep	11:32	17:07	00:52
Johor Bahru	Arr/Dep	14:21	20:11	05:39
Singapore	Arrive	16:05	21:30	08:15

Trains run every day.

Trains number 5 and 1 have: 1^st class seats (Premier) and 2^nd class seats (Superior)

Train number 11 has: 2^nd class seats (Superior), 2^nd class sleeper (Superior Night) and deluxe sleeper (Premier Night Deluxe).

Kuala Lumpur – Butterworth (Penang) – Hat Yai
Train Number		4	2	8	36
Kuala Lumpur	Depart	09:10	14:23	20:00	/
Ipoh (for Cameron Highlands)	Arr/Dep	12:35	17:33	23:28	/
Butterworth(for Penang)	Arrive	17:10	21:35	05:19	/
Butterworth	Depart	/	/	05:19	14:20
Alor Setar (for Langkawi)	Arr/Dep	/	/	07:48	16:33
Arau	Arr/Dep	/	/	08:28	17:08
Padang Besar (Thai Border)	Arr/Dep	/	/	10:00	17:42
Hat Yai (for Krabi or Phuket)	Arrive	/	/	10:50	18:38

Trains run daily except number 4 only Sat & Sun.

Trains number 4 and 2 have: 1^st class seats (Premier) and 2^nd class seats (Superior)

Train number 8 has: 3^rd class seats (Economy), 2^nd class seats (Superior), 2^nd class sleeper (Superior Night) and 1^st class sleeper (Premier Night Standard)

Hat Yai – Butterworth – Kuala Lumpur
Train Number		35	7	1	3
Hat Yai	Depart	05:54	15:20	/	/
Padang Besar (Thai Border)	Arr/Dep	10:00	16:50	/	/
Arau	Arr/Dep	10:40	17:26	/	/
Alor Setar (for Langkawi)	Arr/Dep	11:20	18:07	/	/
Butterworth (for Penang)	Arrive	13:45	20:55	/	/
Butterworth	Depart	/	21:00	07:00	10:00
Ipoh (for Cameron Highlands)	Arr/Dep	/	01:19	10:49	14:24
Kuala Lumpur	Arrive	/	05:20	18:00	18:00

Trains run daily except number 3 only Sat & Sun

Trains number 1 and 3 have: 1^st class seats (Premier) and 2^nd class seats (Superior)

Train number 35 has: 2^nd class sleeper (Superior Night)

Train number 7 has: 3^rd class seats (Economy), 2^nd class seats (Superior), 2^nd class sleeper (Superior Night) and 1^st class sleeper (Premier Night Sleeper)

The Jungle line.

Kuala Lumpur/Gemas – Khota Bharu
Train number	16	18	92	14
Kuala Lumpur	20:30	16:30	/	/
Tampin	22:43	18:39	/	/
Gemas	23:43	19:53	08:00	22:25
Kuala Lipis	04:35	00:22	13:15	03:08
Gua Musang	06:06	02:22	17:15	04:40
Tanah Merah	08:54	04:45	22:28	07:18
Khota Bharu	09:36	05:27	23:19	08:05

Trains run daily expect number 18 which runs only Fri, Sat, Sun and Mon.

Khota Bharu – Kuala Lumpur/Gemas
Train number	17	19	15	91
Khota Bharu	18:46	09:26	20:28	03:52
Tanah Merah	19:27	10:19	21:04	04:48
Gua Musang	22:00	12:42	23:29	09:20
Kuala Lipis	23:34	14:09	01:00	11:33
Gemas	03:53	18:13	06:03	18:55
Tampin	05:08	/	/	/
Kuala Lumpur	07:25	21:40	/	/

Trains run daily expect number 19 which runs only Fri, Sat, Sun and Mon

Trains number 14 and 15 have 2^nd and 3^rd class seats, 2^nd class sleeper.

Trains number 16 and 17 have 2^nd and 3^rd class seats, 1^st and 2^nd class sleepers.

Trains number 18 and 19 have 2^nd and 3^rd class seats.

All the trains have air conditioning.

Fares:

One way	3rd class Economy	2nd class Superior	1st class Premier	2nd class Sleeper	1st class Sleeper	Deluxe sleeper
Singapore – Kuala Lumpur	/	10 US$	21 US$	11 US$	20 US$	54 US$
Kuala Lumpur – Hat Yai	/	44 US$	/	57 US$		/
Kuala Lumpur – Butterworth	17 US$	34 US$	67 US$	43 US$	23 US$	/
Kuala Lumpur – Khota Bharu	8 US$	11 US$	/	52US$	30 US$	/

If you need more information about timetable, prices or if you want to make a booking, you can visit:

http://www.ktmb.com.my/

BUSES IN MALAYSIA

Malaysia has a wide network for buses. Every place can be reached. Express bus travel is the easiest and the most popular way to travel between states cities in Malaysia. Buses are fast, economical and really comfortable. There are so many buses in Malaysia on major runs you can just turn up and get a seat on the next bus, except around holidays (Chinese New Year and Hari Raya).

There are 4 bus terminals in Kuala Lumpur:

-Puduraya Bus Terminal

It is the main bus station in Kuala Lumpur. The coaches are arriving and leaving from and to all parts of Malaysia. The Bus Terminal is situated: Jalan Pudu. It’s a walking distance from KL China town. The nearest LRT station is Pudu Station

-Putra Bus Terminal
This bus terminal is mainly catering to East Coast Malaysia - Terengganu, Kelantan etc.

It's situated at the Jalan Putra. It's directly opposite Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) The nearest LRT Station: PWTC Station on Star LRT line

-Duta Bus Terminal
The buses are mainly going to Northern States. The main coach company here is Transnasional Coach Services. This Bus Terminal is situated at the Jalan Duta. Right next to the Hockey Stadium and Duta Tennis Courts. There is no LRT Station. Best way to go to Duta is to take a taxi

-Pekeliling Bus Terminal
Buses are mainly going off to the Eastern states including Kuantan & Jerantut. The terminal is situated at the Jalan Pekeliling. The nearest LRT Station: Titiwangsa Station on Monorail

Kuala Lumpur – Penang

Transnational Coach Services
Kuala Lumpur Economy Coach Jalan Duta Bus Station	Pulau Pinang (Penang)	9.00am, 10.30am, 4.00pm, 5.30pm, 11.00pm, 11.59pm	30.90RM
Kuala Lumpur Executive Coach MATIC, Jalan Ampang	Pulau Pinang (Penang)	9.30am 6.00pm	53.00RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 5 ½ hours.

www.nadi.com.my/transportation_home.asp

Pushliner bus Services
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Kuala Lumpur Old Railway Station	Pulau Pinang (Penang)	10:00am, 4:00pm, 8:00pm	26.90RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 5 ½ hours.

http://www.plusliner.com/

Aeroline Coach Service
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Kuala Lumpur Corus Hotel, Jalan Ampang	Penang	8:30am, 3:00pm	55.00RM

Buses run daily. Travel time 5 hours.

For booking online you can visit: http://www.aeroline.com.my/

Penang – Kuala Lumpur

Transnational Coach Services
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Pulau Pinang Sungai Nibong Terminal	Kuala Lumpur	9.00am,10.30am,3.30pm, 5.30pm, 11.00pm, 11.59pm	26.90RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 5 ½ hours.

www.nadi.com.my/transport_home.asp

Plusliner
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Pulau Pinang Sungai Nibong Terminal	Kuala Lumpur	10:00am, 1:00pm, 4:00pm	26.90RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 5 ½ hours

http://www.plusliner.com/

Aeroline Coach Service
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Penang Sungai Nibong Terminal	Kuala Lumpur	8:30am, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 5:00pm	55.00RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 5 hours.

http://www.aeroline.com/

Kuala Lumpur – Cameron Highlands

Kurnia Bistari Coaches
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Kuala Lumpur Puduraya Central Bus Terminal	Tanah Rata (Cameron Highlands)	8.30am, 9.30am, 10.30am 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 3.30pm	23.00RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 4 ½ hours

Cameron Highlands – Kuala Lumpur

Kurnia Bistari Coaches
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Tanah Rata (Cameron Highlands)	Kuala Lumpur	9:00am, 10:30am 4:30pm	26.00RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 5 hours.

Damai Express
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Tanah Rata (Cameron Highlands)	Kuala Lumpur	8:00am, 1:30pm	30.00RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 5 hours.

Penang – Cameron Highlands

Kesatuan Ekspres
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Penang Sungai Nibong Terminal	Tanah Rata (Cameron Highlands)	8:00am, 10:00am 2:00pm	26.00RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 5 hours.

Kuala Lumpur – Melaka (Malacca)

Transnational Coach Services
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Kuala Lumpur Puduraya Central Bus Terminal	Melaka	8:00am to 10:00pm Every hour	9.40RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 2 hours

www.nadi.com.my/transportation_home.asp

Melaka – Kuala Lumpur

Transnational Coach Services
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Melaka Jalan Tun Ali	Kuala Lumpur	5:30am to 7:30pm Every hour	10.50RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 2 hours.

www.nadi.com.my/transportation_home.asp

Delima Ekspres Sdn Bhd
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Melaka Jalan tun Ali	Kuala Lumpur	7:00am to 7:00pm Every hour	9.50RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 2 hours

For bookings online you can visit: http://www.hasryexpress.com/

Kuala Lumpur – Singapore

Transnational Coach Services
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Kuala Lumpur Puduraya Bus Station Economy	Singapore Lavender Street	8:45am, 10:30am, 1:30pm, 5:30pm 10:30pm, 11:59pm	30.00RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 5 hours.

www.nadi.com.my/transportation_home.asp

Nice Bus Services
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Kuala Lumpur Old railway Station	Singapore 214 Dunearn Road	8:45am, 11:00am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 5:00pm, 7:00pm, 9:00pm	80.00RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 5 hours.

http://www.plusliner.com/

Singapore – Kuala Lumpur

Transnational Coach Services
Departure	Arrival	Time	Price
Singapore Lavender Street	Kuala Lumpur Puduraya Bus Station	8:30am, 10:00am, 12:00am, 5:00pm, 8:00pm, 10:00pm	25 S$ 60 RM

Buses run daily. Travel time is 6 hours.

www.nadi.com.my/transportation_home.asp

The destinations and companies listed above are the most popular. For more destinations and companies in Malaysia you can visit: www.journeymalaysia.com/bus.htm

PLANE IN MALAYSIA

If you don’t have much time to spend in Cambodia plane is one more traveling option. To check prices and timetables click on the window below.

PLANE TO MALAYSIA

If you still don’t know which airline you want to fly with click on the window above to check prices and timetables. If you live in central Europe I recommend you to take easy jet or ryanair to London because the price of the ticket is usually cheaper.

HOTELS & ACCOMMODATION

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BACKPACKER’S HOSTELS

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