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Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Travel to Malaysia

Flying to Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur is a major hub for flights between Europe, Asia and Australia. Malaysia Airlines (MH) (www.malaysiaairlines.com) offers an extensive network of domestic and international flights, included direct routes between Europe and Malaysian Borneo. Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines code share on the busy flights to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur or Penang. For cheap fares to cities around South East Asia, try local budget carrier Air Asia (www.airasia.com), which also serves Australia, New Zealand, France and the UK.

Because of the varied climatic conditions around the country, there is no nationwide high season, but flights can be expensive over Christmas and New Year, and during the Malaysian school holidays in May, June and August.

Flight times:

From London to Kuala Lumpur is 12 hours 30 minutes; from New York is 20 hours 20 minutes.

Departure tax:

Departure tax of MYR40 is generally included in air fares.

Travel by rail

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTM Berhad) (tel: 1 300 88 5862; www.ktmb.com.my) runs Malaysia's train services. From Kuala Lumpur, there are direct services south to Singapore and north to Bangkok in Thailand, via Butterworth (the main train station for Penang). To traverse the peninsula in style, ride the Eastern and Oriental Express (tel: (020) 7921 4010, in the UK; www.orient-express.com), a luxury train service run by the same company as the famous Orient Express. The train completes the journey between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok in three or four days, with detours and tours along the way.

Rail passes:

KTM Rail Pass: Available to foreign tourists (except Singaporeans) and valid for five, 10 or 15 days. Passes permit unlimited travel on Intercity train services on the KTM network and into Singapore. Supplements apply for sleeping berths and on night trains. Passes can be purchased through travel agencies and at major railway stations, including the stations in Kuala Lumpur, Butterworth, Johor Bahru and Singapore.

Driving to Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the few places in South East Asia where visitors are happy to drive. Roads are well maintained, routes are clearly signposted, and for the most part, local drivers follow traffic rules. Road tolls are levied on all highways but smaller roads are toll-free. Note that unsurfaced roads are common on Borneo and in the highlands of peninsula Malaysia and these require a 4WD, and can be impassible to any vehicle during the rainy season.

Getting to Malaysia by boat

Main ports:

George Town (Penang) (www.penangport.com.my), Port Kelang (www.pka.gov.my), Northport (website: www.northport.com.my) and Westport (for Kuala Lumpur) (www.westports.com.my) and, in East Malaysia (for Sabah and Sarawak), Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching (www.kpa.gov.my), Lahad Datu, Rejang, Sandakan and Tawau. Ferry Link (tel: (07) 252 7408) operates a ferry between Tanjung Belungkor and Changi Point in Singapore.

Cruise ships:

Various cruise ships visit Malaysia's ports.

Recommended Sites:

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