Malaysia, a country where no place is foreign, no food is tasteless, no building is same and no memories are forgotten. A beautiful land which gives you beautiful mountains, breathtaking beaches and sky-high towers must be in your bucket list. Malaysia has a ton to offer to everyone but make sure to take this country slowly.

I spent almost ten days in this Southeast Asian country which occupies parts of the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo. In those ten days, I breathed through cosmopolitan kualaumpur, adventurous Genting and pristine Penang and I was charmed by each and every stop in the itinerary.

So today let me give you an insight of how to reach this beautiful yet modern country and how you can make the most of your trip!

Reaching there

By Air:

There are three significant airports in Malaysia namely, Senai International Airport, Kota Kinabalu International Airport and the busiest one, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). KLIA is in Selangor which is 45 minutes away from KL city center and is the main terminal and the main hub for Malaysia Airlines and the budget airline Air Asia. If travelling from India, you can take direct flights to Kuala Lumpur from major Indian metros like Delhi, Chennai or Mumbai. In my case I took a direct Malindo Air flight from Amritsar. The journey is about 5-6 hours long .

(If you’re an Indian , there are two online visa options, e-visa or eNTRI. I took the latter and it was too convenient and easy.)

By Road:

There are regular long distance buses from Brunei, Borneo, Indonesia, and Thailand which will take you to Malaysia. The journey is picturesque and budget friendly.

Transportation from airport and hotels

Taxi: You can take the most convenient but costlier mode,taxi and It’ll cost around 100 ringgits to reach KL sentral station on a metered taxi.

Bus: Different buses are also available from KLIA. They will deposit you at a bus drop-off area on the ground floor of the KL Sentral train station. From there you can either take a taxi or a monorail as per your hotel location.

KLIA Express: It is a 30 minute non stop ride from KLIA to KL sentral. It costs 55 MYR one way for adults and 25 MYR for a child. You can also buy a return ticket online or at a kiosk at KLIA and it costs 100 MYR for adult and 45 MYR for child. The best part is that few airlines offer check in at KL sentral station if you travel by KLIA express.

(I had a different experience while returning, KLIA express was shut down due to technical issues and even after checking myself in at the KL sentral station, I missed my flight. So don’t take the check in lightly and try to be at your airport on time 😉.)

Getting around in Malaysia

Many public transport buses and taxis are available that link different parts of the country very well. There are two types of taxis in Malaysia- premier ones and pocket friendly ones.

In kualalumpur, transport options are innumerable. There are buses, free buses, taxis, monorail and metro. The KL Sentral station in kualalumpur is the transportation hub and you can go to almost every nook and corner of the city from here.

Talking about the free bus, GOKL bus service is free and it has four routes marking four different coloured lines and bukit bintang serves as a good junction to most of them.

Railways are another important mode of transportation in Malaysia. Almost every major town and city is connected to each other by trains.

Weather:

It’s always pretty in Malaysia. But if talking technically, the best time to visit is March to October, with the wettest months being November to February. The usual temperature ranges between 27°C to 32°C.

Food:

Street stalls offer local street food and is very cheap. There are all options ranging from Chinese to Malay to Thai food. Few American food joints are also situated in the food street of Bukit bintang.

But if you are an indian and that too vegetarian, Little India (Brickfields) is the place to be. You can get indian veg and non-veg food there. It is outside kl sentral station and offers great variety of indian food.

Also try local ice creams and other sweets too!

Few attractions:

Petronas Towers

Kualalumpur is the home to world’s tallest twin towers. Situated near to KLCC, these towers are easily accessible by metro, bus and free bus.

Admission Fee:

Adult: RM85/USD21.30

Children: RM35/USD8.77

Senior Citizen: RM45/USD11.27/

Infant: FREE

Batu caves

It is a sacred place for the Hindus as this limestone hill has hindu cave temples and other attractions too. It is a half an hour train journey from kualalumpur. Batu Temple has no entrance fee and is open daily from 7 AM to 7 PM.

But take note to dress modestly, there is no restriction or fee as such, but you have to pay extra for some old scarves to cover your legs, so bring in your own scarves or wear full pants. And also to you have to pay to use the washroom!

A dark cave is nearby too where you can get a guided tour for a price. I went in and the memories are not to be forgotten.

Genting Highlands

Malaysia’s biggest hilltop resort, Genting Highlands is a one-stop place for those who love natural beauty and urban activities together. This high altitude place is popular for its hotels , resorts and a casino. The verdant scenery of this place is well experienced by the gondola (monocable car).

Penang

Reaching Penang is fairly easy. You can either take a train from KL sentral (booking in advance) or a cheaper way is to travel by bus. There are innumerable buses from the Kualalumpur bus stand and they drop you off at Penang bus stop and then you can take a taxi to your hotel. Penang is a must for those who love beaches, rainy weather and street art. A great amalgamation of natural beauty with some artsy views here and there. It a great vibe to it and is a perfect place for relaxing, massages, shopping and enjoying.

My tip would be to stay in a beach front hotel and travel to georgetown in a public bus. The buses leave at regular intervals and are very cheap. This way you can experience beach side living away from the hustle bustle of the city but can manage to come to see the extraordinary beauty this city has to offer.

Safety:

I felt quite safe during my entire trip except that one incident where a shabby looking guy followed me in the busy streets of kualalumpur and I had to literally jump in a taxi to avoid him.

Me in Malaysia

So I hope my article encourages you to pack your bags and head to Malaysia in the coming vacation. Do tell me how was your trip, if you have already gone there. And if you are planning to vist soon and you have some more queries, please feel free to comment below.

You can also watch my entire journey here on my youtube channel.