Planning a Langkawi vacation? Fantastic! This is a great part of the world.
Langkawi is made up of 99 islands nestled in the Andaman Sea. This small archipelago is well-known for its rich natural resources, such as pristine beaches, lush mangrove forests, stunning waterfalls, jungle-clad hills and diverse wildlife.
However, before you can enjoy this island, you need to know how to get to Langkawi. Thankfully, it is not hard to work out how to go to Langkawi, although you have a variety of choices.
Below, I describe the exact answer to how do you get to Langkawi. I start with a summary and then give you detailed instructions based on whether you want a flight to Langkawi, a bus to Langkawi, want to know how to get to Langkawi by car or are trying to sort out the ferries to Langkawi.
Finally, I also give you instructions for some of the more popular journeys to Langkawi.
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Contents
How To Get To Langkawi Malaysia
Since Langkawi is an island that is not connected to peninsular Malaysia by a bridge, you will need to fly or take a boat at some point of the journey.
In the rest of this article, I break down how to do this.
Here is a summary of your options:
| Transport | Method | Best For… |
| Fly | Fly direct from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Johor Bahru or Penang or connect via Kuala Lumpur (find options and prices here) | Generally, the best option if you are coming from somewhere that isn’t an easy drive to the ferries at Kuala Kedah or Kuala Perlis and you are near an airport. Often, it is also the cheapest option |
| Taxi | Taxi to Kuala Kedah (book here) and take a ferry to Langkawi (book here) | People wanting the quickest and easiest overland option |
| Bus or Train | Bus/train to Alor Setar (book here), get to Kuala Kedah jetty and take a ferry (book here) | People who want (possibly) the cheapest method |
Flight to Langkawi
The easiest way to get to Langkawi is to fly. Airline carriers like AirAsia, Batik Air and Malaysian Airlines offer multiple daily flights from Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Depending on the time of year, you should be able to get a cheap flight to Langkawi with fares starting from RM100.
At a big sale, it can be even cheaper than this. I have paid RM30 before!
If you’re coming from overseas cities like Osaka, Phuket, Taipei, Seoul, Sydney, London and many more, you can take connecting flights on Malaysia Airlines directly from those countries (depending on the availability in a specific region).
There are also connecting flights from many places in Malaysia.
If you’re coming from Singapore, Scoot and AirAsia offers direct flights as well, and there are also direct flights from Johor Bahru.
Click here for all the latest flight prices.
Bus To Langkawi
If you’re wondering how to get to Langkawi by bus, many bus companies go to Kuala Perlis and Alor Setar (for Kuala Kedah ferries) which act as jumping points to Langkawi.
It’s best to book your bus ticket to Langkawi in advance to avoid long queues and the influx of travellers, especially during the weekends and peak season.
You can catch a bus to:
- Alor Setar. This is a major city with many buses. Buses here from Kuala Lumpur take about 6.25 hours and there are buses here from many parts of Malaysia. The ferry terminal at Kuala Kedah is then another 20 minutes by Grab taxi or you can take a local bus
- Kuala Perlis. The ferry terminal at Kuala Perlis is further up the north coast, about an hour further away from most locations in Malaysia compared to Alor Setar. The bus terminal here is just a five minute walk from the ferry to Langkawi.
Click here for all bus options.
Then, you need to ride a ferry from Kuala Kedah or Kuala Perlis to Langkawi’s Kuah Jetty.
If you’re coming from Kuala Kedah, the express ferry takes around 1.75 hours. Meanwhile, from Kuala Perlis, travel time is around an hour and twenty minutes.
There is more information about the ferries below.
Click here for the latest bus timetables and ticket prices.
Train To Langkawi
You can also take a train part of the way to Langkawi by taking a train to Alor Setar IF you are travelling from a location on the train line such as Ipoh, Taiping or Kuala Lumpur.
From here, you can take a Grab taxi to Kuala Kedah for your ferry. The taxi takes about 20 minutes and cost us Rm14. The ferry then takes about 1.75 hours (more information below).
Book train tickets in advance as they do book out. This is pricier than a bus, but it is quite easy and comfortable.
Click here for train tickets and schedules.
Taxi To Langkawi
To make your overland journey incredibly easy, you can also take a taxi to the ferry terminal in Kuala Kedah or Kuala Perlis. We recommend you taxi to Kuala Kedah as this will be faster and cheaper.
A private taxi can pick you up from anywhere in peninsular Malaysia or Singapore and drop you off at the ferry terminal all set for your boat to Langkawi.
This is the easiest way to go. There’s no lugging round luggage in the heat and nothing to work out. You can simply get there easily and safely.
We can book a long-distance taxi for you with a safe and reliable local operator.
Click here for prices and details.
How To Get To Langkawi Island By Ferry
If you’re looking for the cheapest way to get to Langkawi, you can opt to travel via ferry. Ferries sail to Langkawi from Kuala Kedah, Kuala Perlis, and from Thailand.
The main ferry point in Langkawi is Kuah Jetty, which is where the ferries leave and arrive. Kuah is the main town on the island. From here, you can take a Grab taxi to your hotel.
Ferry From Kuala Perlis
There are regular ferries from Kuala Perlis to Langkawi. The passenger ferry is run by Langkawi Ferry Lines.
Ferries depart 3 – 5 times a day with the schedule varying day-to-day so it is important you check the latest times. To give you an idea of what to expect, there are usually ferries around 7am, 12:30pm, 2pm, 5pm and 7pm.
I recommend you book your ticket in advance as they can sell out especially on weekends and in holiday periods. You can also buy one at the Jetty but the ticket window often only opens an hour before the ferry departs and closes if all tickets are sold.
The travel time is approximately an hour and 20 minutes, and the cost of a one-way ticket is RM24 for a Malaysian adult and RM30 for foreigners.
Click here to see the latest schedules.
There are also car ferries from here which you can read more about below.
You can find our full guide to travelling from Kuala Perlis to Langkawi here.
Ferry From Kuala Kedah
Langkawi Ferry Lines also runs ferries from Kuala Kedah. These ferries take a little longer at around 1.75 hours, but getting to Kuala Kedah is usually faster than to Kuala Perlis.
They currently depart about five times a day, usually at 7am, 10:30am, 12pm, 1:30pm, 4:30pm and 6:30pm. However, the schedule can vary day-to-day, so it’s best to check the latest times before your trip.
Tickets start at RM29.50 for a Malaysian adult one way and RM37.50 for a foreigner. There are discounts for 3-13 year olds and children under 3 travel for free.
Click here to see the latest schedules.
You can find our full guide to travelling from Kuala Kedah to Langkawi here.
Ferry From Thailand
There are also ferries to Langkawi from Koh Lipe, Thailand. Around four ferries operate each way during peak season (mid-October to mid-June). During the monsoon season these ferry services stop.
Two operators run this service, Bundhaya Speed Boat and Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club. These ferries usually leave Koh Lipe between 10:30am and 4pm. Travel time is an hour and a half. One way fare costs around RM165.
Tickets can sell out so it is best to buy your tickets beforehand.
Click here for the latest ferry timetables and ticket prices or click here to read our full guide to travelling from Langkawi to Ko Lipe. It’s a little complicated how taking a ferry works so I suggest you read my specific guide to this for all the details and my hot tips.
Some of the ferries arrive at Telaga Harbour International Terminal and some in Kuah. These are on opposite sides of the island, so it is worth trying to book the ferry that arrives closest to your accommodation.
If you wish to travel on to Thailand after your time in Langkawi, you can also take the ferry back to Koh Lipe. Again, this only runs from mid-October to mid-June. Ferries usually run from 9:30am to 2:30pm.
But check the latest schedules and prices here.
Langkawi Ferry From Penang?
There used to be a ferry from Penang directly to Langkawi. It took only 2.75 hours. Unfortunately, this ferry stopped running during the pandemic and has not restarted.
I recommend you fly from Penang to Langkawi. There is more information about travelling from Penang to Langkawi below.
How To Go To Langkawi By Car
Since there is no direct road connection to Langkawi, you need to drive to Kuala Perlis and catch one of the roll-on-roll-off ferries to Langkawi. With these ferries, you just need to drive your vehicle on the ferry, travel by sea, and once you arrive in Langkawi, you just need to drive off your car.
The Langkawi RoRo Ferry Services and Langkawi Auto Express run one or two car ferries daily. These usually run between the hours of 10am and 2:30pm but definitely check the latest schedule before travelling.
The fare depends on the vehicle size and the number of passengers. It’s much more expensive than taking a passenger ferry. For a small vehicle, the car ferry fare from Kuala Perlis to Langkawi starts at RM322 for the car only with adult passengers costing around RM50.
Meanwhile, for motorcycles, a ferry ticket to Langkawi from Kuala Perlis starts at RM114 plus the passenger charge as above.
You can find Langkawi RoRo Ferry Services here and Langkawi Auto Express here. These ferries take a little longer at around one and a half hours. They often sell out so book your ticket in advance.
Click here to read more about driving in Malaysia.
Want the Easiest (and BEST) Way to get to the ferry to Langkawi?
We can book a taxi for you from anywhere in Malaysia directly to the ferry to Langkawi for a great price.
You can pick your own departure time, relax and know everything will go to plan.
Langkawi How To Get There…
Finally in this guide on how to reach Langkawi, I cover some of the most popular journeys to reach here below.
If you want to travel from Ipoh to Langkawi, read our full guide to this route here.
Kuala Lumpur To Langkawi
The easiest way to travel between Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi is to take a flight. During a flight sale, this can be very affordable as well.
Flights only take about an hour and are quick and easy with many airlines and flights throughout the day.
Click here to see the latest timetables and prices.
If you insist on catching the bus, the best option is to take a bus from Kuala Lumpur to Alor Setar. From here, you can take a ferry across to Langkawi.
Click here for the latest bus timetables.
You can also take a private taxi (prices and more information here) from Kuala Lumpur to one of the ferry terminals.
Read our complete and detailed guide to travelling from KL to Langkawi here
Penang To Langkawi
Between Penang and Langkawi, the easiest and quickest option is to take a flight now that the direct ferry no longer runs.
Click here for flight options.
You can also take a private taxi to Kuala Kedah and take the ferry from there or take a bus to Alor Setar, a Grab taxi to the jetty at Kuala Kedah and then the ferry from there.
You can also read our full guide to travelling between Langkawi and Penang here.
Singapore To Langkawi
If you’re coming from Singapore, I recommend flying as this is the quickest and most convenient option.
The flight time is approximately an hour and a half, and fares start from RM100 depending on the promos, and season.
AirAsia and Scoot fly this route.
Click here for all the latest flight prices.
Final Words
In this post, we’ve covered the different transportation options that you can take when travelling to Langkawi.
The fastest (and most convenient way) to get to your destination is to travel by plane. But as an alternative, you can also travel via bus, ferry or private vehicle.
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I hope you found this guide to how to get to Langkawi useful. You can find our list of things to do in Langkawi for when you get there here, all the best hotels near Langkawi airport here, how to get from Alor Setar to Langkawi here and our full travel guide to Langkawi here.
Planning a trip to Malaysia? Have any questions? Join our Malaysia Travel Planning Facebook group here now! It’s the perfect place to ask any questions and to be inspired!
