Malaysia Travel Guide

Planning a trip to Malaysia? Fantastic! There is so much to love about this country.

In this Malaysia travel guide, I share all my best Malaysia blogs so you can plan your trip!

But first, if you aren’t convinced yet that Malaysia should be your next trip, read this article with 10 reasons why you should visit Malaysia next! Or, even better, listen to this podcast episode about why you should visit. You’ll definitely want to book your trip once you listen to this!

This guide is all about overall Malaysia planning. To read guides to individual places in Malaysia, click here.

If you have just started your Malaysia trip planning, I recommend you start with this article. I go step-by-step through everything you need to do to plan your trip to Malaysia. I also include timeframes for when you should do each step from booking your flights to packing.

But first, make sure you join our free Malaysia Travel Planning Facebook group. This is the place to ask any questions about your trip, to be inspired and to connect with other Malaysia travellers.

Click here to join now!

Travelling to Malaysia? Click here to download your free Malaysia Trip Planning checklist. We’ll help you get ready for your trip! 

Malaysia

Malaysia is split into two parts – with peninsular Malaysia being the most famous and visited part between Thailand and Singapore. But there is also Borneo across the South China Sea which Malaysia shares with Brunei and Indonesia.

There are many flights between the two parts and it’s easy to visit both on your Malaysia trip.

Malaysia is home to three major cultural groups – Malay, Chinese and Indian people. The predominant culture is Malay and the predominant religion is Islam.

Money

The Malaysian Ringgit is the local currency and it’s very rare anything is charged with any other currency. There are ATMs readily available unless you are heading to one of the less built up islands and this is the best way to get money out.

There are also plenty of money changers and banks at international airports and in major population centres.

I recommend setting up a Wise card before you go. This card allows you to withdraw in any currency at market rate with only a tiny fee. There is no ongoing account keeping fee and some ATM withdrawals are free.

You simply load the card up with your home currency and then you can spend in Ringitt in Malaysia or Singapore dollars in Singapore or any other currency you want. It’s so easy, and it’s what I use.

Click here for more details.

Weather

Malaysia is located in the tropics and is basically hot and humid year round. You can get cooler temperatures in areas like the Cameron Highlands, but generally, you are going to be HOT.

Temperatures don’t vary much but there are monsoon periods (wet seasons) which can make travel less pleasant.

To read more about the weather in Malaysia including the best time to go click here.

Getting To Malaysia

There is a major airport in Kuala Lumpur with flights from many places as well as a few other international airports including in Penang and Langkawi. It’s also an option to fly into Singapore and then travel overland to Malaysia (more about how to do this here).

Click here to look up flight costs.

You can also take buses or trains from Thailand or buses from Indonesia and Brunei across into Malaysian Borneo.

There are also ferries from Indonesia to Malaysia and Thailand to Malaysia.

Malaysia Travel Itineraries

Planning your trip to Malaysia, but not sure how long you want to spend where and how it should fit together? Check out our itineraries as we have done the work for you!

You can also download our free detailed Malaysia itinerary by clicking here.

Best Places To Visit In Malaysia

There are many great destinations to visit in Malaysia, but what are the best? If you are looking for Malaysia travel inspiration, these articles are for you!

Best Malaysia Accommodation

There is a huge range of accommodation in Malaysia available basically everywhere so you won’t have problems finding somewhere to stay. The best part is that Malaysian accommodation is some of the best value in the world! Read our guides to some of the best accommodation in the country below.

Getting Around Malaysia

Getting around Malaysia is easy. There are trains, a great system of awesome buses, shared taxis and many domestic flights. It’s also relatively affordable to use private taxis to drive between towns.

We can book you a long distance taxi between any places in peninsular Malaysia here. We can also book you taxis between Malaysia and Singapore here.

It’s also easy to hire a car and drive yourself. We love doing this! You can read more here about driving in Malaysia.

Click here for flight prices for domestic flights and here for bus, train and ferry tickets and timetables.

Tips And Tricks

You can find more information on other specific destinations in Malaysia here.

Click here to read our step-by-step Malaysia travel planner!

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.