Johor Bahru

Johor Bahru in 2026 is a border city waiting on a train. The RTS Link to Singapore has slipped to mid-February 2027, the new electric line to Kuala Lumpur already runs, and the hawker food is still the best reason to cross the Causeway.

Updated October 2026

BootsnAll Scorecard

6.3 / 10

Johor Bahru is cheap and eats well, and it scores low on everything that involves moving around it, because a sprawling, car-built city and the world's busiest land border shape your days more than any sight does.

Value
8
Sits on the 8 anchor, with Hostelworld dorms from US$7.50, Cathay laksa at RM4 to RM5 a bowl and an RM8 airport bus, though Legoland's RM205 adult ticket is priced for Singaporean wallets.
Getting around
4.5
Below the 5 anchor, because the walkable heritage core is small, buses get stuck in traffic and sometimes skip stops, and the city is so car-dependent that Grab does most of the work.
Crowds and timing
5
The weather barely changes, with highs of 87°F to 90°F (31°C to 32°C) all year, but border queues set your clock, and Singapore's land checkpoints logged a record 510,000 crossings on March 28, 2024.
Safety and hassle
6
Slightly better than the 5 anchor, since crime against visitors is mostly motorbike bag-snatching and card fraud, which the UK government flags for Malaysian cities, plus fake MDAC websites and the grind of the checkpoint.
Food and drink
8.5
Above the 8 anchor, with laksa Johor, Cathay laksa, mee rebus, mee bandung and otak-otak cooked by Malay, Chinese and Indian kitchens, and hawker centres in every district charging a few ringgit a plate.
Indie fit
5.5
Near the 5 anchor, because the easy version is a Singaporean weekend of malls, massages and Legoland, but the heritage streets, night markets and new trains reward anyone who stays a few nights.

Editorial scores, 1 to 10, against the same written anchors for every city. Half points allowed. The overall is the plain average of the six.

Overview and Things to Consider

Johor Bahru, JB to almost everyone, sits at the bottom of the Malay Peninsula, joined to Singapore by a one-kilometer causeway. It's Malaysia's largest state capital, with 858,118 people in the 2020 census and about 1.8 million in the wider district, and it doesn't feel like one city so much as a ring of suburbs, malls and highways around a small old center. Most visitors are Singaporeans who cross for the weekend because food, petrol, massages and haircuts cost a fraction of what they do at home.

You'll like JB if you travel to eat, if you're going overland between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, or if you want a cheaper bed within reach of Singapore. You'll hate it if you expect the shophouse streets of Penang, because the old quarter here takes an afternoon and the rest of the city is built for cars. Wikivoyage calls the public transport complex or inadequate for most tourists. Many of the best restaurants are out in the suburbs, so you'll be booking Grab rides more than you'll be walking.

The 2026 moment is about rails. Electric ETS trains began running between JB Sentral and Kuala Lumpur on December 12, 2025, cutting a seven-hour diesel ride to 3.5 to 4.5 hours. The RTS Link, a five-minute light rail hop to Woodlands North in Singapore, was supposed to open at the end of 2026. On October 2, 2026, Malaysia's transport minister said it would open in mid-February 2027 instead, after safety certification. Until then, crossing still means the bus, the hourly shuttle train or a car in the queue.

Some things are overrated. Forest City, the Chinese-built island development west of town, had 8,000 to 9,000 residents in mid-2023 against a projected 700,000, and a trip out there is mostly empty towers. Danga Bay is a waterfront real-estate project more than a destination. And treating JB as a two-hour lunch trip from Singapore is how people end up spending most of the day in a checkpoint.

How Johor Bahru Got Here

Modern JB dates from a treaty signed in Singapore on March 10, 1855, which handed the mainland of Johor to Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim. In 1858 he renamed Tanjung Puteri, a Malay fishing village, as Iskandar Puteri, and encouraged Chinese and Javanese settlers to clear the jungle. The Chinese, mostly Teochew, planted pepper and gambier, and Chinese residents once called the town Little Swatow. The Javanese dug the drainage canals. After the Temenggong died in 1862, his successor Abu Bakar renamed the town Johor Bahru, New Johor, and with the builder Wong Ah Fook put up the Grand Palace and the State Mosque, finished in 1900. Tan Hiok Nee, head of the Ngee Heng society, founded the Old Chinese Temple in the 1870s.

The railway arrived in 1909 and the Causeway opened on June 28, 1924. Retreating British forces blew a gap in it at the end of January 1942, and General Yamashita's army used the sultan's Bukit Serene Palace as a base while they repaired it and took Singapore. In 1946 the United Malays National Organisation was founded in JB, and in 1965 the Causeway became an international border when Singapore left Malaysia. JB became a city in 1994, and the Iskandar Malaysia economic zone, set up in 2006, explains the cranes, the condo towers and the endless suburbs you'll see from the bus.

Getting There and Around

Most people arrive from Singapore by bus across the Causeway. SBS Transit 160, 170 and 170X, SMRT 950 and Causeway Link's yellow CW1, CW2 and CW5 all run from points in northern or central Singapore. Causeway Link charges RM2.60 on the CW1 from Kranji, and RM4.80 and RM4.60 on the CW2 and CW5 express runs from Queen Street and Newton. The routine is the same on every bus. You get off at Woodlands Checkpoint with your bags, clear Singapore exit, board any bus of the same company, cross, and get off again at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar CIQ complex for Malaysian immigration, which is linked to JB Sentral station. You can't walk the Causeway, because the Malaysian side isn't built for pedestrians, though cyclists can use the motorcycle lanes and counters.

The train is quicker on paper. KTMB's Shuttle Tebrau runs between JB Sentral and Woodlands Train Checkpoint in five minutes, 31 trips each way a day, for RM5 into Singapore or S$5 into Malaysia, and Wikivoyage advises allowing 45 minutes for border formalities. Your passport is your ticket, and seats often sell out days ahead on KTMB. The RTS Link replaces it from mid-February 2027, running from Bukit Chagar, an 800-meter walk from JB Sentral until a promised link bridge is built, to Woodlands North on Singapore's Thomson-East Coast MRT line, 6am to midnight, with both countries' immigration done at the departure station. Fares haven't been set. The New Straits Times reported in February 2026 that they could be RM15.50 to RM21.70 (S$5 to S$7).

JB's own airport is Senai International (JHB), about 22 kilometers northwest of the city. It handled 3.36 million passengers in 2024, mostly AirAsia, Batik Air, Firefly and Malaysia Airlines domestic flights, with international routes to Bangkok's Don Mueang, Jakarta, Surabaya, Ho Chi Minh City and Kunming. Causeway Link's AA1 bus runs hourly between the airport and JB Sentral from 9am to 8:30pm, takes about 50 minutes and costs RM8. Wikivoyage lists airport taxis on a coupon system at RM45 for up to four people. Most long-haul travelers still fly into Singapore's Changi and cross by road.

Citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and EU countries enter Malaysia visa-free for up to 90 days, with a passport valid for at least six months. Since January 1, 2024, almost every foreign visitor must also file the free Malaysia Digital Arrival Card online within three days before arrival. Singapore citizens are exempt. The MDAC portal lists visitors from the US, UK, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea among those who can use the autogates, so Canadians and most other Europeans will probably be sent to a manual counter. Heading back into Singapore, everyone except residents files an SG Arrival Card, also free, in the three days before you arrive.

Once you're in, the center around JB Sentral, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee and Jalan Dhoby is walkable, and public toilets are only in malls, petrol stations and parks. Beyond that, use Grab, which Wikivoyage rates the most hassle-free option. The pink BAS.MY buses cover 19 routes, take contactless Visa and Mastercard, give no change for cash, and stop running from JB Sentral around 11pm. Long-distance coaches use Larkin Sentral, a RM1.70 local bus ride from JB Sentral. Metered taxis start at RM3 for the first two kilometers, with a 50 percent surcharge from midnight to 6am.

What's Changed Since 2016

January 2024: the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card became mandatory for most foreign visitors. It's free, and it has to be filed in the three days before arrival. By January 2025 the Immigration Department was warning about fake MDAC websites, and some were charging up to US$80 for a form that costs nothing.

March 2024: the border got smarter and busier at the same time. From March 19, travelers in cars could clear Singapore's Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints with a QR code instead of handing over passports. Nine days later, ahead of the Good Friday weekend, Singapore's immigration authority counted 510,000 people crossing its land borders in one day, a record, with tailbacks at Woodlands all day.

July and September 2024: Malaysia tried to rescue Forest City. Parliament passed bills making Forest City's first island duty-free in July, and the government announced Special Financial Zone incentives on September 20. The tech-entrepreneur Network School that opened there in 2024 lost its business license in July 2026.

December 2025 to February 2026: the electric railway reached JB. ETS trains started running from JB Sentral to Kuala Lumpur on December 12, 2025, at RM82 to RM99 standard class. ETS Gold services from Padang Besar, on the Thai border, reached JB Sentral on January 1, 2026, and ETS Platinum trains from Butterworth and Padang Besar followed on February 24, 2026.

October 2026: the RTS Link slipped. On October 2, Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook said operator RTS Operations had pushed the opening to mid-February 2027, with system tests due to finish by December 31, 2026. Singapore's Land Transport Authority project page still said the end of 2026 at the time of writing. A Johor state official said in June 2025 that the Shuttle Tebrau train would stop within six months of the RTS opening, so ride it in early 2027 if you want to.

What the Usual Advice Gets Wrong

"The RTS Link to Singapore opens at the end of 2026." It won't. Malaysia's transport minister said on October 2, 2026, that the opening had moved to mid-February 2027, to allow for safety certification. Fares still haven't been announced. Until it opens, plan on the bus or the Shuttle Tebrau train, and book the train on KTMB early.

"Pop over from Singapore for lunch. It's only a few minutes across." The bridge takes minutes and the queue can eat your morning. Fridays from 9am to noon and 3pm to 10pm are the worst into JB, Sunday afternoons and the last day of a holiday weekend are the worst back. Sleep in JB for at least a night and the crossing becomes one queue instead of two.

"You can just walk across the Causeway." Walking across is prohibited. The Malaysian side isn't built for pedestrians and you'd be walking two kilometers among fast traffic. Take any cross-border bus, the Shuttle Tebrau, or a bicycle through the motorcycle lanes.

"Use an online service to sort out your Malaysian arrival card." The MDAC is free on the Immigration Department's own portal, and copycat sites have charged up to US$80 for it. File it yourself no more than three days before arrival. Do the same with Singapore's SG Arrival Card on the way back.

"Legoland is a cheap day out because it's in Malaysia." It's priced for Singaporean families. The theme park alone starts at RM205 (about $50) for an adult online, and the triple park with the water park and SEA LIFE starts at RM345 (about $85). Go if you have kids who care. Otherwise the same money buys several days of eating.

Ideas to Consider for Your Visit

Have you thought about spending a morning on Jalan Tan Hiok Nee? Start at Hiap Joo Bakery at number 13, a family bakery that has used the same wood-fired oven since 1919 and is known for its banana cake. Around the corner on Jalan Ibrahim is the Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum, and nearby on Jalan Trus sits the Old Chinese Temple, which Tan Hiok Nee founded in the 1870s and which is now hemmed in by towers. Its Chingay parade, held since 1870 on the 21st day of the lunar new year, joins the Cantonese, Hainanese, Hakka, Hokkien and Teochew clans in one procession, and in 2027 it falls in late February.

Little India runs along Jalan Ungku Puan, where Restoran Nilla serves South Indian banana-leaf meals off a 140-item menu painted on the wall. A short walk north on Jalan Tebrau, the Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple, inaugurated in 1996, lines its walls and columns with imported glass. Wikivoyage lists entry at RM10 for adults and visiting hours of 1pm to 6pm, with Mondays closed to visitors, and a vegetarian canteen out back.

Eat the Johor dishes rather than the Singapore ones. Laksa Johor uses spaghetti in a spicy fish gravy, supposedly created for Sultan Abu Bakar after he tried pasta in Italy, and it's hard to find outside Malay homes, so look for it at Dann's Cafe in Taman Daya. Cathay laksa is the Chinese curry version, and Restoran Shang Ji on Jalan Lumba Kuda in Bukit Chagar sells it for RM4 to RM5, in the same neighborhood as the future RTS station. For grilled fish, go to Medan Selera Tepian Tebrau on Jalan Mohammad Amin, 32 stalls under one long shed. Restoran Yi Bao in Taman Maju Jaya serves one dish only, mee hoon kueh.

The Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque on Jalan Masjid Abu Bakar, built from 1892 to 1900, mixes Moorish and Victorian architecture, with minarets that look like British clock towers. Continue west to the gates of Istana Bukit Serene, the palace the Japanese army used in 1942, then finish the day at Stulang Laut east of the Causeway, where the ZON complex sells duty-free alcohol you pay for at customs on the way out.

Ride the ETS north to Kluang. The town's railway station has been in service since 1915, and Kluang RailCoffee has been operating at the station since 1938. It's the easiest way to see small-town Johor, the trains are new, and Kluang is a stop on the line to Kuala Lumpur, so you can treat it as a lunch stop on the way north.

Desaru Coast, on the southeast tip of Johor, is a planned resort strip with Anantara, Westin, Hard Rock and Mandarin Oriental hotels, golf at The Els Club and an Adventure Waterpark. It's about 1.2 hours by road from JB, Causeway Link runs an express bus from JB Sentral, and BatamFast ferries come in from Singapore's Tanah Merah terminal Thursday to Monday. It suits a two-night beach break more than a day trip.

For the islands, use the Stulang Laut Ferry Terminal inside the ZON complex. Ferries run to Batam Centre and Harbour Bay in about two hours for RM100 one-way, plus a RM21 surcharge, and a daily 3pm boat goes to Tanjung Pinang on Bintan in about 150 minutes for RM130 plus the surcharge. If you'd rather stay in Malaysia, Causeway Link express buses run from Larkin Sentral to the Mersing jetty, the departure point for Tioman.

The Part Most Guides Miss

What most guides miss is that JB has quietly become a railway junction. Since January 1, 2026, an electric ETS train runs from JB Sentral all the way to Padang Besar on the Thai border, through Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Butterworth for Penang. When the RTS Link opens in mid-February 2027, Bukit Chagar station will sit an 800-meter walk from JB Sentral, and the transport minister has promised a direct link bridge from the JB Sentral platform. You'll be able to leave a Singapore MRT station and reach the Thai border by electric train with one change in JB. It turns the city from a place you queue through into a sensible first night on an overland trip north.

Where to Base Yourself

City centre (JB Sentral and Jalan Wong Ah Fook). The pick for a short stay. You walk out of immigration into the station, and the heritage streets, Little India, the Old Chinese Temple and the Shuttle Tebrau and future RTS are all on foot. Hostelworld lists dorms 0.75 kilometers from the center from US$7.50, and Wikivoyage lists budget hotels such as T-Hotel at RM85 to RM115 for a single. The catch is the motorbike snatch thieves Wikivoyage warns about on these streets, so leave the handbag at the hotel.

Mount Austin. Best for a longer stay or a younger crowd. This northern suburb is where JB goes out, with restaurants, cafes, bars and karaoke within walking distance of each other, and Hashtag Capsule Hostel sits in a restored shophouse there. The catch is distance. It's about 11 kilometers from the center up the often jammed Jalan Tebrau, so every trip to the border or the heritage quarter is a Grab ride.

Iskandar Puteri (Medini and Puteri Harbour). Only for Legoland families. The Legoland Hotel and the parks are here, and the Second Link to Singapore's Tuas checkpoint is closer than the Causeway. The catch is that it's a planned district built around highways, so you'll need a car or Grab for anything that isn't Lego.

Realities to Be Aware Of

Money goes a long way. A budget day runs about RM100 to RM150 ($25 to $37): a dorm at US$7.50 to $24 on Hostelworld, three hawker meals at RM4 to RM8 a dish, and buses at RM1.70 to RM2.60. Mid-range is about RM250 to RM450 ($60 to $110), with hotels Wikivoyage lists at RM100 to RM250 a night, Grab rides and air-conditioned restaurants. Comfortable starts around RM450 ($110), with Holiday Villa listed at RM420 to RM700. Prices marked ++ add a 10 percent service charge plus sales tax, and foreign guests pay a tourism tax of RM10 per room per night, which may not be in the quoted rate.

The UK government says bag-snatching by thieves on motorbikes is common in Malaysian cities, and that they sometimes drag victims who hold on. Carry your bag on the side away from the road, or don't carry one. Credit card and ATM fraud is widespread, and the UK government also reports assaults and robberies around bars and nightlife areas. Wikivoyage notes that JB's bad reputation owes something to sensational foreign reporting, but the snatch-theft advice holds.

Malaysia's drug laws are severe, with long jail terms, whipping and a possible death sentence for trafficking, and airports scan transit bags for cannabis. Same-sex sexual acts are illegal under Malaysian federal law, and Wikivoyage advises gay and lesbian travelers to avoid public displays of affection. Tipping isn't customary, and most air-conditioned restaurants already add a 10 percent service charge. Follow local dress codes, especially during Ramadan, when many restaurants change their hours. Halal logos hang at many restaurant entrances, and some places that skip pork aren't certified.

Crowds follow Singapore's calendar. Commuters jam the crossing toward Singapore in the morning and back into JB in the evening. Leisure traffic peaks into JB on Fridays and Saturday mornings and back to Singapore on Sunday afternoons, and Singapore's school holidays, which run from November 21 to December 31 in 2026, fill the malls and the queues for six weeks.

What things cost in Johor Bahru

Prices checked October 2026. Each links to where we read it.

ItemPriceSource
Hostel dorm bedUS$7.50-24 (about RM31-97) a nightHostelworld Johor Bahru listings, Oct 2026
Shuttle Tebrau train, JB Sentral to WoodlandsRM5 (about $1.20) into Singapore, S$5 (about $3.90) into MalaysiaThe Straits Times, Jun 2025
RTS Link fare, expected from Feb 2027RM15.50-21.70 (S$5-7, about $3.80-5.30) per trip, not yet confirmedNew Straits Times, Feb 2026
Causeway Link cross-border bus, CW1 (Kranji) or CW2/CW5 (central Singapore)RM2.60 (about $0.65) on the CW1, RM4.80 and RM4.60 (about $1.10-1.20) on the CW2 and CW5Wikivoyage Johor Bahru, Oct 2026
AA1 airport bus, Senai to JB SentralRM8 (about $2) one-wayCauseway Link, Oct 2026
ETS train, JB Sentral to Kuala LumpurRM82-99 (about $20-24) standard, RM153-169 businessCNA, Dec 2025
Legoland Malaysia theme park, adultFrom RM205 (about $50) onlineLegoland Malaysia, Oct 2026
Cathay laksa at Restoran Shang JiRM4-5 (about $1-1.20) a bowlWikivoyage Johor Bahru, Oct 2026
Malaysian tourism tax for foreign guestsRM10 (about $2.45) per room per nightWikivoyage Malaysia, Oct 2026

Dollar figures use about RM4.08 to US$1 and RM3.19 to S$1, from European Central Bank reference rates of October 2, 2026.

If Johor Bahru Is Part of a Longer Trip

North is the obvious direction now. ETS trains reach Kuala Lumpur in 3.5 to 4.5 hours for RM82 to RM99, and through services continue to Butterworth for Penang and Padang Besar on the Thai border, where you can carry on toward Bangkok. Book early for weekends, since only a handful of seats were left for the first weekend of service in December 2025. Causeway Link coaches from Larkin Sentral also run to Kuala Lumpur's TBS terminal and to KLIA and KLIA2, which is handy if you're flying out of KL.

A classic open-jaw is to fly into Singapore, cross to JB, ride north through Malaysia and fly home from Bangkok, or do it the other way round. Senai adds cheap AirAsia hops to Bangkok, Jakarta, and Ho Chi Minh City, and domestic flights to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu in Borneo. A route that stitches these together across Southeast Asia is fiddly to price leg by leg, and it's what AirTreks builds. Ferries from Stulang Laut to Batam and Bintan add Indonesia without going back through Singapore.

Yearly Things to Consider

JB's weather hardly moves. Average highs stay between 87°F and 90°F (31°C and 32°C) all year, and every month gets at least 5.5 inches of rain. The northeast monsoon from mid-October to January brings the heaviest rain, with 9.4 inches in November and 9.6 in December, while the southwest monsoon from June to September barely changes it. So the real seasons are human ones: Chinese New Year and the Chingay parade, Hari Raya, Deepavali and, above all, Singapore's school holidays and long weekends.

The counterintuitive advice is to ignore the weather and plan around Singapore. Come midweek in a month without Singapore school holidays, such as April, July, August or October. Cross into JB in the morning while commuters queue the other way, and head back to Singapore in the evening against the homeward flow. If you can wait, late February 2027 brings both the RTS opening and the Chingay parade.

Johor Bahru month by month

MonthTempRainfallSeasonNotes
January87°F (31°C)6.4 inShoulderNortheast monsoon rain. Busy around New Year.
February89°F (31°C)5.5 inHighDriest month. Chinese New Year and Chingay fill the city and the border.
March90°F (32°C)8.0 inShoulderA week of Singapore school holidays mid-month.
April90°F (32°C)9.2 inLowHottest month, with heavy afternoon storms. Long weekends still jam the Causeway.
May90°F (32°C)8.5 inLowQuiet until Singapore's June holidays start at the end of the month.
June89°F (32°C)5.8 inHighSingapore school holidays all month. Expect weekend queues.
July88°F (31°C)7.0 inLowSouthwest monsoon, little change in rain. Schools back in session.
August88°F (31°C)7.3 inLowGood midweek month to visit.
September89°F (32°C)7.5 inShoulderOne week of Singapore school holidays early in the month.
October89°F (32°C)8.6 inLowNortheast monsoon starts mid-month, with heavier rain.
November88°F (31°C)9.4 inShoulderWet. Singapore's long year-end school holidays begin late in the month.
December87°F (31°C)9.6 inHighWettest month and busiest border month, with school holidays and Christmas.

Ideas for Itineraries

3 Days in Johor Bahru

Day one, cross from Singapore in the morning, drop your bag near JB Sentral, and walk Jalan Tan Hiok Nee with banana cake from Hiap Joo, the Chinese Heritage Museum and the Old Chinese Temple, then the Glass Temple after 1pm. Eat grilled fish at Medan Selera Tepian Tebrau. Day two, see the State Mosque in the morning, walk to the Bukit Serene palace gates, have Cathay laksa at Shang Ji, and spend the evening in Mount Austin. Day three, either Legoland or the ETS up to Kluang for RailCoffee and back.

5 Days in Johor Bahru

Do the three days above, then take Causeway Link's express bus or a Grab to Desaru Coast for two nights on the beach. If resorts aren't your thing, swap Desaru for a Stulang Laut ferry to Batam or Bintan, or head north instead and make Kluang a lunch stop on an ETS ride to Kuala Lumpur.

1 Week in Johor Bahru

Spend three nights in JB, two at Desaru Coast, and two more on Tioman, taking Causeway Link from Larkin Sentral to the Mersing jetty for the boat. Or turn the week into the first leg of an overland trip, with two nights in JB, a train to Kuala Lumpur for three, and a train to Butterworth for Penang.

2 Weeks or More in Johor Bahru

For a long stay, rent near Mount Austin or in Taman Pelangi, where the weekly night markets run along Jalan Seladang on Monday evenings and Jalan Perang on Tuesday evenings. Wikivoyage counts around 200 vegetarian eateries in greater JB, many in Mount Austin and Skudai, so long-stay eating is easy at any diet. Once the RTS opens, Singapore becomes a five-minute ride from Bukit Chagar, which makes JB the cheaper base for a month of Singapore day trips. Use weekends to escape the Singaporean crowds rather than join them, with the ETS to Kluang or a few nights on Tioman.

Sources

What this guide is built on. Every page below was read for this guide; prices and rules were checked in October 2026.

Johor Bahru Travel FAQ

Yes. Wikivoyage lists a cross-border taxi service from the Queen Street terminal in Singapore's Bugis to Larkin Sentral at S$15 per person or S$60 per car, and RM15 or RM60 the other way, running 24 hours. You stay in the car through both checkpoints. For anywhere else in JB you need a Malaysian taxi, at S$80 or more depending on distance.

Often not. Wikivoyage says rental agencies frequently ban cars from crossing the border or charge extra. Singapore-registered cars need a Vehicle Entry Permit RFID tag, a Touch 'n Go card for the RM20 toll and at least three-quarters of a tank of fuel when leaving Singapore, or the driver can be fined up to S$500.

Less every year. QR payments are more widely accepted than credit cards in Malaysia, and visitors can link a foreign card to the Touch 'n Go eWallet, with a 2.6 percent fee. Causeway Link and BAS.MY buses take contactless Visa and Mastercard. Keep some ringgit for hawker stalls and BAS.MY drivers, who give no change.

Yes. A 2021 study published in the journal English Today found about 60 percent of the city's population fluent in English, with higher rates among younger people. Malay is the official language, and Mandarin, Hokkien, Teochew and Tamil are common at home and in markets.

Larkin Sentral, the long-distance bus terminal, has a left-luggage office charging RM2 per bag per day, open 7am to 10pm. It's useful if you're arriving by coach and want a few hours in the city before moving on, and the terminal has about a dozen food outlets while you wait.

For regional and domestic flights it often is. Senai handled 3.36 million passengers in 2024, Kuala Lumpur had 76 flights a week in September 2023, and Kuching and Kota Kinabalu are direct. For long-haul flights you'll still use Changi or KLIA, since Senai's international routes stop at cities like Bangkok, Jakarta, Surabaya, Ho Chi Minh City and Kunming.