How To Get Around Malaysia On A Budget (Easy 2024 Guide)
When you first arrive in a new country, figuring out how to get around can be stressful! Thankfully, working out how to get around Malaysia was incredibly simple.
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How To Get Around Malaysia
Malaysia is one of my favourite countries that i’ve ever visited. It’s a country that’s incredibly diverse and truly has something for every kind of traveller!
I visited the country as part of a long-term trip throughout Europe and South East Asia, and it surprised me how little people knew about it! In South East Asia, people were skipping it in favour of maximising their time in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.
I believe that is a huge misstep, and that Malaysia is criminally underrated.
From the beautiful colonial cities of Penang (Georgetown) and Melaka, to the crazy nature in Taman Negara and Malaysian Borneo. From the bustling world city of Kuala Lumpur to the stunning beaches of the Perhentian Islands – it’ll keep you amazed every step of the way.
Working out how to get around Malaysia was a breeze. I found that the public transport is super reliable and it didn’t break the bank!
So, don’t worry about how to get around Malaysia on a budget. In this guide, i’ll explain everything you need to know about getting around the country whilst being friendly to your wallet.
How To Get To Malaysia
Getting to Malaysia has never been so easy. It’s in the perfect position for travellers arriving from pretty much anywhere on the planet! Whether you come overland, by water or the air – it’s possible.
If you begin your trip in Malaysia, you will pretty much always land in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. There are direct flights here from hundreds of places, but if you don’t mind a slightly longer trip – there’s plenty of budget airlines stopping over in neighbouring Asian countries to be kinder on your wallet.
For the backpackers reading, it’s likely that you’ll be visiting Malaysia on a multi-country journey throughout South East Asia. So, if you’re not starting in Kuala Lumpur, it’s incredibly easy to cross the border from Singapore in the south, and Thailand in the north by bus!
Is It Easy Travelling Around Malaysia?
One of the best things about backpacking Malaysia was the fact that it is so easy to go from place to place! Figuring out how to get around Malaysia was so easy, and putting together my Malaysia route was simple.
Unless you’re skipping a few places, the bus journeys aren’t ridiculously long either. Here are the stops on my Malaysia route, with the length of the bus ride listed beside them:
Melaka – Kuala Lumpur: 2hrs 30
Kuala Lumpur – Cameron Highlands (Tanah Rata): 5hrs
Cameron Highlands – Penang (Georgetown): 4hrs 45
How Much Is Transport In Malaysia?
When researching about how to get around a country, i’m always thinking about my budget. Visiting a country with expensive intercity transport can put a serious dent in my budget so i’ll need to factor that in.
This was no different when figuring out how to get around Malaysia. Thankfully for budget travellers, it is incredibly affordable to travel around this gorgeous country. In some countries, working out the cheapest option to move between places can be a ball ache – but not in Malaysia.
Journeys aren’t long and often, since transport is so frequent, you’ll be travelling with the locals. In this case, it has to be affordable.
How To Get Around Malaysia On A Budget
Working out how to get around Malaysia on a budget is easy. There are multiple methods of transport to get between places and its inexpensive.
Here are the best ways of getting around Malaysia on a budget:
Malaysia By Bus
Thankfully for me, figuring out how to get around Malaysia was easy – because buses were always the cheapest and best way.
Getting around Malaysia by bus was my go-to option during my 3 weeks in the country. Buses travel far and wide across the country, connecting big cities and smaller towns. Unless you’re travelling across an ocean, you will be able to reach your destination by bus.
They are incredibly frequent – so if you’re like me and are very relaxed with planning, you don’t usually have to worry about missing out on booking a bus.
They are really comfortable as they have heaps of leg room and ice cold air conditioning. My favourite part however is that they’re the most budget-friendly option of travelling around Malaysia!
For most journeys, you’ll be able to grab a ticket for less than 40 MYR ($13 AUD, 8 EUR) but a lot of the time you can get them for less than 30 MYR ($10 AUD, 6 EUR).
How to book bus tickets in Malaysia:
There’s two easy ways to book bus tickets online in Malaysia. Via Easybook or 12Go.
I really liked using Easybook in Malaysia as it always gave me the cheapest option so I can’t recommend it more. However, 12Go is also a great option in Malaysia and incredibly popular throughout the country, as well as South East Asia!
Malaysia By Train
If you’d rather do anything else than sit on a bus, travelling by train is an okay backup option for travel in mainland Malaysia. It’s not that much more expensive than the bus either, and for some routes you might be able to snag a ticket that’s cheaper than the bus!
For example, a train from KL Sentral to Ipoh is only MYR 24 compared to MYR 20 for the same journey on a bus! So, if you want to spend only a dollar more – you can get a more comfortable journey.
It is however, wayyyyy less frequent and can be confusing booking journeys as you may need to change trains in some places so you really have to be precise in planning your trip. This is the main reason I avoided travel in Malaysia by train.
When researching about how to get around Malaysia, I found that there are two different types of trains in Malaysia – ETS (Electric Train Service) and the KTM Komuter Trains.
ETS Trains in Malaysia
The ETS have the newest trains in the country with just one class of seating on most trains – the standard class. They are really comfortable, smooth, quiet and have ice-cold air conditioning so make sure you bring a jumper with you otherwise you’ll freeze!
Major Routes for ETS Trains:
Gemas – KL Sentral – Padang Besar
KL Sentral – Ipoh
KL Sentral – Butterworth (Penang)
KL Sentral – Padang Besar.
Book ETS trains on Easybook.
KTM Komuter Trains
The KTM Komuter trains are standard trains that mainly serve shorter distances such as Butterworth – Padang Besar near the Thai border.
It’s unnecessary to reserve a seat as well, as they are just local trains. You can simply buy a ticket on the day at the station or the KTMB iPhone or KTMB Android app and get on!
Check out the KTMB website for more information about routes and timetables.
Malaysia By Boat
If you intend on visiting the beautiful islands of Malaysia like Langkawi on the western coast or perhaps the incredibly underrated Perhentian Islands on the east coast, you can reach them by boat!
When I was working out how to get around Malaysia, I assumed the cheapest way to get to Langkawi was the boat.
Now, whilst you can get to Langkawi by boat – I strongly advise against it because it’s slow, infrequent, and not as cheap as you might think! Once you factor in the bus journey to the port – it can end up being more expensive than flying (even with added baggage).
Credit: Hongbin (Unsplash)
On the other hand, the only way to get to the Perhentian Islands is by boat. You’ll need to catch a boat from Kuala Besut (which you can get to with a direct bus from major cities).
You can book this boat using Easybook. At the time of writing it costs 70 MYR ($22 AUD, 14 EUR) for a return ticket.
See also: The ultimate Malaysia Packing List
Malaysia By Plane
How to get to Langkawi Island
To get to Langkawi Island, I recommend taking a flight. Flights with AirAsia are incredibly cheap and unlike other routes, adding checked baggage is actually a good price!
Credit: Jesse Vermeulen (Unsplash)
From only a quick browse – you can get a flight from Penang to Langkawi for $15 AUD (10 EUR) and add 15kg of checked baggage for only $13 AUD (8 EUR).
Pretty bloody affordable right?
How to get to Malaysian Borneo
The ONLY way to get to Malaysian Borneo from the mainland is by plane. You can get flights from the major airports straight to Kota Kinabalu or Sandakan.
Whilst the flights definitely aren’t as cheap as they are to Langkawi Island, you can score tickets to either airport in Borneo for as low as $80 AUD (50 EUR).
I haven’t had the chance the visit Borneo just yet, so here is a great guide on Backpacking Borneo including how to get around!
Where To Book Transport In Malaysia
When figuring out how to get around Malaysia, I found that the best way to book bus, train and boat tickets in Malaysia is through Easybook. It’s quick, easy and always shows the best price available.
Another great app is 12Go, it is by far the best app for booking transport across all of South East Asia.
Travel Insurance For Malaysia
I’m a big advocate for travel insurance. I believe that if you can’t afford to get a insurance plan, you can’t afford to travel.
If you were to figure out how to get around Malaysia by yourself, there’s a small chance things can go wrong! Make sure you get some before visiting Malaysia so you can enjoy your trip worry-free!
How To Get Around Malaysia: A Summary
Hopefully now, you don’t have to worry about how to get around Malaysia on a budget. It’s affordable, convenient and its a first time traveller’s dream!
Whether you get around by bus, train, boat or plane – you’ll be able to do it thanks to Malaysia’s widespread transport network.
Over time, this will only get easier as the rail network develops and buses reach more and more locations directly.
So for now, relax and enjoy the journey!
Book Your Trip With My Favourite Resources:
Cheap Flights: I always use Skyscanner to browse for cheap flights. It offers so many options to help you find a good deal! It even allows you to search for “anywhere” if you haven’t decided where to go yet!
Accommodation: I start my hostel search with Hostelworld. Most hostels are now on this platform making it the place to find the best hostel for you.
Travel Insurance: If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel. It is so important to have when travelling as it will save you from illness, injury, theft and cancellations! I always use Worldnomads when travelling on a budget as they have the best deals for me.