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🇲🇾Things to Do in Malaysia
From the Petronas Towers to the rainforests of Borneo - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Malaysia splits across two land masses - Peninsular Malaysia, where Kuala Lumpur and Penang sit, and Malaysian Borneo, a separate flight away and a completely different kind of trip built around rainforest and wildlife rather than cities. Most first visits stay on the peninsula; Borneo is the natural next step. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur
Once the tallest buildings in the world, connected by a skybridge on the 41st floor. Book tickets online in advance - daily visitor numbers are capped and slots sell out, especially for sunset.
📍 Kuala Lumpur
🚉 Nearest station: KLCC on the Kelana Jaya LRT line, which comes up inside Suria KLCC mall at the foot of the towers.
Penang Street Art & George Town
George Town's UNESCO-listed old town is dotted with murals and wire-art sculptures depicting local life, best explored on foot with a printed or app-based street art map.
📍 George Town, Penang
🚉 Penang has no rail on the island: take the ferry from Butterworth, whose station is on the KTM Electric Train Service line from KL, and the murals are then all within a walkable few blocks of Lebuh Armenian.
Cameron Highlands
Rolling tea plantations and cooler mountain air a few hours from Kuala Lumpur, with the BOH Tea Estate the most visited of several plantations open for tours and tastings.
📍 Cameron Highlands, Pahang
🚉 There is no railway up the hills - buses run from KL's TBS terminal and from Ipoh to Tanah Rata in about four and five hours, and local buses cover the tea estates from there.
Borneo Rainforest & Orangutans
Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo) hold some of the world's oldest rainforest, with the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre one of the most accessible places to see wild-born orangutans up close.
📍 Sandakan, Sabah
🚉 Sandakan and Sepilok are reached by air from Kota Kinabalu, then a local bus or taxi for the 25km to the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre; Danum Valley is a further 4x4 transfer from Lahad Datu.
Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur
A limestone hill with Hindu shrines inside its caves, reached by climbing 272 brightly painted steps guarded by a giant golden statue at the base.
📍 Gombak, Selangor (Kuala Lumpur)
🚉 Nearest station: Batu Caves, the end of the KTM Komuter line from KL Sentral, about 30 minutes, with the 272 rainbow steps directly outside.
Langkawi
A duty-free archipelago off the northwest coast, with a cable car up to the Sky Bridge suspended over the jungle canopy, and beaches quieter than those on the mainland.
📍 Langkawi, Kedah
🚉 Ferries run from Kuala Perlis and Kuala Kedah, both connected by bus to the mainland railway at Arau and Alor Setar; most visitors fly into Langkawi International instead and hire a car or scooter.
Malacca (Melaka)
A UNESCO-listed former Portuguese, Dutch and British trading port, with colorful Dutch Square and Jonker Street's night market as the main draws in the old town.
📍 Melaka
🚉 The nearest station is Pulau Sebang/Tampin, 40km out with a connecting bus; the usual approach is a two-hour coach from KL's TBS terminal to Melaka Sentral, then town bus 17 to Dutch Square.
Mount Kinabalu, Borneo
Southeast Asia's highest peak between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Climbing to the summit takes an overnight stay partway up and requires a permit booked well in advance.
📍 Kinabalu Park, Sabah
🚉 No public transport reaches the park gate reliably - shared minivans leave Kota Kinabalu's Padang Merdeka terminal for the two-hour climb to Kinabalu Park headquarters, where climbs must be booked long in advance.
Mark Malaysia, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Malaysia?
A week covers Kuala Lumpur and Penang or the Cameron Highlands well. Two weeks lets you add a Borneo extension, which is worth treating as close to a separate trip given the flight involved.
What's the best time to visit Malaysia?
Peninsular Malaysia's west coast (Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi) is driest roughly December-February; the east coast has the opposite pattern. Borneo is fairly consistent year-round, with rain possible at any time.
Is Malaysia good for a first-time visit?
Yes - English is widely spoken as a result of British colonial history, and Kuala Lumpur's public transport (LRT/MRT) makes the capital easy to navigate independently.
Do I need a visa to visit Malaysia?
Many nationalities, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most of the EU, can visit visa-free for short tourist stays (typically up to 90 days); other nationalities need a visa or eVisa arranged in advance. Check the official visa information for your nationality: imi.gov.my.
What are some things to do in Malaysia on a tight budget?
Hawker-style food courts and night markets serve excellent meals cheaply, Batu Caves and most temple exteriors are free to visit, and Kuala Lumpur's public transport is inexpensive for covering the whole city in a day.
Can I rent a car in Malaysia, and what licence do I need?
Yes, and it makes sense in Langkawi, Penang and around Borneo where buses are thin. A foreign licence is accepted if it is in English; otherwise you need an International Driving Permit or a certified translation alongside it, and carrying an IDP is sensible either way. Minimum age is usually 23 with a credit card for the deposit, and traffic drives on the left. Highway tolls use the Touch n Go card, which rental cars normally carry - check it has credit before a long drive. The Ministry of Transport publishes the rules at mot.gov.my, with licence services on the government portal malaysia.gov.my; cars come from Hertz, Avis and local operators at every airport.