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We had an incredible 2 weeks in Malaysia and it’s definitely somewhere I’d love to return to one day. Malaysia is such an underrated country to visit and it quickly became one of my favourite countries on our Southeast Asia trip. From the beaches and waterfalls in Langkawi, to the tea plantations of the Cameron Highlands, the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur to historical Malacca, there is so much to enjoy in Malaysia. Not to mention the incredible rainforests and wildlife in Borneo which you can enjoy on a Kinabatangan River Cruise.
The country is affordable and well-connected, with incredible food and friendly people. It’s also very diverse, with a strong mix of Malay, Indian, British and Chinese influences. Here is how we spent out 2 weeks in Malaysia, I hope you enjoy! 🙂
2 weeks in Malaysia itinerary
Langkawi – 3 nights
How to get to Langkawi from Thailand
We stayed in Satun, Thailand for one night so that we could take the ferry from Tammalang Pier to Langkawi. We booked the ferry online for £10 each and it took about an hour. To get to Tammalang Pier, you can take a public songthaew for 50 baht.
Where to stay in Langkawi
We wanted to stay somewhere cheap and near the pier so that we wouldn’t need to take a long taxi when we arrived (Langkawi is a massive island!) so we stayed at Motel Seri Mutiara for 3 nights for £11 a night. The hotel was in a quiet area just 5 minute drive from the pier, near a couple of local restaurants and a small hawker centre.
Many people choose to stay in the tourist area of Pantai Cenang on the other side of the island. It’s a nice area with plenty of amenities and a beach, it’s just quite far to get there and back from the pier. But to be honest, Grabs aren’t too expensive on the island so you won’t be out of pocket if you stay in this area.
Things to do in Langkawi
- Langkawi Skybridge – The coolest thing we did in Langkawi was the Langkawi Skybridge. We rode the Skycab (the steepest cable car in the world!) to the Skybridge, stopping half way at a beautiful viewing platform overlooking the entire island. We bought our tickets on arrival for £16 and it was definitely worth the money, especially if you haven’t been on a Skybridge before. Your ticket also includes entry to some extras like a 3D art museum, but they are honestly so underwhelming – I would recommend skipping them!
- Gunung Raya – This is the highest point on the island which offers panoramic views of the entire island. There is also an eerie abandoned hotel resort at the top…
- Durian Waterfall – For a refreshing cold swim, we walked to Durian Waterfall. The waterfall is situated in a beautiful jungle area full of monkeys and hornbills. It’s only 2 ringgit (about 36p) to enter so it’s well worth it! Even in the dry season, there was a decent amount of water.
- Temuran Waterfall – This is another cool waterfall in a beautiful setting. However, because we were visiting during the dry season, the waterfall had completely dried up. It’s still nice for a short hike and it’s close to Sandy Skulls Beach, so worth a quick look if you are in the area.
- Sandy Skulls Beach – As the waterfall was dried up, we went to Sandy Skulls Beach to get our cold water fix. The beach is small but pleasant (nowhere near as dramatic as the beaches in South Thailand!) and easy to get to.
- Duty free shopping in Pantai Cenang – This is the main tourist area of the island where there are plenty of restaurants, cafés, duty free shops, bars and a big beach. We came here to buy cheap chocolate from the duty free shops (literally entire shop floors of just chocolate and alcohol, it’s amazing).
George Town, Penang – 2 nights
How to get to George Town from Langkawi
After a great few days on Langkawi, we took the 1 hour 45 mins ferry back to Kuala Kedah. We booked the ticket online for £8.25. We then took a Grab to the train station (Alor Setar) and bought train tickets to Butterworth. The train runs every 30 minutes, costs around £1.20 and takes 1 hour 10 mins.
From Butterworth station, we took the 20 minute ferry across to George Town, before a final 10 minute Grab to our hostel in the centre. The ferries across to George Town run frequently and you can just buy a ticket when you arrive for about 40p. The Grabs in George Town are also really cheap.
Where to stay in George Town
We stayed at Swing and Pillows, a cheap hotel in the centre of town for just £8.50 a night for a private room. The hotel had 2 kitchens with free tea and coffee, an outdoor terrace area and was overall very clean and well located.
Things to do in George Town
George Town is a very relaxed town known for its street art and food culture. It’s a great place to try Malaysian dishes, walk around the old streets and relax in cafés. Mostly, we just ate, ate, and ate some more so most of this list is just where and what we ate!
- Armenian Street РThis is the main street in George Town, famous for its street art. Along this area there are lots of souvenir shops and nice caf̩s. From here we just wandered around the UNESCO old town, admiring the colonial buildings.
- Chew Jetty – From Armenian Street you can walk along to Chew Jetty for more souvenir shops, local snacks and artwork. At the end of the jetty you can also hop on a sightseeing boat trip.
- Chelia Street Night Market – A small outdoor night market with a few stalls selling local Malaysian food. We tried curry noodles from one of the stalls and they were really good.
- Red Garden Food Court – I really liked the atmosphere at this food court and there is more choice with lots of local stalls selling a mix of Malay, Indian and Chinese food. I had a very good mee goreng sayur (veggie fried noodles). There is also a stage with live music on and you can buy beer and cider too.
- Little India – Malaysia and George Town in particular has a large Indian population so we had some amazing Indian food on our Malaysia trip. We came here for breakfast every morning and had amazing roti canai for just 1.50 ringgit (about 30p!) from a local stall. I recommend roti telur (egg roti) and roti pisang (banana roti).
- Try Malaysian delicacies – Firstly we tried the signature Trishaw egg tart from Ming Xiang Tai. Personally, it was a bit too eggy for us! The café also has lots of other local pastries you can try like wedding cookies, wife cake, plus a range of Chinese healing teas. We also tried cendol and mango sago which were surprisingly good (although slightly weird having kidney beans in a dessert…)
- Eat cake at China House РThis is a popular caf̩ renowned for its delicious cakes and desserts, and it lived up to its hype. We had a tiramisu cheesecake which was SO good. Their normal tiramisu is also very highly rated and looks amazing.
Ipoh – 1 night
How to get to Ipoh from George Town
From George Town, we took the ferry back to the mainland and then the train to Ipoh. It only takes 2 hours and costs about £2.30 (we bought tickets from the station).
Where to stay in Ipoh
We stayed in a private room in Homey Hostel for £8 a night each (dorms are available for around £6) because it was cheap and conveniently located for our 1 night stay. The hostel was comfortable, offered free tea and coffee, and was in a good location.
Things to do in Ipoh
We stopped over for 1 night in Ipoh on our way to the Cameron Highlands. It’s a very nice town but you don’t really need more than 1 day here. We only had one afternoon and evening which was enough time to enjoy everything.
- Ipoh Riverfront People’s Park – We started our afternoon at this very nice park by the river. In the park is a great flea market selling loads of second hand clothes and fakes for good prices (I picked up a t-shirt for just $1!) Here you can also get white coffee (unique to Ipoh) from Chiang Jiang White Coffee.
- Kong Heng Square and Concubine Lane – From the flea market, we walked to the centre of Ipoh. Around Kong Heng Square and down Concubine Lane, there are plenty of nice shops, food stalls, and a surprising amount of board game stores (where we picked up the ultimate game: monopoly cards).
- Ipoh Padang – Finally, we ended the afternoon at Ipoh Padang, a nice park surrounded by impressive architecture. We watched a local football game whilst playing our new obsession (monopoly cards) and watched the sunset.
- Ipoh Night Market – If you have more time, the Ipoh Night Market is only a short Grab ride away. It’s well reviewed and looks like there is a lot of food choice. Being a not-very-touristy area, I’m sure it’s full of some really affordable local dishes. Short on time and energy, we ended up eating at Old Town Restaurant, just next to Ipoh Padang, which was a really nice Malaysian restaurant.
Cameron Highlands – 3 nights
How to get to Cameron Highlands
We used redBus to book a bus from Ipoh to Tanah Rata which took around 2.5 hours for £4.50 each.
Where to stay in Cameron Highlands
There are two options for staying in the Cameron Highlands, Tanah Rata and Brinchang. We opted for Tanah Rata as it was conveniently located close to all the hiking trails and was known for being the main tourist hub of the area. It’s a very pleasant town with plenty of restaurants (mainly Indian) and cafes.
We stayed at Hiker’s Sleep Port for £11 a night for a private room. It was a really cozy hostel which offered free tea, coffee and toast. It was located on the main road in town by all the restaurants and was near plenty of hiking trails. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re visiting the Cameron Highlands.
Things to do in Cameron Highlands
Day 1: Trail 10 and 6 to viewpoint and Cameron Valley Tea plantation
On our first day, we hiked Trail 10 to a viewpoint of the area and Trail 6 to the Cameron Valley Tea Plantation. The whole hike took around 2.5 hours and was quite steep, but we did have some beautiful views of the rolling green tea plantations. We also got caught in a very heavy downpour so make sure to bring waterproofs!
Once we arrived at the Cameron Valley Tea Plantation, we had a teh terik (traditional frothy Malaysian tea made with condensed milk) at the cafe before taking a Grab back to Tanah Rata.
Day 2: Trail 9 to BOH Tea Factory and a cream tea at Barracks
On our second day, we hiked Trail 9 to BOH Tea Factory. This was a beautiful hike that took us through forest trails, country roads, local farms, and finally onto the main road through the tea plantations, offering stunning views of the rolling green fields.
Once we arrived, we enjoyed a BOH tea (they have every flavour you could imagine) in the cafe. We then went inside the factory to see how the tea is produced, and there is also a beautiful viewpoint just 5 minutes walk up some steps to the whole plantation – it’s stunning.
We then realised it was going to be about 3 hours walk back so tried to get a Grab, but of course Grabs didn’t come this far away. Luckily, we met a friendly couple from Kuala Lumpur who drove us halfway, and then we hitchhiked with a local who drove us to Tanah Rata. Legends!!
Back in Tanah Rata, we had a cream tea in Barracks – delicious homemade warm scones with cream and jam. I also recommend the cream tea in the Lord’s Cafe, which we went to on our final day before our bus to Kuala Lumpur. They sell homemade strawberry scones which are SO GOOD.
Kuala Lumpur – 4 nights
How to get to Kuala Lumpur
We booked bus tickets from the bus station in the Cameron Highlands for £8 each. There’s plenty of buses running throughout the day so you can just buy your tickets the day before.
Where to stay in Kuala Lumpur
We stayed at Regalia Best Friend Hostel for just £6 a night. It was located in a skyscraper which had the most incredible infinity pool looking over the Kuala Lumpur skyline, including the iconic Petronas Towers. From my bed, I had a floor to ceiling window overlooking the city below, which was really cool. It’s just a couple of minutes walk to the metro station, close to a large shopping mall with a food court and not too far from a couple of local restaurants, so overall was a really great place to stay. If you want an amazing view of the city, then I’d highly recommend this hostel.
Things to do in Kuala Lumpur
- Petronas Towers and KLCC Park – From KLCC Park, you can get a perfect view of the iconic towers and enjoy a walk around the park. This area is a really nice place to visit, relax in the park, and stroll around the shopping area.
- Batu Caves – The Batu Caves is a large cave complex full of Hindu temples and are an important place for Hindus to visit. The caves are just a 20 minute train ride away from Kuala Lumpur and completely free to enter. The only downside is that the area is quite dirty with litter. You only need about an hour here.
- Jalan Alor Food Street – This is a really nice street with local restaurants and outdoor seating. It offers a great view of the skyscrapers in the distance and is a great place to come in the evening for food.
- Chinatown Night Market – This market is good for cheap fakes and souvenirs. There aren’t many food options (mainly just smoothies) but there are several local restaurants nearby.
- Berjaya Times Square Theme Park – Inside the Berjaya Times Square shopping mall is Malaysia’s biggest indoor theme park, which you can see for free. We went on a mid-week morning, so it was a bit underwhelming for us as no one was on any of the rides, but it was still impressive.
- Day trip to Malacca – On our final day, we took a day trip to Malacca, but you could also spend a night here. It’s a 2 hour bus journey, which you can book at the bus station on the day. We took the 9:15 bus which cost around £2.
- We visited A Famosa and St Paul’s Hill, an old Portuguese Fortress and church ruins. There wasn’t much left of the fortress but the hill provided beautiful views of the city. We walked around the iconic red buildings from the Dutch colonial era, wandered along Jonker Street and ate local egg tarts, and ambled along the river. I also had a delicious butterfly pea flower tea from the Malacca Straits Cultural Museum, which is set in a beautiful Chinese-style courtyard.
Optional extra (depending on season)
- Perhentian Islands – We had originally planned to visit the Perhentian Islands, but unfortunately it was monsoon season when we visited in February. The best time to visit the islands is during the dry season between March – October. The beaches look incredible and I’d definitely like to return to Malaysia one day to visit the islands!
- Taman Negara – Another place we had planned to visit was Taman Negara, which offers great hiking and river cruises to see wildlife. However, one of the main things to do there was a forest canopy walk which has unfortunately been closed. As we were doing a river cruise in Borneo we decided to come back another time, but it still looks like a brilliant place to visit.
2 weeks in Malaysia – final thoughts
We didn’t know what to expect from our 2 weeks in Malaysia but we were pleasantly surprised by how much we loved backpacking this country. It’s definitely somewhere I’d recommend and I can’t wait to come back one day to see the Perhentian Islands and Teman Negara. I hope you found this blog useful! 🙂