Things to do in Malaysia

31 places worth the trip in Malaysia, grouped by what they are. Every guide explains what to see, the best time to go and the practical details, checked against official sources. Best time to visit Malaysia: Mar–Oct (west coast varies).

Mosques & temples (9)
National parks (4)
Nature (3)
Islands (3)
Heritage (2)
Wildlife (2)
Viewpoints (2)
Landmarks (1)
Cities (1)
Markets (1)
Food (1)
Mountains (1)
Beaches (1)

Mosques & temples in Malaysia

The minaret of Masjid Negara rising behind palm trees and a modernist fountain in the mosque grounds

Jalan Perdana, Kuala Lumpur

Masjid Negara (National Mosque of Malaysia)

Opened in 1965, Malaysia's National Mosque pairs a folded, umbrella-like concrete roof and a slender 73 m minaret with reflecting pools and gardens near the Lake Gardens.

Melaka Straits Mosque on stilts over turquoise water, golden dome and stained-glass arch under a streaked blue sky

Pulau Melaka, Melaka

Melaka Straits Mosque (Masjid Selat Melaka)

Opened in 2006, this mosque on stilts at the edge of Pulau Melaka seems to float on the sea at high tide, with a golden dome, stained glass and a 30-metre minaret that doubles as a lighthouse.

Golden Lord Murugan statue at Batu Caves beside the rainbow steps and the forested limestone cliffs

Gombak, Selangor

Batu Caves

A sacred Hindu site set in a limestone hill north of Kuala Lumpur, where a golden statue of Lord Murugan guards 272 colourful steps up to the vast Temple Cave.

Putra Mosque with its pink dome and tall minaret seen across the calm water of Putrajaya Lake

Presint 1, Putrajaya

Putra Mosque & Putra Square, Putrajaya

Completed in 1999, Putrajaya's principal mosque is clad in rose-tinted granite, crowned by a 116 m minaret and set on Putra Square, overlooking Putrajaya Lake beside the Prime Minister's office.

The Blue Mosque's patterned dome and four minarets above trees, with a footbridge over a lake in front

Seksyen 14, Shah Alam, Selangor

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque (Blue Mosque), Shah Alam

Completed in 1988, Selangor's state mosque is known as the Blue Mosque for its huge blue-and-silver dome, framed by four minarets 142.3 m tall and lit inside by blue stained glass.

White and gold Ban Po Thar pagoda above orange temple roofs, framed by a red lantern and festive lights

Air Itam, Penang

Kek Lok Si Temple

A working Buddhist temple begun in the 1890s on a hillside above Air Itam, known for its Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas, a 30-metre bronze Kuan Yin and spectacular lantern displays after Chinese New Year.

Low-angle view of a white mosque tower with bronze-capped turrets and gold star panels against blue sky

George Town, Penang

Kapitan Keling Mosque & the Street of Harmony

Founded in 1801 by George Town's Chulia (South Indian Muslim) community, this domed mosque stands midway along the Street of Harmony, close to the city's oldest church, Chinese temple and Hindu temple.

The Crystal Mosque lit in purple and green at night, reflected in the river, seen from a wooden boardwalk

Pulau Wan Man, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu

Crystal Mosque & Islamic Heritage Park

Built of steel and glass on Wan Man island in Kuala Terengganu, Masjid Kristal glows at night beside Taman Tamadun Islam, a park of replicas of famous Islamic monuments.

White mosque with a blue patterned dome and minarets reflected in a still lagoon under a pale sky

Likas Bay, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Kota Kinabalu City Mosque

Masjid Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu rises from a man-made lagoon at Likas Bay, its blue and gold dome and four minarets reflected in the water. It holds up to 12,000 worshippers and welcomes respectfully dressed visitors outside prayer times.

National parks in Malaysia

Red wooden longboat with a canopy on a wide brown river edged by dense rainforest

Kuala Tahan, Jerantut, Pahang

Taman Negara National Park (Kuala Tahan)

Malaysia's first national park protects some 4,343 km2 of rainforest estimated at more than 130 million years old; Kuala Tahan is the gateway for boat trips, guided treks, night walks and the Seberang Ara canopy walkway.

Bare granite summit plateau of Mount Kinabalu with a pointed peak and a sea of clouds beyond

Kinabalu Park & Mount Kinabalu

Sabah's first park, gazetted in 1964 and listed by UNESCO in 2000, protects Mount Kinabalu and an extraordinary range of plants, from lowland rainforest to alpine scrub. Climb to the summit or walk the trails at park headquarters.

A bright green lizard with blue spots clinging to a thin vine against a dark rainforest background

Mulu, Miri Division, Sarawak

Gunung Mulu National Park

Deep in northern Sarawak and reached mainly by air, Mulu protects vast cave systems including Deer Cave and the Sarawak Chamber, millions of bats, and the Pinnacles, 50-metre limestone spires. UNESCO World Heritage since 2000.

Forested headland with rocky cliffs above a jade-green bay and a sandy beach, seen from a rock outcrop

Bako, Kuching Division, Sarawak

Bako National Park

Established in 1957, Bako packs rainforest, mangroves, heath forest, sandstone cliffs and quiet beaches into a small peninsula 37 km from Kuching. It is one of the best places in Sarawak to see wild proboscis monkeys.

Nature in Malaysia

Mount Kinabalu rising above the green hills and farmland of Kundasang, Sabah

Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

Sabah, Borneo

Malaysia's second-largest state, on the northern tip of Borneo, combines Mount Kinabalu, orangutans at Sepilok, river safaris on the Kinabatangan and island reefs off Kota Kinabalu and Semporna.

Boats moored on the river at Kuala Selangor under an orange and deep blue sunset sky

Kuala Selangor, Selangor

Kuala Selangor: Bukit Melawati & Kampung Kuantan Fireflies

A coastal town 55 km from Kuala Lumpur, where Bukit Melawati's fort, lighthouse and silvered leaf monkeys fill the afternoon and rowing-boat trips at Kampung Kuantan reveal fireflies flashing in the mangroves after dark.

Tour boats crossing open water below jagged forested limestone hills bearing the Kilim Geoforest Park sign

Kampung Kilim, Air Hangat, Langkawi, Kedah

Kilim Karst Geoforest Park

The largest of Langkawi's three geoforest parks, where boats from the Kilim jetty explore mangrove-lined rivers, limestone sea stacks and caves, with sea eagles and kites overhead.

Islands in Malaysia

The curved Langkawi Sky Bridge hung from a single pylon above rainforest and mist

Langkawi, Kedah

Langkawi

An archipelago of 99 islands off Kedah, recognised in 2007 as Southeast Asia's first UNESCO Global Geopark, mixing ancient rock landscapes and mangroves with easy-going beaches and duty-free shopping.

Aerial view of a curving white-sand bay with moored boats, a pier and beach resorts backed by jungle

Besut, Terengganu

Perhentian Islands

Two main islands, Perhentian Besar and Perhentian Kecil, about 30 minutes by boat from Kuala Besut, known for clear water, reefs and turtles. Most resorts close for the northeast monsoon.

Aerial view of a long white-sand beach curving along turquoise water, with forested hills behind

Kuala Nerus, Terengganu

Redang Island

About 45 km off Kuala Terengganu, Pulau Redang is the largest island of a marine park gazetted in 1985, known for white sand, clear water, reefs and nesting turtles. Resorts close in the monsoon.

Heritage in Malaysia

Trishaws with umbrellas parked by heritage shophouses on a tree-lined street in George Town, Penang

George Town, Penang

George Town

Penang's historic capital, inscribed by UNESCO in 2008 with Melaka, is a walkable grid of restored shophouses, temples, mosques, clan jetties and some of Malaysia's best-loved hawker food.

Red clock tower and Christ Church Melaka with its white cross on Dutch Square

Bandar Hilir, Melaka

Melaka Historic City

The old heart of Melaka packs five centuries of Straits history into a few walkable streets, from the red Dutch Stadthuys and Portuguese A Famosa gate to Peranakan shophouses and the weekend Jonker Street night market.

Wildlife in Malaysia

Orangutan hanging upside down from a rope among dense green rainforest foliage

Sepilok, Sandakan, Sabah

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre

Founded in 1964 in the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sepilok cares for orphaned orangutans and prepares them for life in the wild. Watch feeding times from the boardwalk, then visit the sun bears next door.

Wide calm river between dark forested banks under soft morning mist

Sukau, Kinabatangan District, Sabah

Kinabatangan River

The lower Kinabatangan's forested banks shelter proboscis monkeys, orangutans, Bornean pygmy elephants and all eight Bornean hornbill species. Stay at a riverside lodge near Sukau or Bilit for dawn and dusk boat safaris.

Viewpoints in Malaysia

Funicular track dropping through forested slopes toward George Town and the sea from Penang Hill

Air Itam, Penang

Penang Hill (Bukit Bendera)

A colonial-era hill station whose funicular climbs about 2 km to Bukit Bendera, with sweeping views over George Town and the Penang bridges, cooler air and rainforest trails in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The curved Sky Bridge seen from above, slung from a single pylon across forested peaks

Gunung Machinchang, Langkawi, Kedah

Langkawi SkyCab & Sky Bridge

A cable car from Oriental Village climbs Gunung Machinchang to a top station at 708 m, where a 125 m curved bridge hangs from a single pylon above the rainforest and the west-coast islands.

Landmarks in Malaysia

Petronas Twin Towers lit up at night above the KLCC Lake Symphony fountains, Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Petronas Twin Towers & KLCC Park

César Pelli's 88-storey twin towers, linked by a two-storey skybridge, rise above a 50-acre park with jogging paths, a wading pool and an evening fountain display on Lake Symphony.

Cities in Malaysia

Penambang boats on the brown Sarawak River beside the waterfront promenade, a pavilion and the white Square Tower

Kuching, Sarawak

Kuching Waterfront & Old Kuching

A landscaped promenade along the south bank of the Sarawak River, the Kuching Waterfront links heritage buildings, river boats and the Darul Hana Bridge with the old shophouse streets of Main Bazaar, Carpenter Street and India Street.

Markets in Malaysia

The pale blue Art Deco facade of Central Market Kuala Lumpur, with its 'Since 1888' lettering and visitors outside

Pasar Seni and Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur

Central Market (Pasar Seni) & Petaling Street

A former 1888 wet market housed in a 1937 Art Deco building, now a centre for Malaysian crafts, a short walk from Petaling Street, the covered market lane at the heart of Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown.

Food in Malaysia

Jalan Alor's food street with red lanterns overhead, restaurant tables and picture-menu signs along the road

Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Alor & Bukit Bintang Street Food

An evening food street in the Bukit Bintang shopping district, where hawker stalls and open-fronted restaurants fill the road with tables serving satay, grilled seafood, noodles and tropical desserts.

Mountains in Malaysia

Rolling green tea plantations under a cloudy sky with forested mountains behind

Tanah Rata, Pahang

Cameron Highlands

Peninsular Malaysia's best-known hill station, with settlements between about 800 and 1,600 metres, rolling BOH tea gardens, cool evenings around 18°C and trails up to the Mossy Forest on Gunung Brinchang.

Beaches in Malaysia

Orange sunset over the sea at Pantai Cenang, a parasail overhead and an island silhouette offshore

Pantai Cenang, Langkawi, Kedah

Pantai Cenang

A palm-fringed, roughly 2 km strip of fine sand on Langkawi's west coast, lined with restaurants and small hotels and facing the Rebak islands for some of the island's best sunsets.

Malaysia holiday packages

Petronas Twin Towers lit up at night above the KLCC Lake Symphony fountains, Kuala Lumpur

NatureBeach

Malaysia · 11 nights4★ Resort

Malaysia Rainforest & Islands

Sepilok orangutans
Langkawi beaches
Kinabatangan river

Includes accommodation · private transfers · daily breakfast · guided sightseeing

Indicative from

$2,138 pp

Trishaws with umbrellas parked by heritage shophouses on a tree-lined street in George Town, Penang

City breakCulture

Malaysia · 7 nights4★ Boutique

Kuala Lumpur & Penang Food Trail

Hawker food tour
George Town street art
Petronas skybridge

Includes accommodation · private transfers · daily breakfast · guided sightseeing

Indicative from

$1,559 pp

Malaysia travel overview Plan a Malaysia trip

Malaysia travel guides