Malaysia - Getting There by Road

Since Malaysia only has land borders with Thailand on the Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia and Brunei in East Malaysia, road routes into the country are fairly limited. But there are ways you can drive into Malaysia from other countries in South East Asia.

Kuala Lumpur has a new, shiny bus terminal much unlike any other in Asia. It is clean and open with easy pedestrian access and three public train links to get there. Buses from here travel generally south in the country, with a few a day going as far as Singapore. Travelling by bus in Malaysia is affordable and comfortable, and although it may take longer than travelling by train, there are many more established bus links in the country than railway lines. For more information about where specifically you can get the bus to and from Kuala Lumpur, contact the bus station using the details below.

Terminal Bersepadu Selatan
Bandar Tasik Selatan, Jalan Terminal Selatan
Tel: +60 03 9057 5804 / 03 9057 5802
www.tbsbts.com.my

Singapore

West Malaysia is linked to Singapore via a narrow causeway. It only takes about 4 hours to drive from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, so is therefore a journey which is easily doable for a long weekend away. There are also buses available that will take you over the straits. These generally take longer than driving as they have to make more stops along the way, but there are some ‘express’ type buses available that make fewer stops on the journey.

Brunei

You can catch buses and taxis between Miri in Sarawak and Kuala Belait in Brunei. Kuala Belait has easy bus connections with Bandar Seri Begawan; you can also cross from Lawas to Bangar (in Brunei), and then head on to Limbang.

Indonesia

In Borneo, regular buses run between Kuching and the Indonesian city of Pontianak via the Tebedu–Entikong crossing.

Thailand

It is possible to drive all the way to Bangkok, Thailand, from Kuala Lumpur. This journey would probably have to be split over 2 days as it would take you around 15 hours to complete it all in one go.

On Peninsular Malaysia, there is a bus which runs from Alor Setar to the border crossing at Bukit Kayu Hitam. There are also two trains which pass through Alor Setar to Padang Besar and which continue further north into Thailand; the first one terminates in Hat Yai, while the second goes all the way to Bangkok. Be warned that some visitors may not feel completely safe travelling through Hat Yai, as it has previously been a hot spot for clashes between Muslims and Buddhists in Thailand.