Malaysia itinerary, day by day

From Kuala Lumpur to the murals of George Town, the tea estates of the Cameron Highlands and the orangutans of Borneo: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

🗓️ 3, 7 or 14 days📍 3 stops☀️ Best time: April to September (varies by coast)

Kuala Lumpur · Photo Indra Gunawan / Pexels

Route map (numbers = order of the stops).

Malaysia in 3 days

2 stops · 12 things to do · ≈ 200 km

1Kuala Lumpur

Days 1-2

A vertical capital, from the twin Petronas Towers to the limestone Batu Caves, where Malay, Chinese and Indian cooking share the same streets.

🎟️ Worth booking

Petronas Towers and the Skybridge1h · from €25
The bridge slung between the two towers at the 41st floor, then the observation deck higher up, on the 86th.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Batu Caves and the city, guidedHalf day · from €20
The 272 painted steps up to the Hindu cave temple, then the old quarters of the city.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Petronas Towers lit up at night · Bukit Bintang · Chinatown and Petaling Street · KLCC Park

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mingle Hostel (€15 a night) · Mid-range: The RuMa Hotel (€120 a night) · Luxury: Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur (€260 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

TTDI Meat Point Steakhouse - حلال ↗ ★ 4.9 · 24743 reviews · €€€
Arthur's Storehouse Pavilion Kuala Lumpur ↗ ★ 4.9 · 3919 reviews
Poblano Kl ↗ ★ 4.9 · 3734 reviews
Gyusei Gyukatsu Wagyu-Steakhouse Bukit Damansara (Japanese A5 Charcoal-Smoked Wagyukatsu Specialist) ↗ ★ 4.9 · 219 reviews
Indian Empire ↗ ★ 4.8 · 5335 reviews · €€

Photo Pixabay / Pexels

🚗 Car · 3h30 · 200 km

2Cameron Highlands

Day 3

Cool hill country around 1,500 metres up, covered in tea estates and strawberry farms. The British came here to escape the heat, and Malaysians still do.

🎟️ Worth booking

Tea estates and picking, guidedHalf day · from €20
A walk through the terraced rows, how the leaves are picked and processed, and a cup at the end.
Book on GetYourGuide →
The Mossy Forest and the summitHalf day · from €25
Cloud forest near the top of Gunung Brinchang, where moss hangs from every branch and the mist rarely lifts.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Tea fields as far as you can see · The strawberry farms · The cool mountain air · The local markets

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Hillview Inn (€25 a night) · Mid-range: Strawberry Park Resort (€60 a night) · Luxury: The Lakehouse (€190 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

the hidden lab ↗ ★ 4.9 · 813 reviews
OK Tuck Restaurant Brinchang Cameron Highlands ↗ ★ 4.8 · 7010 reviews · €€
Home Taste Restoran 味味好家乡餐馆 ↗ ★ 4.8 · 2860 reviews
Pizzarella & Misokimchi @Tanah Rata - Halal Western, Japanese, Korean, Steamboat, Vegetarian Restaurant & Catering Services ↗ ★ 4.8 · 2740 reviews
Boss Taste 波士号 ↗ ★ 4.8 · 1778 reviews · €€

Photo Pok Rie / Pexels

Malaysia in 7 days

3 stops · 18 things to do · ≈ 360 km

1Kuala Lumpur

Days 1-2

A vertical capital, from the twin Petronas Towers to the limestone Batu Caves, where Malay, Chinese and Indian cooking share the same streets.

🎟️ Worth booking

Petronas Towers and the Skybridge1h · from €25
The bridge slung between the two towers at the 41st floor, then the observation deck higher up, on the 86th.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Batu Caves and the city, guidedHalf day · from €20
The 272 painted steps up to the Hindu cave temple, then the old quarters of the city.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Petronas Towers lit up at night · Bukit Bintang · Chinatown and Petaling Street · KLCC Park

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mingle Hostel (€15 a night) · Mid-range: The RuMa Hotel (€120 a night) · Luxury: Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur (€260 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Pixabay / Pexels

🚗 Car · 3h30 · 200 km

2Cameron Highlands

Days 3-4

Cool hill country around 1,500 metres up, covered in tea estates and strawberry farms. The British came here to escape the heat, and Malaysians still do.

🎟️ Worth booking

Tea estates and picking, guidedHalf day · from €20
A walk through the terraced rows, how the leaves are picked and processed, and a cup at the end.
Book on GetYourGuide →
The Mossy Forest and the summitHalf day · from €25
Cloud forest near the top of Gunung Brinchang, where moss hangs from every branch and the mist rarely lifts.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Tea fields as far as you can see · The strawberry farms · The cool mountain air · The local markets

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Hillview Inn (€25 a night) · Mid-range: Strawberry Park Resort (€60 a night) · Luxury: The Lakehouse (€190 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Pok Rie / Pexels

🚗 Car · 3h · 160 km

3Penang (George Town)

Days 5-7

A British trading port founded in 1786 and UNESCO-listed since 2008, known for its shophouses, its street art and some of the best street food in Asia.

🎟️ Worth booking

Street art and heritage walk, guidedHalf day · from €15
The murals and wrought-iron caricatures of George Town, and the clan houses and temples behind them.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Penang Hill and Kek Lok SiHalf day · from €20
The funicular up Penang Hill, then Kek Lok Si, the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The George Town murals · The temples and the clan jetties · The hawker stalls · Fort Cornwallis

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Red Inn Court (€18 a night) · Mid-range: Seven Terraces (€120 a night) · Luxury: Eastern & Oriental (€220 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Levant by the City مطعم شام ↗ ★ 5 · 505 reviews
Firewood Penang ↗ ★ 4.9 · 3650 reviews
Pablo'$ ↗ ★ 4.9 · 1666 reviews
PINWHEEL RESTO CAFE ↗ ★ 4.8 · 6407 reviews · €€
DUAN @ George Town ↗ ★ 4.8 · 5142 reviews

Photo Foad Niestat / Pexels

Malaysia in 14 days

5 stops · 30 things to do · car & flight

1Kuala Lumpur

Days 1-3

A vertical capital, from the twin Petronas Towers to the limestone Batu Caves, where Malay, Chinese and Indian cooking share the same streets.

🎟️ Worth booking

Petronas Towers and the Skybridge1h · from €25
The bridge slung between the two towers at the 41st floor, then the observation deck higher up, on the 86th.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Batu Caves and the city, guidedHalf day · from €20
The 272 painted steps up to the Hindu cave temple, then the old quarters of the city.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Petronas Towers lit up at night · Bukit Bintang · Chinatown and Petaling Street · KLCC Park

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mingle Hostel (€15 a night) · Mid-range: The RuMa Hotel (€120 a night) · Luxury: Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur (€260 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Pixabay / Pexels

🚗 Car · 3h30 · 200 km

2Cameron Highlands

Days 4-6

Cool hill country around 1,500 metres up, covered in tea estates and strawberry farms. The British came here to escape the heat, and Malaysians still do.

🎟️ Worth booking

Tea estates and picking, guidedHalf day · from €20
A walk through the terraced rows, how the leaves are picked and processed, and a cup at the end.
Book on GetYourGuide →
The Mossy Forest and the summitHalf day · from €25
Cloud forest near the top of Gunung Brinchang, where moss hangs from every branch and the mist rarely lifts.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Tea fields as far as you can see · The strawberry farms · The cool mountain air · The local markets

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Hillview Inn (€25 a night) · Mid-range: Strawberry Park Resort (€60 a night) · Luxury: The Lakehouse (€190 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Pok Rie / Pexels

🚗 Car · 3h · 160 km

3Penang (George Town)

Days 7-9

A British trading port founded in 1786 and UNESCO-listed since 2008, known for its shophouses, its street art and some of the best street food in Asia.

🎟️ Worth booking

Street art and heritage walk, guidedHalf day · from €15
The murals and wrought-iron caricatures of George Town, and the clan houses and temples behind them.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Penang Hill and Kek Lok SiHalf day · from €20
The funicular up Penang Hill, then Kek Lok Si, the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The George Town murals · The temples and the clan jetties · The hawker stalls · Fort Cornwallis

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Red Inn Court (€18 a night) · Mid-range: Seven Terraces (€120 a night) · Luxury: Eastern & Oriental (€220 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Foad Niestat / Pexels

✈️ Flight · 2h30 · to Sabah

4Borneo (Sabah)

Days 10-13

The Malaysian north of Borneo: the orangutans of Sepilok, and the Kinabatangan River, where the rainforest comes right down to the water.

🎟️ Worth booking

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation CentreHalf day · from €30
Orphaned orangutans learning to live in the forest, watched from the feeding platforms. The centre has been running since 1964.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Kinabatangan River cruiseFull day · from €60
Boats along the river at dawn and dusk, looking for proboscis monkeys, hornbills and, with luck, pygmy elephants.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Borneo rainforest · Mount Kinabalu, from a distance · The wildlife · The beaches around Kota Kinabalu

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Akinabalu Youth Hostel (€18 a night) · Mid-range: The Magellan Sutera (€140 a night) · Luxury: Gaya Island Resort (€320 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

KK Garden Seafood Restaurant • Sedco ↗ ★ 4.9 · 5879 reviews
Howdy Grillhouse Kota Kinabalu ↗ ★ 4.8 · 2212 reviews
MOGINUM Restobar ↗ ★ 4.8 · 1156 reviews
Urban Kitchen ↗ ★ 4.8 · 443 reviews
POUND ↗ ★ 4.7 · 961 reviews

Photo This photo was taken by Anton Zelenov . Please credit this w / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

✈️ Flight · 2h30 · return

5Kuala Lumpur

Day 14 · return

A vertical capital, from the twin Petronas Towers to the limestone Batu Caves, where Malay, Chinese and Indian cooking share the same streets.

🎟️ Worth booking

Petronas Towers and the Skybridge1h · from €25
The bridge slung between the two towers at the 41st floor, then the observation deck higher up, on the 86th.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Batu Caves and the city, guidedHalf day · from €20
The 272 painted steps up to the Hindu cave temple, then the old quarters of the city.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Petronas Towers lit up at night · Bukit Bintang · Chinatown and Petaling Street · KLCC Park

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mingle Hostel (€15 a night) · Mid-range: The RuMa Hotel (€120 a night) · Luxury: Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur (€260 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Pixabay / Pexels

Hotel prices are per room per night, activity prices per person, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide): we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

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Good to know before you go

🍽️ What to eat

Nasi lemak: rice cooked in coconut milk, with sambal, anchovies, peanuts and egg. The national breakfast.
Laksa: spicy noodle soup, creamy with coconut curry, or sour with tamarind in Penang.
Char kway teow: flat rice noodles stir-fried over a fierce flame, a Penang speciality.
Roti canai: flaky flatbread, torn by hand and dipped in curry.
Satay, and durian for the brave: a fruit so pungent that many hotels ban it.

⚠️ What to avoid

Cover shoulders and legs in mosques. The larger ones lend robes at the door.
Book rides through Grab rather than hailing taxis in the street.
Drink bottled water, and more of it than you think.
Eat and pass things with your right hand, and take your shoes off before entering a home.

Plan this trip

📒 The free printable Malaysia guide→ 🗓️ Best time to visit Malaysia, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book before you go→

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