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Malaysia

Duration: All Weekend 4-7 days 8-14 days 15+ days Kids: All 👨‍👩‍👧 Kid-friendly
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Malaysia: from Kuala Lumpur to the Perhentians
Malaysia 14 days

Malaysia: from Kuala Lumpur to the Perhentians

From Kuala Lumpur to the Perhentian Islands, between skyscrapers, colonial towns, tea plantations and jungle
Wild Borneo, the state of Sabah
Malaysia 11 days

Wild Borneo, the state of Sabah

Orangutans, proboscis monkeys, Mount Kinabalu and the diving of Sipadan

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Planning a trip to Malaysia? Here you'll find our 2 day-by-day itineraries (Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Malacca, Cameron Highlands, Taman Negara, Perhentian Islands, Borneo (Sabah)), plus all the practical info to organise your journey: currency, visa, e-SIM, health, plugs and useful numbers.

When to go to Malaysia

Tropical, hot and humid all year (25-35°C), with short downpours almost daily. Mind the monsoons, offset between the two coasts: the WEST coast (Penang, Langkawi) is wettest from August to December, while the EAST coast and Borneo run from October/November to February — when the Perhentian and Redang islands close. Best times overall: March-April and June-September.

Practical info for travelling in Malaysia

Updated: June 2026

Currency

Malaysian ringgit (MYR or RM). One euro is worth about 5 ringgit. Cards are accepted in cities, hotels and malls, but for markets, street food, taxis, the islands and Borneo you need cash: ATMs are scarce outside the cities. Change or withdraw at the airport and in the big cities.

Language

The official language is Malay (Bahasa Malaysia), but Malaysia is multi-ethnic: Mandarin is spoken among the Chinese, Tamil among the Indian community. English is very widely spoken everywhere, a colonial legacy: you'll be understood with no trouble.

Documents / Visa

You need a PASSPORT valid for at least 6 months from entry. No tourist visa for stays up to 90 days for most nationalities (check your own). The Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) is MANDATORY, to be filled in online for free within the 3 days before arrival (imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac). Immigration is very strict: make sure your passport is intact, including the pages, or you risk being turned back.

Health / Vaccines

No vaccines are mandatory when arriving from Europe (yellow fever is required only if you come from or transit over 12h through a risk country). With your doctor consider hepatitis A/B, typhoid, Japanese encephalitis and, for rural areas/Borneo, antimalarials. Dengue (mosquitoes) is endemic in cities: always use repellent. Private healthcare is good but expensive: travel insurance with repatriation is essential.

e-SIM / Connectivity

An EU SIM works in roaming but is costly outside the EU: better a local eSIM or SIM (Maxis, Celcom, Digi), cheap and with good 4G/5G coverage across the country, including most islands. Wi-Fi is widespread in hotels and cafés. Grab (the ride app) needs a connection: set it up right away.

Electricity

240V, 50Hz, type G sockets (the British three rectangular pins): you NEED an adapter, European plugs do not fit. Buy one before leaving or on arrival at the airport.

Time zone

UTC+8, with no daylight saving. When it is noon in Central Europe it is 6pm in Kuala Lumpur (7pm in winter).

Payments

In cities cards and digital payments (including QR) are common, but cash is still king for street food, markets, local transport and especially the islands and Borneo, where ATMs are rare. Always keep small notes. Grab can be linked to a card and paid in-app, very convenient.

Good to know

  • Getting around: Grab, buses and domestic flights — In cities use Grab (Southeast Asia's Uber): cheap, fixed-price, no haggling. Between peninsular cities long-distance buses are comfortable and cheap (bookable on 12Go or Easybook); there's also the fast ETS train on the west coast. For long distances, and to reach Borneo, domestic flights (AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines, Batik) cost very little: book them ahead.
  • If you drive: on the left and with an international permit — In Malaysia you drive on the LEFT (a British legacy). To rent you need an International Driving Permit (Geneva Convention model) together with your national licence. Helmets compulsory on motorbikes, seatbelts front and back, alcohol max 0.05%. Peninsular roads are good and fuel is cheap; in Borneo and on the islands, though, transfers and tours are better. City traffic is heavy: Grab is often the smart choice.
  • Safety and eastern Sabah — Malaysia is broadly safe: the only ordinary caution is pickpocketing in crowded places (sometimes from motorbikes), so keep documents and phone in inner pockets. BEWARE, however, of eastern Sabah (Borneo): the coast around Semporna, Sandakan and the islands, including Sipadan and Mabul, is a special security zone (ESSZONE) due to the risk of kidnappings by armed groups from the Philippines. Travel advisories warn against independent boat excursions in those waters: move only with licensed operators and check the current situation before you go.
  • Religion, laws and customs — A Muslim and multicultural country, relaxed but respectful: in mosques cover arms and legs, women cover the head, go barefoot (a robe is usually lent). Note: drugs can carry the DEATH PENALTY, no exceptions; homosexuality is a criminal offence; religious proselytising towards Muslims is illegal. None of this affects the respectful traveller, but they are rules to know. Alcohol is available but expensive and uncommon in the more religious areas.
  • Mosquitoes, food and water — Dengue is present all year, even in cities: use DEET repellent morning and evening, especially in the jungle (Taman Negara, Kinabatangan) and with children. Don't drink tap water: bottled only, and avoid ice in dubious places. Street food is one of the trip's joys: pick stalls with a queue and turnover, where food is cooked to order. Don't approach the monkeys (rabies and theft).
  • Book the islands and permits — The Perhentians have few places and fill up: book well ahead (and remember they close from November to February with the monsoon). To dive at Sipadan the daily permit is capped: book it months ahead through the dive centre. After your last dive, wait 18-24 hours before flying. In Borneo, the Kinabatangan River lodges are booked as packages (meals and cruises included).

Useful numbers

  • 999 — Emergencies: police and ambulance
  • 994 — Fire brigade
  • 112 — Emergencies from a mobile phone (routes to 999)
  • +60 3 42565122 — Italian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur — travellers of other nationalities should contact their own embassy

💡 Two golden rules for Malaysia: fill in the MDAC online in the three days before departure (without it, arrival is trouble) and get a type G adapter (sockets are British). Then let your stomach lead the way: between Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Malacca this is one of the best street-food countries in the world, and it costs next to nothing.