Part archive and part exhibition space, the Penang House of Music focuses on the diverse musical heritage of this historically and culturally rich city. Visitors to the museum, opened in 2017, can play radio announcer, view vintage films, and learn about puppet theater, Chinese opera, local dances, musical instruments, and Malaysian pop bands.
Head to Tanjung Aru Beach, with a quick ride from Kota Kinabalu, for walks, jogs, and other exercise, along with street food and picnics, and make sure you stay for the gorgeous Malaysian sunset. You can explore Tanjung Aru Beach Park, formerly known as Prince Philip Park, and look out for blue naped parrots and oriental pied hornbills. Or come in the morning or evening to do some tai chi with the locals.
The Malaysian state of Kedah is nicknamed the Rice Bowl of Malaysia, so it’ll come as no surprise that it’s home to the Rice Garden Museum (Laman Padi Langkawi)—where thousands of acres of rice paddy fields thrive with different rice varieties. The emerald expanse is also home to water buffalo and a rich variety of birds.
Boasting the title of the world’s largest cave passage open to the public, Deer Cave is a highlight of the UNESCO-listed Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Borneo. Stalactites drip from the ceiling of this dramatic limestone cavern, which more than 3 million wrinkle-lipped bats call home.
Penang’s oldest Chinese temple and a hub for the Chinese community, the Goddess of Mercy Temple (Kuan Yin Teng) sits amid Muslim, Christian, and Hindu places of worship on George Town’s Street of Harmony. Devotees burn paper money in metal vessels and neon pink incense sticks smolder, while protective dragons guard the inner sanctum.
Perched on a hilltop just outside George Town, the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple is one of the largest Lord Murugan temples outside India: Its main gate stands as high as a 7-storey building. During the Thaipusam festival, the grounds can accommodate as many as 800,000 celebrants.
The Kapitan Keling Mosque’s Mughal-style onion domes and soaring minaret stand out on the George Town skyline, making it a highlight of the “Street of Harmony” that bears its name. Penang’s Indian Muslim community built the mosque in 1801, and today its airy prayer hall has space for 1,500 worshippers.
Affordable stores with an eclectic range of goods, nail salons, massage parlors, and casual restaurants fill the KSL City Mall in Johor Bahru. Bargain hunting isn’t reserved for business within this unpretentious shopping mall, as hawker stalls are also often found around it outside. Treating yourself can take many forms here.
Remote, vibrant, and carefully protected, Pulau Payar Marine Park is an underwater paradise for divers and snorkelers. Made up of four small islands south of the larger island of Langkawi, the marine park is home to coral reefs, colorful fish, and baby sharks. This uninhabited archipelago shows off a different side of Malaysia’s natural beauty, reminding you to look beneath the surface.
Nature lovers will enjoy exploring Penang National Park, home to the secluded Teluk Duyung, better-known as Monkey Beach for the long-tailed gray macaques that call the cove home. The area is also home to sea otters, fruit bats, and eagles, and the clear, green waters are perfect for cooling off.
Opened in 2014, the Asia Camera Museum Penang displays antique and modern cameras from across the globe, including vintage cameras from Japan, Sweden, and the United States. The permanent exhibition features more than 1,000 cameras and photographic accessories, some of which you can pick up and play around with.
Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat is a luxury resort on the outskirts of Ipoh. The retreat not only offers guests luxury villas to stay in but amenities such as wellness facilities and events venues that take advantage of the region’s landscape, including its large central geothermal lake and local caves within nearby limestone hills.
More than just a water park, Austin Heights Water & Adventure Park is a 3-in-1 park. A rope course with seven levels and over 50 obstacles delivers adventure. Slides, wave pools, boomerangs, and racer bowls form the water-park element. Go-karts, synthetic ice skating, and the Jump Street trampoline zone make up the leisure section.
Hang out with popular Malaysian animation characters like BoBoiBoy and The Adventurers at Movie Animation Parks Studio. Located in Ipoh in Perak, it’s the first fully animation-based theme park in Asia, and features more than 15 rides, attractions, and live performances across five thematic zones.
Conveniently located inside the Komtar JBCC shopping mall, Johor Bahru’s Angry Birds Activity Park is a small-scale attraction with activities suited to children from preschool age to tweens. Kids can play at the video-game console, clamber over the pirate ship play structure, and drop onto a giant air mattress, while parents relax in the lounge.
Cool off and enjoy water play at Dinosaur Alive Water Theme Park in Johor Bahru. Located at the KSL Hotel & Resort, the water park features several pools, waterslides, and other water features, along with animatronic dinosaurs ranging from a 2-foot (0.6-meter) compsognathus to an 85-foot (26-meter) brachiosaurus.
Tailored specifically to families, Thomas Town can be a fun-filled way to spend a day in Puteri Harbour—whether or not your kids are familiar with the park’s namesake Thomas the Tank Engine. Here you’ll find themed rides suitable for young children, such as Bertie the Bus, Harold’s Helitours, and the Colin Crane Drop, while daily live shows feature characters such as Bob the Builder, Barney the Dinosaur, and Pingu.
At the 228-acre (92-hectare) Melaka Botanical Garden, just outside Melaka, visitors can spend time hiking and cycling, or simply picnicking and relaxing. Highlights of this popular park include a suspension bridge, observation towers for looking out across the forest, and a playground for kids, as well as a jogging trail and cycle paths.
Ride a steam train on a scenic journey on the North Borneo Railway in Malaysia. Formerly used to transport tobacco, the steam train today carries passengers along the only railway line in the state of Sabah, chugging from the coast through the lush interior of the island, between Tanjung Aru and Papar.
Located just outside of Kota Kinabalu city center, the Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre is a naturally-occurring mangrove forest that provides some of the best bird watching opportunities in urban Sabah. The wetland is fed by both salt and fresh waters, which allows more than 80 species of resident and migratory birds to coexist within its diverse boundaries.
It took more than eight months to create Malaysia’s largest collection of miniature historical and modern buildings, as well as miniature railways and classic trains, using 3D printing technology. Enjoy the miniatures and interactive exhibits, and try to spot regional Malaysian landmarks you’ve seen on your travels.
The A’ Famosa Safari Wonderland is a fun, family-friendly destination that combines aspects of a zoo and a safari park. Ride around the park on a safari truck to get a glimpse of the camels, elephants, zebras, and even tigers that roam freely in large habitats, and watch shows featuring monkeys, birds, dogs, and other animals.
A bustling market offering fruit, vegetables, herbs, and jungle produce from ferns to wild honey, plus animals, orchids, and much, much more, Satok Market (Medan Niaga Satok is Kuching’s most important market. Vendors come from longhouses far upriver to sell here on weekends, often for just one or two Malaysian ringgit.
Create hilarious selfies at Melaka’s Magic Art Museum. Spanning more than 7,000 square feet (650 square meters), with more than 70 artworks covering eight different themes, it’s one of Malaysia’s largest 3D trick art galleries. Insert yourself into scenes from underwater, old Malacca, ancient Egypt, or even a muay Thai kickboxing match.
One of the oldest surviving examples of traditional Malay architecture, Rumah Penghulu Abu Seman is a beautifully preserved dark-wood stilt home set in a garden with around 50 species of native plants.
Home to more than 2,000 exhibits, the Kuching Cat Museum details the historical role cats have played in music, theater, advertising, mythology, and ancient societies around the globe. You won’t find a museum quite like the Kuching Cat Museum anywhere else in the world—an appropriate reality seeing as kucing is actually the Malay word for cat.
Wet World Water Park in Shah Alam is a place for visitors of all ages to have fun on a hot day. Enjoy rides such as the Thunder River, Pirate Challenge, and Super Hurricane—then have lunch at one of the on-site food venues, or relax in one of the cabanas available for rent.
This museum displays a glittering collection of awards, gifts, and mementos given to Tun Dr. Mahathir when he was Malaysia’s prime minister. The building that houses the eclectic collection looks traditionally Malay from the outside. Inside, it boasts an ornate ceiling, stained glass, and elaborate plasterwork.
Home to a wealth of trompe l’oeil art, many with a distinctive Penang flavor, the Penang 3D Trick Art Museum offers the chance to photograph quirky poses at 30-plus illusions. You can simulate skydiving, pose with painted pandas or in the jaws of a giant python, or travel back in Penang time by bullock cart, trolley bus, or rowing boat.
At the confluence of the Igan and Rajang rivers sits the inland city of Sibu, which serves as the gateway for travelers wishing to explore the longhouses of the Upper Rajang River in the state of Sarawak. One of the city;s most popular attractions is Sibu Central Market—one of the biggest indoor markets in Malaysia—home to thousands of stalls.
