Malaysia travel guide: when to go, budget and itineraries

The capital takes two to three days: the Petronas Towers, Batu Caves, the Chinatown markets and the Islamic Arts Museum, closed on Mondays. KLIA airport, 45 minutes from the centre by express train, serves all of Southeast Asia and is the hub for reaching Borneo. Nearby, the administrative city of Putrajaya can be seen in half a day. It is the logical starting point for almost every itinerary, before heading north by train or taking a domestic flight. If you are combining countries, compare nearby routes in Thailand.

This is the best-connected axis in the country, doable by ETS train from Kuala Lumpur. George Town, on Penang, deserves three nights for its street food and its UNESCO-listed shophouses. Ipoh, halfway, can be seen in a day for its cave temples and white coffee. Malacca, south of the capital, needs two nights and ideally a weekend, for the Jonker Street night market held Friday to Sunday. This coast stays dry during the northeast monsoon, from November to February.

Off the Thai border, the Langkawi archipelago lives on duty-free shopping and beaches: Pantai Cenang for buzz, Tanjung Rhu for quiet. You reach it by ferry from Penang, about 2h45, or by direct flight from Kuala Lumpur in one hour. Two to three nights are enough for the cable car, the sky bridge and a boat trip through the Kilim mangroves. The water is swimmable year-round, with a rougher sea in July and August.

Facing the South China Sea, the Perhentian, Redang and Tioman islands offer the best snorkelling in the country, with turtles and reef sharks. They close from early November to late February, when the northeast monsoon makes the crossing impossible: the usable window runs March to October. Access is from the Kuala Besut jetty, then a 30-minute speedboat. Bring cash, ATMs are scarce or absent. The region is more conservative, so cover up in town.

At 1,500 metres, the Cameron Highlands offer a cool climate, around 18 degrees, and landscapes of tea plantations reached by bus from Kuala Lumpur in four hours. Two nights let you visit a Boh factory, walk the numbered trails and reach the Mossy Forest, which can only be entered with a booked guide. Penang is then five hours away by road. Bring a fleece, nights drop below 15 degrees.

One hour by air from the peninsula, Borneo holds Mount Kinabalu (4,095 metres), the orangutans of Semenggoh and Sepilok, and the wildlife cruises of the Kinabatangan river. Kuching, in Sarawak, is the base for Bako park, reached by boat. Allow at least four to five days for a real loop. The French foreign ministry advises against eastern and northern Sabah, around Sandakan and Semporna: favour Sarawak and western Sabah. From Kota Kinabalu, Singapore and Indonesia are under two hours away by air.