Malaysia Road Trip: Tips for A Safe And Memorable Ride

Are you looking for the best place in Asia to drive the open roads? Look no further than West Malaysia – the part that is sandwiched between Thailand and Singapore.

Driving in West Malaysia is incredibly simple, safe and enjoyable due to following reasons: 

• Gas is quite cheap than other places
• Highways are in excellent condition
• Signs are frequent and clearly marked
• Frequent stops for rest, food and gas
• Most people can speak English
• All leading car rental companies are here
• Area is tolerant and culturally diverse

 

The main reason to choose West Malaysia to drive the open road is the fact that the area has such a large variety of terrain that even a fortnight road trip can make you feel like you have experienced four different vacations. As distances aren't too long in this region, you can simply fly into Singapore or KL and plan your itinerary suitably - from north to south or vice versa.

But before you hit the highway, make sure that you know:

1. Tips for a Safe and Memorable Road Trip in West Malaysia
2. Best Itinerary for First Time Riders in West Malaysia

 

Tips for a safe and memorable road trip in West Malaysia:

• Cars have the steering wheel on the right side. You need to drive on the left side on the road.
• The highways are excellent with frequent stops for food, rest, and gas but smaller roads that pass through towns have frequent traffic lights and are not as well maintained as the highways.
• The Speed limit on highways is 110 kmph (around 68 miles) but most people drive higher, so be careful.
• Unless you are passing, adhere to the left lane. You will find frequent road signs in Malay, saying, "Icut Kiri," or “stay left." Other important warnings that you will see on road signs are "Awas" (danger) and "Hadapan" (in front).
• Use a Touch’n Go prepaid card to pay toll tax at the booth. The card can be bought and refilled at any gas station. To pay the toll, just swipe the card at the dedicated blue-and-yellow signed Touch’n Go lanes at toll plazas.
• The parking meters in cities works on the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. basis, unless otherwise noted. Meter rates are Ringgit 0.80 per hour.
• Always use GPS, especially in Kuala Lumpur because here new roads are built constantly and even one wrong turn could put you off 10-20 miles off the track.

 

Best itinerary for a safe and memorable road trip in West Malaysia

You are strongly advised to start your road trip from Singapore and drive towards north while covering Melaka-Kuala Lumpur-Cameron Highlands and Penang. This gives you a great opportunity to explore the popular west coast of Malaysia. The itinerary goes as follows.

 

1st Stop - Melaka (237 kilometers away from Singapore)

 

 

Melaka, the capital of the state of Malacca, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, you can drive towards the ruins of the Old Portuguese Fort Porta de Santiago, St Paul’s Church, Town Square, Old Stadhuys (Town Hall), and the Christ Church, to experience the rich historical and cultural background of the previous Dutch and British rule.

 

2nd Stop – Kuala Lumpur (148 kilometers away from Melaka)

 

 

Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is encircled by the multi-lane motorways and confusing one-way systems. Its a city home to Chinatown where you can witness a Little India and fine Moorish Architecture around Masjid Jamek and Merdeka Square. You can drive to KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Center) to visit its towers, shopping malls and the adjoining virgin rainforest at Bukit Nanas. If cafes, restaurants, air-conditioned shopping malls and KL's best hotels for tourists are your priority, drive to Bukit Bintang.

 

3rd Stop - Cameron Highlands (200 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur)

 

 

Cameron Highlands is the spectacular mountainous region, which is renowned for its adventurous and curvy roads. Here, roads are mostly single lanes in each direction. Apart from riding, you can enjoy hiking, the strawberries at Brinchang’s pick-your-own farms, tea, and scones or simply relax in the beautiful and serene scenery. Also, don't forget to halt at roadside tea shops like Bharat Tea café, which is located between Tanah Rata and Ringlet.

 

4th Stop: Penang (150 kilometers away from Cameron Highlands)

 

 

Penang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is renowned for its architecture which ranges from art deco to Malay to Georgian. It's also known as Malaysia’s food capital, thanks to its wide range of street food. Here, you can drive to the city of George Town to explore fascinating little shophouses, where the shop is on the street-level and owner or residents live on the floor above, from decades.