Getting there and around
One airport, one railway, everywhere.
Malaysia is a big country with two halves, and getting around it is a system of systems: one great airport hub at KLIA, the KLIA Ekspres and the ETS trains on the peninsula, and domestic flights tying in Penang, Langkawi, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. Get the gateways straight and the whole calendar opens up.
Arriving
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) is the main gate, two terminals at Sepang an hour south of the capital: KLIA for the full-service airlines and KLIA2 for the low-cost carriers. The KLIA Ekspres runs to KL Sentral in 28 minutes, the KLIA Transit stops on the way, and buses and Grab cars cover the rest. Subang's Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB), much closer to the city, takes regional and turboprop flights. The other gates matter in Malaysia in a way they do not in smaller countries: Penang (PEN), Kuching (KCH), Kota Kinabalu (BKI) and Langkawi (LGK) each take international flights, and a trip to Borneo is a flight, not a drive.
Getting around the country
Inside the Klang Valley, the LRT, MRT, monorail and KTM Komuter lines reach every major venue on this calendar: Bukit Jalil for Unifi Arena and TM Stadium Nasional, KLCC and Bukit Bintang in the centre, KL Sentral as the hub of it all. A Touch 'n Go card works at every gate. Between cities, the ETS electric trains run from KL Sentral to Ipoh in under two hours, Butterworth (for the Penang ferry and bridge) in about four, and Johor Bahru to the south. Domestic flights tie the peninsula to Sabah and Sarawak and to Langkawi and Penang, and long-distance buses from TBS (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan) are frequent and cheap.
Singapore and the islands
Johor Bahru faces Singapore across the Causeway: trains, buses and cars cross all day, and the RTS Link to Woodlands is due to join them. Ferries run to Langkawi from Kuala Perlis and Kuala Kedah, to Penang island across the strait, and to the east coast islands (Redang, Perhentian, Tioman) from Kuala Terengganu and Mersing in season; the east coast boats thin out or stop in the November to February monsoon.
Search airport transfersvia Klook
The luggage trick
KL Sentral has lockers and left-luggage counters, the big malls hold bags by the day, and KLIA's baggage services sit in both terminals. Travelling light between a morning exhibition and an evening concert, with the suitcase waiting at the station, is how the city does long days.