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Top things to do in Johor Bahru

Attractions, tours and activities in Johor Bahru

About Johor Bahru

Including tips for the best time to visit Johor Bahru

Johor Bahru, originally a small fishing village, is now one of the largest cities in Malaysia. Just a bridge away from Singapore, the city is a fine blend between two cultures.

The history of Johor Bahru is rich with the influence of foreign settlers, various religions and its own colourful cultural traditions. To understand the historical landscape of the city, head to the 19th-century royal palace of The Istana Besar. This stunning structure houses the Royal Abu Bakar Museum which has a collection of antiques and heirlooms belonging to the royal family. A visit to the Pasir Gudang Kite Museum will give you a look into the cultural importance of kites in Malaysia.

Johor Bahru, like a typical Malaysian city, has a lot to offer when it comes to food. If you fancy baked goods, try visiting the Salauddin Bakery for baked treats or the Hiap Joo Bakery and biscuit factory. For food enthusiasts who don't mind being a little adventurous, try tasting the traditional fish head curry. Medan Selera Meldrum Walk is a hawker's street selling delicious laksa (coconut milk soup) and ikan bakar (grilled fish rubbed in spices) that you must try to visit during your Johor Bahru trip.

There are a number of things to do when visiting the city of Johor Bahru. You can visit the largest public park of Taman Merdeka, walk along JB City Square, relax by the Desaru beach and shop at AEON Bukit Indah shopping mall or Pasar Karat flea market.

Tonight

From £9 per night

This weekend

From £18 per night

Next weekend

From £23 per night

Most popular time to visit October–December
Cheapest time to visit January–March
Local currency MYR 10 = £1.67
Language Malay
Average weekend price £42 per night
Average weekday price £39 per night
Typical stay 1 night

Johor Bahru reviews

What other travellers say about Johor Bahru

8.0

I like visiting Johor Bahru for shopping, massages, movies...

5 April 2024

I like visiting Johor Bahru for shopping, massages, movies and eating. Aeon shopping center and Thai Odyssey Massage are great. There are other fun activities in the area with Lego Land and golf. Getting around is easy with your own car. Grab transport service is also available. I would not stay here as a commute to Singapore activities though. The immigration process can be unpredictable with timing. We spent nearly 4 hours in traffic jam from Singapore to Johor Bahru. Then 1 hour Johor Bahru to Singapore.

Terri
Terri United States
8.0

Went in for the Ramadan vibes.

1 April 2024

Went in for the Ramadan vibes. Highly recommend to hire your own personal driver esp those with kids or big families. It’s congested during this season so save the trouble of getting stuck and waste time find parking lot. Met a very extreme rude indrive driver (Wong, gray myvi, plate number i shall not say) and I genuinely didn’t know the traffic law that baby is included in the headcount and we can’t book normal car for 3 adult with 2 small toddlers, no baggage. Normally we did that, drivers never reject or say anything. He think we act stupid and kept scolding us. I was so traumatised and luckily we manage to get a personal driver and he drove us around Msia till our last day and up till Singapore.

Jannah
Jannah
8.0

Can improve the bus transport with connectivities to...

7 February 2024

Can improve the bus transport with connectivities to different locations. for example, you take a bus to terbau Aeon but from there you cannot go to another location say Bukit Indah. You need to take the same bus back to bus terminal to take another bus to the said destination. The train experience on boarding takes too long for 1 minute ride. Why do you need 1 hour interval to do a minute job? It should be able to ply every 15 minutes instead of 1 hour and more. No wonder you cannot ferry large number of commuters in a day, month and year. With high frequency of trains, you don't need to book tickets, it should be like taking a Mrt Tape in and tape out instead of wasting time checking ticket.

Tan
Tan
8.0

There are a lot of interesting places there such as Legoland...

16 January 2024

There are a lot of interesting places there such as Legoland and beaches. If you stay in the city centre you can go the Stulang Laut to have seafood there. It is easy to get around there but avoid in the morning and evening when the workers go to work and return home.

Nasarudin Bin
Nasarudin Bin Malaysia
8.0

The JB Town has developed with much progress in the recent...

15 January 2024

The JB Town has developed with much progress in the recent years. We have not visited JB for quite some years. Economy must have been brilliant. Even KSL has pretty good apartments/condos for sales to foreigners. Great having so much eateries & shops around such prestigious hotel with economical room rates.

Philip
Philip Indonesia
10

Clean and nice environment.

12 January 2024

Clean and nice environment. High Floor and Quite place. Just the parking place, i almost get a lost. haha However, if you follow the guideline provided by Hotel, there is wont be an issue. Room is big and clean Lovely Breakfast.

Chiam
Chiam Malaysia

Popular places to stay in Johor Bahru

Stay in some of the best accommodation Johor Bahru has to offer