Car Hire in Malaysia - Getting to Malaysia

Malysia's new international airport, Sepang, is 50kms from KL and was opened in mid-1998. Most tourists travelling into Malaysia either fly into Sepang Airport or arrive overland from either Thailand or Singapore. It's cheaper to fly to East Malaysia from Johor Bahru than from KL. International flights are also routed via Penang, while in Sarawak and Sabah, Kuching and Tawau airports offer flight services.

There are numerous border-crossing points between Thailand and Malaysia. Malaysia also offers a very reasonable west-coast rail link. To get to/from Singapore, you have three options. You can either go across the causeway by land into Johor Bahru, catch a ferry (of which there are three services) or take the train.

Peninsula Malaysia has a fast and affordable nationwide bus system that provides an excellent way to get around the country. Minibuses are also very common and are the only way to get by public transport into Northern Malaysia from Thailand.

Peninsula Malaysia offers a comfortable and economical railway service too, though you'll find there are only two lines: one linking Singapore to Thailand via KL and Butterworth, the other linking centrally located Gemas with Kota Bharu on the north-east border.

Long-distance taxis are around twice the cost of buses, but are more comfortable by far. There are no boat services between Peninsula and East Malaysia. Rickshaws can still be found in some parts of KL, as well as in provincial areas. The public transport system in KL is in a sorry state, especially during peak hours.