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Driving up to Malaysia used to mean owning a car, or borrowing one from a very patient relative. Now, thanks to conveniences of modern life such as E-gates and our very own GetGo’s Drive to Malaysia feature, it can be as simple as hopping into a car near your house and driving up North.
Our socials team joked about it in an April Fools' video, then got to announce it for real on 1 September. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of tagging along on a few of their trips, picking up some of their tips and tricks.
Before your Malaysia roadtrip: the checklist
On a road trip to Malaysia, the stressful moments usually trace back to something left at home, like a card in the wrong wallet or a tank you meant to fill. Sort these out the night before and the border becomes the easy part.
In your bag
- A physical passport for every traveller, with at least 6 months' validity
- A valid physical driving licence for every registered driver
- A NETS CashCard with at least $10 stored value for Singapore Checkpoint Fees
- A physical Touch 'n Go (TnG) card with at least RM50 loaded for the RM20 cross-border charge, tolls, and parking
In your car
- Fill your tank up to at least three-quarters before crossing the border. It's a Singapore Customs requirement, with fines of up to $500 if you don't
- Your Vehicle Entry Permit RFID tag
Road rules to watch out for
Malaysia drives on the left too, so most of the driving will feel familiar. Speed limits and parking work a little differently, though.
The speed limit on most expressways is 110km/h, dropping to between 50km/h and 80km/h in towns. Speed cameras are common, and everyone in the car has to wear a seatbelt, back seat included.
Many Malaysian cities use their own parking apps instead of coupons or gantries. Johor uses Parkmax, for example, while Selangor uses Smart Selangor Parking. Download the right one for each stop before you arrive, so you're not fumbling with your phone while blocking a lane.
Rest and recreation stops (R&Rs, as everyone calls them) line the NSE at regular intervals, with petrol, toilets, and food courts that are cheaper than you'd expect. Plan a break every 2 hours, and treat the snack stalls as part of the trip.
If something goes wrong on the highway, PLUSRonda patrol can be reached on 1800 88 0000, or via the orange emergency phones every 2km along the PLUS expressways.
5 routes for your Malaysia roadtrip
1. Johor Bahru and Desaru Coast for a day trip
Drive time: About 10 minutes from the checkpoint JB's old town, or 1.5 hours to Desaru via the Second Link
Good for: First-timers, families, a Saturday with no plans
You can be eating kaya toast in the old town within half an hour of clearing customs, and there's a whole JB breakfast trail worth working through, which is roughly how our JB day began before it turned into go-karts and an afternoon in an old prison. If you'd rather end the day on a beach, cross at Tuas and keep driving east: the Senai-Desaru Expressway runs through rubber estates and kampungs, and on weekdays you can often have a patch of Desaru sand to yourself.
Roast & Coffee
About 10 minutes from the checkpoint, this was our first stop. Get the double butter kaya toast, which comes with thick slabs of cold butter.
📍 Address: 62 and 63, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru
⏰ Opening hours: 7am – 5pm daily
🍴 Halal status: Not Halal
🌐 Website: roastandcoffee.com
Evolt Karting
Electric go-karts on an indoor track inside AEON Mall Bukit Indah, which turned a few of us into wannabe F1 drivers.
📍 Address: AEON Mall Bukit Indah, 8 Jalan Indah 15/2, No. 2 Ground Floor, Taman Bukit Indah, 81200 Johor Bahru
⏰ Opening hours: 10am – 12am daily
🌐 Website: evoltkarting.com
Kotajail
This prison opened in 1883 and now holds a history gallery, a couple of cafés, and old cells you can walk into (entry is RM15 for visitors). Sitting in one for a photo is more unsettling than you'd expect, so we recovered with iced matcha from Matcha Lalu on site.
📍 Address: Kotajail, Jalan Ayer Molek, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru
⏰ Opening hours: 10am – 10pm daily
Desaru Fruit Farm
The guided tour here, about RM30 for adults, ends with a tasting plate of whatever fruit is in season.
📍 Address: Desaru Fruit Farm, 92, 82200 Kota Tinggi, Johor
⏰ Opening hours: 9am – 6pm daily
Desaru Coast
Spoil yourself with around 17km of beachfront with four resort hotels, a waterpark, and golf courses.
📍 Address: Laman Desaru Coast, Jalan Desaru, 81930 Bandar Penawar, Johor
🌐 Website: desarucoast.com
2. Melaka for a weekend
Drive time: About 3 hours
Good for: Couples, food-focused weekends, a first overnight trip
This is the trip I took with the socials team for our Melaka video. Thankfully, swapping drivers at an R&R (after adding them our Additional Driver) made light work of the drive. Be sure to download the Melaka Smart Parking app for street parking.
Kopi Antara Senja
A small coffee kiosk in the middle of the Sawah Ring paddy fields near Tangkak, with Gunung Ledang rising behind it.
📍 Address: Sawah Ring, Bukit Gambir, 84700 Tangkak, Johor
⏰ Opening hours: Varies, check @kopiantarasenja
🍴 Halal status: Muslim-owned
Jonker Street
The heart of Melaka's old town, a short walk from the red Dutch Square buildings. From Friday to Sunday the street closes to traffic for the night market.
📍 Address: Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka
⏰ Opening hours: Night market: Fri to Sun, 6pm – 12am
Ee Ji Ban Chicken Rice Ball
Chicken rice balls were our first meal of the day, and a queue had already formed when we pulled up.
📍 Address: 275, Jalan Melaka Raya 3, Taman Melaka Raya, 75000 Melaka
⏰ Opening hours: 11.30am – 9pm daily
🍴 Halal status: Halal
Sin See Tai
Basically everything here is good (I don’t know how you’d end up on the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops list otherwise), but the hojicha latte is a good alternative if you've already had enough espresso for one day.
📍 Address: 18, Jalan Kampung Jawa, 75100 Melaka
⏰ Opening hours: 8.30am – 5.30pm
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
Trash & Treasure
A few doors down from Sin See Tai, this old rice warehouse is packed with vintage toys, vinyl, typewriters, and old beer memorabilia.
📍 Address: 3, Jalan Bunga Raya, 75100 Melaka
⏰ Opening hours: Sat and Sun, 10am – 1pm, 8pm – 10pm | Closed Mondays
Melaka River Cruise
You can knock it for being touristy, but seeing the old town from the water is worth the ticket.
📍 Address: Quayside jetty, Graha Maju Building, Jalan Graha Maju, 75300 Melaka
⏰ Opening hours: Mon to Thu, 9am – 11pm | Fri to Sun, school holidays and PH, 9am – 2am
🌐 Website: melakarivercruise.my
Asam Pedas Claypot
Melaka is famous for asam pedas, a sour and spicy fish stew, and none of us were leaving without it.
📍 Address: 86, Jalan Laksamana 5, Taman Kota Laksamana, 75200 Melaka
⏰ Opening hours: Wed to Mon, 5pm – 2am | Closed Tue
🍴 Halal status: Muslim-owned
3. Kuala Lumpur for a long weekend
Drive time: About 4 hours
Good for: Groups of friends, shopping trips, city lovers
The drive up the NSE to KL is long enough to feel like an adventure but short enough that nobody's sulking by the end of it.
Pagoh R&R
The northbound side on what will likely be your first stop has Shell and BHPetrol stations, toilets, and a food court for a quick bite.
📍 Address: R&R Pagoh (northbound), North-South Expressway, Pagoh, Johor
Jalan Alor
Bukit Bintang's food street fills with open-air tables from early evening, with tons of tables filling with grilled chicken wings, satay, and char kway teow.
📍 Address: Jalan Alor, Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur
⏰ Opening hours: Around 5pm – 12am daily
Batu Caves
Pro tip: the 272 steps up to the Temple Cave go by a lot easier when you cover your knees and shoulders, and keep any food out of sight of the monkeys.
📍 Address: Batu Caves, Gombak, 68100 Batu Caves, Selangor
⏰ Opening hours: 7am – 9pm daily
Village Park Restaurant
This Damansara Uptown spot has been serving nasi lemak for over 20 years, so expect to queue at breakfast.
📍 Address: 5, Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
⏰ Opening hours: 6.30am – 5.30pm daily
🍴 Halal status: Muslim-owned
4. Ipoh and Cameron Highlands for cooler weather
Drive time: About 6.5 hours to Ipoh, then around 1.5 hours up to Cameron Highlands
Good for: Anyone craving sweater weather, nature lovers, slow travellers
If you've got 4 or 5 days, this is the route to take. Break the long drive in Ipoh, then follow the winding road through Simpang Pulai up into the highlands, where somewhere around the halfway mark the air through the vents changes and temperatures settle in the high teens to low 20s.
Concubine Lane
A narrow, aesthetic heritage lane in Ipoh's old town, lined with souvenir shops, cafés, and snack stalls.
📍 Address: Concubine Lane (Lorong Panglima), 30000 Ipoh, Perak
BOH Sungei Palas Tea Garden
The narrow road in winds past rolling tea bushes, and the café terrace looks out over a whole valley of them. Go early on a weekday, because tour buses arrive around midday and the car park fills quickly.
📍 Address: Sungei Palas Tea Garden, 39100 Brinchang, Cameron Highlands, Pahang
⏰ Opening hours: Tue to Sun, 8.30am – 4.30pm | Closed Mondays
📞 Contact: +60 5-496 2096
🌐 Website: bohtea.com
5. Penang for a week up north
Drive time: About 8 hours
Good for: Food pilgrims, a full week off, drivers who enjoy the journey
Penang is the furthest stop on this list, but the view when you’re crossing the Penang Bridge onto the island is worth it, especially at sunset. George Town's heritage zone is best explored on foot, so pick a hotel with parking and save the car for day trips.
Tapah R&R
A good place to swap drivers, with Petronas and Shell stations, a food court, and EV charging. Payments here are cashless, so have a card or e-wallet ready.
📍 Address: R&R Tapah (northbound), North-South Expressway, Tapah, Perak
Siam Road Char Koay Teow
Every plate here is cooked over charcoal, one at a time, so the noodles pick up a smoky flavour you don't get from a gas wok.
📍 Address: 82, Jalan Siam, 10400 George Town, Penang
⏰ Opening hours: Tue to Sat, 12pm – 6pm | Closed Mondays and Sundays
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
Penang Hill
The funicular here takes you up for views over George Town and across to the mainland.
📍 Address: Penang Hill Lower Station, Jalan Stesen Bukit Bendera, 11500 Air Itam, Penang
⏰ Opening hours: 6.15am – 9.45pm daily
🌐 Website: penanghill.gov.my
Tropical Spice Garden
Shaded jungle trails wind through a hillside garden of more than 500 plant species, with a free audio guide.
📍 Address: Lot 595 Mukim 2, Jalan Teluk Bahang, 11050 Teluk Bahang, Penang
⏰ Opening hours: Mon to Thu, 9am – 4.30pm | Fri to Sun, 9am – 6pm
🌐 Website: tropicalspicegarden.com
Batu Ferringhi
For the especially energetic, Baku Ferringhi has 3km of beach lined with resort hotels, with jet skis and parasailing. For the rest of us, there’s a pretty good night market.
📍 Address: Jalan Batu Ferringhi, 11100 Batu Ferringhi, Penang
⏰ Opening hours: Night market: 7pm – 10pm daily
See you on the road, Amanda 💙
(Featured photo from: Joe Savelsberg)
