Malaysia

In short

• Kuala Lumpur, the capital, is on the Malay Peninsula and is the main international gateway.
• Kota Kinabalu is the capital of Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo, and the base for Mount Kinabalu and the offshore islands.
• Malaysian Borneo, the states of Sabah and Sarawak, is the place for rainforest, wildlife and national parks.
• Each hotel guide here lists hotels chosen from public, checkable data, with a price check link for every one.

This guide covers 3 places in Malaysia, and most foreign visitors must submit the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card within 3 days before arrival. The country is split in two by the South China Sea.

Kuala Lumpur sits on the Malay Peninsula, next to Singapore and Thailand. Kota Kinabalu and the rest of Malaysian Borneo share the island of Borneo with Indonesia and Brunei, a flight away from the capital, so most trips combine a city stay with rainforest or islands.

Where to go in Malaysia

Where to go in Malaysia depends on whether the trip is about a city, a mountain and islands, or rainforest and wildlife. The table sets out the 3 places covered here.

Kuala Lumpur: the capital and gateway

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the gateway for most international flights. Its skyline is defined by the Petronas Twin Towers, and the city is known for food from Malay, Chinese and Indian traditions, from hawker stalls to restaurants.

The main areas for visitors are KLCC, around the towers and the park; Bukit Bintang, for shopping and nightlife; and Chinatown and Merdeka Square, for older streets and colonial buildings. The Batu Caves, a Hindu temple site in limestone caves, is a common half-day trip from the centre.

Where to stay in Kuala Lumpur shapes the trip: KLCC for the towers and park views, Bukit Bintang for food streets and shopping, and Chinatown and the older centre for heritage streets and markets. The Kuala Lumpur hotel guide compares hotels across these areas.

Kota Kinabalu and Malaysian Borneo

Kota Kinabalu and the rest of Malaysian Borneo are a different trip from the capital. Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, is a seaside city with a waterfront market and sunsets over the South China Sea.

Boats leave the city for the islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, and Kinabalu Park, home to Mount Kinabalu, is a drive inland; the park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors who do not climb can walk the trails around the park headquarters, in cooler air than the coast.

Beyond Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo covers the states of Sabah and Sarawak. Sandakan, on Sabah’s east coast, is the base for the Sepilok orangutan centre and the Kinabatangan River. In Sarawak, Kuching is the riverside capital, and Gunung Mulu National Park, another UNESCO site, is known for its caves.

Getting into and around Malaysia

Getting into and around Malaysia means flying between the peninsula and Borneo, and road or rail within each.

• Arrival card: the Immigration Department says all foreign citizens must complete the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card within 3 days before arrival; Singapore citizens and a few other groups are exempt. Show the registration at the immigration counter.
• Visa: many nationalities need no visa for a short visit. The Immigration Department publishes the list of countries whose citizens need one; ASEAN nationals, except Myanmar, need none for stays under one month.
• Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is the main gateway; a rail link runs from the airport to KL Sentral.
• Domestic flights connect Kuala Lumpur with Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Kuching and Miri, the usual gateway for Mulu.

How the hotel guides are made

How the hotel guides are made matters, because we have not stayed at these hotels. Each list is chosen from public, checkable data: the hotel’s own website, its location, the facilities it lists and its guest score on booking sites, with the date checked.

We show a star category only where an official register lets us check it; otherwise the facilities and the guest score do that job. Every hotel has its own price check link, and no hotel pays to be listed. Read the editorial policy for the full method and the disclosure for how the site earns money.

When Malaysia is not the right trip

Malaysia is not the right trip for every plan. A short stay of four or five nights is better spent in Kuala Lumpur, or in Kota Kinabalu, than split between them, because Borneo adds a flight each way.

Borneo’s wildlife and parks reward time and early booking; a trip up Mount Kinabalu or a stay at Mulu is not an easy add-on. For a beach-led island trip, the Indonesia guide covers Bali; for Europe, start with Spain or Portugal. Read more about the site.

Hotel guides for Malaysia

Each list compares hotels by area, price level and guest score, and explains how they were chosen.

• Best Hotels in Borneo
• Best Hotels in Kota Kinabalu
• Best Hotels in Kuala Lumpur

Common questions