JOHOR BAHRU
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Most travelers pass through this place and visit the bus station only. So did I. Indeed, it is an expensive place to stay and its development makes it rather unattractive, if compared to Singapore or Melaka. On the positive side, it has a great food market and the former palace of the Johor royal family (Istana Besar), reconverted into a museum, is certainly worth a visit.
The bus station is equipped with lots of tickets offices and lots of food shops, restaurants and money changers. And, for a change, buses do not park inside so there aren't too much
asphyxia.
Hotels << Get precise info, book online & save money !
Backpacker's Tips : Aurelien Reys, France (June 04)
« The cheapest place to take a flight to borneo (really cheaper than Kuala
Lumpur or Singapour), make some shopping in one of the numerous commercial
center, walking on the wharf, in parks, and take his dinner in the local night
market
What you may not like ? a city very modern,in some streets the hassle of
prostitutes very rare in malaysia (except if you like it of course!), many
people, many noise, almost no hightlight in reality...
Where to stay ?
Footloose Homestay, 15 RM in dormitory, the only "cheap
option" in the city! ok, clean, nice owner, but 20 minutes away from the center
by walk...
Where to eat ? the night market taking place behind the hindi temple,
is the best stuff to do in this city!
Transportation ?
To : jerantut / singapour / melaka / airport
Price : 14 RM / 5 RM / 12 RM / 4 RM
Type : train / bus / bus / bus
Duration trip : 7h / 30 min / 3h30 / 40 min
Frequency : 1 or 2 per day / probably every 10 min! / aproximatly every 2 hours
/ few every day
Additional comments on transportation ? To go to the bus station from the
center, take the bus n°10 on the bus stop situated nearly 200 meters on the left
after the postborder »
Bus Schedules ?
| To | Price | Class | Duration | Time | Nb | Freq. |
| Singapore | 1.2/2.4 | ordi/ac | 1.5/1 | 6:30 to 24 | a lot | 15mn |
| Melaka | 10 | ac | 3.5 | 8:30 to 21 | a few | hour |
| Seremban | 13.9 | ac | 4 | 8:30,12:30,14:30,17,18:30,22:30 | 6 | na |
| KL | 17/22 | ac / svip | 5 | 8:30 to 17, 22:30 to 24 | a lot | 30-60mn |
| Ipoh | 26/38 | ac/svip | 7.5 | 23/10,13,16 | 1/3 | na |
| Penang | 40 | svip | 21:30,22 | a few | na | |
| Hat Yai | 75 | svip | 14 | 11,13,15,18,23,24 | 6 | na |
| Kota Tinggi | 4.5 | ac | 1.5 | 4:50 to 23:45 | a lot | 10mn |
| Mersing | 7.4/16 | ordi/ac | 3 | 8:30,14/10,11,22:30,23 | 2/4 | na |
Notes : Also to Butterworth at 8pm (R33.6, ac) / To KL, a lot of companies / To Kota Tinggi, Bus No41 then onward to Mersing
The trip to Singapore : SS / L&R / R2.1 / 1hrs / AC Bus
Buses to Singapore leave every 15mn or so. Ordinary bus No170 cost R1.2 but takes 1.5-2 hours and gets usually packed after the immigration procedures. The aircond SJE (Singapore Johor Express) may therefore be a better choice at R2.4.
We reached the immigration office within 10mn : you get off the bus with your bags (you may board a different bus later), get your passport stamped and get in the bus. Got it ?
5mn later, after crossing the border, the operation start again on Singapore's side. But a few more games
were added this time : you have to fill an arrival card and show the skeleton of your bags before boarding the bus for the final 30mn journey.
All together, it took us one hour from Johor Bahru to Queen St Station in the middle of Little India (10mn walk to the GH) but there was no queue and no traffic jams. Showing up at the border at the beginning of the day will probably prove more time consuming...
The trip to Melaka : SS / L / R10 / 3.5 hrs / AC Bus
With a bus every hour, getting in is usually no problem. The Johora Express Bus proved very comfortable : great reclining seats with legs supports, no blasting radio and a bad western movie without a too loud soundtrack (if the movie is good, you might request to hear it).
The only drawback was the 30mn stop at 10:30 by a restaurant surrounded by toilets and food shops. The scenery was mostly of the causeway-side type, making the curtain a good option if the sun play it too strong on the right side.
See also the trip from Mersing / Singapore
