Visiting Malaysia offers so many experiences all within one country. The people are so friendly and love families and the food is delicious. And visiting Malaysia with kids should be near the top of your family travel wish list. Malaysia is one of our favourite family destinations for travel in South East Asia.
This destination guide gives you all the information you need and will give you the confidence to visit Malaysia as a family.
We include all the practical advice and tips for visiting Malaysia with your children as well as suggested itineraries for 2, 4 and 6 weeks in this amazing country.
Scroll on to discover why Malaysia is one of our top destinations for families to visit.
Read all our Malaysian blogs here.
Table of Contents
Accommodation for visiting Malaysia with Kids
There is so much accommodation to choose from in Malaysia and a whole host of budgets. We will only ever recommend places we stayed in Malaysia as a family if we genuinely enjoyed it and thought it offered value for money.
We would describe ourselves as mid-budget travellers, so we definitely haven’t been staying in 5 star resorts, but equally we stay clear of hostels without aircon! We’ve not really had too many accommodation disasters on our travels – long may that continue.
Best hotels for families in Malaysia
- Agile Residence, Bukit Bintang, two bedroom apartment with pool and gym facilities. Best highlight: facilities and brand new properties
- The Robertson, Bukit Bintang, two bedroom apartment with pool and gym facilities. Best highlight: location – right next to China Town and Jalan Alor
- ResortsWorld, Genting Highlands: the world’s largest hotel
- Barat Tioman Beach Resort: right on Juara beach
- Sepilok Jungle Resort: close to the Orangutans
- Rucksack Caratel, Melaka: great location and quirky stay
Budget for Family Travel in Malaysia
One thing we love about Malaysia is how budget friendly it is. And you get excellent value and quality across everything!
We do think it is the most budget-friendly capital city in the world – you get so much and such good quality for your money. That’s across food, accommodation, shopping, transport – everything!
We stayed in a brand new 2-bedroom apartment with access to a huge pool, gym, playground and only a 10-minute walk to TRX mall, and 15 minutes to KLCC.
Here’s our budget breakdown for 24 nights in perhaps the world’s most affordable capital city!
- Accommodation £925
- Activities £860
- Groceries £405
- Eating out £700
- Transport £135
- Total £3025
- Or £126 per day.
And this is even when we splurged on some pricey days out including Kidzania.
Best Places to visit in Malaysia as a family
We enjoy a mix of experiences and there is so much on offer in Malaysia. These are our favourite places to visit as a family with children in Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo.
Best Wildlife in Malaysia
Borneo is your top destination for wildlife in Malaysia. Combine a visit to Kota Kinabalu with a few days in Sandakan to see probiscis monkeys, orangutans and sun bears. Kuching can be visited as a standalone destination.
Langkawi is a Unesco protected area and shouldn’t be overlooked.
Best cities in Malaysia
Nothing beats Kuala Lumpur with kids. There is so much do do and explore. Whilst the city isn’t inundated with cultural experiences, you can easily spend a week here with the kids.
Penang and Singapore are also only 4 hours away by bus or train, or fly in less than 1 hour.
Best Beaches in Malaysia
Our favourite beachy spots in Malaysia are Tioman Island off the East Coast. If visiting during November – March, Langkawi may be a better destination and offers a week of beach and wildlife.
Visiting Koh Lipe (Thailand) is also only 2 hours ferry from Langkawi and you could use it as a transit island.
Itineraries for visiting Malaysia with Kids
2 weeks in Malaysia Itinerary
Start your adventure in Kuala Lumpur for 3 days before travelling up to Penang, either flying or by train. After 4 days in Penang, head to Langkawi for a week, or split that week by flying south for a few days in Singapore.
4 weeks in Malaysia Itinerary
Begin your 4 week Malaysia itinerary in Kuala Lumpur for 4 days. From here travel to Penang for a further 4 days before switching to Borneo. Flights from Penang go to Kuching where we recommend a minimum of 5 days, before heading north to Kota Kinabalu, the gateway to Sandakan. Spend 5 days in northern Borneo before flying to Singapore for 4 days. Follow our route from Singapore to Tioman Island for a week of chill after an intense travel agenda. Return to KL for your return flight home.
6 weeks in Malaysia Itinerary
6 weeks in Malaysia will offer you the opportunity to explore all areas well.
- Day 1-4: Kuala Lumpur
- Day 5-10: Drive up to Penang via Genting and Cameron Highlands
- Day 11-14: Penang
- Day 15-20: Langkawi
- Day 21-25: Singapore
- Day 26 – 32: Tioman Island
- Day 33-42: Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan (fly from Johor Bharu)
If you do have some time left, travel to Melaka from Kuala Lumpur for 3-4 days at the end of your trip.
Practical information
Currency: Malaysia Ringgit. There are currently 5.6 RM to 1 £GBP
Best time to visit: Malaysia is a year round destination. Rainy season in Kuala Lumpur is from October into the new year, and some of the islands will close during this time. But rainy reason shouldn’t put you off – in fact our 4 weeks in Kuala Lumpur in October saw some epic storms, but never for more than 2-3 hours a day. April – September is the ‘best’ time to visit Malaysia.
Plug sockets: 3 pin plugs as per UK
Healthcare: Healthcare and medical services in Malaysia are good. Obviously in more remote areas and on islands it will be less available. We visited the Dr in Kuala Lumpur for an ear infection and got the consultation, ear drops, medicine and wax remover for just over £15. Pharmacies are also widely available and can issue more medications than the UK equivalent.
Getting Around Malaysia
Travelling with kids in Malaysia is easier than perhaps perceived. The travel infrastructure in Malaysia is incredible, and all very affordable.
The main airport for international arrivals is Kuala Lumpur, or KLIA. One terminal is pretty much dedicated to budget airlines such as AirAsia, the other is for long haul scheduled flights. Watch out if you have a connection – it can take 4 hours to travel between the two terminals!
AirAsia offers incredibly cheap flights to over 20 other destinations in Malaysia, as well as other S.E.Asia countries.
Grab, the Asia equivalent of Uber, is readily available across all of Malaysia. A taxi ride in Kuala Lumpur will cost between £1 and £5 – even our 30 minute drive to Kidzania was only £7. Download the Grab app before setting off for Malaysia, or any other S.E.Asian country.
Trains run across the country and are reliable and very affordable. From the main station in KL, you can get to Penang, Singapore, Johor Bharu. Getting from KL to the east coast will demand more a bus and up to 5 hours of travel time. Long distance buses are comfortable and reliable.
Driving in Malaysia is relatively straightforward, especially out of the big cities. We drove from KL to Genting and Cameron Highlands and on to Penang. The Malaysians drive on the left, same as the UK.
Within KL, you can use the MRT, monorail and local buses.
