Malaysia vacations 2024 & 2025

Malaysia’s important role on the spice trade route helped to create a rich culture and culinary heritage. This can be experienced in cooking courses in a family home, a tour of Kuala Lumpur with a history specialist, or a visit to Pulau Duyong where you can still see wooden boats being traditionally handcrafted.

While the towns and cities have developed into dynamic modern enclaves, you can head out into the jungle on night walks to look for nocturnal creatures or cruise through remote mangrove forests. On the coast, you can beach-hop around Langkawi, take a private helicopter ride for coastal views, or snorkel straight from the beach. Read more about the best things to do in Malaysia, as selected by our specialists, in our highlights guide.

If you’re interested in history the UNESCO World Heritage cities of George Town and Malacca are littered with Dutch, British, and Portuguese architecture, Chinese shophouses, and remnants from their status as spice trading ports. The Cameron Highlands are the gateway into Malaysia’s jungle interior — past the neat tea plantations you’ll find remote ethnic communities and deeper into the jungle, Taman Negara National Park.

The Malaysian peninsular is surrounded by a number of beach-trimmed islands, from Langkawi in the Andaman Sea to the north to Tioman Island in the South China Sea. One of our specialists can guide you on the best island to suit the time of year you’d like to travel. You can find more destinations to explore on our places to visit in Malaysia page.

Malaysia’s history as a former Portuguese, Dutch, and finally, British colony has left it with a legacy of heritage properties, from mock Tudor houses to 1920s mansions. Many have been converted into comfortable hotels decorated with antiques from the era, often with a showcase of sepia images of the buildings acting as summerhouses for British colonialists, party venues for the European colonial elite, or war hospitals.

In larger cities including Kuala Lumpur, there’s also a range of slick, gleaming hotels that reflect modern Malaysia, with panoramic views, cutting-edge technology, and creative architecture. Many of the beach properties are influenced by more traditional Malay wooden buildings, where you can stay in jungle-shaded villas just steps from the sand. More ideas around our top places to stay in Malaysia can be found on our accommodation page.

You can’t fly to Malaysia direct from the UK, but there are regular connections to Kuala Lumpur via the Middle East from most large airport hubs, including LAX, JFK, and SFO. The shortest route is from New York to Kuala Lumpur which takes around 23 hours.

The time zone in Malaysia is UTC +8.

The easiest way to travel around Malaysia is with a private car and driver. This allows you the flexibility to travel at your own pace and stop at anything that catches your interest along the way. If you’d rather be more hands-on you could rent a car. The roads are well signposted and in good condition, but you’ll need to be prepared to drive on the left. For longer distances, there’s a regular schedule of domestic flights.

Our specialists will arrange all the transportation logistics for your trip, which can be tailored to also include trains, cycling, or hiking, depending on your interests — you can read more about self-drive travel across Malaysia in our travel guide.

US citizens don’t need a visa to travel to Malaysia if you’re staying less than 90 days. Your passport must be valid for at least six months after the date of your departure from the country and have at least one blank page. If you’re not a US passport holder, you can check the visa requirements here.

We recommend you’re up to date with the immunizations for your home country, but your doctor can provide you with vaccine advice specific to Malaysia. You can also check the recommended vaccinations by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

There isn’t a risk of yellow fever in Malaysia, but you’ll need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you’re arriving from any countries where there’s a risk, including if you’ve spent more than 12 hours in an airport of a country at risk of yellow fever.