Entry requirements | Organizing your trip | Visiting | Eating | Paying | Speaking |

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service

Entry formalities in Malaysia

Diplomatic representations

Embassies Abroad

For more information

Diplomatic Mission of Malaysia in Germany
6, Klingelhofer Strasse
10 785 Berlin
Phone: (+49)30 8857490
Fax: (+49)30 88574950
mwberlin@malemb.de

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation

Besides buses, long distance taxis, which take a maximum of four passengers, are more expensive but more practical.

Maps of urban networks

Maporama
Mapblast
UT Library on line

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation

The most used means of transport is the bus, and the network is very dense. You can also use the two railway lines which cross the country, or the airplane, which is more expensive.

Rail companies

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad

Flight from Greece

No aircraft company operates direct flight from Athens and Kuala Lumpur. To find out air connections from Greece to Malaysia click here

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation

The road network is rather limited but air transport is very developed and the river network is often used, although it is slow. The condition of the highways crossing the country from North to South is satisfactory. The regular road network has variable conditions but it is acceptable on the whole. No specific problems in terms of fuel supply. There is a very high rate of road accidents. In the event of an accident, it is necessary to call the police who will draw up a report. A third-party insurance is compulsory.

Road maps

Malaysia Maps
Malaxi

Find an itinerary

Maps Live

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical

Melaka and Georgetown are historic cities of the Strait of Malacca.

Cultural

Traditional dances: the menora danced by men hidden behind monster masks and its feminine equivalent the mak yong; the joget, danced by couples, the silat, a martial art whose refinement and elegance liken it to a dance. Music: mostly based on the gendang (drum) but also including percussion instruments, flutes, trumpets, gongs and gamelan. The wayang kulit (shadow theater) narrating the Ramayana, the great Hindu epic.

Batik, kain songket, a hand-woven material embroidered with threads of gold and silver, wickerwork, crafting silver, copper and tin, are all part of a flourishing craft industry.

Nature

Malaysia has many national parks: Taman Negara, Endau-Rompin, Kinabalu, Gunung Mulu, Niah, Bako; high altitude resorts: Fraser's Hill wild mountain resort, where you can find jungle paths, waterfalls, tree nurseries and mushroom farms; Cameron Highlands where there are fruit and vegetable farms and tea plantations; and Genting Highlands and its artificial lake.

Religious

At Cameron Highlands the Buddhist Temple Chin Swee, in Kuala Lumpur the Mesjid Negara, one of the biggest mosques in South East Asia, the Hindu temple Sri Mahamariamman, the Brickfields district with its hundred-year-old Buddhist, Chinese and Hindu temples.

Thermal

Malaysia is a favorite destination for health tourism, and has many spas using traditional Javanese, Chinese and Indian practices. A list is available on the Website Tourism in Malaysia.

Beach

Penang, in the north of the island, about 14 km from Georgetown, Langkawi island, relatively isolated and preserved, good for getting away from it all, Pangkor island, well known for its anchovies and its squid.

Winter sports

None

Outdoor activities

Golf, football, sailing, windsurfing, diving, and in Eastern Malaysia trekking in the jungle, climbing and rafting.

Shopping

Do not miss the Carnival sales in Kuala Lumpur, the Central Market (crafts, cheap souvenirs), Starhill Mall (luxury department store), Petaling Street (where Chinese, Nepalese and Burmese vendors sell jewelry, medicinal plants, food, bags and clothes), Little India (saris, gold, medicinal herbs), the shopping centers Suria Shopping Complex, Sungei Wang Plaza, Starhill (luxury), Factory Outlet Store (FOS) and GME Factory Outlet, night markets (pasar malam).

Tourism organizations

Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board

Eating

Food specialties

Among Malay specialties, satay (barbecued meat which has been marinaded in a hot spicy sauce), nasi goreng, ayam goreng, rendang, nasi lemak, Chinese soups: noodle soups with meat, wan tan mee, kway teow, popiah; and Indian dishes: murtabak, roti canai, tandoori.... For further details, see the Rough guide.

Drinks

Fruit juice, tea (usually sweetened with condensed milk), coffee, bali water (a sweet drink made from barley), sodas.

Dietary taboos

Culinary restrictions depend on religions.

Paying

Domestic currency

Malaysian Ringgit

ISO Code

MYR

To obtain domestic currency

By withdrawing money from an ATM, in a bureau de change or in a bank.

Possible means of payment

It is advisable to pay by cheque, or more usually by credit card (Mastercard, American Express, Visa) or in cash.

Exchange rate on

Automatic Teller Machines (ATM)

To find out the locations of ATMs in in Malaysia, click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express

Speaking

Official language

Malay

Other languages spoken

The Chinese speak Cantonese, Hakka and Hokkien. Most Indians speak Tamil. English is an inter-ethnic link, especially in the middle classes. The Dayaks use many dialects.

Business language

English

Getting some knowledge

An introduction to Malay is available here.

Free translation tools

Userpage - English-Malay free dictionary.

We can translate your foreign-language documents.

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