Johor Bahru
Discover Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru (Jawi: جوهر بهرو, Chinese: 新山) (also Johor Baru or Johore Baharu, or just JB) is Malaysia's second largest city, and the state capital of Johor. The city is surrounded by suburbs, industrial parks and long waterfront areas, in the southern part of Peninsular Malaysia. Johor Bahru together with Iskandar Puteri and Pasir Gudang cities and Kukup, Kulai, Pekan Nanas and Senai towns form the megaregion Iskandar Malaysia. Johor Bahru was the world's 35th most visited city by international tourists, according to Euromonitor International in 2019, as well as the second most visited city in the nation, after Kuala Lumpur.
What to Experience in Johor Bahru
Taste of Johor Bahru...
Johor Bahru offers local delicacies of Malaysia to Western and Asian choices of food. Dining venues range from budget and mid-range eateries to high-end restaurants with various price ranges. Many of them are in restaurant and entertainment districts, shopping malls, along sea fronts, hawker centres, pedestrian zones, food courts, stand alone food stalls or even food trucks. Alternatively, you can always use food delivery apps from your mobile phone to get your favorite foods delivered straight to your accommodation from major restaurants in the city. Halal-certified logos are displayed at many restaurant entrances. Some other restaurants also offer non-pork and non-lard foods but lack halal certification. There are approximately 200 vegetarian eateries across the JB metropolitan area, especially in Skudai and the entertainment district that is Mount Austin. Most but not all vegetarian eateries across the JB metro area are Chinese Buddhist and thus have allium-free menus. There are many pusat penjaja or hawker centres across Johor Bahru. Hawker centres are basically a collection of pushcart or van vendors selling food or drinks in one particular area. This is the alternative of which otherwise would be the street food equivalent in other countries. The places are usually relatively decent with no air conditioners. There are usually enough tables for its patrons; therefore, there is no need to reserve any particular table. Food and drinks are sold cheaply in these areas.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Johor Bahru into what it is today.
The city was founded in 1855 as Tanjung Puteri during the rule of Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim of the Johor Sultanate. In 1862, it was renamed as Johore Bahru when the Sultanate moved its capital there from Telok Blangah. After the independence of Malaya in 1957, Johor Bahru became the capital of Johor State and continued as such after the formation of Malaysia in 1963. Johor Bahru was declared a town in 1977, and then a city in 1994. Subsequently, with the establishment of Nusajaya, many of the state administration offices were moved to the new town. In 2020, the new city hall of Johor Bahru was established in Bukit Senyum. Like the rest of other areas in Malaysia, Johor Bahru has an equatorial climate with consistent temperature throughout the year. It has a considerable amount of rain and high humidity. Daily average temperature ranges from 26.4 °C (79.5 °F) to 27.8 °C (82.0 °F). Although the climate is relatively uniform, it does show some seasonal variation due to the effects of monsoons. Day time can be a bit hot, thus bringing a hat, cap or umbrella may always be a good idea, because sometimes rain will also pour down unexpectedly. The official 1.4568103.75981 Johor Tourist Information Centre at Jalan Ayer Molek (about 1 km southwest of JB Sentral) is a tiny office on the 3rd level in a sprawling white building of the same name, a 10-min walk from JB Sentral station; M-F 8AM-5PM....
Climate
Like the rest of other areas in Malaysia, Johor Bahru has an equatorial climate with consistent temperature throughout the year. It has a considerable amount of rain and high humidity. Daily average temperature ranges from 26.4 °C (79.5 °F) to 27.8 °C (82.0 °F). Although the climate is relatively uniform, it does show some seasonal variation due to the effects of monsoons. Day time can be a bit hot, thus bringing a hat, cap or umbrella may always be a good idea, because sometimes rain will also pour down unexpectedly. The official 1.4568103.75981 Johor Tourist Information Centre at Jalan Ayer Molek (about 1 km southwest of JB Sentral) is a tiny office on the 3rd level in a sprawling white building of the same name, a 10-min walk from JB Sentral station; M-F 8AM-5PM. There are two other tourist offices located at: Malay is the official language of the state and Malaysia, and spoken by virtually all locals.
Essential Information
Best Time to Visit
Year Roundbest time to travel across the causeway would be....
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThe most practical way for most international visitors to enter is through Singapore Changi Airport or Senai International Airport (see below). 1.642778103.6686111 Senai International Airport (JHB ) is the main airport serving Johor Bahru, located in the neighbouring town of Senai. It has several international flights from other Southeast Asian countries, and it has also domestic flights from major airports around Malaysia, including connecting flights from Malaysia's main airport Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), which is served by flights from major destinations around the globe. Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) across the border in Singapore is commonly used by locals due to its better connections. The downside is that you will have to pass through customs and immigration twice, and getting to/from your destination can be a bit of a hassle as normal Singaporean taxis are not allowed to cross the border into Johor Bahru and vice versa....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
If you wish to explore Johor Bahru by bus, the main bus terminals of the city are Larkin Sentral, 1.4629103.76457 JB Sentral, 1.543222103.798758 Taman Johor Jaya and 1.598103.8225569 Ulu Tiram. From these terminals, buses going to almost major suburbs of Johor Bahru as well as Kulai, Iskandar Puteri and Pasir Gudang. The destination also serves Pontian Kechil, Ayer Hitam and Kota Tinggi in the neighbouring districts of Johor Bahru. Local public buses in Johor Bahru accept cashless payments such as Visa card, NFC using smartphone or smartwatch, and QR code payment, making it the first Malaysian city to support contactless payment using smart devices on urban bus network. The last buses leave JB Sentral for their respective destinations at about 11PM or earlier; the last buses returning to JB Sentral leave their starting points at about 10PM or earlier. Before boarding any bus, look at the destination boards on the bus and do not hesitate to ask the bus driver directly.
Where to Stay
There is plenty of accommodation in Johor Bahru to suit all budgets. The cost of a double room in a budget hotel right in the city centre (i.e. around Jalan Meldrum, between Jalan Tun Abdul Razak and Jalan Wong Ah Fook near City Square) starts from RM50 net per room per night. In general, the budget hotels outside the city centre are cheaper and most of them are located within shop lots areas. Backpacker hostels with dormitories (dorms) are not as commonly found in Johor Bahru as in Malacca, Kuala Lumpur and George Town. For short term stay, the city offers many choices of accommodation from Airbnb's platform. For non-Malaysians, rooms are generally quoted without the tourism taxes, in which you still need to pay upon check-in, which costs RM10 per room per night. As of 2025, Johor Bahru has become the city in Malaysia with the second lowest crime rate.
Money & Budget
Johor Bahru offers endless possibilities when it comes for shopping, from the full air conditioned shopping malls (equipped with supermarkets, cinemas, child playground), open air street night markets and bazaars, and dedicated handicraft and art centre. It also has plenty of convenience stores located in almost any shop lot and petrol station for a quick snack or light food. Street vendors are extremely hard to find, although you will still find people walking around to sell you things when you dine in at outdoor hawker centres. Johor Bahru houses many shopping malls with various sizes and for different segments of the society, which are fairly located throughout the whole city areas. Most of them open from 10AM until 10PM, except for the cinemas which usually open for an extended time.
Language & Talk
Malay is the official language of the state and Malaysia, and spoken by virtually all locals. English, however, is widely used as a second language in public and for business, commercial and tourism purposes. Teochew is the main language spoken by the Chinese community, with many of them able to speak Mandarin as well, while Tamil is the main language spoken by the Indian community. Other languages from East, Southeast and South Asian countries can also be found in the city due to the significant presence of migrant workers from those countries. Generally, most of the public commercial signs are bilingual in Malay and English. Many private establishments will also include Chinese or Tamil signs. However, road signs are mostly written in Malay only.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
As of 2025, Johor Bahru has become the city in Malaysia with the second lowest crime rate. However, it used to have a bad reputation, due in part to sensationalised reports by some foreign media of crimes committed against their citizens; the proximity to super safe Singapore hasn't helped perceptions. Having said all that: If you are robbed, you are advised to give up most, if not all, of your valuables to avoid putting your personal safety in jeopardy. As a rule of thumb, the general hawker food scene in Johor Bahru is hygienic though certain areas are less so. So keep an eye out for those dirty hawkers who pay very little attention to hygiene. Tap water should be boiled before drinking. Nevertheless, bottled water is widely available at a cheap price in almost all eateries, shops, and convenience stores. Generally many of the eating establishments in the city will have free Wi-Fi connection for Internet access and almost all of accommodations will have one.
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Johor Bahru
World busiest international lane border crossing
Permas Jaya Highway
Masjid Kota Iskandar
A statue of a star is in the middle of a city
Nature
25 MAR 2016 The garden of Pejabat Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri Johor. (Malaysia, Johor state government office)
Johor Bahru
Jalan Dhoby Johor Bahru
We are shoot this photo using dji mavic pro.
Colorful shophouses line a street in asia
World busiest international lane border crossing
Permas Jaya Highway
Masjid Kota Iskandar