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| Malaysia
Travel - International |
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| AIR |
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The national
airline is Malaysia
Airlines (MH), which is southeast Asia’s biggest airline
and flies to over 110 cities across six continents. Further details
can be obtained from the London office of Malaysia Airlines (tel:
(0870) 607 9090). Singapore Airlines, Royal Brunei and Thai International
operate flights to certain Malaysian destinations.
Approximate
flight times
From Kuala Lumpur to London is 14 hours.
International
airports
Kuala
Lumpur International Airport (KUL) (Sepang) is 55 km (34 miles)
south from Kuala Lumpur and near Putra Jaya, Malaysia’s future
administrative capital. It currently handles 25 million passengers
a year and is served by all major international airlines.
Kuala Lumpur’s city centre is accessible via the Kuala Lumpur–Seremban
Highway/KLIA interchange and the Shah Alam/North–South Central
Link Expressway (travel time – 45 minutes). Taxis
must be pre-paid in the Arrivals Area at the airport; (travel time
– 40 minutes). KL City Buses operates a 24-hour
Express Bus Service to the Airport Bus Terminal, Hentian Duta, Kuala
Lumpur city centre, which leaves every 15 minutes (luxury coach)
or every hour (semi-luxury coach). The journey takes approximately
1 hour. Regular feeder buses travel from Hentian Duta to Lot 10
on Jalan Sultan Ismail in the city centre between 0800 and 2430
(travel time – 30 minutes).
The cheapest way to travel to the city is by combined bus and train.
The Stage Bus Service, which operates 0715-2230,
leaves the airport every 30 minutes for Nilai KTM Station
(travel time – 30 minutes). From Nilai, trains travel to Kuala
Lumpur Railway Station 0644-2244 every 20-30 minutes (travel time
– 1 hour). The Express Rail Link (ERL) runs
between Kuala Lumpur (KL Sentral) and the main airport terminal
at a speed of 100mph (160km/h) (estimated travel time – 30
minutes).
Airport facilities include
ATMs, bureaux de change, shopping, duty-free, restaurants, postal
services, tourist information, hotel reservations, medical service,
left-luggage, prayer rooms and car hire (Budget and Hertz). Business
facilities include executive lounges, limousine services to the
city and business centres, which provide telephone, fax, Internet,
teleconferencing, postal and secretarial services.
Penang
(PEN) (Bayan Lepas) is 16km (10 miles) south of Georgetown,
capital of this small island off the northwest coast of the peninsula.
Though not receiving as many international flights as Kuala Lumpur,
there are connections from the UK via Hong Kong, Singapore or Bangkok.
Airport facilities include an incoming and outgoing duty-free
shop, restaurant and bar, bank/bureau de change and car hire.
Kota Kinabalu (BKI) is 6.5km (4 miles) from the city. Situated
on the northern coast of Sabah state (the northeastern part of Borneo
Island), this airport is the international gateway to East Malaysia
(Sabah and Sarawak) and receives international flights from all
over the world. Connections from the UK go via Singapore, Hong Kong
and Kuala Lumpur.
Airport facilities include bank/bureau de change facilities,
restaurant and bar.
Kuching (KCH) is 11km (7 miles) from the city. Situated
in the west of Sarawak on the island of Borneo, the airport receives
a limited number of international flights.
Departure
tax
RM45 for international departures.
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| SEA |
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| The major international
ports are Georgetown (Penang), Port Kelang (for Kuala Lumpur) and,
in East Malaysia (for Sabah and Sarawak), Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu,
Kuching, Lahad Datu, Rejang, Sandakan and Tawau. Shipping lines
with passenger services to Malaysia include Blue Funnel, P&O
and Straits Shipping. Cargo/passenger lines are Austasia, Knutsen,
Lykes, Neptune Orient, Orient Overseas and Straits Shipping. Star
Cruises (Singapore) organises luxury cruises from Port Kelang. Other
lines that offer cruises from this port include Coral Princess and
Gemini. Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean and Seabourn Cruise
Lines also call at Malaysia. |
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| RAIL |
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| Through services operate
to and from Singapore via Kuala Lumpur and between Butterworth and
Bangkok (Thailand) daily. There is also a 41-hour round trip available
from the Eastern and Oriental Express, a luxury train service modelled
on the famous Orient Express, which leaves from Singapore, journeys
through Kuala Lumpur and heads north to Bangkok from where it returns
to Singapore. |
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| ROAD |
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| Peninsular Malaysia
is linked by good roads to Thailand and (via two causeways) to Singapore.
Toll fees are levied on all highways throughout Malaysia. Road connections
between the two eastern states, Sarawak and Sabah, and their neighbours
on Borneo, Brunei and the Indonesian state of Kalimantan are fairly
good. |
| Useful
travel links |
| Hot
Spots |
air security
international daily reports |
| IATA |
international air transport
association |
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