"Selamat Datang!!! A Very Warm Welcome!!!" Top 5 Page for this destination Johor Bahru by A2002

Johor Bahru Travel Guide: 511 reviews and 897 photos

Johor Bahru - Flag and State government building. - Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru - Flag and State government building.
Welcome to Jay-Bee!

Johor Bahru, belonging to the state of Johor (Negeri Johor), is situated at the Southern tip of Peninsula Malaysia, just across the Straits of Johor from Singapore, connected by land. Johor Bahru is the capital of the Johor state.

The image shows the state flag of Johor. The white crescent and star of five points denote royal sovereignty. The red represents a warrior and the blue represents the universe.

When people from other parts of Malaysia talk about Johor Bahru, it will be associated with Singapore because it is a city at the border with Singapore. JB has been promoted to the status of a city in 2000. Peninsula Malaysia is linked with Singapore by road - the causeway and not long ago, the second link. The check point to the causeway is at downtown JB and is quite old. For people coming from the North on the North South Highway, it is convenient to get to Singapore via the second link, which will less crowded with a hefty toll. JB can be a base to make day trips to Singapore. It is a good base to visit Singapore especially for backpackers and other budget travellers.

I have been staying in JB since I was 6 years old. Travelling in and out of JB is as easy as ABC for me. There are many people from all walks of life crossing the causeway to and from Singapore everyday. There are many who work in Singapore and stay in JB, and also students studying in Singapore but staying in JB. Perhaps, you would be amazed at the number.

Suggested Walking tour:
====================
Take a taxi to the Abu Bakar Royal Museum situated within the Royal Palace Park (Istana Besar). Enjoy the beautiful grounds of the Grand Palace. There's a small museum with interesting artifacts of the Sultanate of Johor for you to see. Then cross the road (Jalan Air Molek) and walk along the road (two big roads from the coast)(Jalan Ibrahim) passing by the court house, post office, JB city council and many other government buildings/offices. There's also a monument built to remember Sultan Abu Bakar, with a bronze replica of the crown of Johor. See the interesting style of the buildings. I think they are british and Anglo-malay influenced design.
Turn left at Jalan Trus, and you will finally reach the "city center" where you can see many old wooden buildings and streets lined with shop houses. You might find this place chaotic because the traffic is quite heavy in the small, narrow roads. Remember the government buildings are here and hence more people need to visit this place. Here, you will be able to have a taste of JB. There are numerous restaurants, coffee shops and food-stalls to fill your stomach. The famous JB herbal duck rice is here. Look out for a big plastic duck at the entrance of the shop, near Jalan Segget.
Follow the bend of the road and walk towards the main road (you will see lotsa buses and cars). Turn left at the main road (Jalan Wong Ah Fook) and walk along the main road. You will see a Hindu Temple on the left. As you approach the Hindu temple, you will see a shopping complex (Kotaraya) and Pan Pacific hotel.
Turn right and walk along the road and you will see the old Chinese Temple on the left. This temple is a very sacred place to the Chinese community. It is believed that our god (tua pek gong) is there and protect us. The area around the temple was destroyed during WW2, but this temple remained intact. This temple will be very crowded during Chinese New Year when people come here to offer fruits, flowers, joss sticks and burn joss papers.
Back track to the Hindu temple and the main road. You will be able to see a big shopping complex across the road - City Plaza. Have a drink or a meal in the air conditioned restaurants or coffee house.

psst... I love shopping and dining at City Plaza.

A Seafood Heaven...
Seafood. - Johor Bahru

Seafood.

JB is a heaven for seafood. Being a multi-cultural society, there are so many ways of cooking a type of seafood. Let's take an example of a seafood - crab. I can choose how I want the crab to taste and presented to me. Sweet and sour crab, chilli crab, black pepper crab, curry crab, steam crab, etc. Then order a few steam or deep fried plain buns to dip in the sauce... simply delicious and mouth-watering... How can you resist these mouth-watering seafood??? Come on, visit JB and if I have the time I will show you where to go.

You can eat seafood in a coffee shop, a restaurant in a neighbourhood or on kelongs or restaurants built on stilts. I prefer the latter. The restaurant will be built on stilts above the mangrove swamp or the sea, along the coast. Imagine dining under the fan, enjoying the cool sea breeze, enjoying the night view across the straits and tuck in your food! The seafood at these restaurants are very fresh. You can choose which swimming fish or crawling crab or swimming prawns you want. ahhem... I dun kill them myself by the way... Oh yes, plus sipping the cooling and refreshing coconut drink too! Relaxing and unique, isn't it? Having said these, when a restaurant gets more popular with Singaporeans, there is a possibility of high inflation rate. I usually visit restaurants further away from the causeway and constantly look for new places to dine and abandon the old ones when they get unreasonably expensive. The prices will still be cheaper as compared to dining in a restaurant in Singapore, however, these prices will be out of the market price in Malaysia. We have lower living standards and income!

On the table are sweet and sour crab, black pepper crab, steam prawns, fragrant coconut drink, satay sauce. oops, forgot to get the plate of satay in... :p
Also, notice the coconut drink on the top left? yummy yummy... a tasty and refreshing drink. I love coconut drink and the flesh too. Dig the coconut flesh after you finish the drink. Many foreigners do not know that...

Yumm... - Johor Bahru

Yumm...

2 Black pepper crabs on the pink plate, and big (really big) shell food. I do not know what it is called, but very tasty. I think they were steamed with some soya sauce, ginger, garlic, and coriander.

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:Cheap for shopping and dining.
  • Cons:Poor public transport system.
  • In a nutshell:Worth visiting for a short break or weekends.
  • Intro Updated Nov 21, 2004
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Reviews (85)

Jalan Wong Ah Fook. - Johor Bahru Jalan Wong Ah Fook. Things to Do (15)

This is a very busy road in downtown Johor Bahru. There are many interesting sights along this busy road. There are many... more travel advice

Indian Temple. - Johor Bahru Indian Temple. Things to Do (15)

There are many Indian temples in Johor Bahru. This temple shown in the picture is in the city center and can be seen as... more travel advice

Sikh Temple (Gurdwara). - Johor Bahru Sikh Temple (Gurdwara). Things to Do (15)

This is the only Sikh temple in downtown Johor Bahru. more travel advice

Pasar Malam 2. - Johor Bahru Pasar Malam 2. Things to Do (15)

This picture shows a stall selling many types of "kuihs" (sweet or salty delicacies). For the best and cheap kuihs, I... more travel advice

Comments (38)

  • Reply
    Mar 31, 2008 at 5:05 AM

    Excellent page with a lot of information!

  • Reply
    Avya's Profile Photo
    Mar 23, 2008 at 2:45 AM

    Hi, thanks for the tips! May I ask where is the Pulai waterfall? I'm staying near JB town.

  • Reply
    robertgaz's Profile Photo
    Nov 27, 2007 at 9:42 PM

    Terrific transportation tips!

  • Reply
    Jan 12, 2007 at 6:11 AM

    If you are bring meat products into Singapore, check with the custom first. If I am not wrong, all meat product cannot enter Singapore.

  • Reply
    Jim_Eliason's Profile Photo
    Dec 29, 2006 at 1:07 PM

    great tips!

  • Reply
    Dec 26, 2006 at 5:57 AM

    Hey! Is there any good korean food restaurant in Johor?? Thanks!

  • Reply
    gilabrand's Profile Photo
    Mar 15, 2006 at 2:30 AM

    So interesting to read about the local customs!

  • Reply
    susanpingu's Profile Photo
    Jul 4, 2005 at 10:01 AM

    Hi, Your Senai Airport -Larkin Terminal bus connection is exactly what I was looking for since I need to take the coach to KL after disembarking from the JB airport. Thanks.

  • Reply
    Sheraline's Profile Photo
    May 17, 2005 at 7:14 PM

    Hey Lina, I agree with you. A lot of people do not have sufficient knowledge about JB. I'll organise my page to compliment yours. JB is my home and i love it soooo much!~

  • Reply
    Feb 1, 2005 at 2:02 PM

    how far from the border to jb and what are people saying about getting pasport torn ?? wtf are they on about can u offer any help ta noel cowzer noel_cowzer@eircom.net

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