Introduction To Johor

At the southern most tip of Malaysia is the busy stat of Johor – it does have a multitude of features to interest the tourist, and is also Malaysia’s most heavily populated state with over 3 million residents. The main sights include immaculate national forests such as Enday-Rompin National Park, some interesting museums and the city of Johor Bahru (the capital of the state).

Johor also has a colourful history, with it’s independence as a state dating back as far as the early 16^th century when the Sultanate of Johor was founded. Johor remained the only state in what is now Malaysia not to fall into Portugese rule during this time.

The state also went through British rule until 1914, and was officially recognised as a state of Malaysia in 1948.

Things To See & Do In Johor

Much of what’s to see in Johor can be found in the main city area of Johor Bahru. Because this is Malaysia’s most geographically close city to Singapore, there is always the opportunity to skip over the border but there’s a fair bit to do in Johor in it’s own right.

With over 3 million residents, you can bet there’s a fair bit of shopping and a multitude of bars and restaurants to keep the sophisticated traveller busy.

A serious hit with most tourists is the Royal Abu Bakar Museum which displays many fine exhibits owned by a succession of sultans throughout the history of Johor. The Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque is also an impressive structure, matched only by two other stunning structures in the city - namely Roufo Gumiao (Chinese temple) and Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim. Rounding off the religious monuments is the equally impressive Church of the Immaculate Conception.

Johor is also terribly proud of it’s reputation as a shopping paradise – indeed, there are more than a couple of handsome shopping malls such as Johor Bahru City Sq, Plaza Kota Raya, and Plaza Pelangi.

Johor Lama Fort is also a very interesting historic place to visit, situated right on the Johor River:

Above - Johor Fort Footage Courtesy Of Youtube

Outside of Johor Bahru there are also some interesting sights and destinations – the Seribuat Archipelago is a wonderful set of islands which affords some outstanding diving opportunities.

The Endau Rompin National Park is also a highly visited destination – the park exceeds two hundred years in age and the main highlights are the splendid Sangkut Falls. You can take in some brilliant treks within the national park too.

There are also a couple of very pleasant towns to visit outside Johor Bahru – Mersing a picture perfect fishing village which has almost stood still in time over the past hundred years. Muar is somewhat more lively and offers a couple of basic accommodation types.

You’ll also want to visit Gunung Ledang – Johor’s highest peak which affords some amazing views over waterfalls and endless jungle terrain.

Hotels, Guesthouses & Other Accommodation In Johor (Malaysia)

As you’d expect, most of the accommodation within Johor is central to the main city area of Johor Bahru. We’ve listed some of the most popular places to stay from five to two star places:

Regency (5 Star)

Pulai Springs (5 Star)

Puteri Pacific (5 Star)

Mutiara (5 Star)

Hyatt Regency (5 Star)

Sofitel Palm (4 Star)

Selesa (3 Star)

Crystal Crown (3 Star)

Tropical Inn (2 Star)

The above places relate to accommodation in Johor Bahru. There are more places to stay within Mersing such as the East Coast Hotel (budget), and the Teluk Iskandar Inn (slightly more upper range).

Restaurants, Café’s, Bars – Places To Eat & Drink In Johar

Some very good eateries can be found in the main city of Johor Bahru.

Some excellent & cheap grub can be had at Bay Leaf Food Court (everything from Western dishes to more popular Malay cuisine is available here).

Near store shopping centre, Ah Cai Technochew is a highly popular restaurant that is celebrated for it’s sea cucumber dish.

If you fancy some authentic hawker chow, there are no shortage of food centres available such as Tepian Tebrau and Sera Sungai Chat.

Restoran Medira does some cracking Inidan food, while you can feast on wood roasted chicken at Kenny Rogers Roasters. Closer to home, there is also a TGI’s available in the city centre. For seafood, you can pop in to Straits Garden Seafood or Todak Seafood Restaurant.

Slightly more upmarket, Aliff Restaurant serves up a variety of east and west experts.

Chocolate Banana is an interesting place to head to – especially if you like cake!

Moving on to the nightlife, Johor Bahru is a bustling city, and there are a couple of bars, clubs and disco’s available for the night creature.

The city has one or two karaoke bars such as TAM and most offer a variety of food and drink choices. Also popular are the night markets. Bayleaf has a good bar and is open quite late, while the interesting Handle Bar is a bikers bar with a pretty good atmosphere.