Southeast Asia
Johor Bahru — known to locals as JB — is Malaysia's southern gateway, sitting just across the Causeway from Singapore. Long thought of mainly as a border crossing, JB has quietly evolved into a destination of its own, with excellent food, a growing arts scene, beachfront resorts at Desaru, and the family-friendly Legoland and theme park district at Puteri Harbour.
Things to Do
Spend a day at Legoland Malaysia, the country's biggest dedicated theme park, with rides, a water park, and the SEA LIFE aquarium. Visit the Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque, a striking Victorian-Moorish landmark overlooking the Straits of Johor. Eat your way through the JB Old Town night markets and Kee Lian or Hiap Joo bakery for legendary banana cakes. For beaches, drive 1.5 hours east to the Desaru Coast for resorts, water parks, and long stretches of white sand. Cross to Pulau Ubin or even just back into Singapore for a day to make the most of the dual-city experience that defines JB. Make time for the history, too: JB is the seat of the Johor Sultanate, and Malaysia runs a rare elective monarchy — the king, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, is chosen from among nine state sultans and rotates every five years through the Conference of Rulers. Johor's own Sultan Ibrahim is the current King of Malaysia, the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, in office since 2024. Time your visit right and you can catch the Chingay street parade, which has run since 1870 — organized by the Johor Bahru Old Chinese Temple and joined by the five main Chinese clans, it's the largest Chingay in Malaysia and currently part of a joint Malaysia–Singapore nomination for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status, submitted in 2025 with a decision expected by the end of 2026.
Best Time to Visit
Year-round destination, but May to September is the driest and most comfortable. Monsoon season on the east coast (November to February) brings heavier rain, especially around Desaru. Avoid traveling across the Causeway on Singapore public holiday weekends if you can — queues can be brutal in both directions. And be blunt with yourself about the humidity: it is relentlessly humid here, so much so that you'll empty a large dehumidifier at least twice a day — set your expectations accordingly.
Where to Stay
Stay around CIQ/JB Sentral for easy access to Singapore via the Causeway, in the City Square / Bukit Bintang Indah area for nightlife and food, or out at Puteri Harbour for theme parks and a quieter waterfront vibe.
Budget: Tune Hotel — Danga Bay, a clean, modern budget hotel on the waterfront with an excellent price point and a 10-minute drive to the center.
Mid-range: DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru, a polished and reliable mid-range stay right next to JB Sentral and the Causeway with rooftop pool and great breakfast.
Luxury: Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel, a sleek 5-star tower with skyline views, a large pool, multiple restaurants, and one of the most refined stays in the city.
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Getting Around
JB is well connected by Senai International Airport (a short drive northwest of the city) and by the Causeway and Second Link from Singapore — both have direct buses and shuttle services. The new RTS Link rail (when fully open) will dramatically speed up Singapore–JB commuting. Within the city, Grab is cheap and reliable, and the downtown area around JB Sentral is walkable.
Hidden Gems
Skip the chain malls one evening and head to Jalan Dhoby and the surrounding heritage streets, where converted shophouses now host some of the best independent cafes, bars, and Peranakan restaurants in southern Malaysia. For an iconic JB breakfast, queue early at Hua Mui Restaurant for kopi, kaya toast, and Hainanese chicken chop. Also worth doing: a long lazy weekend at one of the Desaru Coast resorts (The Westin or Anantara) — most Singaporeans treat it as their go-to weekend escape and very few international travelers know about it. For something stranger, drive about 30 minutes to Forest City, a roughly $100 billion Country Garden development of four man-made islands planned for hundreds of thousands of residents but left famously near-empty — widely called a "ghost city." It's now partly occupied by Network School (my invite link — gets you a week free), the co-living community founded by Balaji Srinivasan (former Coinbase CTO and author of The Network State), where hundreds of builders and remote workers have moved into the void. I spent a month at Network School myself — more on that to come.
