Visiting Johor Bahru for a short holiday would be interesting if you know a little bit of a background on the places of interests around this fabulous city.  Johor Bahru otherwise known as JB is the nearest Malaysia’s connecting city to Singapore via land transportation.

The majority of tourists from Singapore make Johor Bahru their next destination because of its close proximity. It’s really convenient to cross the border.

However, with the ongoing restrictions brought by Circuit Breaker in Singapore and Movement Control Order in Malaysia to stop the spread of Covid19 pandemic, traveling by now is not advisable. Anyway, this can be a good reference to you once the border is open.

I have listed here some of the recommended things to do in Johor Bahru.

Top 10. Walking around Hutan Bandar Recreational Park

This place is very wide. It is mostly good for jogging and brisk walking.  The place is surrounded by big trees while situated in the middle of the city. It has lakes where you can see turtles and mudfishes around.

Aside from its playground, they also have their swimming pool. This is normally open to the public but because of MCO, this facility is temporarily unavailable. The place has also a lot of food places for you to have your breakfast too.

The park is believed to be crowded during the early morning from 6 AM to 8 AM and around 6 PM to 7 PM.

Top 9. Johor Premium Outlets

This is a great place to visit with lots and lots of discounts during special occasions and promotions. The outlets here offer a lot of choices. They have different branded clothes, jewelry, shoes, etc. Name it and they have it. You would definitely like it.

With MCO, each participating outlet has its own QR code for customers to scan and register their identity before entering each shop (I guess this is the new normal). Just need to be patient so everyone can enjoy shopping happily and safely.  

Going to this place from JB city center is not a problem. They have a bus service that connects you in one ride. It's very accessible.

Top 8. Walking Around Adda Heights Town Park

Adda Heights Town Park is one of the newest town parks in Johor Bahru. It is very accessible to the public. The park is clean with lots of facilities. They have a basketball rink, kids' playground, a lake that makes the place refreshing (I think it's good for a picnic), and a walking track that will guide you to walk around the area.

Parking is not an issue but bear in mind that this park is very busy during the early morning from 6 AM to 8 AM and from 6 PM to 7 PM.

Top 7. Danga Bay Park

If you want to walk during night time, you can go and venture into this place.  This reactional park was developed by Tan Sri Datuk Lim Kang Hoo via Ekovest Berhad and is located near Istana Bukit Serene. This is about 7 kilometers from Johor Bahru's city centre.

They have a lot of rides here for everyone to enjoy. Most of their rides comes with attractive good lighting that makes the place very happening. It is a good place to explore.

They also have restaurants here serving seafood dishes. A bit pricey though but considered an outstanding one.

Top 6: The iconic Crown in Johor Bahru

This is actually the Istana Bukit Serene. It is the residence of the Sultan of Johor.

It is recommended to visit this if you are in Johor Bahru. Take a walk at night here to see the colorful lights coming from the crown.  They also have fountains nearby as additional attractions to the area. It is open to the public and good for photo sessions.

Parking area is available and it's free. The parking area is just nearby “The Crown”.  

Top 5: Exploring the Old JB Town

The Old JB town marks various historical architectures about the type of building during the 19th century. Most of the building here is now used for commercial purposes which has existed for more than 50 years.

It is also within this town where guests can walk around to explore the different shops (bakery shops) restaurants, and Kopitiam offering authentic Malaysian cuisines.  Majority of the old shops still exist. However, due to MCO, some had lessened their operation hours.

Top 4: Visiting Johor Zoo

Johor Zoo was built in 1928 and it was the first zoo to be opened in Malaysia. Accordingly, this zoo is also one of the first zoos to be opened in South East Asia. With over hundreds of different species of animals like lions, tigers, crocodiles, elephants, lions, gorillas, monkeys, sun bear, camels, and different types of birds.

As a traveler, I would suggest you take a photo in front of this signage as proof that you have visited and explored Johor Zoo.

Johor Zoo also provides opportunities to interact with the animals during feeding times. The entrance fee is not that expensive. It is worth going for the entire family.

Top 3: Mall Hopping

Johor Bahru offers a lot of shopping malls for you to explore with. Each shopping mall has their own specialty in terms of promotions.  

These malls cater to wellness services such as massage centers, nail polishing, hair cut services; You can also discover ongoing sales on branded and unbranded garments, clothes, shoes, phone accessories, and others.

During major events of the year such as Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and Christmas, you will be amazed at the different themes on all these shopping malls. It is very creative.

The top most visited shopping malls in Johor Bahru include KSL City Mall, Paradigm Mall, Sutera Mall, Aeon Tebrau City, The Mall Mid Valley South Key,  Johor Bahru City Square, and R&F Shopping Mall. Each mall has its own specialty to offer.

Top 2. LEGOLAND Adventure

Being the only LEGOLAND adventure park in Asia, most of tourist especially from China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and nearby countries visit LEGOLAND to encounter different attractions and activities inside this park.

LEGOLAND offers more than 40 rides with different varieties of shows events and attractions which takes about 12 hours to enjoy the entire place. In 2019, the Sea Life Aquariums came in as part of the new attraction.

LEGOLAND Malaysia Resorts offer both Dry Park and Water Park for the guests to enjoy.

LEGOLAND Malaysia waterpark is the World’s largest LEGOLAND waterpark with over 20 thrilling slides for every visitor to enjoy. Children can enjoy customizing their own lego artwork with the available lego bricks inside LEGOLAND.

 Top 1. Food Exploration

Johor Bahru is one of the most visited cities in Malaysia aside from Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, and Ipoh for food explorations. Different restaurants and hawker centres in Johor Bahru offer different types of local and international cuisines to offer to tourist and locals from all walks of life.

Food places can be just along the road serving nasi lemak or carrot cake. You can also check out Pasar Malam where you can see a lot of street food that would really satisfy you till the end.

With the geographical structure of Johor Bahru, nearby countries like Indonesia and Singapore always visit Johor Bahru as their next destination because of the different food available in town. 

Some of the popular places for street food is at Taman Sentosa where you can have the chance to discover different street and hawker food for both halal and non-halal food.

Pasar Malam is also one of the most visited activities in Johor Bahru and nearby towns and cities. Singaporeans and other nationalities really enjoying this activity. Guests can enjoy authentic Malaysian food. To name some, you can try the Pasar Malam beside the KSL area (every Mondays from 4pm to 10pm), the long stretch of Taman Pelangi roadside behind Giant Supermarket (every Tuesdays from 4pm to 10pm), and the Pasar Malam in Taman Daya (every Wednesday from 4pm to 10pm).

Singaporeans also visit Gelang Patah area for a short gateway to explore seafood restaurants and other “Kopitiam” offering authentic coffees for coffee lovers.

How to get to Johor Bahru?

 There different modes of transportation on how to get to Johor Bahru.

 By Flight

• Domestic flights from Kuala Lumpur or any other parts from Malaysia and touch down at Senai International Airport.
• Upon reaching Senai International Airport, you can take taxi, private hire, or grab car to JB Sentral area. However, if you want to be economical, you can take Causeway Link Bus service from Senai International Airport to go straight to JB Sentral.

 By Ferry

• There are different ferry terminals in Johor Bahru and even around Johor. If you are coming from Indonesia (Batam) or Singapore, you can take any ferries that go to the Stulang Laut Ferry Terminal.
• This ferry terminal is located beside the Berjaya Waterfront Hotel in JB. It is the most recommended one. It is nearby to these places especially to shopping places in Johor Bahru.

 By Bus (Express Bus Service)

• There are different express bus service providers from the different parts of Peninsular Malaysia towards  Johor Bahru via the Larkin Bus Terminal.
• From Larkin Bus Terminal, you can take taxi, grab or even public buses to get to your desired destination. But if you want to get connected to the hotel where you book your reservation, it is advisable for you to take taxi or grab car as it is door to door.

 By Bus (Stage Bus or Cross-Border buses from Singapore)

• Johor Bahru can be accessible via 1st Link or 2nd Link from Singapore with the bus service operators from Singapore and Malaysia.
• If you want to go to Johor Bahru City Center,  you are advised to take the 1st link (from Woodland). It is more convenient. Bear in mind that during Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Malaysia and Singapore Public Holidays, the causeway and immigration clearance area will be too pack and it may take you about 3-4 hours to enter Malaysia especially during peak hour time from 6-9 at morning time and 4-9 evening time.

 By Train

• There is a train service line between Singapore and Malaysia. This is thus far the most convenient way as it only required one stopping point to clear the Causeway. The train journey will only take about 15-30 minutes traveling time including clearance from the immigration.
• Bear in mind that if you intent to take this service, you are advised to book your train ticket in advance to secure the seat. Don't last-minute buy the ticket in as you might not have enough slot on that day.

Note; This article was been published by the author from another website but it was updated in this cite with the inclusion of a topic "How to get to Johor Bahru". Some photos used were captured before MCO.