Malaysia Holidays

Direct flights from London to Kuala Lumpur take approximately 12 hours 45 minutes to 13 hours 20 minutes, making Malaysia one of the longer long-haul destinations from the UK. All direct flights land at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL), located around 50km south of the city centre. British Airways and Malaysia Airlines both operate non-stop services from London Heathrow.

Most travellers also choose connecting routes via Middle Eastern or Asian hubs, these add 2–5 hours to total journey time but can offer significantly lower fares and the option of a stopover.

Important airport note: Kuala Lumpur has two terminals, the main KLIA terminal and the separate klia2, used by budget carriers including AirAsia. Check which terminal your flight uses before you travel, as they are not within walking distance of each other.

Malaysia operates on Malaysia Standard Time (MYT, UTC+8) and does not observe daylight saving time. This means the time difference changes depending on the time of year in the UK.

• Summer (late March–late October): UK on BST (UTC+1) - Malaysia is 7 hours ahead

• Winter (late October–late March): UK on GMT (UTC+0) - Malaysia is 8 hours ahead

It's Malaysia that stays fixed, it's the UK shifting. Worth noting when planning calls home or booking airport transfers, as the gap between your body clock and local time can be significant on arrival. Most travellers find westbound journeys (Malaysia to UK) harder to adjust to than eastbound.

The currency of Malaysia is the Malaysian Ringgit, with the currency code MYR and symbol RM. Notes come in denominations of RM1, RM5, RM10, RM20, RM50 and RM100. Coins come in 5, 10, 20 and 50 sen denominations.

• Ringgit availability: Unlike some Asian currencies, Ringgit can be purchased in the UK before travel, though availability varies. You'll generally get a better rate exchanging on arrival.

• Cards: Visa and Mastercard widely accepted in hotels, shopping centres, restaurants and larger businesses in cities. Less reliable in rural areas, markets and hawker stalls.

• Cash: Essential for street food, taxis, markets and smaller establishments, always carry some. Hawker centres (the open-air food courts where you'll eat some of the best meals of your trip) are typically cash only.

• ATMs: Widely available throughout Kuala Lumpur and major towns. Note that Malaysian ATMs use 6-digit PINs, some travellers with 4-digit PINs have reported issues, so check with your bank before travelling.

• Money changers: Licensed money changers in shopping centres typically offer better rates than bank branches or airport bureaux de change.

Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) is the official national language and is used in government, education and formal settings. However, Malaysia is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in Asia, and the practical reality for UK visitors is that English is very widely spoken, particularly in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi and tourist areas, making it genuinely one of the more straightforward destinations in Southeast Asia for English speakers.

Beyond Malay and English, Mandarin and various Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka) are widely spoken in Chinese communities, and Tamil is spoken across Indian communities. This multilingual character is one of Malaysia's most distinctive features and shows itself in the extraordinary fusion of cuisines, festivals and cultural influences that define the country.

Useful Malay phrases

No you do not need a visa to travel to Malaysia. British and Irish passport holders do not need a visa to visit Malaysia for stays of up to 90 days for tourism or short business visits. You simply arrive and are granted entry, no prior application required.

There are two things you must do regardless of visa-free status:

1. Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC): All visitors must complete this online within 3 days before arriving in Malaysia. It combines immigration, customs and health declarations into a single digital form. Complete it at the official MDAC website (imigresen-online.imi.gov.my) before you travel, failure to do so can cause delays at immigration.

2. Passport validity: Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond your arrival date. This is strictly enforced, an expired-within-six-months passport will result in being denied boarding or entry.

Good to know: Malaysia does not recognise dual nationality. If you hold dual citizenship, use the same passport consistently for entering and exiting the country.

Malaysia has a tropical climate year-round, warm, humid and always with the possibility of rain regardless of season. The key factor is which part of the country you're visiting, because the east and west coasts experience their wet and dry seasons at opposite times of year.

West coast (Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Cameron Highlands)

• Best: November to February, drier, slightly cooler, excellent beach weather on Langkawi and Penang

• Wetter: April to October, afternoon thunderstorms are common but usually brief, and the coast remains very visitble

East coast (Perhentian Islands, Tioman, Redang)

• Best: March to October, clear seas, excellent diving and snorkelling visibility, turtle nesting season

• Avoid: November to February, northeast monsoon brings heavy rain, rough seas and most resorts close entirely

Kuala Lumpur specifically: June, July and August are the driest months in the capital, making this a good time for city-focused trips.

Best time by activity

Key festivals worth timing your visit around:

• Thaipusam at Batu Caves (January/February) is one of the most extraordinary Hindu festivals in the world.

• Chinese New Year (January/February) brings spectacular street celebrations across the country.

• Hari Raya Aidilfitri (dates vary with Islamic calendar) sees Malaysia at its most festive and welcoming, though note some businesses and attractions close.