HomeAsiaSouth East AsiaSingaporeSingapore to Melaka, Malaysia Bus via Johor Bahru By Marcos Detourist on November 1, 2011We were on our way to Malaysia from Singapore. There were three ways to go at it: by plane, train, or bus. After weighing out all the options, we decided to take the bus. It was the cheapest option and afforded us the chance to see a bit of the Malaysian countryside before arriving in Kuala Lumpur.There were several bus companies offering daily trips for the 4 to 5-hour bus ride from Singapore direct to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. We discovered we could spend half the bus fare if we crossed over to Johor Bahru, Malaysia first and then catch a local bus from there.Our new plan got us to consider taking an overnight stopover halfway between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Melaka was an easy winner since it’s after all a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Kranji MRT Station at the outskirts of SingaporeSingapore to Johor Bahru, Malaysia BusLoaded with all our travel carry-ons, we took the MRT to the Kranji Station near the Singapore-Malaysia Border. It was quite nice to see the cityscape change from dense commercial areas to peaceful suburbs. I was really impressed with Singapore’s well devised urban planning. It was the closest I can compare to an urban utopia. Seeing mid to low rise residential buildings evenly spaced out by a LOT of greens, Singapore seemed like a great place to live in.Exiting the Kranji Station, we crossed the pedestrian overpass to the other side of the street. At Kranji, there are two (SBS Transit public non-express) buses going to Johor Bahru: Bus #170, which goes to Kotaraya 2 Bus Terminal, and Bus #160, which goes to Larkin Bus Terminal. We were supposed to get on Bus#160 since the buses bound for Melaka depart from the Larkin Terminal.It was already around 4:20pm. The first bus that passed by was a #170. We got on the bus anyways since the information guy at the Kranji MRT Station told us we could switch buses at the Malaysian side. We were dropped off first at the Singapore immigration checkpoint at Woodlands.Singapore Immigration CheckpointWe got a bit of a scare when my sister was asked to proceed to the immigration office. She couldn’t find her white arrival card in her passport. Problems at any immigration checkpoint are always very scary. We anxiously waited for 15 minutes before she was allowed to proceed. Thankfully, she was able to find the arrival card in her bag. It must have slipped out of her passport.After getting all of our passports stamped, we got on a bus to cross over to the Malaysian side. It was probably not the exact bus we boarded earlier … just the same route. All of the buses regardless of the number will drop off passengers at the Malaysian immigration checkpoint anyways.Malaysia Immigration CheckpointPhilippine passport holders do not need to apply for a visa when traveling to Singapore and Malaysia. It is a perk Filipinos enjoy when traveling within the Association of South East Asian (ASEAN) nations.The Malaysia Immigration building was really huge and modern. After breezing through the Malaysian immigration counters, we walked to the bus stop. There were two lines. One for bus #170 and the other for #160. Since we were headed to Larkin Terminal, we switched to bus #160. Remember to keep the bus ticket on hand.Bus to Melaka at the Larkin TerminalAt the Malaysian side, we noticed how much different our environment had changed. It was obvious that we had already left the first world. The Larkin Terminal looked more like it could be in the Philippines. I have got no complaints. Everything was cheaper! Stuff at Malaysia (like food) cost half the price compared to Singapore.We exchanged some of our money to Malaysian Ringgit and hopped on the three-hour bus to Melaka.Arrival at MelakaIt was 8:30pm when we arrived at the Melaka Sentral Bus Terminal. It was dark and the place looked empty already. Thankfully there was still one #17 (Green) bus. It was probably the last bus of the day. There were still a few taxis but I gather they’d be more expensive. The bus #17 loops between Melaka Sentral and the city center. The ride took approximately 30 minutes (RM1.50 fare).We should have dropped off at the Christ Church area but it was so dark that I didn’t notice going past it. I had a feeling we were already straying too far off, so we decided to get down especially after seeing the comforting sight of a well lighted McDonalds joint. It was in front of a big mall called Mahokta Parade. While eating dinner, I had some last minute research on places to stay in Melaka thanks to the free WiFi.We got on a taxi and told the driver to take us to Discovery Cafe. The driver, like a lot of people in this former British-colony, spoke “good” English. I requested to have the taxi meter turned on. Apparently, taxi units in Melaka don’t have meters installed. He gave us a contracted rate. I forgot how much it was but we agreed to it since it wasn’t awfully expensive.The driver took us back to the city core and stopped on a dark street. At the back of my mind, I was thinking … Nowhere in hell would we knowingly drop off at that seedy looking neighborhood. Thank goodness for my knack of looking places up on Google Maps. I had an idea where we were and knew we weren’t in the vicinity of Discovery Cafe. True to my instinct, Discovery Cafe was still a few blocks away.Discovery CafeWe made an inquiry for a vacant room at Discovery Cafe’s roadside bar. It had a very chill mood, which I liked. The rooms weren’t located in the same building as the cafe / bar. A guy led us through a narrow alleyway across the street. It was a bit scary blindly following the guy at that time of night.He led us upstairs to our room. It was an air-con room with two double-deck bunk beds (common bathrooms) and cost RM90 for the whole thing. Discovery Cafe had very good rates and they even offer free breakfast.Day-time photo of Discovery CafeAlleyway going to the Discovery Guest HouseDiscovery Guest HouseDiscovery Cafe, which transforms into a bar at nightOpen area of Discovery CafeAll of us took a good night’s rest. We planned on taking a quick walking tour along the Melaka River before hopping on another bus to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Read my Singapore do-it-yourself tips and guide at Detourista.com.Don’t leave yet. There’s more!Planning a trip to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia19 Days Malaysia and Singapore ItineraryMelaka to Kuala Lumpur Bus & Bukit Bintang Hotel ArrivalClark to Kota Kinabalu Flight via AirAsia5 Days Pahang Itinerary — Taman Negara, Kuala LipisSingapore and Malaysia Cruise aboard AirPhil Express and…Comments sandra sotto saysNovember 1, 2011 at 8:50 pmyour blog is very informative.i will follow your itinerary when i go to kuala lumpur next year. archRATA saysNovember 2, 2011 at 3:38 pmthis makes me Miss Malaysia…hoping to come back next year… Melaka Bob saysNovember 4, 2011 at 10:54 amMalaysia isn’t a British colony. Marcos saysNovember 4, 2011 at 8:53 pmsorry about that. I meant that Malacca was a former British colony. Joseph Reyes saysDecember 17, 2011 at 8:51 pmOn my way to Melaka I took another route, riding a Delima Bus at the City Plaza along Geylang Road and Butterworth. I only bought a one way ticket since the fare when bought at the Malaysian terminal will cost more than half less. We passed through the Tuas Checkpoint, not much traffick and only few stops.. travel was pleasant and I had no problem with the Singapore and Malaysian immigration. On my way back to Singapore we passed another route, i.e., through the Woodlands Causeway passing through Johor Bahru’s more populated and developed areas. you have to bear the traffic in this place before being able to go through the Singapore Immigration. I had to submit again a filled up form upon entry (the white card I first had at the Changi Airport upon arrival in Singapore was taken at the Tuas Checkpoint). Marcos saysDecember 20, 2011 at 10:58 pmCool. That’s what I heard too. Better to buy a one-way trip if coming from Singapore then buy the return trip at the Malaysian-side Jimmy saysApril 20, 2012 at 9:48 pmhow may days did you stayed in malaysia? Jherson saysJune 16, 2012 at 6:01 pmRM90 for the whole room with 2 double deck beds per night. Did I get it right? Marcos saysJuly 6, 2012 at 7:49 pmYes. Room good for 4 people with aircon. They have free wifi but it’s only available at their bar/cafe located across the street. James Annjo saysJuly 22, 2012 at 10:30 pmHello po, I would like to ask how much po ang total fare or even estimate fare if we would take this “road less traveled” for the SG-MY route? And would you be recommending it po for backpackers who want to travel in shoestring budget po? :) I hope you could respond po, thank you and by the way po, I found this very informative. :D Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 7:17 pmSingapore and Malaysia aren’t the cheapest countries in Asia. “Cheap” is, ofcourse, a relative adjective. If I’m feeling particularly cheap, I could go on for SG40 (P1,160) per day in Singapore and RM40 (P580) per day in Malaysia. Costs could be higher if eating in a nice restaurant or taking a tour. Then add transportation expenses, and then admission fees for theme parks, natural parks, etc. Pang saysJune 16, 2013 at 12:21 amThanks for shraring this to your readers. I love that you provided us a cheaper option. I wish to have an idea on how much cheaper it would be if I do this option rather that the usual direct buses. Can you please give me a ballpark figure on how much total fare did you pay for SG to Johor then from Johor to Malacca please? Will be looking forward to hear from you. Thanks. :) Marcos saysJune 26, 2013 at 1:13 pmIf you cross to JB first then take the bus there. Bus fare is half the price than riding direct from SG. Bus fare from JB to KL should be the same as taking separate buses from JB to Malacca then Malacca to KL. Forgot how much we paid, but it should around RM25 to RM50 total for JB-Malacca-KL, depending on the bus class. Posting of new comments is disabled temporarily.Connect with Marcos on:Detourista.comMarcosDetourist.comFacebookInstagramTwitterDetourista.comDiscover more travel guides and blogs about the Philippines and beyond by Marcos DetouristChoose your next destination: Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
sandra sotto saysNovember 1, 2011 at 8:50 pmyour blog is very informative.i will follow your itinerary when i go to kuala lumpur next year.
Marcos saysNovember 4, 2011 at 8:53 pmsorry about that. I meant that Malacca was a former British colony.
Joseph Reyes saysDecember 17, 2011 at 8:51 pmOn my way to Melaka I took another route, riding a Delima Bus at the City Plaza along Geylang Road and Butterworth. I only bought a one way ticket since the fare when bought at the Malaysian terminal will cost more than half less. We passed through the Tuas Checkpoint, not much traffick and only few stops.. travel was pleasant and I had no problem with the Singapore and Malaysian immigration. On my way back to Singapore we passed another route, i.e., through the Woodlands Causeway passing through Johor Bahru’s more populated and developed areas. you have to bear the traffic in this place before being able to go through the Singapore Immigration. I had to submit again a filled up form upon entry (the white card I first had at the Changi Airport upon arrival in Singapore was taken at the Tuas Checkpoint).
Marcos saysDecember 20, 2011 at 10:58 pmCool. That’s what I heard too. Better to buy a one-way trip if coming from Singapore then buy the return trip at the Malaysian-side
Jherson saysJune 16, 2012 at 6:01 pmRM90 for the whole room with 2 double deck beds per night. Did I get it right?
Marcos saysJuly 6, 2012 at 7:49 pmYes. Room good for 4 people with aircon. They have free wifi but it’s only available at their bar/cafe located across the street.
James Annjo saysJuly 22, 2012 at 10:30 pmHello po, I would like to ask how much po ang total fare or even estimate fare if we would take this “road less traveled” for the SG-MY route? And would you be recommending it po for backpackers who want to travel in shoestring budget po? :) I hope you could respond po, thank you and by the way po, I found this very informative. :D
Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 7:17 pmSingapore and Malaysia aren’t the cheapest countries in Asia. “Cheap” is, ofcourse, a relative adjective. If I’m feeling particularly cheap, I could go on for SG40 (P1,160) per day in Singapore and RM40 (P580) per day in Malaysia. Costs could be higher if eating in a nice restaurant or taking a tour. Then add transportation expenses, and then admission fees for theme parks, natural parks, etc.
Pang saysJune 16, 2013 at 12:21 amThanks for shraring this to your readers. I love that you provided us a cheaper option. I wish to have an idea on how much cheaper it would be if I do this option rather that the usual direct buses. Can you please give me a ballpark figure on how much total fare did you pay for SG to Johor then from Johor to Malacca please? Will be looking forward to hear from you. Thanks. :)
Marcos saysJune 26, 2013 at 1:13 pmIf you cross to JB first then take the bus there. Bus fare is half the price than riding direct from SG. Bus fare from JB to KL should be the same as taking separate buses from JB to Malacca then Malacca to KL. Forgot how much we paid, but it should around RM25 to RM50 total for JB-Malacca-KL, depending on the bus class.