jlaughs

I know that buses and the train are less expensive ways to get from Kuala Lumpur to Melaka, but I'm wondering how much a taxi would cost. Does anyone know or have a guess? If not too expensive, I'm wondering if it would be worth the convenience and the flexibility it would allow.

Thanks,
Judy

thursdaysd

I have no idea what a taxi would cost, but the buses in Malaysia are very good, no reason to take a taxi.

MichaelBKK

I checked into this once, and my vague recollection is that it was something like 200 Ringgit. I could be wrong, and it was a while ago so it might be more.

jlaughs

Thank you both.

thursdaysd, the reason I ask about taking a taxi rather than a bus is because I read one site that said you could waste half a day buying a bus ticket. Don't know if this is true or not, but I just wanted to weigh cost versus time.

mareeS55

We took the bus to Malacca from the main bus station in KL. No problem buying tickets, the coach was A/C, comfortable, reasonably priced and on time. The terminal is a bit of a zoo, but easy enough to navigate. You would be wasting money to hire a cab or car with driver.

jlaughs

Thanks mareeS55.

Our current itinerary includes taking the night train from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.

I would really like feedback on how easy it would be for us to buy our tickets on-the-spot. It makes me a bit nervous to not have our transportation confirmed in advance given our tight schedule. But, if we haven't bought our tickets in advance, this might give us some flexibility to go and see Malacca before going to Singapore. Or can tickets be exchanged or returned?

amln

Why don't you travel to Melaka, spend a night there and then from there travel to Singapore? Makes more sense than getting back to KL to catch a train to Singapore. Melaka is half-way between KL and Singapore.

crellston

Amin's suggestion makes a lot of sense, but only if you have not already purchased the train tickets. I really enjoyed Melaka, particularly the Nonya food. Getting a bus on the day was straightforward enough as lots ply that route ( our was half empty). The buses are very comfortable with films en route to keep you occupied. The one downside was the opportunistic taxi drivers at the bus station on arrival in Melaka which is outside the town. They tried to charge an exorbitant fare for the short ride into town so we just jumped on a bus which was just as quick and a lot cheaper.

jlaughs

amin and crellston,

Sorry I wasn't more clear. We would not return to KL to take the night train if we went to Melaka. I was just saying that our current plan is to take a night train from KL to Singapore (no Melaka), BUT if we aren't able to buy our tickets in advance, then I want to investigate the possibility of leaving KL earlier and going to Melaka before proceeding to Singapore. Although I'm not a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of traveler, we might not have a choice if the night train tickets can't be purchased in advance. Even if they can be purchased in advance, I'm trying to find out about the chances of not being able to buy them on the spot for when we are currently scheduled to leave per our itinerary. If there's little chance of us not being able to buy a ticket that night, we might consider leaving our options open. Right now, I'm just exploring the possibilities.

crellston, you mention "if you have not already purchased the train tickets". Are we able to buy them online? We tried and were unsuccessful.

Thanks again,
Judy
Thanks,
Judy

thursdaysd

Have you read this:

http://www.seat61.com/Malaysia.htm#How%20to%20book

Note that you can't book more than 60 days out.

It would be a pity to miss Melaka.

jlaughs

Thank you, thursdaysd. I actually asked my bf to try to book our tickets and he just told me it wouldn't let him. He didn't tell me why (or maybe he didn't read this).

I'm not really sure how we'll be able to fit Melaka in and, even if we get there, we won't have much time at all, but I'm investigating the possibilities.

Right now, we arrive in KL from Bangkok on 8/7 at 3:05p. We are scheduled to take the night train to Singapore on the night of 8/9 (arrive in Sing 8/10 at about 6:30a), so that only gives us about 2 days and a few hours in Malaysia and we do need to arrive in Singapore on 8/10 (preferably as early as possible, so the night train option works well for us). Because of this, we can't extend our Malaysia time beyond the 2 days. The two main things that I, personally, would like to see in and around KL is Petronas Towers and Batu Caves. I feel like we would be rushing and running to try to stop in Melaka on the way to Singapore and that it may not be worth the little time we'd have there, but I still wanted to see if it could be worked out.

Would it make sense to stay one day in KL, then take a night bus/train (if available) to Melaka? Is there a night train/bus from Melaka to Singapore that we could take the next night? That would give us one day in Melaka. Is it even worth it? Or should we just stick to our original plan of spending the 2 days in KL with the night train to Singapore?

I'm getting a little confused with the short time limit, but wanting to do/see more.

Thanks,
Judy

thursdaysd

If that is all the time you have I would spend it in KL and not complicate things. Don't miss wandering around Chinatown - much more interesting than the mall at Petronas Towers. See http://www.wilhelmswords.com/asia2002/index.html - first post, for my visit to KL.

crellston

I agree, miss out Melaka it is too rushed. I don't THINK there is a train from Melaka to Singapore so it would mean a bus. The train ride from KL - SIN takes around 7 hours including the stop at the border for immigration. We got the first train of the day which had plenty of spare seats but the night train may get booked up in advance. I doubt you will have any problems getting a bus ( get a VIP bus if poss) on the day.

I agree with thurs re Chinatown , a great place to wander around and for food. Also check out the open air fish restaurant near Bukit Bintang - the stingray is amazing! Batu Caves are a 30 min bus or taxi ride from the centre and, IMO are not worth it on a short visit. To get tickets for the Petronas Towers you need to get to the booth when it opens, I think at 9.00am to get your free ticket for a set time later that day. NB you only go to the viewing platform on the bridge NOT to the top of the towers.

IMHO KL has some of the best and most varied food in Asia so do check out some restaurant recs before you go.

jlaughs

Thank you so much for your recommendations. This definitely will simplify things.

So, I will abandon the idea of trying to get to Melaka. We'll buy our overnight train tickets as soon as it s possible. And I will definitely add Chinatown to our KL list - the stingray sounds interesting. My bf loves food. He'll plan trips just based on things to eat and places with good food, so if you have other food and/or restaurant recommendations, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Judy

crellston

If you like curry, take a walk into Little India and try one of the "banana leaf" restaurants, superb curry served on leave rather than plates. No cutlery so you eat with your fingers!

At the other end of the scale the Mandarin Oriental has a great buffet with a huge variety of excellent food - remarkable value given the quality of the food. they also had one of the best sushi bars I have eaten in outside of Japan.

thursdaysd

There's wonderful Asian food in both cities, but good international food too. For a British Empire touch the afternoon tea at the Raffles was magnificent.

jlaughs

Thank you! Feel free to keep adding recommendations!

We'll also be in Bangkok for several days before and after the Malaysia-Singapore jaunt. Because he's more familiar with Thailand and Thai food, he already has over 2 pages of restaurants/food stalls for us to try. We won't have time to do anything else except eat! lol.

amln

If your time is so limited, you should simply fly between KL and Singapore. After a whole day of sightseeing in KL, catch an evening flight to Singapore. Much better than trying to spend the night on a train in Malaysia.

jlaughs

I'm actually looking forward to the experience of the night train. I've rarely taken a train and never slept on one.

crellston

I love train travel and will use trains whenever I can. The less time spent in and getting to an from airports the better. Much more CO2 friendly and a great way to meet the local people. Trains in Malaysiia are much better than the rest of SE Asia. Enjoy!