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Johor Bahru: Malaysia’s Southernmost City
Johor Bahru isn’t a big tourist destination, but it does offer a great attraction for families with children: Legoland. In addition, there are some interesting cultural activities in Johor too. Johor Bahru can also serve as a good basecamp for the 20-minute train trip across the Straits of Johor for a visit to Singapore, especially because hotel prices can run more than 40% cheaper than Singapore.
There are direct flights to Johor Bahru from all the major capitals of Southeast Asia. I decided to visit Johor because of the cheap airfares one can find. My direct roundtrip from Jakarta to Johor was only $90. An excursion to Johor can serve as a quick (it’s about a 90-minute flight each way) and inexpensive getaway for the weekend.
Sometimes I think I am just an overgrown child because one of the main motivations for my visit to Johor was to see Legoland. There are 10 Legolands situated across the planet and the one in Johor is the only one in SE Asia. There are three parts of the Legoland park: an aquarium, a water park, and the core amusement park with rides and hundreds of Lego constructions such as giant Lego versions of famous landmarks like the Taj Mahal. It’s definitely geared toward children (who will have tons of fun), but it’s a place that I think most adults will enjoy too. I recommend buying your tickets in advance via the web so that you can avoid the long ticket lines at the entrance—and if you don’t want to visit the water park or aquarium you can buy a cheaper ticket for admission to the amusement park/Lego part only. Also, the Legoland Hotel onsite looks really cool, but you will be paying about $250 per night. I stayed at a hotel at nearby Puteri Harbor, which is a pleasant waterfront neighborhood about a mile from Legoland with lots of nice shopping and restaurants. Best of all you can find a room at Puteri Harbor in a decent hotel for as little as $50 a night.
Downtown Johor is about 15 kilometers from the Legoland neighborhood. There isn’t a lot there to fascinate most tourists, but I discovered a couple of landmarks that I found interesting.
Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman is a Hindu temple as known as the Glass Temple. It is almost completely made from glass mosaic tiles, more than 300,000 in all. Some people might describe it as gaudy, but it projects a joyful and dynamic vibe. It’s tucked away in a vacant lot, but it’s worth seeking out because I enjoyed the fact that it is religious architecture at its most colorful.
Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque is almost the opposite of the Glass Temple because of its austere, serious architecture. The mosque was completed in 1900 and is distinctive because it is designed using a Colonial English Victorian architectural style, which is highly unusual for mosque design.
