I decided to add Kuala Lumpur to my Singapore travel itinerary when I took 1 week vacation from work. These two cities are quite near to each anyway. 8 days to tour Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Genting felt just right. It was not too rushed nor too long. It took me a month to piece my travel itinerary all together just so I get to travel between these two cities in the most comfortable way. Transportation between these two cities is quite easy and straightforward. Luxury buses plying the route between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are plentiful. Below you can find my 8 day Singapore travel itinerary together with my side trips to Kuala Lumpur and Genting.
2014 Update: This Singapore travel itinerary was made last 2007 and there were changes on tourist destinations. The DHL Balloon has ceased to operate effective October 2008 so please update your Singapore travel plans accordingly. As a tip, taking the Singapore Flyer to get a bird’s eye-view of the city is a good alternative. There are also a number of new attractions like the Gardens by the Bay, Universal Studios and Legoland. It maybe wise to add a day or two in your Singapore travel itinerary to cover these new tourist destinations. Despite of new attractions, this trip report will remain valuable if you are looking for information on how to get from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur via luxury bus and information on Kuala Lumpur travel.
Our Singapore Travel with Kuala Lumpur and Genting Side Trip Itinerary:
Day 1 (Singapore to Kuala Lumpur by Bus from Harbour Front Centre)
Singapore Airport Arrival Singapore to Kuala Lumpur by Bus Suria KLCC
Day 2 (Petronas Twin Towers, Merdeka Square & Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur)
Petronas Twin Towers
Merdaka Square
Shopping at Bukit Bintang
Day 3 (Genting Highlands and Batu Caves)
Genting Highland Batu Caves
Day 4 (Bayview Hotel Singapore and 2 Day Singapore Pass)
Transfer to Singapore Visitors Center at Orchard Road
Day 5 (Duck Tours Singapore, Heritage Hippo Tour & Moonlight Adventure)
Visitors Center at Suntec City Duck Boat Ride DHL Balloon Ride Hippo Bus Heritage Tour Bugis Street Songs of the Sea at Sentosa
Day 6 (Singapore River Cruise, Clark Quay & Sentosa)
Hippo Bus City Tour Bumboat Ride along Singapore River Clarke Quay Sentosa Vivo City Mall
Day 7 (Singapore Zoo and Night Safari)
Singapore Zoo Night Safari
Day 8 (Things to Do in Singapore in Less Than a Day)
Raffles Hotel
Esplanade
Merlion Park
China Town
China Town Heritage Center
Orchard Road
Singapore Changi Airport for Departure
Click here for Day 1 (Singapore to Kuala Lumpur by Bus from Harbour Front Centre)
Go to:
Day 1: Singapore to Kuala Lumpur by Bus from Harbour Front Centre
Day 2: Petronas Twin Towers, Merdeka Square & Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur
Day 3: Genting Highlands and Batu Caves
Day 4: Bayview Hotel Singapore and 2 Day Singapore Pass
Day 5: Duck Tours Singapore, Heritage Hippo Tour & Moonlight Adventure
Day 6: Singapore River Cruise, Clark Quay & Sentosa
Day 7: Singapore Zoo and Night Safari
Day 8: Things to Do in Singapore in Less Than a Day
Like your blog, quite informative and hence thought you could help me decide an itinerary for my Singapore Malaysia trip for Aug for a family with young kids(2 adults-2 kids) .
Its an 18 day trip with KL(6.5d) Genting(2d) and Singapore(8.5d).
Would want to cover all the major attractions in these places. I would also want to include a day trip to the Taman Negara(the rainforest)for the canopy walk. Please suggest an itinerary.
Also suggest the passes to be purchased and from where. Tickets if any. We also want to spend time trying out the local food and do budget shopping, and buy the traditional batik handicrafts. Suggest some good places and malls worth visiting. Also tell me about some foot reflexology centres.
I would want to make the most out of this trip as well as a value trip. Also tell me about the weather in Aug and suggest the accessories and clothing required for these places.
Would really appreciate your help. Awaiting an early reply.
Zarf
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Hi, Thanks for all the tips. I’m planning for a SG-KL trip in July with all my kids and your info about the Aeroline bus was very useful. Do you know any other nice place to visit in KL?
Robert
NICE INFO on this nice blog! Two thumbs up!
I’m planning this christmas to make a similar trip to Singapore-Malaysia, and I’ve bought hotels vouchers including Aeroline tickets online. So your trip is almost identical with mine. We’ll take our 5 year old kid in our travel, so we must make sure everything.
Just a little difference, we’ll go to Kuala Selangor. it sounds so nice there.
I print this article for our guide in the trip.
Plans for KL and SG trip is pushed through. Have purchased tickets for two with my mom. My vacation is just 2 weeks and i wanna give my mom a surprise travel with me in KL and SG. She doesn’t know am going home from US. So i was planning to just spend 1 week in the Phil and 1 week in KL and SG. Unfortunately, due to speaking engagements, i can only give 3 days to KL and SG but at least i can tour her around for 3 am sure very exhausting trip. I have planned these places in KL and SG to go to for just 3 days. Anyone can help figure the hours and commute rides to go to these spots. Is KL and SG has GPS? How much is the car rental? and can you just cross the border without any visas, with only our passport? Please help me out with my itinerary. Feel free to make adjustments. Thanks!
Day 1 KL
Petronas Towers
Merdeka Square
Shopping Bukit Bintang
Genting Highland
Batu Cave
Transfer to Singapore (am planning to spend traveling at night. is there a train going to SG at night)
Day 2 Singapore (please suggest an affordable and nice hotel)
Orchard Road
Little India
Mustafa Center
Duck Boat Ride
DHL Baloon Ride
Sentosa Night Safari
Day 3 Singapore ( same hotel)
Clarke Quay
Singapore Zoo
Esplanade
Merloin Park
Fountain of Wealth
Transfer to Kuala (night time too. hope there’s a train back to KL at night)
(i got the itineray idea from asiantravelblog.)
Hi Bing!
Thanks for dropping by my blog. I believe for most of hotels, booking online is way cheaper than walk-in.
You can compare Corus hotel online rates from this link:
http://www.hotelscombined.com/Hotel/Corus_Hotel_Kuala_Lumpur.htm?a_aid=3085d017
By the way, just to give you an update, I went to Singapore again this year but unfortunately the DHL balloon has ceased to operate. =( Anyway, I think duck tours has added new itineraries, just checkout their website.
I wish your family a nice trip! 🙂
Hi!! I enjoyed reading yur blog! My family is planning to visit Singapor and Kuala Lumpur n May 26th; We are a group of 6 adults and 4 children; I would like t ask if its cheaper to book online at Corus Hotel or walk-in reservation;
bing
Hi Asia Travel Bug! Our family also went on a KL-Singapore trip last May ’08. We also rode the Aeroline bus from KL to Singapore, but took the sleeper train on our way back to KL. The Aeroline bus was faster and more comfortable, but the sleeper train was wayy more memorable! The sleeper train had bed bunks instead of seats. It was actually nice – the pillows and bed sheet smelled fresh, the bed space wasn’t cramped, there’s a night light in case you want to do some reading, and there’s a curtain so you can sleep in peace, darkness and privacy. But man, the railway tracks were soo bumpy, it was like being lulled to sleep by an evil nanny, haha! I’m not sure if I was just too tired, or I was just too dizzy, but I did sleep! Travel time was 9pm to 7am the next day.
Nice blog by the way! =)
Hi Asia Travel Bug. I stumbled upon you trip blog and found it to be very informative. I am planning a trip to Kuala Lumpur/Singapore as well, but it will be my first time in KL. With the Aeroline bus, will your passport be stamped at immigration? I’ve been reading that taking taxis in KL can be a pain due to the drivers not using their meters. Did you have any trouble at all? Thanks for your help.
hello! thank u so much for all this information you have shared to me. this is really a great help. i’ll see to it that everything is noted hehe… at least now we know where to go places when we get there. i’m so excited and i hope that everything would turn out fine. don’t worry i’ll share with u also our experience there. i really appreciate this. god Bless you and take care always. Where is ur next plan trip by the way? I hope after our trip now I could go to other country also that is if my budget permits hehe… What i am really looking forward to is that I could step in Seoul, South Korea coz I just love the beautiful sceneries they have there and maybe I could bump into one of my favorite Korean actor hehe…
anyway, again thank u for the help. Keep blogging ur trips! this is very helpful to us.
P.S. My friend’s friend have just been in KL last March and recommended someone there who could help us tour KL. He has a van and willing to tour us wherever we wanna go. He is so nice daw. I hope we could contact him and hopefully we could save some hehe…
Hi Nori! You can buy food pasalubong along your way to Malaysia/Singapore. The Aeroline bus will drop you off at a certain point along the highway for a 10-15 minute CR break. You can find are shops selling cheap food pasalubongs there. Squid flakes, kropek, naicha and the like. I’m just not sure if there are keychains and small souvenirs there because we’re in a hurry that time.
The best souvenir for yourself is a picture with you standing againts the Petronas Towers as the backdrop. You have to bring your tripod in order to take a good full view.
For the SG 2 day pass, its actually a package of more than 10+ tours. You can have unlimited hippo bus rides for 2 days and other tours are also inluded like the dhl baloon ride, river tour, duckboat tour, bugis tour, etc. It’s your choice if you want to join the tours included in the package or not. If you think you can’t finish all the tours in 2 days, you can purchase the 1 Day pass which is much cheaper but with lesser tours included of course. You can get more info in ducktours.com.sg.
One way to go to Sentosa (the ocean park you are referring to)from the city center is to go to Vivo City and you can take a short LRT ride from the mall’s topmost floor. If you want to go there via cable car, you can buy Sentosa Package from the ground floor of Harbor Front Center 2 (just beside Vivo City Mall).
By the way, touring Sentosa is not included in the SG Pass, however, you can ride designated hippo buses to go there for free if you have the pass.
Just like I said, both Singapore Zoo and Night Safari must not be missed especially the latter. Take note that these are not included in the SG Pass. You have to go there and pay for the entrance on your own. Easiest way to go there is thru cab especially if you are a group of 4 people.
Aeroline ticket office is located in Harbor Front Center. This mall is interconnected with Vivo City and this is also the mall where people board for Cruise. You have to present your online booking confirmation in their office to be able to get tickets. After getting your tickets, you must proceed to the coach are and wait for the Aeroline bus.
The deluxe room of Corus Hotel has 2 single beds only (or a double bed). So ideally it’s for 2 people only. I don’t know why other people say in some travel forums that their room in Corus Hotel has 2 double beds. Maybe they booked a suite. This you have to confirm directly with the hotel but based on my experince, our deluxe room has 2 single beds.
Rate for Corus hotel is about P3,200/nt for the deluxe room including breakfast. The superior rooms might be cheaper at about P2,800/nt I think.
Yes, you are right. I think P10,000/person is enough for your 2 days stay in KL. Cost of living in Malaysia is half of that in Singapore. Prices there are only approx 10% higher than Phils. But you can buy other things cheaper there like vnc shoes.
hello! tnx so much for replying to me. i really appreciated it coz it will really help us and we might consider ur suggested itinerary. btw, you are a Filipino pala? hehe… it’s nice reading ur blog.
anyway, my friends thought that an overnight stay in Malaysia ( we are touring Kuala Lumpur only )is so much bitin so we might stay for another night so we have a whole day on july 31st to spend in KL, what other place u could suggest to us? we want to go shopping for souvenirs or just little things for pasalubong, where can we get those and how to get to those places? sorry for so many questions?!? 🙁
one more thing, does Corus Hotel accommodates 4 person in one room? all i see on the net kc is for 2 person only. u know naman us Filipinos just to save money we have to fit in a room to lessen the expenses hehe…
Then in Singapore, the 2 day pass, could u choose where to go places? we want to go sana don sa parang Ocean Park nila. Have u been there? covered ba un nung pass? Sorry tlga for asking so many questions ha. Hope u could answer me again, Tnx so much!
Lastly, where in Singapore does aeroline bus terminal is located? i have already signed up on their site. Our travel sked is on the waiting list pa kc its not open yet. Then i haven’t reserve pa sa Corus Hotel coz i want to know if we could fit in one room only but if its not we don’t have any choice tlga. How much u spend pla on the hotel? I think less than 10,000 pesos ang maspend sa malaysia for that 2 nights including the fare and hotel na, tama? My friend kc is trying to consider in booking a package tour for our trip in Malaysia, i think it would cost as much pa unlike ur suggested Do-It-Yourself IT diba? but i’m trying to picture things out to her, palibhasa kc mas marami syang pera kesa samin hehe… haay! and I think 5 day trip is enough na if we’ll just go sightseeing, right? anyway, hoping for ur next reply. tnx in advance. God bless you!
Hi Nori! Sorry for my late reply, was so busy last week.
Where to do you want to go in Malaysia? In KL to see the Petronas Twin Towers or just a sidetrip to Johor Bahru (Malaysia province nearest Singapore)? If you want to go to KL, take note that you’ll be spending a lot of time in bus, that is 5 hours bus ride per way. You might find your 5 Day tour a little bit tight if you want to go to KL but it is possible. You depart from SG in the morning (Aeroline has a bus going to KL as early as 7:30AM as per their website) so you’ll be in KL by afternoon. Let’s say you arrive around 12:30pm in Corus Hotel KL (if you took the 7:30AM bus from). After checking in, take a quick lunch in the nearby Suria KLCC Mall and then you take LRT in the basement of Avenue K Mall which is just across KLCC Mall to Terminal Putra Gombak. Below Terminal Putra Gombak, you’ll find a small booth selling Genting Tickets. You have to wait according to your schedule for you to ride the bus/cable car up to Genting Highland. Be sure to bring your jacket along! Genting Highland is something like a fusion of Baguio and Enchanted Kingdom but their rides are really old and slow. After spending 2-3 hours in Genting, you may want to go to Batu Cave (if the sun is still up!). Just take a cab from Terminal Putra Gombak and you’ll be in Batu Cave in 5 minutes. Spend about 30 minutes there and take a cab along the highway back to KLCC. You may want to stroll along KLCC park at the back of Twin Towers in the evening. The view of Petronas Twin Towers is really magnificent from there so be sure to bring your tripod along.
On your second day in KL, go to the basement of Petronas Twin Towers very early (as in very early, the queue is already very long if you go there in 8am) in the morning to get Petronas Skybridge tickets. If you are lucky to get morning schedule, then you’ll have time to explore Merdaka Square or Bukit Bintang in the afternoon. Another thing, I think Skybridge is not open on Mondays if Im not mistaken, just research it in Google. Ride Aeroline from Corus Hotel to SG in the afternoon. Take note, advance online booking for Aeroline for both trips IS A MUST!
If you don’t want to go to KL, you can go to Johor Bahru. I think this is just a half day tour from SG but I’m not sure. Sorry, I can’t comment on this.
The only critical in the SG-KL tour is the transfer between the two cities. Once you are in Singapore, you won’t get lost.
In Singapore, you may want to get the 2 Day Singapore pass. The tours included may have changed so you have to tailor your schedule according to that.
And don’t miss Night Safari and Singapore Zoo!
Note: The things above are just my suggestions for this itinerary to fit to your schedule. I can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to tour all the places mentioned; it depends on the circumstances at the time of travel.
Regarding Aeroline, you can book online at aeroline.com.sg
Sightseeing rates:
Malaysia
Petronas Skybridge – free
Genting Ticket – RM26
Batu Cave – no entrance fee
Merdaka Square – just like rizal park, its public so no entrance fee
Singapore:
2 Day Pass – SGD63 (2007 rate)
SG Zoo and Night Safari combo – SGD30 plus SGD10 for Night Safari tram ride
Songs of the Sea at Sentosa – SGD6
Sentosa Package – approx SGD60
Chinatown Heritage Museum – got free ticket from Sentosa Package purchase
Hope this helps!
hi there! i envy you for having this fun trip, i hope i could experience the same too. i am nori from the Philippines. Me and my 3 friends are going to Singapore this july on 5 day trip that’s july 29 to august 3 and we’ll be staying over on a friend’s pad who works in Singapore now so we kinda save for our hotel hehe… but we want to have a sidetrip in Malaysia like an overnight maybe. What advise can u give to us to do what we want? Our flight on going back home is at midnight of august 3 so we have still ample time on our last day. Are we going to stay first in Singapore then go to Malaysia or Malaysia first before Singapore? I’d think we’ll do the same bookings you have. please help us on this. i would gladly appreciate it. btw, this is our first trip abroad so we don’t have any idea yet on what the best thing to do hehe… Also, can u share me the link on how to book on Aeroline Bus? Another thing, can u tell me how much money u spent on all the sightseeings you’ve went so that i know my budget for those and that i can segregate it for my shopping expenses hehe… tnx in advance.
Hi Jhetty! I booked Bayview Hotel online in asiatravel.com at about $120 (including breakfast and free WIFI) last year but found out later on that there are better deals in hotelscombined.com.
Bayview Hotel is not fancy and just small hotel. But its location is fantastic! Very central! If you want to stay here, I recommend you to book room only because their breakfast is really poor. Most of the food in breakfast are canned meats, beans and sausages. There is a Kopitiam (chinese fastfood court) just a few buildings away where you can eat delicious dimsums for a few bucks.
If you want a more posh hotel that is just around the corner of Bayview Hotel, you may try Rendezvous Hotel. Sorry, I can’t give any feedback for this hotel but one thing for sure is that its location is very central just like Bayview.
I noticed that hotel room rates in Singapore have sharply increased this year. About more than 25% than last year perhaps due to the construction of the Singapore Flyer and the upcoming race event.
Regarding the 2 day Singapore Pass, tour inclusions may have changed this year so I think you should do a little tweak in the itinerary if ever there are changes.
Just leave a message here if you have other questions, I will be glad to reply back! =)
This comment has been removed by the author.
Great. thanks for the quick reply. I find your trip very fascinating. if you dont mind, where did you book bayview hotel and how much for? your help will be appreciated… thank you…
Hi Jhetty! Thanks for visiting my blog!
This is a Do-It-Yourself trip, so I did not book a package through a travel agency. I booked airfare and hotel separately online. The tours (Singapore Pass, Genting Package, etc.) were purchased in Singapore/Malaysia. Some are free like the entrance to Petronas Towers Viewing Deck and Batu Caves.
Both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are safe and are tourist-friendly cities. Most of the people can speak English. And their efficient transpo system makes touring around the city to be a breeze.
Please take note that this itinerary involves a lot of walking (just like any other do-it-yourself tour), so be sure to bring your most comfy shoes! hehe
If you have other questions, just let me know. =)
Have a happy trip in August!
Hello this seems a great trip. Sounds like you a had a good time….I am going with my husband to singapore and malaysia this august and i think i am following your itinerary… did you book a package to singapore or you paid the airline and hotel separately? did you go through an agency? your advise would help…thanks
You may leave your comments here…