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Malaysia travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu. Photo: kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
13h 30mflight from London
Ringgitcurrency
No visafor UK passports
Type Gplugs

Rainforest, orangutans and a melting pot of food

Don't miss

  1. Kuala Lumpur
  2. Borneo orangutans
  3. Penang
Good forFood loversWildlife & safariCity breaks

Best time to visit Malaysia from the UK

Best value: Dec–Jan, Apr–May, Sep. Mar–Oct for the west coast; Apr–Oct for Borneo. Busiest and priciest: Feb–Mar, Jun–Aug.

24.7 C25°J25 C25°F25.8 C26°M26.2 C26°A26.3 C26°M25.8 C26°J25.3 C25°J25.4 C25°A25.4 C25°S25.5 C26°O25.3 C25°N24.8 C25°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Kuala Lumpur, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Kuala Lumpur for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: April and MayThe warmest of the best-value months (26°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Feb–Mar, Jun–AugUsually 25–26°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: Oct–NovAround 25–26°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, though often because of rain or heat.
  • Warmest: May (26°C) · coolest: January (25°C)Temperatures barely change through the year, so the season matters more than the weather.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
24.72525.826.226.325.825.325.425.425.525.324.8

Festivals and events

  • Thaipusam Jan–Feb · Batu Caves
  • Rainforest World Music Festival Jun–Jul · Sarawak
  • Hari Raya Varies · Nationwide

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 13h 30m
Distance
10,567 km
Main airport
KUL

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Malaysia to your bucket list Search flights to KUL

Practical info and travel guidance

RinggitCapital: Kuala Lumpur
Type G · 240VUK plugs fit
Drive on the leftSame as the UK
999
EmergencyPolice, fire, ambulance
Safe in citiesBottled elsewhere
  • FCDO adviceAdvises against all but essential travel to parts of MalaysiaCheck which areas before you book.
  • VisaNo visa neededUp to 90 days
  • HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
  • LGBT+ travellersSame-sex relations are illegal or prosecutedRead the FCDO LGBT+ advice before you go.
  • Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Malaysia, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 19 March 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Malaysia before you book and again before you go.

Open Malaysia on the map Log it as visited, drop pins for the places you went, or plan it as your next trip.