A Malaysia tour offers you a lot of exciting experiences. Peninsular Malaysia is also where you’ll find the buzz. Gastronomes, shoppers, and museum hounds can enjoy their fill-in cosmopolitan Kuala Lumpur, food-forward Penang, and cultural jigsaw Melaka. The following list of the best places in Malaysia may be useful for your next trip to Malaysia.

1. Kuala Lumpur is the best place to go for a whirlwind tour

Kuala Lumpur is the place that offers you the most experiences. There are chic shopping malls (like Pavilion KL and Suria KLCC). Moreover, a competitive cocktail scene and a sci-fi skyline can be seen in the Petronas Towers. It rises like twin rockets. Alternatively,  Menara KL glows like a futuristic lighthouse, where you can head to the 300m-high sky deck for an expansive view.

Additionally,  Kuala Lumpur comes accompanied by nature and history. There is courtesy of time-worn temples, Kopitiam (traditional coffee houses), and rainforests almost side by side with high-rise buildings. Besides, the multi-story Thean Hou Temple and ornate Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad force contemplation and wonder.

We would like to suggest some exciting experiences for a short trip to Kuala Lumpur. For example, you can listen to birdsong at KL Forest Eco Park, picnic by a waterfall at the Forest Research Institute, and less than an hour’s drive away is Mah Meri Cultural Village to immerse yourself in Orang Asli (indigenous) art and history.

2. Encounter pristine nature in Gunung Mulu National Park

Gunung Mulu is arguably Malaysia’s best national park. Between Gunung Mulu (2376m/7795ft) and Gunung Api (1710m/5610ft) are old-growth forests, limestone pinnacles, and deep caves, home to millions of bats that take flight every twilight.

DIY experiences include the Mulu canopy walk, a suspended ladder through the treetops; an easy ramble to Paku Waterfall; or the Botanical Heritage Loop Trail.

3. Penang is the top destination for food, drink, and sensory pleasures

Travelers flock from across Malaysia to try Gurney Drive’s seafood restaurants, Penang laksa at Lorong Baru Hawker Stalls, and seafood at the Chew Jetties. Beside char kway teow (a type of rice noodles), Penang can offer you more.

Inhale the tang of 500 herbs and aromatics at Tropical Spice Garden. Listen to the chatter of macaques at Penang National Park, the country’s smallest. Gawp at the architectural splendor of Khoo Kongsi clubhouse and the intricately carved Pinang Peranakan Mansion. Alternatively, get bang up to date with contemporary art at Hin Bus Station.

Penang is one of the best places to visit in Malaysia in December when the west coast enjoys good weather while winds batter the east.

4. Pulau Perhentian is the best island for sunshine and snorkeling

The Perhentian Islands are synonymous with brilliant beaches and marine life, plus there’s a party scene to keep beach bums dancing until the wee hours.

Coral Bay is the best for searching for spectacular sunsets. Green turtles can be seen on Main Beach. Late-night beach parties are perfect on Long Beach.  Besides, there are numerous beaches where you can go sea kayaking, and snorkel among parrotfish and giant clams, Alternatively, hardened divers can go deeper to visit wrecks and commune with clownfish, reef sharks, and stingrays.

Time your visit for the dry season between March and October (but avoid July, when crowds reach their peak).

5. Melaka is a cultural smorgasbord

Melaka is on Peninsular Malaysia’s west coast. Today, Melaka is one of the best cities to visit in Malaysia, thanks to its varied food cultures, hotch-potch of architecture, and alluring night markets.

Glimpse Portuguese history by clambering aboard the replica Flor de la Mar ship and sampling baked fish at Medan Portugis.  Alternatively, Time-travel forward to Dutch rule by touring the Stadthuys (now a history museum) and salmon-pink Christ Church. Other cornerstones of history are the ‘China Hill’ cemetery and Peranakan (Straits Chinese) mansions, notably the Baba-Nyonya Heritage Museum.

Moreover, colorful trishaws offer joyrides and history tours, while Jonker Walk Night Market is the evening’s entertainment, from open-air karaoke to nibbling on Nyonya zongzi.

6. Take refreshing upland hikes in the Cameron Highlands

Malaysia’s most famous hill stations snooze among the vivid green tea plantations of the Cameron Highlands. Temperatures seldom stray higher than 30°C (86°F), attracting locals and tourists alike to cool off in these 1300 m to 1829m heights.

Take a guided hike with Eco Cameron to marvel at orchids and hunt for the whooping rafflesia flower. You can also go alone on trails that extend right from main the towns of Brinchang and Tanah Rata (ask locally about trail safety, as robberies have been reported on some routes). Besides, Boh Sungei Palas has some of the best views, with Boh Tea Garden a close second.

7. Ipoh is Malaysia’s best unsung destination

Ipoh is the capital of Perak, a region of past tin-mining wealth. Also, it spawned colonial follies like Kellie’s Castle. Moreover, there are the regional delicacies – chicken bean sprouts, and bean curd pudding – that bring KL day-trippers piling into Ipoh eateries.

But for international travelers, Ipoh has remained firmly off the map. Therefore, if you’re looking for unique places to visit in Malaysia, head to Ipoh. Its hilly outskirts are jeweled with cave temples. Besides, statue-studded Sam Poh Tong has a crimson pavilion secreted away among the limestone cliffs. In town, street art by famed Lithuanian muralist Ernest Zacharevic splashes the walls, shophouses on once-notorious Concubine Lane retain their antique flavor, and the train station has attracted the nickname, Taj Mahal.

This is a good chance to plan a trip to Malaysia the next time. Therefore, we would like to give you a travel guide to Malaysia as well as some typical Malaysia tours.