With sandy white beaches, secluded rainforest retreats, and a truly metropolitan capital city, Malaysia is a perfect entry point to all that South East Asia has to offer!
My family chose to begin our Asian adventures in Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur because of a world school pop-up that was happening there, but it turned out to be an excellent place to begin our travels in South East Asia!
Kuala Lumpur, where we flew in, has an incredible selection of great things to do with kids, including several that are either low-cost or free. It’s easy to get around the city, thanks to the wide availability of the ride share app, Grab. And because of Malaysia’s colonial history with England, we were able to find English speakers literally everywhere we went!
This combination of factors helped us to ease into South East Asia, and gave us time to adjust to the parts of Asian culture that were new to us.
I’m still in the process of cataloging all our adventures (because we’re still in the midst of them!), but if you’re looking for some amazing things to do in Malaysia, you should check out what I’ve written so far in my list of articles below.
Great Things to do in Malaysia with Kids
Why Langkawi is one of Malaysia’s Top Island Getaways
If I’m being honest, I’ve always preferred exploring natural locations to monuments and city streets. Which is why our family was so excited to spend some time on the beautiful island of Langkawi, in the north of Malaysia!
Why Langkawi is the Perfect Place for Teaching Kids Geology in Paradise
In all, Langkawi has 4 different geoparks to explore, each with their own educational focus. And all of them are worth a look.
16+ Amazing Activities that make Penang one of the best things to do in Malaysia with kids
Cultural hot spots in Malaysia? Penang has a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site! Top national parks in the country? Penang has an excellent one! Beautiful beaches? Top foodie destinations? Great expat communities? Penang, Penang, Penang!
Best things to do with Kids in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
While we enjoyed our time in Kuala Lumpur, the vast majority of the trips we made in the city where focused on learning about Malaysia’s culture and history, with fewer trips that took us into nature. So, when we got the chance to check out the Cameron Highlands, we jumped at the opportunity to get out of the city and see a bit more of what Malaysia has to offer!
A beautiful mix of Geology and Culture – Batu Caves with kids
The Batu Caves are a series of naturally occurring caves located in the northern part of Kuala Lumpur that have been transformed into a series of small Hindu temples and shrines. While the temples have been a major destination for Hindu practitioners for decades, the caves have recently gained international attention thanks to a rainbow-colored paint job that transformed the staircase leading up to the caves into one of Malaysia’s most Instagramable spots.
20+ Amazing Ideas for things to do with Kids in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is a city filled to bursting with fun and educational things to do with your kids, from exploring Malaysia’s rich biodiversity to marveling at fantastically shaped skyscrapers. Here are some of my family’s top picks!