In 2023-2024 we travelled across 6 South East Asian countries without taking flying as part of an around the world trip. This is the first blog in a series offering tips for land borders based on our experiences. Like and subscribe to be alerted to new posts in this series.
DISCLAIMER: These are our experiences as UK citizens in 2023/ 2024 using public transport only. Visa, entry and border rules can change quickly and without warning (this is especially true for land and sea crossings). Please ensure you are using up to date official government advice, applying for visas where appropriate well in advance and never attempting to cross borders without the correct paperwork in place. I would also recommend joining local backpacker facebook groups for up to date experiences with specific border crossings (although ALWAYs triple check and information you find on them!) There is a higher chance of getting ‘stuck’ in noman's land when crossing land borders compared to flying because there’s no airline agent checking your paperwork on departure and your consulate may not offer support for visa issues. That said, we found most of our border experiences smooth and hassle-free.
Singapore to Malaysia
Having enjoyed 4 days in Singapore, our next stop was the vibrant city of Kuala Lumpur. Our second visit to Malaysia’s capital in as many years. Given the two cities lie on the same landmass we started looking at train and bus options using RomeToRio.
Train options
To our surprise there is no direct or even slightly indirect train service between these two capital cities. Having enjoyed the high speed rail in Malaysia between Malacca and the north only 12 months before we incorrectly assumed that the rail network would have good international connections. Rail is less developed in SE Asia compared to Europe and there are not many cross-border services in the region (although this is changing fast, for example a new cross-national rail service is planned for 2026 between Malaysia and Singapore). But, if you are a determined rail enthusiast, it is by no means an impossible feat. From Singapore central you would first need to take a train to Woodlands Train Checkpoint, cross the Woodlands checkpoint by foot, then take a shuttle train to Johor Bahru Sentral (JB Sentral). From there you can catch the KTM Berhad train to Gemas and then finally connect to KL Sentral from Gemas station. The total journey time will depend on your connection timings but would likely take most of your day 8 hours +. You can find out more and book tickets online.
Bus options
It became clear that a long distance bus would be the quickest and easiest option to travel from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur for us. Having crossed many land borders, I would highly recommend trying to find a bus or coach option where one bus takes you across the border and all the way to your destination to avoid having to cross the border on foot yourself and change buses with your luggage. This can usually be ensured by checking the T+Cs in the small print when booking on 12go Asia, or alternatively by looking up company or route reviews.
Booking your transport
For almost all land and sea transport booking across South East Asia we used 12go Asia. The site is easy to navigate, has a huge range of options and (really importantly) provides responsive customer service who always dealt with our questions or refund requests quickly. There’s also the bonus of being able to choose your seats on most bus journeys which is really important when travelling long distances. They do small charge administrative and card fees, which is to be expected, but in most countries these are negligible and the service and piece of mind is more than worth the few £££ extra. There are a few instances and countries where going directly to a travel agent will save you significant money and offer more options but for Singapore to Malaysia I would use 12go Asia for all journeys.
The bus we chose
We booked a Starmart Еxpress bus leaving from from the Golden Mile Tower Singapore at 10am and arriving Berjaya Times Square KL at 3pm. This was very convenient as we were staying in the popular Bukit Bintag which is walking distance from Times Square (even with 15kg backpacks). Different buses go to different bus stations in KL so it’s always worth ensuring you are picking the most convenient for your hostel, hotel or onward journey. The ticket cost 35$ (Singapore) per person, just over £20. This was quite pricey for a mid length trip but it is the standard fare for this direct journey.
TOP TIP: Arrive at the Golden Mile early and check out the Golden Mile Food Centre, a fantastic hawker market for a pre-journey Kopi and Kaya toast set. You can also find more Singapore foodie recommendations here.
We were required to check-in for our bus at the Star Express office ahead of departure. The office is just inside the Golden Mile tower on the right-handside. For this specific service you have to arrive between and check in 60 - 30 mins before boarding, so make sure to check your ticket and arrive on time to avoid your seat being resold. The bus boarded efficiently around 30 minutes before departure and we set off on time at 10am.
Starmart Еxpress have a fleet of single deck seaters or double deck seaters, ours was single. All buses are equipped with wide seats with one row of single and one row of two-person seats, the former would be perfect for solo travellers who like their personal space and the latter works well for those of us travelling in pairs. All seats have extreme legroom, and are 120-degree reclinable. The 35$SG ticket included a free luggage allowance of 20 KG and hand baggage which can be taken on board. This was our first long distance bus in Asia and wow were we impressed. Compared to the size of long distance coaches in Europe we probably enjoyed almost double the room per person.
The border
We are UK citizens crossing the Singapore/Malaysia land-border in 2023, please research the most up to date advice for your situation before attempting to cross any border. As a minimum to clear immigration at the Woodlands Checkpoint (Johor–Singapore Causeway) or Tuas Checkpoint (Second Link) travellers must have a passport valid for at least 6 months.
We were only going to be in Malaysia for a couple of weeks max and, as UK citizens and tourists, we could stay visa-free in Malaysia for up to 90 days. Also, unlike other SE Asian countries, we did not need proof of leaving Malaysia as a requirement for the visa exemption. The requirement for onward travel was a new concept to us but can cause headaches for long-term travellers and especially those of us who are trying not to fly (keep an eye out for a new blog on just this issue!), but at time of writing this was not needed for land-crossing from Singapore to Malaysia by bus.
When we visited, in November 2023, Malaysia had removed all covid requirements but it was in the process of reintroducing a Digital Entry Form, similar to Singapore. For our travel it was not a mandatory requirement but I understand it may well be from 2024. Most digital forms can be completed 72 hours before you cross, so my tip is to set a phone reminder 48 hours before any country departure to double check all entry and visa requirements for your next destination and complete arrival forms where required.
The actual border crossing was one of the smoothest and fastest of all our land crossings in SE Asia. The bus stops and you disembark first at the Singapore border to register you out of the country. You then jump back on the bus and progress to Malaysian immigration for entry. How often and when you will need to take all your luggage off the coach to be searched will vary depending on the border guards requirements. We had to take all our luggage with us for scanning into the immigration office as we left Singapore but on entry to Malaysia our luggage stayed on the bus. All in all the process of both borders didn’t take longer than 30 minutes and was a very professional operation.
After a journey spent napping comfortably in our giant E Z chairs we arrived comfortably and on time in KL’s time square around 3pm, just a short walk from our apartment.
Our Review /10
Price: 7/10
Booking process: 10/10
Time: 10/10
Comfort: 10/10
Border: 10/10
Overall 9/10 - can’t fault this journey or service and would do it exactly the same way again! The price is a little high for a 5 hour journey in SE Asia.
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