How to get from Kuala Lumpur to Penang by Bus
Kuala Lumpur and Penang are both located in Malaysia but have different qualities that it’s worth visiting both and this article will show you KL to Penang route.
Malaysia is a great place to travel, I spent 3 weeks around Malaysia. Usually people are travelling in Thailand but I really would consider adding Malaysia to your itinerary!
I recently took the bus between KL and Penang so I am going to give a detailed step-by-step guide on how to get from Kuala Lumpur to Penang by bus.
At time of writing: 5 MYR = £1.
Buy a SIM Card in Malaysia To Help With Travel
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The very first thing you should do in Malaysia is buy a SIM card. I never bought a SIM card when I was in Thailand and looking back, it would’ve made things so much easier. When I got to KL, buying a SIM card was my gateway to getting the most out of the city in just 2 days because I was able to use apps such as Grab and use GPS to find specific restaurants I wanted to visit.
The best way to get a SIM card for Kuala Lumpur is to buy this 4G Sim for Malaysia which you can pick up from KL International Airport on arrival. This connects you to KL as soon as you land and you can download Grab (Asia’s Uber) which saves you from being scammed from taxi drivers at the airport! Also, this sim will work all over Malaysia and has various airport pick-ups around the country including: Langkawi International Airport, Penang International Airport, Johor Senai Airport, and also Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia and a common first stop for many people visiting Malaysia. You can get around the entire country using Kuala Lumpur as your base. The bus from Kuala Lumpur to Penang is very straightforward. Knowing how to book and get there is usually the hard part so use this guide to help you plan your KL to Penang by bus.
Read More: 48 Hours in Kuala Lumpur
Penang
Penang is a small island just off North-Western Malaysia and home to the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site, Georgetown. It boasts beautiful beaches, impressive street art and has been called by some, the street food capital of Asia! No wonder you want to get the bus from Kuala Lumpur to Penang Island. The route, with scheduled stop(s), takes about 5 hours to get to Penang.
Read Next: Best Things to Do in Penang
Ways to get from Kuala Lumpur to Penang
To get to Penang from KL you can go via plane, bus, bus and boat or train.
The most trusted website I have used is 12Go Asia. I used this website when I travelled from London to Bangkok and at Heathrow Airport I was told I needed to book a way out of Thailand so I used 12Go there and then to book a bus to Cambodia. Book here for your bus to Penang from Kuala Lumpur.
You can use online websites to get to your next Malaysian destination by all of these options which is how I booked my KL to Penang bus.
Booking your Bus from KL to Penang
I used the website www.busonlineticket.com and entered the departure and arrival destinations and the dates to travel. It came up with A LOT of options. I wanted to leave from a particular bus station as I knew it wasn’t far from my accommodation so wouldn’t cost me much to get there. I found a morning departure time and booked the tickets through this website. A payment confirmation email instantly came through and my tickets also came through via email. The one-way ticket cost for the Kuala Lumpur to Penang bus is 39 MYR so the KL to Penang bus price is about £7.50. The whole journey takes around 5 hours from departure to arrival.
We went with ‘Plusliner’ company for both KL to Penang and Penang to KL because they are trustworthy.
Penang Island is connected to the mainland by a road that takes about 10 minutes to cross. I’ve read that a lot of people get the bus to Butterworth and then take the cheap ferry over to Penang. To save the hassle of moving luggage, getting up and finding more ticket counters, we got there by road. The arrival station I booked was called Terminal Bus Sungai Nibong located on Penang Island.
Tip: Print your ticket in advance! It will usually say this on your ticket and it’s best to do so in case you are turned away. My hostel printed our tickets for 1 MYR per sheet of paper.
Read Next: A Day Trip in Penang Hill
Kuala Lumpur Bus Station
For the bus route there are several departure areas around Kuala Lumpur. I used the Grab app to get from my accommodation to the bus station in 10 minutes and it cost 8 MYR. Look online for which bus station is closest to you if you haven’t downloaded Grab and you could walk/get a taxi/use the trains or public buses. The companies advise you to get there 30 minutes in advance to check in so do this for peace of mind. Note: it is likely that the bus will leave later than the planned time but better to get there early anyway!
My departure station was Terminal KTM Old Railway Station and the Grab driver dropped us off right outside the entrance about 9.25am (our bus was at 10am). When you get to the Old Railway Station, it is quite confusing as to where the bus stop is. We went to two (wrong) ticket booths and used the underground pedestrian tunnel and came out on the opposite side of the road, looking like lemons. To get to the correct desk, look along the front of the building and you’ll notice a purple/pink sign saying ‘Nice’ on the window with bus seats on the outside. Go through the double doors and you’ll find the bus stop reception.
When I got there to check-in, the staff member literally glanced at my ticket and said sit down to wait for the bus. That was it. The ‘ticket’ doesn’t have a QR code or scan bar either, it’s just a long number so I’m not sure of the need to have them printed. But I do as the ticket tells me!
Read Next if you are travelling to Thailand: Where to Visit in Thailand
The Journey
The rain was hammering it down so all us passengers scrambled to get our luggage underneath and get to our seat quickly. A note from me: people will probably be in your seat. Someone was in ours, so we sat in someone else’s and they sat in someone else’s and so on. No one is in the correct seat basically but we’re all going to the same place so hey ho! Scott then had a worried feeling that his bag had fallen, so he went out to look. He came back and told me that someone had moved his bag (which was toward the back), replaced it with their bag and his was now at the very front getting soaked from the rain. The joys.
The bus left KL around 10.30am and before long I had drifted off to sleep. My chair was already reclined and I didn’t know how to put it back up so I laid down most of the way hence the easy-sleeping. There are curtains on board that you can always tie up but it’s nice to enjoy the views, especially around the Ipoh area which is very green and is exactly where I happened to wake up.
We stopped for a 10/15 minute break to go to the toilet and stretch our legs. Then before long, the ocean was in sight and we were crossing the bridge on our bus to Penang Island!
Penang
The Penang bus station was called Terminal Bus Sungai Nibong which is about 20 minutes away from Georgetown. I booked another Grab from the station straight to our accommodation in Georgetown which cost 16 MYR. The taxis waiting at the station were asking for 35/40 MYR to Georgetown. Another reason why I love the Grab app! A couple from our bus asked if they could share our Grab and so it only cost us 4 MYR each (that’s less than a pound each)! Happy days.
When you get to Penang, read this article for Penang’s best street food.
What is the Bus from KL to Penang like?
The bus is super easy to get between these Malaysian places. A few things I’d advise would be:
- Go to the toilet before your journey as there’s no toilet on board the bus.
- Take some snacks as it could be longer than 5 hours with traffic.
- Download Grab app on your phone. If you use my referral code, GRABHDTRAVELS, we will both earn credit toward our Grab purchases or a free ride! Also, for how to get around Penang, download Grab!
All in all, it’s comfortable, straight forward and affordable travel. You’re going from A to B and the bus is an easy option. If you follow this guide to travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Penang then you’ll be sorted and arrive as smoothly as we did. Safe travels! 🙂
We also did the exact opposite route when travelling from Penang to Kuala Lumpur by bus. We used the same website, company, terminals and journey for getting the Penang to KL bus.
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After you’ve reached Penang, you’ll need to book accommodation. I have used booking.com for almost every trip I have ever taken. I use them to arrange my accommodation when I visit any place because I trust their services and they always give me the best deals in a place.
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