Cheap guide to Johor Bahru: Where to go and best things to do (2023)

Judging by how many people read and shared an earlier article on how to get to JB by train, I'm guessing Johor Bahru still remains as popular a weekend destination as ever for bored (and broke) Singaporeans.

But after you've changed your SGD into a thick stack of MYR, there's still the question of what to do in JB with all that cash. It's not gonna spend itself, right?

So I've compiled a list of the best things to do in Johor Bahru on a day trip, starting from the low-hanging fruit (everything near JB Sentral and City Square) to the farther-flung destinations that are worth visiting.

Cheap guide to Johor Bahru: Where to go & best things to do in JB

Johor Bahru is actually a pretty big area, so it's actually impossible to do all of JB in one trip. Instead, try to visit places that are near one another, or else you'll just be on the road most of the time. I've grouped this article into 8 main shopping/eating clusters, in increasing level of "difficulty".

Movies + food: City Square JB & Komtar JBCC (right opposite JB Sentral)

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Johor Bahru City Square (@jbcitysquare)

Whether you're taking the bus, train or crossing the border on foot, JB Sentral is the immigration checkpoint and therefore your point of entry into Malaysian territory.

Once you exit, there's an overhead linkway to two popular shopping malls: City Square Mall (older and more popular) and Komtar JBCC (newer and swankier, feels like Singapore).

Lots of JB day trippers don't even step foot outside of these shopping malls, because it has what people come here to do anyway: Watch movies and eat.

Cheap things you can do here are:

• Watch movies at the City Square JB cinema (standard ticket prices are RM19).
• Get a shoulder or foot massage at City Square (check out our JB massage guide).
• Shop at Sephora and Marks & Spencer at Komtar (expensive for Malaysian standards, but many items are cheaper after conversion).
• Stock up on personal care items like contact lenses and supplements, which are cheaper in Malaysia.
• Eat at familiar restaurants like Swensen’s (known as Seasons here), Nando’s, Tony Roma’s, Seoul Garden etc. at both shopping malls.

JB cafe hopping: Jalan Dhoby & Hiap Joo (walkable from City Square)

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Panggung Kopi (@n0.1438)

If you’re willing to bravely walk where there’s no air-con, there's quite a lot to see in the immediate vicinity.

First, cut through City Square JB to get to Wong Ah Fook Road, and turn left. You’ll walk down a string of old school shops including a famous fish head curry place. Cross the street to the mega pasar malam Bazar Karat (open from 7pm onwards) and continue walking until you hit Jalan Dhoby.

Jalan Dhoby is kind of like JB's Haji Lane: It’s home to a bunch of hipster JB cafes and boutiques — all in old shophouses, of course. Be sure to explore the parallel Jalan Tan Hiok Nee as well.

The cafes here are quite pricey. Expect to pay around RM15 for a coffee (only a little less than in Singapore). Highlights:

• Bev C Cafe (local designer boutique that doubles up as a cafe that everyone raves about)
• Chaiwalla & Co. (cafe housed in a container, a la Artbox)
• Flowers in the Window (very pretty cafe filled with plants everywhere)
• The Replacement Lodge & Kitchen (painfully cool boutique hotel and cafe)

Mixed among the hipster establishments, there are also some cheap local food places that make this area worth exploring:

• It Roo Cafe & Restoran Hua Mui (both famous for chicken chop)
• Hiap Joo Bakery (traditional bakery famous for banana cake & "burnt" buns)
• Salahuddin Bakery (traditional bakery famous for triangular flaky curry puffs)

Massage + shopping: KSL Mall & Bangkok Spa JB (10 min drive from City Square JB)

If you’ve exhausted all that the JB Sentral and Jalan Dhoby areas have to offer, JB has no lack of mega shopping malls within spitting distance of the checkpoint.

The biggest one is KSL City Mall, which is a 10 minute drive from City Square JB. There are lots of taxis here, but I'd recommend using Grab if you have roaming data because it’ll be a lot cheaper and there’s less chance of the driver taking the long way to chop tourists.

KSL City Mall is a huge complex complete with its own hotel, multiple spas and salons, a cinema (naturally), a massive Daiso (everything RM5.90), a Tesco hypermart, many restaurants, and what feels like 500 shops all selling cheap barang-barang.

You can spend the day in the shopping mall if you’re so inclined, but when I’m in the area I like to go to the nearby Bangkok Spa for a (clean) massage. The very painful but therapeutic 60-minute Thai massage I got cost just RM62 (S$18)!

You might be surprised to know that JB has its share of "nice" restaurants — you know, the kind you’d go to on a date when you want to impress someone? And there’s quite a few near KSL City:

• Naughty Bali (Balinese pork ribs restaurant)
• Chez Papa (French bistro & wine bar)
• Lavender L.Table (nice-ish Western food with really good desserts)
• Gianni’s Trattoria (Italian restaurant & wines)

If the idea of going to a fancy Western restaurant in JB sounds weird to you, just look up their menus online and divide all the prices by three to convert the RM to SGD. Tell me you’re not sold.

Ice skating + rock climbing: Paradigm Mall (20 min drive from City Square JB)

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JB regulars would have been to City Square and KSL City billions of times, so it’s totally understandable that they’re now talking about the newer and cooler Paradigm Mall these days.

It’s about a 20-minute Grab ride or drive from JB Sentral. Apart from being one of the newest shopping malls in JB, it’s also seriously huge at over two million sq ft in size (for comparison, VivoCity is 1.5 million sq ft). 

You can certainly spend the entire day inside Paradigm Mall because in addition to the sheer size, there’s also an indoor ice skating rink (RM40 per session) and an indoor climbing gym (RM32 to RM42 for an all-day pass), and they cost way less than in Singapore.

Shop like you're in Singapore, in JB: The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey (20 min drive from City Square JB)

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey (@midvalleysouthkey)

I have no doubt that The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey was created exclusively with Singaporeans and wealthy Malaysians in mind.

For one thing, as with Paradigm Mall, Mid Valley Southkey is massive enough to entertain you all day. The flagship tenant here is Sogo, the Japanese department store — remember them? — and there are also lots of high end brands that you can find in malls like Jewel Changi Airport and ION Orchard. For example: Dior, L’Occitane En Provence, Swarovski, Yves Saint Laurent, and Tudor.

JB furniture shopping: Aeon Tebrau City, Ikea Malaysia (30 min drive from City Square JB)

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Just got your BTO keys and already lamenting the exorbitant prices of furniture in Singapore? If you’ve got your own car or can borrow/rent one, you might want to consider shopping in JB to capitalise on the exchange rate.

The obvious place to start is Ikea Tebrau (said to the biggest Ikea in Southeast Asia!) which is about a 25- to 30-minute drive from City Square.

Before you go, you must do your homework — the items in Ikea Malaysia are not necessarily that much cheaper than Ikea Singapore. Also make sure all the items can fit into your transport, otherwise you’ll be in a pickle as there’s no way to deliver the items across the border.

There’s a big shopping mall, Aeon Tebrau City, right next to Ikea Johor in case you want to pass out at TGV cinema (which has bean bags!) for a few hours after your shopping. The Malaysian homeware store Kaison outlet here is also worth visiting for home decor and accessories.

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A few minutes’ drive from Aeon Tebrau City is the unofficial furniture district in JB: Taman Molek. Just Google "furniture shops JB" and you’ll see a bunch of them in a strip.

I haven’t been to this area myself, but from what I read in forums, there’s a bunch of furniture and lighting wholesalers here. It's said that delivery to Singapore is common practice too.

JB with the kids: Aeon Bukit Indah, Legoland & Hello Kitty Town (20 min drive from Tuas Second Link)

 

 

 

 

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A viable day trip option for Westies is Bukit Indah in the western part of JB. It's closer to Tuas Checkpoint and the Second Link (a lot less crowded than Woodlands), plus the expressway links you straight from immigration to Aeon Bukit Indah in just 20 minutes.

Aeon Bukit Indah isn’t exactly stunning, but it's good enough for a relaxing day out. There’s the TGV Bukit Indah cinema (also has bean bags) and a Daiso for more shopping too.

One good thing about the Bukit Indah area is that it’s quite pedestrian-friendly by Malaysian standards. Just across from the mall is a strip of spas, restaurants and hotels, and if you turn left and walk down the road, you’ll see a big Tesco supermarket.

It’s also really near JB's major theme parks: Legoland and Hello Kitty Town, both located about midway between Bukit Indah and the Second Link checkpoint.

JB outlet shopping: Johor Premium Outlets (40 min drive from City Square JB)

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Those who got a big fat bonus this year end and don't know what to do with it-lucky-can head up north to Johor Premium Outlets to snap up branded goods at insane prices.

The slightly under-the-radar factory outlet cluster in JB is about a 40-minute drive away from JB Sentral, which is a bit out of the way… but it should be worth the trip if you come during their big end-of-year sale in December.

Depending on the brand, prices are slashed up till mid-December (better get to your Christmas shopping quick!) or the end of the year.

ALSO READ: From JB to Penang: 6 incredible eateries to visit on your roadtrip

This article was first published in MoneySmart.