Kota Bharu, Malaysia

Kota Bharu is a city in Malaysia, is the state capital and Royal City of Kelantan. It is located on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. This northeastern Malaysian city is close to the Thai border, and is home to many mosques. Also of interest are various museums and the unique architecture of the old royal palace (still occupied by the sultan and sultanah and off-limits to visitors but viewable from outside) and former royal buildings (which can be visited) in the center of town.

Arguably the most amazing building, is the central market (Pasar Besar). It is an octagonal building in the centre of town and houses a very colourful and active market every day. Nearby is a plain square which turns into the local food market in the evenings.

Things to See & Do

* Central market
* Craft Museum & Handicraft Centre
* Royal Museum
* Istana Jahar - Museum of Royal Traditions and Ceremonies
* Walk the downtown area

General information

Cruise Season - Jan - Dec
Currency - Ringgit (RM) (MYR)
Language - Bahasa Malaysia, English
Population - 610,000 approx
Land Area - 394 km ²
Electricity - 2 vertical square pins and one perpendicular below British style
Time - GMT plus eight hours
International Country Telephone Code - +6o

Travel Links - Kota Bharu's small but new and efficient Sultan Ismail Petra Airport (KBR) in Pengkalan Chepa currently receives flights from Kuala Lumpur provided by Malaysia Airlines and budget carrier AirAsia . Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, flies 5 times a day between Kota Bharu and Kuala Lumpur Subang Airport. Flights take just under an hour.

The nearest railway station to Kota Bharu is at Wakaf Bharu, some 6.5 kilometers away from the city center. Trains run on the Jungle Railway to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. One attraction is the Jungle Train which stops at almost every station between Tumpat and Gemas, allowing you to enjoy close-up contact with local people as the train travels through the heart of Peninsular Malaysia.

The state-run SKMK and Transnasional is the largest bus company, and runs all the city and regional buses, as well as most of the long-distance buses. It operates from the central bus station (city and regional buses) and the Langgar bus station (long-distance buses). All the other long-distance bus companies operate from Jalan Hamzah external bus station.