Johor Bahru Things to Do

The Royal Mousoleum has been the final place for Rayalty of Johor. The mousoleum is situated along Jalan Mahmoodiah. An area where one can¹t help but appreciate the serene and tranquil atmosphere befitting a resting place for eternity. The mousoleum¹s architecture is one of a fine, unique and aesthetic design of yesterday.

Built to commemorate the declaration of Johor Bahru as a city on 31 December 1993, Dataran Bandaraya or City Square is much sought after for public events like parades and stage shows. This popular tourist attraction comprises a large stage, a minaret, a fountain and a clock tower reputed to be the biggest in the region. It also boasts of the tallest flag staff in the state and a mega video screen has been installed for visitors to view live transmissions.

This mosque, said to be the most beautiful in Malaysia, was completed in 1900, a few years after the death of the Sultan. Taking 8 years to construct, the mosque can accommodate 2,000 worshippers. It is located on spacious grounds not far from the Istana Besar overlooking the Tebrau Straits.

Built by the late Sultan Abu Bakar, this imposing palace along Jalan Tun Dr Ismail has been converted into a museum showcasing many rare and beautiful treasures from all over the world. Open daily except on Fridays.

This picture shows a stall selling many types of "kuihs" (sweet or salty delicacies). For the best and cheap kuihs, I find it's best in Taiping - a quaint little town up north of Malaysia, slightly north of KL. haha.. food hunting again... I will do more good food hunting when I get back to Malaysia. :-)

Pasar malam is not just about cooked food. There will be other stalls selling brics and bracs too. There will be stalls selling vegatables, meat, fish, etc, just like in the morning wet market. There will also be shops selling clothes - no trying though cos there's no changing room. Usually you can bargain at the pasar malam, but we do not bargain for the food.

I feel that this is a must see activities to have an insight to the life of the local people. For more information about "Pasar Malam", go to my tip under "Nightlife".

I like to go to Pasar Malam for dinner. It will not be a proper dinner, but more like delicious "junk" food to fill the stomach. There will be many stalls selling food and you can see how your food is being prepared in front of you.

Char guay tiao, you char kuih, fried chicken, bean curd with soya milk, curry puff, cakes, bread, kuih kuih, apom, char kuay, min chang kuih, etc... Oh yes, goreng pisang too... By the way, I do not have all these types of food in one night, I cannot finish them... but sometimes when I am bored with normal dinner at the table, I just go to the Pasar Malam for dinner. :-) Eat as you walk and shop, or pack home to enjoy in front of the TV.

There's a batik printing factory with a shop selling many souvnirs in JB. I used to go there every week in the early 1990s. My tuition teacher stays around there, so I went there to see how batik is being drawn / printed back then. I am not sure if the batik factory is still there, but I think it should still be around since there are usually many tourists. I do not know their exact address. I only know the way there :-). You can find out more about that from Jotic (Johor Tourist Center). At least now, after reading this, you know there's a batik factory somewhere in JB.

This city square consist of a clock tower and a huge field - not very near the city cneter though. There's not much commercial activities here, except on special occasions when there's some celebrations going on here.
It was constructed along Jalan Skudai to commemorate Johor Bahru's promotion to a city status in 1993.
I remembered the grand opening ceremony of the city Square. We had beautiful fire works, dancing, and partying there. When I say partying, it does not mean partying with alcohol (which is the case in westerners' perception). There are many beautifully lighted ships just off the coast to celebrate the occasion.