By Air

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 Air Asia), and Johor Bahru (provided by Air Asia). Advance bookings especially for Air Asia can be very cheap.

Getting to/away:

The airport is 15 minutes from the city centre by taxi. You can also catch an SKMK bus from the local bus station in the city centre.

Malaysia Airlines:

Mezzanine Floor, Kompleks Yakin, Jalan Gajah Mati, 15050 Kota Bharu. Tel: +60-9-7483477 (ticketing), +60-9-7448066 (general)

By Road

There is an excellent network of roads linking the major towns in Peninsular Malaysia to Kelantan. From Kuala Lumpur, the overland route takes one eastward along the Karak Highway to Kuantan in Pahang a journey of about 3 hours.

The rest of the journey from Kuantan to Kota Bharu takes about 4 1/2 hours. The route heads northward along the coast passing through picturesque villages and providing scenic vistas of the palm-fringed beaches overlooking the azure waters of the South China Sea.

The inland route to Kota Bharu turns off the Karak Highway at Bentong and proceeds northwards to Raub and then to Gua Musang, before reaching Kota Bharu. An alternative route exits the Karak Highway at Temerloh and passes through Jerantut, Benta and Gua Musang en-route to Kota Bharu.

From Penang, one has to get to Grik via Sungai Petani in Kedah and then travel along the scenic East-West Highway to Jeli in Kelantan before continuing the journey to Kota Bharu.

There are regular air-conditioned express bus services between Kuala Lumpur, as well as major towns in Kota Bharu.

By Taxi

Taxi services are available on a basis of four passengers to a taxi. Time of departure will depend on its full loads.

By Bus

Buses connect Kota Bharu to all major cities in peninsula Malaysia. Most long distance buses leave from the southern Langgar terminal, while local and regional services converge on the Central terminal; connect between the two in 10 minutes on bus 39 (RM0.50). A basic Transnasional bus to Kuala Lumpur will set you back RM33, with luxury VIP buses running around RM50-60.

By Train

Kota Bharu's main railway station Wakaf Bahru is some 5 kilometers away from the city center. Nightly sleeper trains running on the "Jungle Track" connect to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore (around RM70 for an air-con 2nd-class sleeper); alternatively, you can take a local train to Gemas to enjoy the view and change there. Or you can hop on a bus to the Thai border at Sungai Golok and continue by rail from there. To get to the city, take bus 27 (RM1) or a taxi (RM10).