Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru is the capital of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located along the Straits of Johor at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia. Johor Bahru is adjacent to the city of Iskandar Puteri, both anchoring Malaysia's third largest urban agglomeration, Iskandar Malaysia. After the formation of Malaysia in 1963, Johor Bahru retained its status as state capital and was granted city status in 1994.

Economy Johor Bahru is one of the fastest-growing cities in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur. It is the main commercial centre for Johor and is located in the Indonesia–Malaysia–Singapore Growth Triangle. Tertiary-based industry dominates the economy with many international tourists from the regions visiting the city. It is the centre of financial services, commerce and retail, arts and culture, hospitality, urban tourism, plastic manufacturing, electrical and electronics and food processing. The main shopping districts are located within the city, with a number of large shopping malls located in the suburbs. Johor Bahru is the location of numerous conferences, congress and trade fairs, such as the Eastern Regional Organisation for Planning and Housing and the World Islamic Economic Forum. The city is the first in Malaysia to practise a low-carbon economy.

The city has a very close economic relationship with Singapore. There are around 3,000 logistic lorries crossing between Johor Bahru and Singapore every day for delivering goods between the two sides for trading activities. Many residents in Singapore frequently visit the city during the weekends; some of them have also chosen to live in the city. Many of the city's residents work in Singapore.

Land The internal roads linking different parts of the city are mostly federal roads constructed and maintained by Malaysian Public Works Department.[06] There are five major highways linking the Johor Bahru Central Business District to outlying suburbs: Tebrau Highway and Johor Bahru Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway in the north-east, Skudai Highway in the north-west, Iskandar Coastal Highway in the west and Johor Bahru East Coast Highway in the east. Pasir Gudang Highway and the connecting Johor Bahru Parkway cross Tebrau Highway and Skudai Highway, which serve as the middle ring road of the metropolitan area.[07] The Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road, which connects with the Sultan Iskandar customs complex, aids in controlling the traffic in and around the central business district. Access to the national expressway is provided through the North–South Expressway and Senai–Desaru Expressway.[08] The Johor–Singapore Causeway links the city to Woodlands, Singapore with a six-lane road and a railway line terminating at the Southern Integrated Gateway.

Transport: Bus The main bus terminals of the city are Johor Bahru Sentral and Larkin Sentral located in Larkin.[09] Other bus terminals include Taman Johor Jaya Bus Terminal and Ulu Tiram Bus Terminal. Larkin Sentral has direct bus services to and from many destinations in West Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore, while Taman Johor Jaya and Ulu Tiram Bus Terminals serve local destinations.[09] Major bus operators in the city are Causeway Link, Maju and S&S.

Taxi Two types of taxis operate in the city; the main taxi is either in red and yellow, blue, green or red while the larger, less common type is known as a limousine taxi, which is more comfortable but expensive. Most taxis in the city do not use their meter.

Transport: Rail The city is served by two railway stations, which are Johor Bahru Sentral railway station and Kempas Baru railway station. Both stations serve train services to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. In 2015, a new shuttle train service operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) was launched providing transport to Woodlands in Singapore. The under-construction Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS Link) connecting Singapore, is Malaysia's first LRT line outside the Klang Valley, and will start operation in 2027.

Transport: Air The city is served by Senai International Airport located at the neighbouring Senai town and connected through Skudai Highway. Five airlines, AirAsia (and its subsidiaries Indonesia AirAsia and Thai AirAsia), Firefly, Malaysia Airlines, Batik Air Malaysia and TransNusa, provide flights domestically as well as international flights to Guangzhou, Jakarta Soekarno–Hatta, Surabaya, Hồ Chí Minh City, Kunming and Bangkok Don Mueang.

Changi Airport is 36.3 km (22.6 mi) south-east of the city centre, across the border in Singapore, and is linked by a frequent cross-border coach service operated by Transtar Travel.

Sea Boat services are available to ports in Batam and Bintan Islands in Indonesia from Stulang Laut Ferry Terminal, located near the suburb of Stulang. The city is also served by Port of Tanjung Pelepas and Johor Port, the former is currently the 15th-busiest port in the world, and the largest transshipment hub in Malaysia.

Healthcare There are three public hospitals, four health clinics and thirteen 1Malaysia clinics in Johor Bahru. Sultanah Aminah Hospital, which is located along Persiaran Road, is the largest public hospital in Johor Bahru as well as in Johor with 989 beds. Another government funded hospital is the Sultan Ismail Specialist Hospital with 700 beds. Another large private health facility is the KPJ Puteri Specialist Hospital with 158 beds. Further healthcare facilities are currently being expanded to improve healthcare services in the city.

Education Many government or state schools are available in the city. The secondary schools include English College Johore Bahru, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Engku Aminah, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultan Ismail, Sekolah Menengah Infant Jesus Convent, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (Perempuan) Sultan Ibrahim and Sekolah Menengah Saint Joseph. There are also a number of international schools in the city. These include Marlborough College Malaysia, Shattuck-St. Mary's Forest City International School, Raffles American School, Sunway International School. The other private universities are Monash University Malaysia (Clinical School), City University Malaysia, Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia, University of Reading Malaysia, University of Southampton Malaysia, and others. There are also a number of private college campuses and one polytechnic operating in the city; these are Crescendo International College, KPJ College, Olympia College, Sunway College Johor Bahru, Taylor's College and College of Islamic Studies Johor.

Libraries The Johor State Library, also known as the Johor Public Library Corporation headquarters is the main library in the state, located off Yahya Awal Road. Another public library branch is the University Park in Kebudayaan Road, while there are other libraries or private libraries in schools, colleges, and universities. Two village libraries are available in the district of Johor Bahru.

Cultural attractions There are a number of cultural attractions in Johor Bahru. The Royal Abu Bakar Museum located within the Grand Palace building is the main museum in the city. The Johor Bahru Kwong Siew Heritage located in Wong Ah Fook Street housed the former Cantonese clan house that was donated by Wong Ah Fook. The Foon Yew High School houses many historical documents of the city history with a Chinese cultural heritage. The Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum on Ibrahim Road includes the history of Chinese migration to Johor along with a collection of documents, photos, and other artefacts.

The Johor Art Gallery in Petrie Road is a house gallery built in 1910, known as the house for the former third Chief Minister of Johor, Abdullah Jaafar. The house features old architecture and became the centre for the collection of artefacts related to Johor's cultural history since its renovation in 2000.

Chingay parade The Chinese community holds the Chingay parade annually by the Johor Bahru Old Chinese Temple, which unites the five Chinese ethnic groups in Johor, namely Cantonese, Hainanese, Hakka, Hoklo and Teochew. This co-operation among different Chinese cultures under a voluntary organisation became a symbol of harmony among the different Chinese people that deepens their sense of heritage to preserve their cultural traditions. The Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum describes the history of Chinese migration into Johor from the 14th to 19th centuries during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The ruler of Johor encouraged the Chinese community to plant gambier and pepper in the interior. Many of these farmers switched to pineapple cultivation in the 20th century, making Johor one of Malaysia's top fruit producers.

Historical attractions The Grand Palace is one of the historical attractions in the city, and is an example of Victorian-style architecture with a garden. Figure Museum is another historical colonial building since 1886 which ever become the house for the Johor first Menteri Besar Jaafar Muhammad; it is located on the top of Smile Hill (Bukit Senyum). The English College (now Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar) established in 1914 was located close to the Sungai Chat Palace before being moved to its present location at Sungai Chat Road; some of the ruins are visible at the old site. The Sultan Ibrahim Building is another historical building in the city; built in 1936 by British architect Palmer and Turner, it was the centre of the administration of Johor as since the relocation from Telok Blangah in Singapore, the Johor government never had its own building. Before the current railway station was built, there was Johor Bahru railway station (formerly Wooden Railway) which has now been turned into a museum after serving for 100 years since the British colonial era.

Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque, located along Skudai Road, is the main and the oldest mosque in the state. It was built with a combination of Victorian, Moorish and Malay architectures. The Johor Bahru Old Chinese Temple, which is the oldest Chinese temple in the city, is located on the Trus Road, dedicated to the Five Patron Deities from the five Southern Chinese Clans (Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka, Cantonese & Hainanese) in the city. It was built in 1875 and renovated by the Persekutuan Tiong Hua Johor Bahru (Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Association) in 1994–95 with the addition of a small L-shaped museum in one corner of the square premises. The Wong Ah Fook Mansion, the home of the late Wong Ah Fook, was a former historical attraction. It stood for more than 150 years but was demolished illegally by its owner in 2014 to make way for a commercial housing development without informing the state government. Other historical religious buildings include the Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Hindu Temple, which is the first glass temple in the world, Sri Raja Mariamman Hindu Temple, Gurdwara Sahib and Church of the Immaculate Conception.

Leisure and conservation areas The Danga Bay is a 25 km (16 mi) area of recreational waterfront. There are around 15 established golf courses, of which two offer 36-hole facilities; most of these are located within resorts. The city also features several paintball parks which are also used for off-road motorsports activities.

The Johor Zoo is the oldest zoo in Malaysia, built in 1928. It covers 4 hectares (9.9 acres) of land, it was originally called "animal garden" before being handed to the state government for renovation in 1962. The zoo has around 100 species of animals, including wild cats, camels, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and tropical birds. Visitors can participate in activities such as horse riding or using pedalos. The largest park in the city is the Independence Park.

Other attractions Dataran Bandaraya was built after Johor Bahru was proclaimed as a city. The site features a clock tower, fountain and a large field. The Wong Ah Fook Street is named after Wong Ah Fook. The Tan Hiok Nee Street is named after Tan Hiok Nee, who was the leader of the former Ngee Heng Kongsi, a secret society in Johor Bahru. Together with the Dhoby Street, both are part of a trail known as Old Buildings Road; they feature a mixture of Chinese and Indian heritages, reflected by their forms of ethnic business and architecture.

Retail The Mawar Handicrafts Centre, a government-funded exhibition and sales centre, is located along the Sungai Chat road and sells various batik and songket clothes. Opposite this is the Johor Area Rehabilitation Organisation (JARO) Handicrafts Centre which sells items such as hand-made cane furniture, soft toys and rattan baskets made by the physically disabled.

As of 2024, Johor is the state with the most shopping malls in Malaysia, primarily concentrating in Johor Bahru. Some prominent shopping centres in the city include Mid Valley Southkey, Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru, Toppen Shopping Centre, IKEA Tebrau, AEON Mall Tebrau City, Johor Bahru City Square, and others.

Entertainment The oldest cinema in the city was the Broadway Theatre which mostly screened Tamil and Hindi movies. Other cinemas available in the city located inside shopping malls. JLand Tower, located in the city centre, also features a glass-floored skybridge and the city's tallest observation deck.

Sport The city's main football club is Johor Darul Ta'zim. Its home stadium is Sultan Ibrahim Stadium with a capacity of around 40,000. There is also a futsal centre, known as Sports Prima, which has eight minimum-sized FIFA approved futsal courts; it is the largest indoor sports centre in the city.

Media: Radio Two radio stations have their offices in the city: Best FM (104.1) and Johor FM (101.9).

International relations Several countries have set up their consulates in Johor Bahru, including Indonesia and Singapore.

Safety As of 2025, Johor Bahru has become the second safest city in Malaysia with the second lowest crime index. However, it was once notorious for its relatively high crime rate, compared to other urban areas in Malaysia. In 2014, Johor Bahru South police district recorded one of the highest crime rates in the country with 4,151 cases, behind Petaling Jaya. Singaporeans visiting or transiting through the neighbouring city are often targeted by criminals.

Gang and unarmed robberies accounted for about 76% of the city's criminal cases in 2013 alone. Illegal car cloning was also rampant in the city. In addition, there were some areas in the city centre turning into red-light districts, despite prostitution being illegal in Malaysia. Human trafficking syndicates are active at Johor Bahru where they smuggle foreigners duped into prostitution.