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Singapore Zoo
Award-winning tropical zoo using open-concept enclosures set within a lush rainforest environment.
8 km · about 15 min drive
AsiaMalaysiaJohor
Johor Bahru
Johor, Malaysia · Asia
About Johor Bahru
Johor Bahru works well as a base: 10 minutes from Marsiling, 8km from Singapore Zoo.
Johor Bahru is in Johor, Malaysia, with about 860,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Marsiling, about 4 km away.
Johor Bahru (JB) is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Johor. It is the core city of Johor Bahru District, Malaysia's second-largest district by population and economy. For the city proper, Johor Bahru had a population of 858,118 in 2020, making it Malaysia's largest state capital city by population. It isRead more
located at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, bordering the city-state of Singapore.
As a major financial and business centre in Malaysia, Johor Bahru is Malaysia's second best-performing city behind only Kuala Lumpur, in terms of economic competitiveness, prosperity, and ease of doing business, according to the World Bank. It has the third highest quality of life in ASEAN, after Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, with the fastest urbanisation growth and internet speed among Malaysian cities. As one of the world's 100 most visited cities, Johor Bahru has the busiest land border crossing globally, via the Johor-Singapore Causeway, KTM Intercity and the future RTS Link to Singapore. Johor Bahru is served by Senai International Airport and the world's 15th-busiest port, Tanjung Pelepas.
During the reign of Sultan Abu Bakar between 1886 and 1895, the city witnessed modernisation from a fishing village, with the construction of administrative centres, offices, schools, and railways to Woodlands, Singapore. Japanese forces occupied Johor Bahru during the Pacific War. Johor Bahru thus became the post-war cradle of Malay nationalism, forming a major political party, UMNO at the Istana Besar in 1946. Granted city status in 1994, Johor Bahru is currently part of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone and Iskandar Malaysia, the nation's largest special economic zone by investment value.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Johor Bahru?
Within an hour or so of Johor Bahru: Singapore Zoo (8 km), Singapore Botanic Gardens (18 km), Little India (21 km), Haw Par Villa (21 km).
Where is Johor Bahru?
Johor Bahru is in Johor, Malaysia, about 4 km from Marsiling.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 858,118
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Malaysia
- Region
- Johor
- Timezone
- Asia/Kuala_Lumpur
- Coordinates
- 1.4655, 103.7578
Tags
Worth the detour from Johor Bahru
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
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Singapore Botanic Gardens
A UNESCO World Heritage tropical garden featuring the National Orchid Garden with over 1,000 species and hybrids of orchids.
18 km · about 20 min drive
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Little India
Singapore's most colorful and aromatic neighborhood with Hindu temples, spice shops, flower garlands, and authentic South Indian cuisine.
21 km · about 25 min drive
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Haw Par Villa
A 1937 theme park built by the Tiger Balm brothers, best known for the Ten Courts of Hell: lurid dioramas of Buddhist punishments in painted concrete. Entry is free and it remains defiantly strange.
21 km · about 25 min drive
museum
National Gallery Singapore
Southeast Asia's largest visual arts institution, housed in two beautifully restored national monuments.
22 km · about 25 min drive
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Singapore Chinatown
A vibrant district blending traditional Chinese temples, heritage shophouses, bustling hawker centers, and modern bars along Pagoda Street.
22 km · about 25 min drive
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Clarke Quay
A colorful riverside quay in Singapore transformed into a vibrant nightlife and dining hub with restored warehouses along the Singapore River.
22 km · about 25 min drive
restaurant
Tiong Bahru Market
A two-storey hawker centre in Singapore's oldest housing estate, where stalls such as Jian Bo Shui Kueh and Hong Heng prawn noodles have traded for decades. Wet market below, food centre above.
22 km · about 25 min drive
When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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